This evening I traveled to St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral near downtown LA to help commemorate the outstanding service of our beloved deacon, Walter Johnson. Walter is now our Deacon Emeritus since his recent retirement at the age of 81. He read the gospel at tonight’s mass and in the photo below, he is censing the…
A Poem to My Sister, Leslie
I have been thinking about my older sister Leslie lately and found this poem I wrote shortly after her death in March 2012. I rewrote it slightly and wanted to repost in her memory. GOOD-BYE TO MY SISTER I see you lying in your hospital bed Dark brown eyes half-closed Square jaw tight Can you…
Grandkids’ Evening
Ray and I headed out to Sarah and Gregorio’s in Pasadena late this afternoon in order to babysit the kids for them this evening. We are now on our way home and I know that if I don’t write now, then I certainly won’t when I get home. I am beat. Baby Lyla, who had…
To My Son-in-Law, Gregorio
Dear Gregorio, Happy birthday to you. I want you to know that I am so happy you are part of this crazy family of ours. You are a wonderful partner for Sarah, a supportive brother-in-law for Liz, Ron and Rachael and an exceptional son-in-law for Ray and me. You are there whenever anybody needs anything,…
Why I Wrote A Ghost Story or How I Was Influenced by the Amazon Prime Series “Good Omens”
“Good Omens” is about as far as you can get from something I would normally watch. It has the unlikely premise of an angel and a demon who have known each other since the Garden of Eden, working together in modern times to prevent the Antichrist, who has recently arrived on earth, from signaling the…
A Good Week in Texas
Okay, I’m writing my 20 minutes. It’s tough to do tonight because I am on a plane headed back to LA after a busy week in Texas. We not only had a garage sale, but also condensed two antique mall booths down to one, photographed and measured lots of big furniture to list on eBay…
2nd Draft: Night-Time Visitations
This is the second draft of a story I am working on. I have never written a ghost story, so this is something that requires a bit of a learning curve. Let me know what confuses you or what throws you out of the story and/or what works. I would appreciate your feedback. Here’s to…
Just a Few Rambling Thoughts
Well, I wrote a ghost story last night, posted it, then took it back off. The reason: I decided that it needed more work. I had fun writing the first draft though. Set my alarm for 20 minutes and 1 1/2 hours later, I stopped writing. Now, I plan to go back over it and…
Flash Fiction: Just a Matter of Time
Mary Louise awoke in the dead of night to the distinct smell of bacon frying. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock: 3:42 am. “What the hell?” she muttered as she slipped on her robe, grabbed her flashlight and headed for the staircase. The house was dark save for a dim lamp burning…
The Joys of Community or How a Simple Garage Sale Can Enhance Your Life
We were up early this morning to head outside and uncover all our tables in preparation for our “early callers.” We knew a few people would venture forth before 8 am to see what we had and to buy anything they might be collecting. Sure enough, a few people arrived around 7:30 am and we…
20 Minutes a Day 