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Meadow Lakes (where my mom lives) often has art shows of resident artwork. When I was there this time, there was a massive art show that covered the walls of the major hallways. The art was not from residents but […]

When I’m at my mom’s for a week, that’s enough time for me to settle in and for good things to happen. These were three: 1. On Roxie’s morning and evening walks, we often saw deer. Most of the time,

[Note: This post from 2021 is repeated because it’s still relevant.] Thanksgiving? Or Takesgiving? It depends on your perspective. It depends on the story you tell yourself. If you tell yourself that Manifest Destiny is your divine right, that we

My mom has become convinced that cherry tomatoes are not real tomatoes, but some genetically manufactured fake. I told her they’re just a different variety. She blew me off. I didn’t understand it. I’ve seen Mom eat cherry tomatoes. In

My brother Eric said he wanted to surprise his birth mother. He planned to knock on her door five to ten minutes after I got there. I didn’t know if a surprise visit was a good idea for a mother

On Sunday (today, if you are reading this on Sunday), I will visit my brother Eric’s birth mother. There are unnamable feelings, like an oil slick on water, or a Labrador of dog hair in my chest. I try to

There are things I know now that I didn’t know back when I was 15, when my father demanded that I justify my existence. For cleansing or healing or maybe just to get it out of my system, I imagined

“Your lungs are your Achilles heel. Or one of them.” The message was from a friend. We had been discussing my current bronchitis, history of asthma, two bouts of Covid. I give myself credit for surviving a Covid close call.

There are seasons, and there are seasons of change. Right now, I’m in a season of change. After teaching at UC every Fall for five years, next Wednesday evening will be my last class. My small-group coaching program, Memoir Mastery,

Last week, after I said I felt like kelp floating in the ocean, a dear reader replied, “Kelp is very important. OK to be kelp.” She included a link to support her perspective. I learned that sea otters and kelp