After working a day that literally started at 6 am and ended at 8:30 tonight, Ray drove us up to Ojai to the orange grove. The wind is balmy and gentle, the sky clear and sprinkled with bright stars and the quiet that is enveloping this place is peaceful. I am so happy to be…

I have two icons of St. Mary holding baby Jesus that are in the cabinet next to where I am sitting here in the living room. The icons are both gifts from our priest, Father Ian Elliott Davies at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. In both, Mary is looking right at me, as if she…

On Sunday night, we had dinner tonight at Liz’s boyfriend’s parent’s house in Hollywood. Ron made a homemade pizza dough from a Bobby Flay recipe, and cooked it on the grill. Cindy, Ron’s mom, made a homemade tomato sauce. Then there were loads of toppings to choose from including smoked gouda and mozzarella cheese, red…

One of the challenges of writing is overcoming the negative self talk that can paralyze creativity.  Below are 25 different thoughts that often surface and a method that I’ve discovered that combats these negative messages. Why I shouldn’t write today: 1) I am boring and so is my life. 2) Why would anybody care about…

Let me congratulate all my students who have worked their rear-ends off to finish their early decision and early action essays and supplemental questions several days before the November 1 deadline. Some of these seniors have been working since mid-August on the multi-layered components in their applications and it is no joke to say they…

Other? What does that mean? Other means not us. Someone different. Someone who does not share common traits or beliefs or locations or even species. Other is a word that comes up a lot when people want to judge someone harshly. He has other beliefs. She has other interests. Not ours. Against us. Not with…

I am in the throes of college essay crunch time. I have a sizable number of students who are applying early with November 1 as the first big deadline and we are hunkered down writing essays for Stanford, Penn, Michigan, Wisconsin, Chapman, Loyola Marymount, and many, many medical schools. Luckily, these kids are hardworking and…

Today is my little brother’s birthday.  Happy birthday, Sam! Here we are, still dancing after all these years. Wishing you the best upcoming year of your life Laugh hard Hug often Sing loud Know your big sister loves you.

Halloween in Bonham, Texas, circa 1960. I remember well the trick or treating. Or rather, I remember the treats, particularly the homemade ones that were delicious. No fear of razor blades or glass embedded in the goodies. No indeed. The truth is the homemade treats were the ones I liked best. Take caramel apples, for…