Dear Readers, I wish you a wonderful New Year’s Eve and a healthy and happy 2025. May we all grow closer to one another and ourselves. May we stand up for what we believe is right and do our part to oppose oppression. May we appreciate the little kindnesses in life and the beauty that…
Month: December 2024
A Writing Student’s Sweet Note, and A Challenge for Me from Mentor Joan Johnson
This was Christmas Day 2024 with Joseph Bille and Joan Johnson at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. Joseph is a writing student of Joan’s and mine. When he sent this picture, he wrote, “This photo means a lot to me because you and Joan have been foundational in my return to creative writing. Your support…
Leonard Cohen, Brother George, and How the Light Gets In
Someone recently mentioned Leonard Cohen, and I immediately thought of the verse in the song, Anthem, below. This is a piece I wrote a while back, but it makes me happy to remember my late brother George’s victory over substance abuse. This is George’s story and what lessons we can all learn from it. Ring…
Christmas Morning at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood
We began our Christmas morning at Rachael and Andrew’s house in Covina, where we’d spent the night after an all-day Christmas Eve celebration with our family, most of Andrew’s immediate family, and our son-in-law Ron’s mother, Cindy. We had coffee and Thai food leftovers from Christmas Eve, then drove 30 miles to Hollywood to celebrate…
Growing Up with an Annual Post-Midnight Mass Bash
My parents hosted a Christmas party every year in the wee hours of Christmas morning after Midnight Mass at our tiny Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Bonham, Texas. This party was for all the church people and anyone else who happened to be awake and available for a party that began around 1 am on…
Tasty Stuffed Shell Recipe: Perfect for a Christmas Meal
Stuffed shells are a favorite in our family. They are pretty, full of flavor, and can be made the day before, which makes a major holiday a lot more fun for the cook. Below is what I do. I feel certain you will be happy with this recipe. It is tried and true. First, I…
Happy Anniversary to My Nieces, Leslie Leatherwood and Haley Broussard Leatherwood
I wrote the post below in 2015 to celebrate my niece, Leslie Leatherwood’s marriage to Haley Broussard. Leslie is the daughter of my late brother and sister-in-law, Sandra Adams Leatherwood. Since their wedding day, Leslie and Haley have had twin daughters, Sierra and Marina, who are now 4 years old. I just want to reach…
Real Women Write Anthology: The Power of Friendship
I have two stories in the newly-released Story Circle Network’s Real Women Write Anthology, The Power of Friendship, Volume 23, and I also had the honor of writing the Foreward for the book. The anthology is an incredible compilation of friendship stories that I highly recommend. As I wrote, ““The essays, memoir pieces, poems, and…
Flash Fiction: Hidden Benefits
I wrote this a while back but saw a dandelion today and thought of this story. I found it tonight and decided I’d share. I sink the trowel into the soft ground, digging down to sever the root of the offending dandelion. I can’t help but feel half guilty removing these vivid yellow flowers from my brown…
Poem: Sweet Like Gardenias
Today, I learned that two of my students were accepted to UCLA Dental School, which was their first choice school for their graduate education. My heart is happy. I wrote this poem a while back but its sentiment greatly reflects how I feel this celebratory day. Congratulations to Lona T. and to Ethan K!A long…
20 Minutes a Day 