Petals from the Garden

Reflections, Ruminations, and Remembrances through the Seasons of Life

I am hard at work on my new book featuring 103 of my opinion articles published in the past 27 years. All my pieces have been published in newspapers ranging from the Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, Pasadena Star-News, Los Angeles Daily News, Orange County Register, and the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.​

In a despairing world, each petal from my garden will uplift, inspire, and bring a tear or a smile.

Here are some samples:

• I stood next to Mom’s bed in the Intensive Care Unit while she fought for her life. A tearjerker.
  
  
• A heartfelt tribute to my father-in-law, Jack Stein, a Holocaust survivor who saw the worst of humanity and found a way to love life again; I heard him hum in the shower.
  
  
• My teenage daughter crumpled on the floor after being rejected; the story has an unexpected ending.
  
  
• We find a way to cope with loss and move forward through enduring traditions. Mine is baking gingerbread.
  
  
• Dripping with sweat, I struggled to push a volunteer in a wheelchair over uneven asphalt, a thick rubber mat, and up a ramp. We all need the ADA.
  
  
• My husband and I learned to compromise after I jumped, fully clothed, into a cold mountain stream at Yosemite.
  ​
• I faced a dilemma at the Hollywood Bowl because I was in love with one of the musicians and didn’t know what to do.​

---