Holidays Are Happy, Right? Kindness as Comfort for Grief

The chubby man’s mirrored goggles reflected sunlight as he skillfully performed an underwater flip in the Nuuanu YMCA pool, barely stirring the surface of the water at the east end of his swimming lane. His yellow fins and flaccid arms propelled him swiftly toward me. I hoped he’d be friendly. Swimming pool rules dictated you…

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A Hodgepodge of Poems from the Heart

A Medley of Poetry While wrestling today with what to write for Susannah Conway’s Blogging from the Heart assignment, the idea to write poetry pounced on me. So I pulled out some old poetry and spiffed it up, and scribbled down some new. And then, as is my wont, I edited and reedited, and now…

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Present Moment, Wonderful Moment

Yesterday, the impulse to unclutter grabbed hold of me. I sorted through stuff Barry and I hadn’t used for five years or more, and made piles of unwanted books and magazines, frayed clothes, and chipped kitchenware. I discarded torn, stained, or broken items and donated usable items to charities. Winnowing through my files, I discovered…

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From Book to Blog

Killer, not filler, posts are the ones I strive for. That’s why only one or two posts make it into my blog most months. It takes tons of time to find a fitting topic, write a draft, let it set, edit it, and write and edit some more. As I often do when seeking a…

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Virtually Grounded

On May 21st, I beamed as I read a recent five-star review for my book Angel Hero on Amazon. “Darkly Disturbing but Spiritually Uplifting,” wrote Hypnotist 101. “An exquisitely woven thriller, this excellent and compelling novel uses first-person narrative to great effect.” Hypnotist 101’s book about publishing on Amazon had helped me, so I’d praised…

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