Several years ago, we bought a large statue of Buddha from an estate we were handling. The statue had been stored in a small closed garage for years with miscellaneous household objects and boxes stacked all around it. Ray and I were happy to unearth this beautiful Buddha and knew that we’d like to find…

Just a few minutes ago, I received the following text: “I hear you need an attorney.” The message was from one of my closest students, Aaron Shahmaram, whom I started seeing for writing enrichment when he was in middle school. He was a shy boy who was nervous when we first met, but he and…

I was going through a box of old photos that had been stowed away for years, and I came across some wonderful shots of my family that I’d never seen. I’ll be writing about a few of these over the next week or so, but couldn’t resist sharing one photo that is dated December 1956….

Over the past few months, I’ve made a concerted effort to get more sleep. Up until that time, I got up early, stayed up late, and then wondered routinely why I was so tired. I was dragging around to the point that my children staged a mini-intervention and confronted me on my tendency to push…

Last week, I was climbing on a chair to reach something up high and accidentally bumped my head on one of our collectible cabinets. Immediately, I heard something inside the cabinet fall and break. “Oh, no!” My concern was real though I’d hit a sharp edge of the cabinet and my head still hurt. The…

On a mild afternoon With eyes closed I stand still and Let sunshine envelop me My body drinks in the rays Quenching a need Deep down That only the sun can fill A fuel that offers Health Well-being Connectedness Solace Vitamin D The source of life Is right there I need only turn toward it…

Today, I spent the afternoon with Sarah, Gregorio, and their kids. Of course, this counts as something that makes me happy, which fits right in with my November challenge to myself to write daily on that topic. Sarah, Lyla, and I went to watch Nico play soccer at noon and also to see Gregorio coach…

Yesterday, Ray and I took a drive along Highway One between Santa Monica and Oxnard, which, for the most part, borders right on the Pacific. The sun was shining, the water was deep blue, and the waves in many places were white-tipped and lively. In several spots, the ocean is only yards away from the…

Last night, Ray and I received the sad news that our friend, and the retired deacon of St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church, Hollywood, had passed away. This came as a surprise since 86-year-old Deacon Walter Johnson was still posting his daily “Prayers Ascending” on Messenger just last week and was also commenting on social…

My goal for November is to write each day about something that makes me happy. I am hoping this will offer a positive counterbalance to the many unhappy events in the news. Just a simple effort on my part to shift my attention to something that brings a smile or a moment of pleasure. I’m…