She woke up lonely. She knew it would happen. She’d been expecting it. One day she was busy and life was filled to overflowing and then it wasn’t. She could hear the silence bouncing off the walls in her now too-big house; her only companions, her dog and her cat. She sat down on her…
Month: March 2023
Congratulations to Rachael, Andrew, Ron, & Michael!
Today, my daughter Rachael and son-in-law Ron (Liz’s husband) ran the LA Marathon for the first time; Andrew (Rachael’s boyfriend) ran it again after several times, and Andrew’s little brother (Michael) also ran it and I’m not sure if it was his first time or not. The bottom line is that these four people ran…
Happy Birthday, Ray!
Today started early with a visit to grandson Nico’s first baseball game of the season. He played first base, displayed an impressive arm when throwing to the pitcher, and also made a hit on his first swing. He is also the tallest boy on his team at age 7. We then headed to Sarah’s house…
My Mother’s Love of the Hynn, St. Patrick’s Breastplate
The hymn, “I Bind Unto Myself Today” was my mother’s favorite hymn. In fact, instead of the wedding march at my sister Leslie’s wedding, this hymn was the processional. This was also true for my wedding blessing held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Sherman, Texas after Ray and I eloped. I didn’t know until…
Sarah’s and My Process on the 30-Day Blue Zone Challenge
I just finished a Zoom call with my daughter Sarah. She and I have committed to doing the 30-Day Blue Zone Challenge, which is based on the book of the same name by Dan Buettner, who studied the zones in the world where people live the longest. This is a basic, no-nonsense way of eating…
Happy Birthday to My Late Brother, John
I recently came across my mother’s memory book of my brother, John. It contains family photos, several letters from John she received in the months prior to his death, along with condolence cards and letters after he died in 1990. He was 46 at that time. He had been diagnosed with AIDS less than 2…
A Week Filled with Visitors
Over the past week, we’ve had four visitors from Western Massachusetts with us here in Los Angeles. Sovahn, the son of our old friends Sonny and Emily Crawford, along with three of Sovahn’s friends: Nick, Devon, and Chris. The boys are all in their early 20s and we’d met Nick and Devon on previous trips…
There’s a Child Outside My Window
There’s a Child Outside My Window A little girl plays in my neighbor’s tree Her blonde locks swirl in the breeze Her sturdy legs straddle a low-lying limb As if she’s riding a strong brown steed Taking her on a wild adventure In her lap sits her trusty pink bunny Its ears bounce as she…
Flash Fiction: His Hands
I wrote this a while back but read it this evening and it feels suitable for sharing. Wishing everyone a lovely Oscar evening. I will talk again with you tomorrow. Len His Hands Sheila was surprised when the phone didn’t ring. She’d waited all day; waited into the early evening. She was certain he’d call,…
Rest in Peace, Bob
Today was the Requiem Mass for Bob Halvorson, who was a long-time parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. I wasn’t able to be there since I was traveling at that time but wanted to offer a small story about my tiny, but sweet relationship with Bob. Bob and I were church acquaintances. We…
20 Minutes a Day 