I am knee-deep in submissions for my students to the Scholastic Artists and Writers contest, the oldest and most prestigious writing contest for youth in grades 7 – 12 in the U.S. It is almost 2 am and I have been steadily working for the past 6 hours. I have 10 kids with 20 submissions;…
Category: Flash essay
The People in My Life
I took pictures today at the Breakfast Club, our church’s homeless breakfast program, and it occurred to me as I surveyed all the smiling faces of the volunteers just how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many good people. These fellow volunteers, with their devotion to good-hearted service, are only a few of the people…
Post Rain
We slept to the pitter-patter of raindrops last night and early this morning, such a peaceful sound. The air feels cleaner; the streets washed clean. My garden is thriving after such a slow soaking rain. It’s as if the whole city has been run through an automatic car wash, with all the dirt and grime…
Rain Coming Again So Soon
We have been preparing today for our second experience with rain in the past ten days. We had boxes from the estates we’ve been handling that needed to be moved to safety given that we’re not only expecting lots of rain, but also some high winds. It felt slightly odd to be scurrying about anticipating…
A Quick Note to Self
Dear Body, I promise to do better by you. I can see I need to eat more vegetables and fruits and move more. I am also aware that I could use more sleep as well as a bit more downtime. I plan to read online about foods that will help these bits of inflammation I’m…
Nightcrawler: A Film to See
We just returned from seeing the film Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal. I can say without qualification that this is a must-see. You don’t have to take my word for it. This film has a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as well. Jake Gyllenhaal, who lost 30 pounds for this film, is superb in his…
Moving Forward, Albeit Slowly
I am sitting with Elena. She just gave me a pep talk about never being discouraged about my writing. It is easy, however, to get discouraged. I write, write and write and then submit (there are not three submits here since I am not as good at submitting as I need to be), but then…
A 5-Star TED Talk
If you haven’t discovered TED talks on YouTube, you have missed a jewel that is free for the taking. TED stands for Technology, Education and Design and this network is devoted to exploring “ideas worth spreading.” The talks are given by experts in a variety of fields and are on widespread topics. There is also…
Rain is A’Coming
Southern CA is preparing for the upcoming deluge of rain that has been forecasted. This part of the country is so different from my native Texas when it comes to precipitation. Here, the mention of rain always includes a second mention of mudslides. This is not something that gets talked about much in North Central…
Sleep, Work and Rain
Today I took another 2 hour nap. I realize this may not seem newsworthy, but it is for me. I rarely take the time for that level of luxury and it was a lovely treat. I had lots of vivid dreams. Better yet, I woke up to the sound of raindrops plunking on the air…
20 Minutes a Day 