Ojai Tonight

Ray and I are up at the orange grove tonight. We are staying in our Airstream and will gather up collectibles tomorrow to take with us on our upcoming drive to Texas.  We are due to leave on Thursday after having the chance to keep our grandkids overnight on Wednesday. That visit will hopefully hold…

A Special Gift: To Serve in Brit and Mark’s Wedding

I had the privilege to serve today as subdeacon at the wedding of two of our beloved parishioners, Brit Bjurstrom and Mark Frazier, at St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, Hollywood. This was my first time to perform my duties as subdeacon at a wedding and it meant that I served at the altar with…

Repost: A Lesson from the Past

This is a post that I wrote back in July of 2012. Somehow it speaks to me today. I hope it will speak to you as well. Len 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,…

Dallas Police Shootings Tonight

I have just come from watching the live coverage of the shooting of police officers in Dallas, which is part of my stomping ground since I grew up in North Central Texas. I know well those streets, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and Parkland Hospital. Ironically, this all took place only blocks from “the grassy knoll”…

Prompt: When Do I Feel Most Free?

When do I feel most free? Ah, I know. When I write fiction. Nothing matches the sense of freedom I feel when I settle into a comfortable chair with either my laptop or notebook and pen, and write a random sentence or fragment of dialogue with no idea where it will take me. From there, the…

Luna & the 4th of July Parade

Today we went out to Sierra Madre to see Luna and her preschool in the 4th of July parade.  I thought we were going to see a 10 minute parade of a bunch of kids and maybe a few parents.  Instead, the little city of Sierra Madre (directly east of Pasadena) “put on the dog,”…

A Reading of Flash Fiction Story #2: Jacob’s Search

I am adding a second flash fiction story here, which is the one I put on my blog last week. Since several people said they liked these but prefer to see the text too, I am adding the text below the YouTube video.  (I promise I won’t do this more than once a week!) I…

Corgi Beach Day in Long Beach

Here are photos from a truly silly/heartwarming event: Corgi beach day.  You can’t help but smile looking at this collection of Corgis and other canines gathered together at the dog beach down in Long Beach. Here are the photos:

An Experiment: Reading a Story Aloud

Having just gotten back from seeing Garrison Keillor’s last show with A Prairie Home Companion and in the spirit of oral storytelling, I am launching an experiment tonight. I have included a link to me reading one of my flash fiction stories. This is only a little over three minutes long. I am doing it…