I have been working on a piece to submit to Story Circle Network’s annual anthology, Real Women Write with the theme this year on Mothers and Mentoring: The Art of Nurturing. The original deadline was July 1 and I have been hurrying to get an essay ready. However, today, I received the good news that…

At the end of July, I’ll be teaching a 5-week online class for Story Circle Network entitled “Food and Memoir, A Delectable Combination.” I’ve taught this class before and it’s one of my favorites since food is such a great catalyst for memoir writing. After all, many memories are tied to food, such as my…

I have always liked crossword puzzles. Unless, of course, they’re too hard and then they’re no fun at all. But a moderately difficult crossword is right up my alley. A couple of months ago I discovered the Crossword Puzzle Club, which features short puzzles that vary in difficulty from pretty easy to slightly harder. I…

Today, I read the sad news that a body recently discovered on Mount Baldy by hikers has been positively identified as that of actor and St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood member, Julian Sands. When Julian disappeared in January after hiking on Mount Baldy on a day when there was a break in winter storms, I…

As Leonard Cohen writes in his song, Anthem: Ring the bells that still can ringForget your perfect offeringThere’s a crack – a crack – in everythingThat’s how the light gets in. I just read a fellow blogger’s heartfelt account of the bumps on her road to recovery from alcohol abuse. She spoke of her sister…

I didn’t expect to love you I thought instead you’d be a friend Someone I’d enjoy when I saw you And think little about when I didn’t. But that’s not what happened. Instead, you slipped right past all the roadblocks Made me laugh and feel seen Surpassed my expectations Pulled me close And have never…

I first tasted this salad at a friend’s party a few Christmases back. It is delicious and different. Full of flavor. It’s easy to make as long as you have all the spices in your cupboard. The blend of these spices along with the red onion, capers, and currants creates a taste that is delicate…

Here is the link to our song, “Anything Else.” Here is the other song that Sam and I collaborated on. I came up with the hook for the song and Sam and I worked together on the lyrics. He then took the lyrics and created music for the song. From a writer’s point of view,…

I had a sweet conversation with my younger brother Sam a couple of days ago and hearing his voice on the phone reminded me of the two songs we’ve written together in the past. The one below, which is the first song lyrics I’d ever written, is imperfect in many ways, but I really love…

These are in no particular order and this is by no means a complete list.  I will post this and immediately think of ten more things I should have added.  This is simply the best I could do so I could post for my e-circle. Try this prompt.  It will make you smile at the…