Here is a link to the special edition of Story Circle Network’s 2025 Sightseeing and Writing Trip to Spain. I’m pleased and proud of the work of everyone who participated. Please give it a look-see. It’s impressive. Here’s the link: https://www.storycircle.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Spain-2025-Journal-REV2.pdf
Month: January 2026
Echoes of Childhood, Carried on the Wind
The sound of a train whistle instantly takes me back to my childhood. There is something about its long, lonesome call that moves me out of the present moment and into memory, as if time briefly folds in on itself. I would have been less than nine years old when I first came to know…
Neighbors in Fur, Feather, and Wing
I have always had a deep interest in the natural world. That interest has deepened since moving to the orange grove, where I am often outside, surrounded by trees, birds, and animals. Since moving here, I have learned how destructive gophers are to orange trees—we lose several trees yearly to gophers chewing through their roots….
“The World’s Gone Wrong” by Lucinda Williams
Aptly said. Give it a listen.
A Gift from One of My Students: His Success
I recently received a text from one of my students, whom I helped with his dental school applications and, more recently, his residency applications. This is what he wrote: Good morning, Len! I hope everything has been well with you and your family, as well as your recent publication. I wanted to update you on…
When Online Friendship Steps into Real Life
On Friday, Ray and I made the train trip south to Oceanside to see a student of mine, her husband, and two of her closest friends, all vacationing from Washington State. Kathie and I know each other from Story Circle Network, a 27-year-old nonprofit that encourages women to tell their stories. Kathie has taken classes…
The Quiet Language of Touch
I have a strong memory of spending a lot of time when I was a little girl snuggled up in bed next to my mother, her skin warm and her smell comforting. In that memory, my mother is always reading, and her arm is around me so that I am nestled next to her. I…
All Abroad: The Train’s A’Coming
The anniversary of my mother’s death is tomorrow. She’s been gone 26 years. I wrote this piece a while back, but I think it expresses some of my thoughts on my mother’s passing. I loved her very much and miss her every day. A train is a means of conveyance that moves on a track…
Birthday Celebration Today
Our family celebrated the January birthdays of Nico, Liz, and me today. We gathered at Sarah and Gregorio’s and had lots of fun. Here are a few pictures of our time together.
On the Eve of Another Year
On this last day before my birthday, let me say a few things that I’ve learned this year. This is certainly not a definitive list, and the items are not placed in any particular order of importance. Many more could easily be added. However, for today, as I get ready to retire for the evening,…
20 Minutes a Day 