Yesterday marked what would have been the third anniversary of my first shift working at the sweetest little wine bar. Three years and one week ago, I arrived at the bar for the first time to attend a private party in honor of a friend. Some months earlier, I had seen an ad that the … Continue reading My Days of Wine & Movies
Category: Connect
Racism and Radical Compassion
How’s everyone doing? It’s been a rough few weeks. It’s been a rough few months. Aw, seriously, let’s just call it - what the heck with 2020? For all the jokes about this being a year of clear vision, we’ve never more clearly seen the mess we’re in. I suspect that the pandemic oddly prepared … Continue reading Racism and Radical Compassion
Lent 2020: We Need Him a Lot
...the people God uses don’t have to know a lot of things, or have a lot of things--they just have to need him a lot. Jesus called out to them, “Let’s go!” My creative collaborator and I created a day-by-day prayer card to guide our church and unify our prayers during Lent. Of course we … Continue reading Lent 2020: We Need Him a Lot
What the World Needs Now
On Monday before the mandatory shelter-in-place began, I had to run a few errands that included picking up a prescription at the pharmacy. Surprisingly, the line was short, with two people already being helped at the counter and one person ahead of me. She was covered head to foot: a colorful rag-style hat on her … Continue reading What the World Needs Now
Leap Day
Four years ago on Leap Day, I put out a box of colored cards and envelopes and a mix of markers. I asked my family to write a letter to themselves four years hence describing what they hoped their life would be like. They did it willingly, writing themselves short missives, and the whole process … Continue reading Leap Day
Reconnect
I graduated from a small, private, liberal arts college in Santa Barbara, California, in the early 90's. During those college years and for a while after, I lived with a fantastic group of gals. This weekend, for the first getaway since graduation, nine of us gathered in Santa Cruz, California, to reconnect. In so many … Continue reading Reconnect
Exact
The one-word writing prompt—exact—reminds me that I am not one for exact-ness. Numbers require precision, and I am a Word Girl who prefers not to deal with numbers. Even when I’m looking for just the right word(s), I could be convinced of any number of synonyms that would carry the meaning and lend a nuance. … Continue reading Exact
Surprise
Some surprises you do not want. The extreme opposite of entering a darkened room to discover it filled with expectant people ready to shower you with love, my friend returned to her car after a fun night out to find someone had broken the window and made off with her valuables. Invasion. Destruction. Hassle on … Continue reading Surprise
They Made It
Two weeks ago today my Guy, Son (C21), and Brother-in-Law (BIL) returned from their adventure in Tanzania, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and enjoying a safari through the Ngorongoro Crater. They made it to the summit, 19,341 feet above sea level. It took six and a half days up and a day and a half down. Guy … Continue reading They Made It
Creative Collaboration
One of the great joys of my professional life over the last many years has been my ongoing partnership with my friend Nancy, aka The Creative Resource. I write/edit words and she makes them pretty. I hatch ideas and she makes them real and, in most cases, even better than I imagined. She is a … Continue reading Creative Collaboration