I work at the public library. More specifically, I’m a monitor for two branches in the city of Thousand Oaks. I consider this work, like my previous career as a public school teacher, to be a privilege. (Plus I get this super-cool badge. Don’t be jealous.) Although neither job...
Kindness First
The 100-Year Story
These past few months have been pretty crazy around here. Some high-highs and some low-lows. Milestones and heartbreak. (I’m not gonna lie. There’s still a lump in my throat and I get teary-eyed thinking about November.) Anyway. I’ve missed my kids ever since they moved to Oregon, but I...
A Christmas Poem (back by popular-ish demand)
‘Twas two weeks before Christmas, 2018, And every Gardner was here on the scene. Karly and Jack had both flown home from college, With luggage and laundry and (probably) knowledge! Karly’s picked anthro as her likely major; Criminal justice is her goal, I wager. Jack’s in his third...
Facing Forward, Looking Back
It was a weird week. I had a birthday, visited my kids at the University of Oregon, and released my third novel. All good stuff. Celebratory. Fortunate. (Fortunate is my grandma’s favorite word. She’s 95. Her being in my life is part of why I’m fortunate.) And yet. In the...
Love and Marriage
I’ll never forget my friend Nadine’s wedding. It was springtime in the Bay Area and the sky was drizzly all day, but the moment she and Darryl took their vows, the sun came out (I swear). It felt like a miracle even though I didn’t believe in that kind...
For My Daughter On Her Birthday
On July 14th, 1999, you made me complete. A nurse slipped you into my arms (all four pounds, fourteen ounces of sticky skin and soft bone), and I looked down at your tiny face and knew you for my own. These trembling hands were cradling the first great-granddaughter; the...
For My Grandparents on Their 76th Wedding Anniversary
As of today, June 27th, 2018, my grandparents have been married for 76 years. 76. YEARS. While that number sinks in, I’ll share a story about the day the two of them met. He introduced himself as Andy and she told him she was Ann. I like to picture...
A New Beginning
For the June meeting of our writing group, the 10-minute writing prompt was this: A new beginning… A couple of members wrote about the fact that the word “beginning” implies “new” and therefore the prompt was somewhat problematic — and, that’s what happens when you get six smart/snarky women...
Last Time For Everything
At last night’s writing group, this was our prompt: Write a story about someone who can’t get a song out of their head… Here’s my unedited response to May’s ten minute exercise. I lie awake at night with country music playing in my head. Over and over. And over. The...
A Gift for Graduates
Looking for a unique idea for a graduation gift? Well, I’ve got one for you! The inspiration for my first novel, LETTERS FOR SCARLET, came from an assignment I used to do with my senior English classes. Each year on the last day of school, I asked my students to write...