Yes.  It’s true. I resisted for a long time.  Mostly because I was entirely unimpressed by the cupcakes that I had tasted from the various new, chic, cupcakeries that have been sweeping Southern California.  Sure they looked cute and the myriad of flavors was inticing.  And who doesn’t love the perfect ratio of cake to [...]

Part the third in an [undetermined number]-part series follows the continuing adventures of Mav and the Open Mic night at Tia Chucha’s Cafe Cultural.  This part happened just this evening and yes, I’m still all aglow from the events! Tonight a friend of mine came with me; he is a budding poet and is doing [...]

I decided to split up my posts about Tia Chucha’s because I have so much to say, it might be easier to put it into “chapters” of a sort.  Here is the second chapter of my Tia Chucha’s adventure saga. So I had just scribbled down a poem about how surreal and awe-some it was [...]

Do you ever have moments that you just know you’re gonna hold onto and keep forever?  Those precious times that you tuck away in the inner pocket of your soul stowed away safely but easily accessible so you can take it out again and remember and feel what you felt when that moment first happend.  [...]

I recently finished reading Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies.  A provocative and authentic account of one woman’s relationship with God.  Often after spending several hours reading, I would put the book down feeling as though I had just spent the afternoon with a dear kindred friend.  I found deeply satisfying validation, healing, and encouragement in those [...]

I am thankful for passages–like the one below–that are scattered throughout scripture. They bring me immense comfort in the times when I seek God and cannot find him, when I call out to him and hear no answer. And they affirm that this too is part of the bargain when we take up relationship with [...]

“Those who believe they believe in God but without passion in the heart, without anguish of mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, and even at times without despair, believe only in the idea of God, and not in God himself.” — Madeline L’Engle ***** Here I am standing on this cliff by the sea This is [...]

So it is a new year. 2009. Last year I wrote a fun little poem: Dear 2008, Please bring me a date ’cause I just can’t wait to meet my mate! This year its more like: Dear 2009, I don’t mean to whine but this heart of mine is not doing fine it wants to [...]

I’m reading this amazing book by Luis Rodriguez.   I’m taking my time with this one. Like one might savor each bite of a rich meal, I am taking time to mull over each chapter, each challenge. I first encountered this author a few years ago when I stumbled upon his memoir, Always Running, a [...]

When I broke ground on this piece of cyber property, I could feel something shifting, something changing, something happening. Maybe it was the wind billowing out these sails, readying this vessel for adventure.  This ship has long been in the making.  At first only a inkling in the mind’s eye of a steadfastly passionate thirteen [...]