Fifty-five years ago today, my little brother, Arthur James, was born. He was one of those people who seemed to be happy all the time, teasing everybody he could, and running to mommy when someone teased him back. As his
Sometimes I Miss My Piano
My mom plays the piano. She’s played it for as long as I can remember. In fact, she’s a great piano player. I loved hearing her play as I was growing up; we didn’t have a television set so her
I Just Want to Quit
At least once a day, during some part of the day, I want to quit. Quit eating healthy food. Quit brushing the dog. Quit paying the bills. Quit sweeping the floor. Quit being “responsible.” Quit washing dishes. Quit, quit, quit.
View From the Porch
From where I’m standing, the sun is sinking below the horizon and the clouds still in the darkening sky are tinged on the edges with brilliant pinks and oranges. Once again, the view from the porch is spectacularly gorgeous. The
40 Years Later
I’ve been a mom for 40 years today. Forty years ago yesterday, the Los Angeles basin shook with a 6.6 earthquake centered in Sylmar, just north up in the San Fernando Valley. The earthquake demolished two hospitals, one of them
It’s All About Punctuation
Take this sign that’s popular in neighborhoods with families — Do you read it as: SLOW! CHILDREN AT PLAY! meaning slow down because there are kids playing nearby? Or is it: SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY! meaning children who are slower
Random Acts of Kindness?
What if we all did “random acts of kindness” as a regular sort of business, something that we all expected all day every day. Would we still call them “random”? Would they still hold the fascination for us that they