I am up at our orange grove in Ojai Today, my daughter Liz told me that her outdoor cat, Mae, has a bird friend, a scrub jay, who hangs out wherever the cat is If the cat comes to eat The scrub jay stands nearby patiently then eats any remaining food the cat leaves No…

Rachael is my youngest daughter She is also someone I work with three days a week. She is smart, funny, opinionated, and loving She can tease me mercilessly She can also make it crystal clear how much she loves me We share a deep love of literature and writing She also embraces the antique business…

Today we celebrated a glorious Easter Hooray and hallelujah We also celebrated the birthdays of my son-in-law Ron and my daughter Rachael Both dear members of our family Hooray and hallelujah Today I served as Subdeacon at two Masses Read the epistle and administered the wine at Holy Communion I also watched my grandchildren Search…

I’m sitting in the dark The power clicked off a few minutes ago Ray is in bed so he doesn’t care I, on the other hand, am dying my hair What could go wrong there? Easter tomorrow plus two birthdays Son-in-law Ron turns thirty-five tomorrow Daughter Rachael turns thirty-one on Monday Multiple celebrations in the…

From the Venerable Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury: Good Friday brings us up sharp against the recognition that something is very wrong with the human heart. The cross on which Jesus dies reminds us of the countless places where human beings make other human beings suffer unspeakably – and of the fact that most of…

A man and a woman Alone in the woods The gray trunks of the trees In orchard-like rows The ground covered in Orange and yellow flowers Amid green leaves The man in a black suit and top hat Stands next to the woman Who wears a long green dress and yellow hat Her arm is…

This evening was my first time in two years to serve as an acolyte I was the Lay Eucharist Minister at the Low Mass I was greeted by old friends when I walked into the sacristy Holy Week is definitely a good time to reunite I was a bit worried about how much I had…

A list of a few things I’ve outgrown: Any insecurity about coming from a small rural Texas town. I had a moment sitting in a meeting of the Beverly Hills PTA Council (that’s all the schools in the district) when I realized that all the people there were just like the people (mostly women) I’d…

My dad was a cattleman He wore a Stetson hat and cowboy boots He owned an auction barn where livestock was sold every Monday He had a nice car but also an old pickup truck He took me out with him to feed our cows He’d have a bale of hay in the pickup truck…

A true friend Lets you pour out your heart Without judgment Without trying to fix what’s wrong Holds you when you cry  Hugs you when you’re happy A true friend Laughs at the same jokes Cries at the same movies Gets mad about the same injustices Shares the same attitudes and values A true friend…