I wrote this way back in 2013, just after Luna was born, but it seems fitting to post it again since Sarah’s birthday was yesterday. Luna (now 12) reads my blog occasionally, so she might be interested in a letter I wrote to her when she was 5 weeks and 6 days old. Not to…
Tag: love
Revisiting “Just a Little Hope,” A Song Written by My Little Brother and Me
Last night, one of the members of my writing group, Taffy Kennedy, mentioned the song that had “hope in the title” that I had written with my brother Sam. I was so touched she remembered, I promised I’d find it so she could hear it again. Here it is below from a previous post here…
To Mom on Mother’s Day Eve
I wrote this piece a while back, but it still reflects many of my feelings about my mother. This could be titled, “Some of My Favorite Things about Mom.” I was thinking about my mother today and the secret things I loved about her. For example, I loved her smell, which was a combination of…
Flash Fiction: Edith’s Tear
This is a story I wrote a while back. I thought I would share it tonight because I like the main character’s voice, and the ending made me smile. Dad gives me a wink, like we are pals or something. We’re sitting in our kitchen having eggs and waffles on a Sunday morning. I’m not…
A Favorite Photo of My Dad at the Sale Barn
Here is one of my favorite pictures of my dad. He is the man holding the microphone, wearing black “Barry Goldwater” glasses. He is above the ring where livestock came in one at a time and were auctioned off to local ranchers and major meat-packing companies, like Hormel or Jimmy Dean. I don’t know the…
For My Late Mom, Whose Birthday is Tomorrow
The year is 1972, the month is February, and this is three days before my father would die from lung cancer. This was our last family photo, commemorating the last time I saw my dad alive since I left later that day to return to Austin, where I was a freshman at the University of…
Then and Now: 50 Memories That Still Shine
Family & Parenting Childhood & Youthful Memories Education & Career Writing & Creativity Music & Singing Faith & Service Adventures & Travel Home, Heritage & Restoration Business & Entrepreneurship Love & Marriage Life’s Challenges & Deep Connections
For My Mother, Higher Education Equaled a Golden Ticket
Whenever one of my older siblings ever said, “Maybe I’ll just stay here—in our rural Texas town—and go to college close by,” my Mom’s reaction was a frown and a quick, “No, you won’t.” This was not said teasingly or with a laugh but rather in a hard-edged tone that left no opening for discussion….
Martin Luther King, Jr’s Wisdom in Our Trouble Times
Over the past two weeks, I have talked with several people dealing with difficult losses. One person has lost his housing and is living at the LA Mission, another has lost her house due to the Altadena fire and is temporarily living in a friend’s guesthouse, another’s elderly mother-in-law unexpectedly died, another’s seemingly healthy younger…
Tribute to My Late Brother Jim on His Birthday Today
Today is my older brother Jim’s birthday. He was born in 1946 and died in 1995 from AIDS. Jim was one of those guys who loved both sailing and flying. He owned a 45-foot ocean-faring sailboat and a Bonanza Beechcraft airplane. He sailed to Hawaii in his sailboat; he flew to Texas, picked up our…
20 Minutes a Day 