This is the beginning of college essay season, when students start composing that 500-word paper, which may be the deciding factor in their acceptance to a prestigious/hoped-for school. I have helped many with these essays for the past 13 years, and my students, I am proud to say, have been accepted to Princeton, Yale, University…
Tag: writing time
Flash Essay: To Roast or Not To Roast in LA
The heat has been bad here in LA. It is the topic of almost every conversation and people are flocking to the movies and to the beaches to escape. The rest of us sit in our homes, which for the most part are without air-conditioning, and sweat. It ain’t pretty. I am from Texas, a…
Repost: The Healing Power of Touch
I have a strong memory of spending a lot of time when I was a little girl snuggled up in bed next to my mother, her skin warm and her smell comforting. In that memory, my mother is always reading and her arm is around me so that I am nestled next to her. I…
Flash Essay: School Starts for My Girls
Another quiet late evening here in LA. An occasional car goes by, the television squawks quietly from an upstairs room, an old clock here in the living room ticks rhythmically while I’m sitting at the glass table. The dogs are nearby, Cordie lying asleep by the back door; Sammie sleeping underneath the table near my…
Flash Essay: Hats off to a True Olympian
We watched the Olympic television coverage today and it was inspiring to see Oscar Pistorius, the South African runner who is a double amputee with carbon – fiber blades instead of lower legs and feet, come in second in his qualifying heat. This allows him to compete tomorrow in the 400 meter race. He is…
Flash Essay: A Day of Critter Control & A Few Pictures
Tonight I have just returned from Ojai after two days of hard work. I am dead tired, but want to honor my twenty minutes a day. So, I’m posting pictures of the orange grove and neighboring organic farm. We got much accomplished today, primarily around ground squirrel-proofing our Spartan trailer, which is in the middle…
Flash Essay: A Matter of Time
Time has always been a bug-a-boo for me. Having enough time; taking enough time. Is this just me or does everybody have this problem? I can’t quite tell. I am beginning to think this is an American malady, or maybe specific to a large city like LA, since it’s not uncommon to overhear people saying,…
Flash Essay: Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner
One of the toughest moments I have ever witnessed in my life is when many years ago a beloved priest of mine unexpectedly lost his daughter, Ruthie, in a tragic event. She had gone to a party and had drunk too much, then came home and passed out in the back seat of the car….
Flash Essay: A Documentary to See: The Queen of Versailles
I went to see the documentary The Queen of Versailles this afternoon and highly recommend it. It is the story of David and Jackie Siegel, who live in the billionaire world of South Florida and who were building the largest private home in the United States before the housing bubble burst and life started changing…
Flash Essay: From Reluctant to Willing: A Journey in Faith
I am a spiritual person. I like to think I am, at least. Just this very morning, I was up at 6:30 and at church by 7:15 so that I could lead morning prayer and then serve as the acolyte at the 8 am mass. I wear a black robe with a white cotta and…
20 Minutes a Day 