Set in 1994, during the height of the AIDS epidemic, Hope in a Time of Dying begins with Hope and Ben making the life-changing decision to leave their small Texas town for Los Angeles. The rerouting of the highway has financially damaged their antique business, leaving them with little choice but to seek a new…
Why I Wrote Hope in a Time of Dying
The journey to write Hope in a Time of Dying began a few years after my brothers, John and Jim, died of AIDS in the 1990s. I started it as a memoir to chronicle my experience when Jim offered me a job in Los Angeles, and my husband and three daughters moved from North Central Texas…
A Gift from My Kids That’s Greatly Appreciated!
Dear Friends, My kids thoughtfully gave me a gift over the holidays. They bought me an iPad with a keyboard. This gift was motivated primarily so that I could work in the lovely office that Ray built for me at the orange grove. Unfortunately, the Internet can occasionally be spotty in my office, particularly when…
Flash Fiction: Lost and Found
I wrote this a while back, but it’s one of those stories I hold close to my heart. We all feel lost sometimes but then stumble upon a reason we are here. Theresa was tired of feeling lost. She went out to the porch of her house on the lake and stared at the dark…
Welcome to 2025
Today is the beginning of a new year, and I will resist doing what I always do: make a long list of goals I hope to accomplish to make me healthier, happier, and more balanced. Instead, I have a tiny list of goals for this month, which I believe I can manage. Here it is:…
Happy New Year to All!
Dear Readers, I wish you a wonderful New Year’s Eve and a healthy and happy 2025. May we all grow closer to one another and ourselves. May we stand up for what we believe is right and do our part to oppose oppression. May we appreciate the little kindnesses in life and the beauty that…
A Writing Student’s Sweet Note, and A Challenge for Me from Mentor Joan Johnson
This was Christmas Day 2024 with Joseph Bille and Joan Johnson at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood. Joseph is a writing student of Joan’s and mine. When he sent this picture, he wrote, “This photo means a lot to me because you and Joan have been foundational in my return to creative writing. Your support…
Leonard Cohen, Brother George, and How the Light Gets In
Someone recently mentioned Leonard Cohen, and I immediately thought of the verse in the song, Anthem, below. This is a piece I wrote a while back, but it makes me happy to remember my late brother George’s victory over substance abuse. This is George’s story and what lessons we can all learn from it. Ring…
Christmas Morning at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood
We began our Christmas morning at Rachael and Andrew’s house in Covina, where we’d spent the night after an all-day Christmas Eve celebration with our family, most of Andrew’s immediate family, and our son-in-law Ron’s mother, Cindy. We had coffee and Thai food leftovers from Christmas Eve, then drove 30 miles to Hollywood to celebrate…
Growing Up with an Annual Post-Midnight Mass Bash
My parents hosted a Christmas party every year in the wee hours of Christmas morning after Midnight Mass at our tiny Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Bonham, Texas. This party was for all the church people and anyone else who happened to be awake and available for a party that began around 1 am on…
20 Minutes a Day 