Education
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The Ten Things on My Mind
My recent stroke has compelled me to reevaluate my life and goals. Here are the ten issues I am most focused on. 10. Keeping My Sanity Have you ever been hit by a torrent of water from a fire hose?… Continue reading
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Wisdom Earned
I recently celebrated my two-year anniversary of graduating from college at the age of seventy-five, with two degrees: an A.A. in English and a B.A. in English Creative Writing. Summa Cum Laude, baby.And so I’ve been thinking a lot about… Continue reading
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Me, American
The scenes are as fresh in my mind as if they had happened today. The second-grade nun told my parents to speak to me only in English. This is America, and in America, we only speak English. Or Mrs. Travieso… Continue reading
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Instructions For Making and Using an Ax Handle
An Ax Handle, also called a haft, has five parts: the Eye, the Shoulder, the Belly, the Throat, and the Knob. ALL we wanted was to be served lunchat the whites-only lunch counterInside a F.W. Woolworthfive-and-dime store In Jacksonville, Florida,… Continue reading
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Inside My Brain, Through My Heart
A Memory of Joy There are those days when it all seemed rightWhen no storms were overheadThe breeze of a lazy August day enveloped youand You wanted to lie down in Lincoln Park and Hug the person beside you.That summer… Continue reading
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Summa Cum Laude
My second anniversary of graduating Summa Cum Laude from California State University, Long Beach, at age 75, is May 21, 2026. A celebration marking eight years from 2016 to 2024. After the long journey Arriving homethe feeling of ending and… Continue reading
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Spanish
I love the sound of Spanish in all its forms. As spoken by a resident of Madrid, Mexico City, San Juan, Puerto Rico, the South Bronx, or East Los Angeles. According to Ehlion Language Consultancy, “Spanish is the official language… Continue reading
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An Interesting Life
I’ve often said that at seventy-seven, I’ve lived an interesting life.An understatement. It’s times like now when you look back at your life. Celebrate the victories. Learn from the failures. I often think about where I was born and raised.… Continue reading
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Serious Times
Final thoughts of 2025. These truly are serious and dangerous times. The last question I have is, what are we going to do about it in 2026? These/ are serious timesThese/ are not serious peopleThese/ are fraught timesThese/ are not… Continue reading
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I Am All of Them
diaspora(n.) 1825 in reference to Moravian protestants; 1869 in reference to the dispersion of the Jews; from Greek diaspora “dispersion,” from diaspeirein “to scatter about, disperse,” from dia “about, across” (see dia-) + speirein “to scatter” (see sparse). – etymoline.com… Continue reading
