The Thrill of Victory

As another March Madness season approaches, a basketball fan remembers how she fell in love with college ball and watches her favorite team among friends. ​

Take Your Half

Sunday breakfast was my time with Dad when I was growing up. We would read the comics and share a sweet pastry. Bear claws were our favorite.​

Heaven's Music

I set down the last box of Christmas decorations I’d carried in from the garage. There was so much decorating to do, but I wasn’t up for any of it. Christmas had always been Mom’s favorite holiday, and this would be our first without her. I wasn’t sure how I’d make it through.

Mysterious Moments

I was on a Christmas Eve mission: to get my 86-year-old mother’s favorite doughnut before the bakery closed for the holidays. I left work early and raced to the shop, hoping it wasn’t all out of her top pick—lemon jelly—and mine—chocolate-chocolate with Christmas sprinkles​.

Breakfast With My Father

When I was a little girl, Sunday mornings were devoted to the comics, sweet rolls, and my father.

The Making of a Marathoner

I never had a desire to run a marathon. But one December day last year, I changed my mind. Up until then, I had been a very content “fun run” participant, running in road races such as Wharf to Wharf, a scenic 6.2-mile run from Santa Cruz to Capitola, and Run to Feed the Hungry, a Thanksgiving Day jaunt around East Sacramento and midtown.

The Cobalt Blue Vase

I drive through the entrance gate of my apartment complex and parked my car.  It had been a rough day, and I wasn't looking forward to this evening

The Gift That COVID Brought Me

Somewhere up in heaven my dad is smiling. COVID-19 wreaked much havoc on our world. It also brought me closer to my family scattered across the country.​

To Black Friday or Not Black Friday

With stores and malls opening on Thanksgiving Day for Black Friday sales, it leaves some of us wrestling with our conscience: Is it right to promote—via our wallets—the desecration of a national holiday in favor of rabid consumerism? Or are we just going along with the times?