On April 1, my daughter Maya went skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains. She was 19, home on spring break from community college. She went to a resort outside of Truckee with her friends for a day of fun. It was 1992. When she arrived home early that evening, I had...
“Keep fresh before me the moments of my high resolve.” –Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman What is your intention for 2024? I like to choose a word for the year ahead that sums up my intention. This year my word is “Peace.” The challenge I've set for myself is to let inner peace...
These days, I watch the world go by from a different window. I mean that literally as well as figuratively. I’ve moved to the west side of Rossmoor, perched on a hillside with a view of Mt. Diablo, a grassy common space dotted with fruit trees, and a giant beech tree...
A Medieval jewel set where three countries meet, Basel, Switzerland is a city that resonates with history yet looks forward with an air of confidence. It is a place where borders meet and can be easily crossed. Tucked into a crook of the Rhine River at a point where...
I only wish it was that simple. It would be great to slap a “gone fishing” sign on my front door and hightail it to SFO. But preparing to live and write in Basel Switzerland for six weeks is like training to run a marathon. So much to do. My stress is stressing me...
I've discovered that love trumps grief. Today is the anniversary of my daughter Maya's death 31 years ago. What sustains me in moments of grief is “love in the trenches,” the kind that demands fortitude and commitment – not the easy breezy romantic ideal. Just as the...
Spring conjures pictures of blooming daffodils and sunny afternoons. But that seems like a cruel joke in soggy Northern California. Just last week the “Pineapple Express,” the 11th of the season, battered rooftops with ferocious winds and downed trees. Another storm...
What if your Valentine is Autistic? Love is funny. I mean funny weird not funny “ha-ha.” I’ve been married for three years, but it feels like forever. That’s partly because of the way Covid lockdown warped our sense of time. But mostly it’s because Alex is on the...
Happy Year of the Black Water Rabbit! In Chinese astrology 2023 is known as a Black Water Rabbit year. The element of water, or Yin energy, is associated with the color black, thus the rabbit's color. This bunny with its softer, gentler energy could lead us in a new...
Like a cup of hot lemon, light in December is pale, almost watery. And there are hours less sun than at summer’s height. The days are grey and pitch black before dinner is even on the table. It can feel bleak. As we reach the apex of darkness at the Winter Solstice,...