Well, we did it. The holidays are now officially over. Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year, and even Epiphany/the Feast of the Kings. The holidays can be so challenging and depressing for some. It is a time of joy and disappointments, excitement and happy times and dashed hopes in some cases. It is a time for families to be together, and also a time when people can feel very much alone. » read more »
Author Archive
The Feast of the Kings
Posted on January 5, 2010
January 6th is epiphany, the Feast of the Kings, and ever since I can remember we had a ‘kings cake’ (or did someone just call it that??). It’s a bland cake with almond paste in it, which isn’t so special because of the cake, but because of what’s in it. Hidden somewhere in the cake is a tiny little plastic ‘baby’, or fish, and whoever gets it in their piece of cake will have good luck all year!!!! The cake is pretty simple, » read more »
Filed Under Holidays | 11 Comments
New Year’s Eve
Posted on December 29, 2009
Now if any night of the year is a mixed bag and a mixed blessing—-New Year’s Eve is definitely it!!!! For years, I’ve gone back and forth about what to do about it. Most of the time, no matter what you do on New Year’s Eve, you feel that you may have done the wrong thing—unless you had a really great one!!!! When I was married, » read more »
Filed Under Current Events, Holidays | 258 Comments
Paris at Christmas Time
Posted on December 21, 2009
After Thanksgiving, I often try to squeeze in one more trip to Paris, before my kids come home to California for Christmas. And Paris is a gorgeous place to be before or during the holidays. In recent years, in California anyway, there seem to be fewer Holiday decorations as people become more and more politically correct. » read more »
Filed Under Current Events, Family, Holidays, Paris | 27 Comments
California Hall of Fame
Posted on December 15, 2009
Wow!!!!!!! On Tuesday, December lst, I received a gold medal from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in Sacramento, and was put in the California Hall of Fame. I have to tell you, I never take awards or any kind of honor lightly, and I have never gotten blase about something like that. This was a great honor, a lovely ceremony, and a very touching award. » read more »
Filed Under Books, Current Events | 22 Comments
Back to Paris
Posted on December 7, 2009
Hi Everybody,
I’m going back to Paris for a couple of weeks before the holidays, which is always great fun and exciting for me. Paris is always decorated up beautifully for the holidays. There will be ‘falling’ lights all strung up on the trees on the Champs Elysees, lights everywhere, Christmas trees set up and decorated, and the Eiffel Tower will be sparkling on the hour, which looks festive at any time of year. » read more »
Filed Under Holidays, Paris | 19 Comments
Hall of Fame
Posted on November 30, 2009
Some of you may have read that I am being given an award by the Governor of California this week, and inducted into the California Hall of Fame. It’s an honor that I’m very grateful for, and a big event. I don’t know all the details yet, but it’s very exciting. I think it is for my writing, and my foundation work, both with the mentally ill and the homeless. And my children are impressed, which is always nice!!
There is an award ceremony, where I will get the award. And several other people will also be getting an award. It’s an honor that touches me deeply.
After I get the award, I will tell you all about it!!! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! And thank you for sharing this exciting event with me!!!
Filed Under Uncategorized | 27 Comments
Thanksgiving
Posted on November 26, 2009
One of my favorite sayings in the Bible is “God places the solitary in families”.
Just like everyone else, my life is not always easy, and hasn’t always been easy. There are bumpy times in everyone’s life, and lonely ones. And the holidays are always a challenge, for most of us. We can probably all count on one hand the times that the holidays were ‘perfect’ and easy. Stuff happens. Or doesn’t happen when we wish it would. It’s easy to be disappointed on the holidays, if they don’t work out just the way we hope. » read more »
Filed Under Family, Holidays, Relationships | 23 Comments
Fragments of Loaves and Fishes
Posted on November 19, 2009
The concept of loaves and fishes, and fragments of them, is always an important reminder for me. I was doing some religious reading this past weekend, and came across that story in the Bible again. The notion seems like a good one, that just when there seemed to be not enough food to go around, Jesus fed thousands with FRAGMENTS of loaves of bread and fishes, and thousands were fed. Not to get too religious on you, » read more »
Filed Under Uncategorized | 508 Comments
Paris Pooches
Posted on November 12, 2009
If you’re a dog lover, you’ll be happy to know that French people are crazy about their dogs!!! Dogs are welcome everywhere, and all those old cartoons of French women with a poodle on a leash are pretty much true, except that you don’t see a lot of poodles anymore!!! Sometimes it seems like everyone in Paris has a dog!!! I think the two breeds I see most often are Dachshunds (a lot of long hair and wire hair, and many miniature), and French Bull Dogs. I’ve had bad experiences personally with French Bull Dogs » read more »
Filed Under Dogs, Paris | 938 Comments