Several months after meeting Jane, George Regas, Rector of All Saints Pasadena, preached a sermon about people in one’s life who are “always there” to cheer one on. Using the metaphor of Genet’s play, The Balcony, George suggested one could think of gathering our supporters and placing them in a balcony where we could imagine […] (Read more)
Jane died before I said “good-bye.” I wanted to remind her of how we met and our friendship’s special significance. Jane and I were not friends in the deeply devoted sense that Jane and Annie were friends. We were acquaintances who connected and who were strengthened by our presence in each other’s life. I met […] (Read more)
“Hold my hand,” Mom says as we cross the street. I am very young. When she comes for a visit in September 2003, Mom is 83. I am 59. Mom loves going for rides and enjoys hiking in the woods. “How would you like to drive up to the Ancient Bristle Cone Pine Forest?” I […] (Read more)
Mary and I divorced after eighteen years of marriage. I packed up my secret along with the rest of my life and moved to Pasadena. The lure of a new life was bittersweet. Failure at marriage and separation from my daughters gave me dark days. The sweetness I expected from the opportunity to reinvent myself […] (Read more)
When I was seventeen, I had a view of my life. I saw myself as well-educated with a good job, a home, and friends. I did not see myself in any kind of relationship. “I don’t think I’ll ever get married,” I said to my mother. “Of course you will,” she said. “Everybody does. It’s […] (Read more)
derwerffboggg was interrupted by renewed interest in genealogical research. I dropped blogging to focus on family history. I found paternal second great grandparents. Using DNA, I found my mother’s biological father. I identified Empire Loyalists in Canada and 1640s Colonial ancestors in Connecticut. I enrolled in a ProGen Study Group, an 18-month professional genealogy training […] (Read more)