Consistency is a trait I value. I grew up in a home where people were not always consistent, so knowing what to expect on a day-to-day basis is something I find comforting. When I was growing up, there was a certain consistency to life: Lorene arrived every weekday at 8:30 without fail, she was consistent….

I’m very pleased to announce that my writing student Ruby Shapz has been accepted to UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. Ruby has decided to attend UC Berkeley in the fall of 2020 where she will pursue her major in Art History. Ruby’s interest in art history has been bolstered by world travel. Thanks…

My mother died back in 2000. I miss her often and wish she were here. Here are a few things I’d say to her at this moment if I could. Hi Mom, I wish you were here. I miss our talks together. I miss the connection we had. I also miss knowing that you believed…

I realized yesterday that I hadn’t added a hook to the song that I posted a couple of days ago. I had essentially written a poem instead. So, after listening to music all afternoon while I cleaned the garage, I came inside and added what I hope was a decent hook. This also meant that…

I wrote this piece a while back, but in this tumultuous time, I thought it might be nice to revisit a simpler era. This is one of my fondest memories of growing up in my little Texas town of 7,000 people. Mr. Morgan was a retired Episcopal priest who lived a few houses up from…

Daughter Rachael and I went to the UCLA Ackerman Donation Center today and gave blood. We had both read that all the hospitals in LA are badly in need of blood for patients so we decided to do our part. The people at Ackerman could not have been nicer. They said they were so pleased…

I found the silver Phoenix ring you gave me  It was on the closet shelf way up high  When you slid it on my finger you said, “My love is like that bird, it’ll never die.”  But what you said wasn’t what you meant You didn’t want the life we shared Instead you wanted anything…

Yesterday was Rachael’s 29th birthday. In the spirit of tradition, I am going to chronicle on paper what I usually do in person with each of my three children on their birthdays, which is to recap my pregnancy with them and the events surrounding their births. Their birthdays, after all, are not only important days…

Our youngest daughter Rachael turned 29 today. She is still our baby and our whole family loves her very much. She has the good fortune of being beautiful both inside and out. She is kind, considerate and a great listener, but is also strong, straightforward and clear. In addition, she has a great sense of…