I was a daddy’s girl. My father was my ‘knight in shining armor,’ and I adored him. He was a well-respected gentleman who stood tall when it came to the outside world. But indoors with his family, he played with us as if he were a child. My father never had the instructions to raising children, he became an orphan at the age of 4. Yet, he was a great father because he followed his compassionate heart. I always believed I was like him in many ways which is why I would love to call myself one of his favorites. Maybe, I felt this way, because only I was given nick names. He often called me ‘mosquito breakfast,’ and jockey because of my small stature. And I loved all the attention. My father taught us all many life lessons, how to survive in a complex world, how to remain independent without relying on others, and how to stand tall under the most difficult situations. When I find myself in such situations, I remember his words. “If you want to reach the stars,” he often said, “you must be the boss of your own destination.”  Many years later, I find solace knowing I am my father’s daughter. The remembrance of him gives me much strength.

Happy Father's Day

Many immigrant women waited with patience and loyalty, sometimes for years, to join their American husbands as their papers were being processed. My mother was once such woman.
In tribute to my mother on Mother's Day.

                                                                          

                                              Under the Snober Tree

 Mama, why do you sit beneath the Snober tree,

Picking its seed with Grandma and Aunt,

While the bakkah’s steady wind,

Flows through your golden hair.

Is it because you wait for him?

Mama, what will you cook for him?

Chicken and rice topped with pine seeds.

Tomorrow will be the great feast.

All the villagers will come,

They’ll sit with him drinking hot tea.

And he’ll tell the tales of a faraway land.

Mama, is that Rosmia coming your way?

You shield your eyes from the fiery sun

Filtering its way through the snobar limbs

And she carries the basket of okra.

Like emerald gems she lays them,

Oh, how he has missed your okra stew.

Mama, why are your hands so blistered?

Yet your heart so proudful!

Is it because the flowers bloomed so well?

 Or the cluster of grapes fell so bountiful?

Like colorful soldiers standing in honor of him.

He will be so amazed.

Mama how many lonely nights,

Pulled you beneath the Snober tree

To sit and watch the stars and moons,

A racing meteorite against a pitch- black sky

It cooled your lonesome heart,

Knowing he looked at the same.

Mama are you watching the narrow road,

To see but a shadow of Father,

His shoes making imprints in the red dirt,

Over sticker burrs and rocks that grow beneath the soil

He’ll be carrying cedar chests filled with gifts.

Oh, how a day to wait for him has been a thousand.

Mama, you are gone now as is Father,

And so are the cedar chests and the sunflowers.

And the grapevines, and the roses.

The villagers say your paradise is but a haven for birds.

But they are wrong, mama,

For as I sit beneath the Snober tree,

Picking the seeds that fell beneath,

Sitting on the same soil that touched your flesh

 I hear your laughter in its rustling leaves,

I see your rosy cheeks in the filtering sun,

I feel your strength in the unwavering trunk.

And you’re there, always and forever.

Happy Mother's Day

Friends,

I chose a fictional island, White Sands Island aka Galveston Island, as a back drop for my novel, because there is something about living near water that stirs the imagination and induces a serene calm. The water will alter my protagonist’s life in many ways. She will face tragedy because of it and therefore begins to hate it, will struggle to find herself near it and therefore tries to understand it, and finally finds her place in its midst and therefore learns to love it. Sometimes, we have to live on our own island to find out who we are.

Hey Friends,

Promotion week at Smashwords. Get THE SANDS OF KEDAR free from March 5 – March 11. Hope you enjoy!

Go to Smashwords Home Page or click on the link below:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/category/1/newest/1%29

Sharing an Amazon Review:

"What an amazing novel! It's about the lives of 5 medical students who come from different backgrounds. They come together as they get through the difficulties of medical school and find acceptance in that world of Type A personalities. There's romance, adventure, and more. I read this book from beginning to end in one setting. Can't wait for more books from this author." BEYOND SKIN

The truth is the earth’s most perpetual commodity. The lie can be painted as wished, embellished in gold and silver, too.  False witnesses and false truths can be provided to support it. But only the truth is unchanging.

May you all have a happy Monday
(Van Gogh's 'Two Peasant Women')

With all that is happening in the world today, we need to go back and prioritize common values.  One of the most important values is to learn respect. Therefore, I’ve always believed if I had become a teacher, the first week of school I’d teach my students the value of respect, respect for their fellow classmates, other humans, plants, and animals.  Afterward, the entire year, I’d be vigilant in making sure my pupils practiced and understood the full meaning of the word respect.