Food, Family, Friends and Fellowship

My brother called last Thursday morning to wish me a happy Thanksgiving and inquire if I had plans. More on the plans in a few paragraphs, but we somehow got on the subject of foods eaten during our childhood. The not-good-for-us foods. My brother didn’t remember the Velveeta macaroni and cheese mom and dad made from scratch during lent and his better half bellowed a big “Ewww” when I recounted how dad made fried-in-butter bologna sandwiches on Wonder cardboard whiteRead more

#SoCS – Filling Frames

“The key to happiness is not to get more, but to enjoy what we have and to fill the empty frame of our lives instead of enlarging it.” ~Albert Szent Gyorgyi~ I like this – a reminder that I have plenty to work with inside my own frame and don’t need to turn an 8×10″ into 20×24. Friday reminded me that I have special people who make up part of my life’s photograph…spending the morning with a friend who IRead more

Be Who You Are

Cheers to being who you are! The title of this post comes from a Sunday sermon, but I’m not here to impose Jesus upon you – although, what I’m about to say not only comes from who I am, but also from my spiritual heart. Many of you know who I am to some degree – Biker chick (both Harley and bicycle); cat lover; animal lover; beer and chocolate taste-tester; lover of outdoors and all things Star Trek and NCIS;Read more

Christmas and the Gift

“And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans–and all that lives and move upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused–and to save us from our foolishness, from all our sins,Read more

#SoCS: An Iffy Sonnet

If I were someone different, then who? Perhaps an imp of questionable trust A woman who without reason hates blue Or a girl who battles an urge for lust If I were angry, would you like me still? The swearing, the vile looks I give to you Or do I resist a valiant will? A female without persevering hue If I were not smart, would you fill me in? I’d like to be “that girl” on Jeopardy If I wereRead more

Changing…Evolving…Acclimating

“If you can’t acclimate, you disintegrate.” – Katie Kacvinsky I learned the art of acclimation working for a state government agency for many years. I often called our agency the Department of Change because we never sat still. Policy and procedures were constantly evolving and employees were expected to acclimate. We had no other choice. Monday, May 10th, was a day of change, a day I became fully vaccinated and celebrated with a walk-and-talk with one of my pastors as he willRead more

#WATWB: Health Equity in the U.S.

For this month’s We are the World Blogfest, I’ve chosen to spotlight the Director of the White House’s Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force. Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, who is an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Yale School of Medicine, has a huge task in front of her as she addresses disparities related to the pandemic and how people are treated for the illness. You can read about Dr. Nunez-Smith and what she hopes to accomplish HERE and HERE.Read more

Angry Birds and Coffee

Last week, roommate Natasha asked why I don’t drink coffee a bit more often. In 2019, I had to give up the daily 2-3 cup habit that was partly responsible for a bad case of GERD – the kind of in-your-face indigestion that I was willling to ignore for months because of addictive desires for a hot morning beverage. After several weeks of not drinking coffee at all and switching to tea, I returned to coffee in a limited fashion.Read more

#WATWB – Hope in a Poet

When day comes we step out of the shade,aflame and unafraidThe new dawn blooms as we free itFor there is always light,if only we’re brave enough to see itIf only we’re brave enough to be it ~Amanda Gorman~ By now, most of you have heard of this young, twenty-two year old poet laureate who spoke so eloquently and intelligently at the U.S. Presidential Inauguration on January 20th. Amanda Gorman is a shining star in the world, a bright light, aRead more

#WATWB: Love in Writing

A month or so ago, I was lamenting to good friend and roommate Natasha about how I missed volunteering due to the pandemic. I missed the people contact and serving the local community. Soon after, Natasha sent me a link that would allow me to be a pen pal to an elderly woman in an assisted living or nursing facility. I let that go at the time for reasons that required justification and laziness. This past week, I thought aboutRead more

#WATWB – Friendly Fridges and Freedges

No matter what you call them – fridges or freedges – they are a much needed blessing and service to the communities in which they reside. You can read about the fridges/freedges of New York and Los Angeles HERE and HERE. For many, regular meals are not regular and possibly non-existent on many days. The fridges/freedges help to feed the hungry without cost. The donated food contained therein is free. “At community refrigerators, anyone is welcome to take whatever theyRead more

All of Us…

“None of us are free until all of us are free.” -Emma Lazarus (1800’s) (variation) -Fannie Lou Hamer and Martin Luther King Jr. (1960’s) -Janelle Monae (2017) -Kamala Harris (2020) This would be the preferred motto of democracy. That all people are free, not held in chains, not held back by law or public opinion. Acceptance and love of all. No judgments, no grudges, no feuds, no wars. Acceptance and love. Honoring. Respectful. Viewing humanity in color, but treating everyoneRead more