Her Name Was Grandmother

I have wondered, from time to time, what actually triggers memories of certain people; the recollections that seemingly pop up out of nowhere, and instantly take us back to a time or place we were not thinking about at all, and then render us unable to think of anything else. Particular scents, music, colors, weather; […]

Ring-Tailed Lemur On Your Birthday Cake

We celebrated a birthday this past weekend, and it was spectacular. I watched a little girl move with ease throughout the day, knowing she unapologetically was the complete focus and center of attention. This small person knows who she is, and with a keen sense of herself, gracefully shared the bounty of her birthday with […]

Brave Dave And The Draft Card

Forty-eight years ago yesterday, on October 15, 1965, twenty-four year old pacifist member of the Catholic Worker Movement, David J. Miller, stood on a sound truck near the Armed Forces Induction Center on Whitehall Street in Manhattan, and burned his draft card. He was arrested three days later, convicted of knowingly destroying and knowingly mutilating […]

Zinnia’s Tribute

It was another beautiful autumn afternoon in 2007. The day was almost over, and I was at my final stop before going home. I always saved this nursing home for last when I was out in the field, because it was such a pleasant experience each time I visited. With an excellent staff and a […]

A Corner Turned

First year of college behind me, I was ready to head over the mountains to San Francisco, the promised land for someone who needed to kick valley home dust off her sandals. It was June, 1966, and I could not wait to escape the somnambulance of life in a place where Civil Rights, Cesar Chavez, and […]