My brother George’s death anniversary was just a few days ago. Yesterday, I spoke with my niece Katie, who mentioned she’d had a tough morning as she re-grieved the loss of her father. I’d had a tough morning too on that day and we talked about the benefit of a therapeutic cry. As my mother…

I made this cake on Sunday and it was moist and delicious. Hummingbird Cake originated in Jamaica, where it was called a “Doctor Bird” cake, which is the nickname for the Red-billed Streamertail, a member of the hummingbird family. Presumably, the banana and pineapple cake got its name because it was so full of fruit…

I am the fifth out of six children; technically, the fifth out of seven since my little brother, Robert, died just a few hours after his birth. I was 18 months old at the time of his death. From my perspective, there were two sets of kids in our family: the older kids: Leslie, John…

I spent the afternoon going through photos of family and friends. I will share a few of the family just for the fun of it. These warmed my heart. I love all of these folks very much.

I wrote this story a while back, but it remains one of my favorite memories of growing up in my little Texas town. Thought I’d share it on this Friday evening. Miss Inez English lived on Pine Street, right around the corner from our house on 9th in my little rural Texas town. Her one-story…

Sacha is a senior at the LA County High School for the Arts. He has been my writing student for several years now and is a lovely young man. I am pleased to announce that he has been accepted at numerous colleges for next fall, including Ryerson University; Sarah Lawrence College; University of the Arts,…

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…