One of the toughest moments I have ever witnessed in my life is when many years ago a beloved priest of mine unexpectedly lost his daughter, Ruthie, in a tragic event. She had gone to a party and had drunk too much, then came home and passed out in the back seat of the car….
Month: July 2012
Flash Essay: A Documentary to See: The Queen of Versailles
I went to see the documentary The Queen of Versailles this afternoon and highly recommend it. It is the story of David and Jackie Siegel, who live in the billionaire world of South Florida and who were building the largest private home in the United States before the housing bubble burst and life started changing…
Flash Essay: From Reluctant to Willing: A Journey in Faith
I am a spiritual person. I like to think I am, at least. Just this very morning, I was up at 6:30 and at church by 7:15 so that I could lead morning prayer and then serve as the acolyte at the 8 am mass. I wear a black robe with a white cotta and…
Flash Essay: A Must-See Photo Exhibit If You Love Rock & Roll
We just returned from the Annenberg Space for Photography in Beverly Hills where we saw an exhibition called, “Who Shot Rock and Roll.” This featured 166 photos from the top rock photographers of the ’50’s – present, with photos of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, Boy Dylan,…
Flash Essay: Born to Clean
Today I tackled an unsightly and rather unsavory task in our 1954 Spartan Manor, aka old trailer, up in Ojai. I tracked down all the old ground squirrel nests tucked into the out-of-the-way spots in the cabinets and swept up all of their droppings. Yuck. My work required a mask, gloves, a broom and dust…
Flash Essay: Ojai, Perfect Weather & Lots of Stars
We have been in Ojai since last night, making good on our plan to come up 2 days a week and organize our storage bins. Right now we’re down in Ventura so we could go to a Del Taco and then to a local health food store for dessert since we don’t eat refined sugar….
Flash Memoir: Miss Inez Inglish and Her Overgrown Yard
Miss Inez English lived on Pine Street, right around the corner from our house on 9th in my little rural Texas town. Her one-story wooden house, white with green shutters, was set far back from the road, and was obscured by a front and back lawn covered with overgrown bushes and low-hanging trees, which cast…
A Few Favorite Books and A Wish
I have started re-reading The Color Purple by Alice Walker and I am reminded why it held the distinction for a very long time of being my favorite book. “Dear God,” the book starts and is written all the way through in a series of short letters with such a powerful and distinctive voice that…
Flash Memoir: An Afternoon with Mr. Morgan
Mr. Morgan was a retired Episcopal priest who lived a few houses up from my family on East 9th Street in my hometown of Bonham, Texas. He and his wife, Anna, must have been in their 70’s when I was young. They both had white hair, and they walked with the stoop that comes with…
Flash Essay: A TV Series Worth Watching
I would like to highly recommend the new HBO series The Newsroom. The acting is first-rate, the dialogue real and strong, and the story lines compelling. I would not be surprised if a whole crop of young people are inspired to head off to journalism school as a result of this series. Not only does…
20 Minutes a Day 