When our youngest daughter was 6 or 7 years old, she made a bouquet of paper flowers from scratch. I was very excited because...
A Flower-Makers’ Great Granddaughter
The Power of Masks
Are we really happy in this lonely game we play… (This Masquerade by Leon Russell) Several months ago, I sang this song for a worship service led by my friend, Mike Jenkins, at our Unitarian Universalist congregation. The song was a good fit to the main message: take off your mental masks so we can … Continue reading The Power of Masks
We Are As Good As We Can Be
Several summers ago I was looking for seashells at the beach during a family vacation. Because my friends and I had agreed to sing songs for an event for people living in poverty with AIDS after the vacation, I decided to bring lots of beautiful, perfect shells for the occasion. My thinking was that since … Continue reading We Are As Good As We Can Be
My Son’s Car Accident: A Mother’s Confession
“Mommy, I crashed your car.” When my son called me in a recent morning, my brain refused to comprehend his words. Then came a mixture of emotions and questions in my mind: Is the car drivable and how much would it cost to repair it? And what about the rate of our insurance? Why did … Continue reading My Son’s Car Accident: A Mother’s Confession
On Being Mother or Ultimate Loneliness
Long, long time ago one afternoon, I was looking at my first baby sleeping in her crib. She was so little and looked helpless in her crib-cage. She looked alone. But I, her mother, was standing outside and just watching her. Ordinarily I would have seen peacefulness or bliss in a sleeping baby. But on … Continue reading On Being Mother or Ultimate Loneliness
Unraveling Tangled Yarns: Unraveling Tangles in My Brain
Last Friday started out to be a very unproductive day. After a couple of hours of struggling to find something meaningful to do, a large tangle of yarns on the floor of a closet drew my attention. The yarns used to be in a large plastic trash bag with the top tied in a knot … Continue reading Unraveling Tangled Yarns: Unraveling Tangles in My Brain
always a friend: a Magnetic Poetry Kit
Some years ago my friend gave me something called a Magnetic Poetry Kit. It is a small plastic case filled with tiny magnetic strips, and a word is printed on each strip. I think it was a Christmas present but I’m not sure. I confess that I wasn’t too keen on it at that time. … Continue reading always a friend: a Magnetic Poetry Kit
The Pine Prince and The Silver Birch: A Favorite Book from Childhood
“If you like a carousel come over here and if you like an automobile go over there!” said the facilitator. I was attending a retreat, and our activity was to choose between two random things and explain our decisions. Few of the choices seemed relevant to my personal history. But the word "carousel" stirred up … Continue reading The Pine Prince and The Silver Birch: A Favorite Book from Childhood
An Old Lab Notebook
Since September, I have been cleaning up a lot of stuff at home. Boxes of papers, including copies of literatures related to my old research and my children’s school notebooks, have gone to recycling. Yesterday I found boxes full of old lab notes and data from early ‘90s. I was a brand new Ph.D in … Continue reading An Old Lab Notebook
State Fair 2015
Yesterday I went to the State Fair with my oldest son and youngest daughter. This was the first year my husband did not go with us even though he was in town. I came to the United States to join my husband in 1984. In the fall, I started graduate school in the Vet School at … Continue reading State Fair 2015
Accompanist for the Soul 