When I was growing up, there was a Sweetheart Banquet at the 7th and Main Baptist Church every Valentine’s Day. I never had the occasion to attend since I was an Episcopalian, but it was considered quite an event in our little town. When I was in 8th grade, I was invited to go with…
Category: Writing
Shrove Tuesday (Mardi Gras) on Sunday: Our Pre-Lenten Pancake Breakfast Today at Church
Today, I was up bright and early with three other intrepid “Breakfast Club” cooks (that’s the name of our homeless breakfast). We met at the church at 7 am (we were there at 6 am yesterday for our official Breakfast Club). Today, we had an abbreviated menu of pancakes, turkey and pork sausage, breakfast burritos,…
Soon, I Will See Clearly Again!
Today, I had a happy day. For the first time in three years, I had my eyes checked and I will soon have new contacts and new glasses. I have an eye condition called Keratoconus, which is where the cornea of the eye thins out and bulges like a cone. I have had surgery on…
A Big Shift
Hi all, Well, it’s been quite a time lately. Ray was sick, then came down with shingles, then I was sick. Ugh. We are both on the mend now, but the catch-up of work has been a bit tough. I have had a long day both yesterday and today, but I’m almost caught up so…
Scholastic Regional (7 States) Gold Key Winner!
I am very pleased to announce that my writing student Lara King has received notification that she has won a Gold Key for her personal essay/memoir, “Ship of Theseus” in the Scholastic Artists and Writers contest, the oldest and most prestigious writing contest for youth in the United States. Lara is a long-distance student of…
1st Song: “Just a Little Hope,” Songwriters Len and Sam Leatherwood
My brother Sam and I have been working on a song since we visited Jaime and him in Nashville earlier in the month. This is a new venture for us. We agreed that I would write the lyrics and Sam would write the music and sing. Here is our first effort, “Just a Little Hope.”…
Thoughts on Mom Near the Anniversary of Her Death
We prayed for my mother today in church to honor the anniversary of her death. I wrote this piece a while back, but I think it expresses some of my thoughts on my mother’s passing. I loved her so and miss her. A Train’s A-Coming A train is a means of conveyance that moves on…
Ramblings on the Trip to Texas
We are on the plane heading back to LA. A baby is crying, a man is shuffling cards, two women behind me are having a conversation with tones that suggest they know each other well. We are three in our row but the fellow in front of us has a row all to himself. That’s…
Tomorrow We Head Back to CA
This week has flown by, primarily because we were making the trek to and from Fort Worth on several days. We will go again tomorrow and work before we head to the airport in mid-afternoon. Being here reminds me of what lovely friends we have. I got to see several people and had some good…
Paperwork Day
Today I was on the phone with the insurance company four times related to the fire. I also got the Spring term of online classes for Story Circle Network all lined up and I am feeling excited about what a good roster of classes we’re going to have. In addition, I paid bills and set…
20 Minutes a Day 