How can it be a mere three years since I first became a published author? Remember back to those seemingly delicious times prior to 2020? A friend recently shared that the futuristic movie Soylent Green was placed in the year 2020. (When I fact-checked this I found it to be set in 2022, oh no!) … Continue reading October three years ago…
Gratefulness
About that e-bike…
Have bike. Will cross rivers. It was exactly one year ago when I changed my mind about e-bikes. Prior to that, when those irritating super-charged-two-wheelers passed me climbing up Terwilliger Boulevard as I sweatily made my way to work, I'd let out a harrumph. (Is that really what we say - or just what we … Continue reading About that e-bike…
A religion of kindness
Had you asked me before –prior to this pandemic– if I'd ever blog about religion, I am certain I would have answered no, without hesitation. Way back then it simply wouldn't have been something to pop to the top of my writing topics of the moment. Too private. And, prior to the pandemic, I was … Continue reading A religion of kindness
This one’s for Karen
Our dear friend Karen died on February 4 of this year, 11 days prior to my release of Then, Now, and In-Between: Place, Memories, and Loss in Oregon. Karen was loved by so many: friends like me and students and co-workers and sisters and brothers and nephews and sons and a daughter and her husband … Continue reading This one’s for Karen
Bring back the joy: the illustrations we remember
My brain is distracted, as much as I want to get on with writing something significant. (But what...my distracted brain asks....is significant?) During my non-work hours and between checking email or worrying about my adult kid making it through COVID-19 or thinking about an elderly mom I can't visit - I have moments of concentration, … Continue reading Bring back the joy: the illustrations we remember
True confessions: Kitchen Aerobics
This new world of COVID-19 invites me to write about topics not previously imagined or considered. For after all, in what has before felt more like normal times - even if I didn’t recognize them as such - I write about things of importance, at least from my perspective. More than that, much of my … Continue reading True confessions: Kitchen Aerobics
Practice loving kindness
I was prepared to blog about the new J.K. Gill Building arising in downtown Portland. Yet, different thoughts bubbled up, insisting that I hold off on that one for now. Our community has been shattered this past week. Outraged and angry as we learn details about horrible incidents that lay hidden, until now. We should … Continue reading Practice loving kindness
Defining how we show up
Last week I received a picture in the mail, sent by a cousin. It was of Mom thirty years ago, vibrant in life at an age just two years younger than I am now. She was beautiful, strong - and I could tell - had an agenda ahead of her. I realized as I held … Continue reading Defining how we show up
Siblings: when the going gets tough
I’ve been thinking a lot about siblings, unconditional love and legacy. When my dad died, now over 5 years ago, it didn’t take long for me to realize I was now part of two new clubs, whether I wanted to join or not. The first was that of children, young and old, who had lost … Continue reading Siblings: when the going gets tough
Yes, I will use the D word
Over the last few years I have found myself avoiding using it. I might say, memory challenge, or memory loss, but not dementia. As I embrace initiatives both at work and in my community to reduce stigma associated with mental illness, I started thinking....what do I fear when I fail to call it what it … Continue reading Yes, I will use the D word
