I have recently discovered the meditative power of listening to Buddhist chanting while I write. I usually listen to Gregorian chanting, which feels familiar given my Anglo-Catholic background. I love Gregorian chants, which connect me to my faith and are directly related to parts of the mass. The Buddhist chants, on the other hand, are…
Month: March 2022
An Anger Remedy, At Least For Today
Sometimes I have an anger problem. With certain people (insert husband’s name here), I have a tendency to click immediately into righteous indignation if I feel slighted or misunderstood. Having been raised with four brothers, I learned early on to defend myself by coming out swinging. Clearly, I have matured out of that approach (within…
National Vietnam War Veterans Day
Today is National Vietnam War Veterans Day, which, this year, is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Fifty years ago today, the final US combat troops withdrew from Vietnam. Over the years of the Vietnam War, 2,700,000 men and women served and 58,220 U.S. soldiers died. In the 1950s, there…
Emerging from the Rabbit Hole
Dear Friends, I have been away – not physically – but mentally for almost a month. I was present and writing daily, and then one day I was a little too tired and swish, down a rabbit hole I went, tumbling head over heel until I soon landed at the bottom with a soft thump….
Two Sides of My Life
The first photo, which was taken yesterday, is of my neighborhood in Los Angeles. This is the corner of Doheny Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard. On the left is Beverly Hills and on the right is West Hollywood, I live on Doheny Drive halfway up the hill on the left. Sunset Boulevard is the next…
A Sweet Visit with One of My Former Students
Today, I met with my former student, Michael, who is currently a sophomore at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He wrote me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I’d be in town during his spring break. Luckily, I was and we agreed to meet at Century City Mall where we had lunch,…
Two Prayers For Ukraine This Evening
When I was a little girl, my mother sat down on my bed every night and we said our prayers together before I went to sleep. The prayer that I liked the best and which has stayed with me all of these years comes from the Book of Common Prayer. It seems most appropriate for…
Finally Returning to Church Today After Two Years Away
This evening, Ray and I attended the Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, Hollywood. It was the first time we have physically been back in church in two years. I have attended “church” every Sunday online, but because LA has been such a Covid hotspot, it’s only now that we’ve felt…
20 Minutes a Day 