Why I write about the man in cowboy boots
My dad was a feed store man in the Great Valley of California. He was a country boy from the South Dakota plains, and I don’t think he ever spent a day without his feet in cowboy boots.
writing
It’s never too late to have that birthday cupcake
To celebrate our 62nd birthdays, my best friend and I recently spent the weekend in Disneyland. Despite creaky knees and stiff backs, we were ready to party like … well, like eight-year-olds.
Why do these songs make me so emotional?
Lately I’ve been listening to my old Jackson Browne CDs while driving in the car. Although I’ve heard them a hundred times before, the opening chord of every song catches me by the throat. Yesterday I cried three times on my drive home from Petaluma. Why do these songs make me so emotional?
Finding purpose, passion, and goodness
When I look back on my childhood for clues about who I am today, I see that I’ve always been someone who gathers people together. First it was the “Shell Club.” The whole idea revolved around an abalone shell my Uncle Darel brought back for me from his diving trip.
How to find the root of truth
A few months ago, I had lunch with a long-time friend who was moving across country. After our sandwiches and burgers, the time came for that farewell hug. As we embraced, I felt the tears squeeze out, and I said, “I’m not crying because you’re leaving. I’m crying because, in your leaving, I feel how much I love you.”
What’s behind your backyard fence?
I like to think of writing as a search for things that have been lost, hidden, misplaced, ignored, forgotten, buried, or stashed behind the backyard fence. See there? As soon as I wrote “backyard fence,” I saw an image of the dog-eared fence behind the pink stucco house where I lived as a little girl.
Are you a good protector of your sacred time?
When parents decide to have a baby, they commit to spending the time it takes to grow that infant into a healthy adult. Even when it seems there is no time to do it, they make room in their busy schedules to feed, entertain, comfort, teach, and play with that child.