12/24/15 RMB Christmas Eve 2015

12/24/15 RMB Christmas Eve 2015   

Dear Rita Mae Brown,

I walked up to a clerk in a pharmacy chain store shortly after four this evening. “What time do you close?”

He said, “We don’t. We’re open 24 hours.”

I was surprised and that gave him a touch of pride, for having surprised me, or for being one of those stores that defies the holiday, or for having a job and work to do that pulls one away, even from a holiday such as this. I’m not sure which.

By the time I walked away, we made eye contact, acknowledging to one another that this 24 hours is a bit different than most.

The holidays stir us, mix us together for festivities, and make strangers kinder. Emotions tumble about. Old friends reconnect. Family is family, by blood or friendship or choice, or all of the above, the music remains the same, the music of the heart.

Happy Holidays,

Loraine

12/12/15 RMB Holiday Magic

12/12/15 RMB Holiday Magic

Dear Rita Mae Brown,

The holiday season has brought a chill to sunny Southern California. The scent of fires burning in fireplaces and warming hearths fills the evening air. Snow touches down on the mountain tops.

White snowflakes swirl around dancing penguins with snowmen, Christmas trees and red poinsettias painted on most storefronts. Everything is on sale, or so it seems.

Relatives visit and others call, sending good cheer. Magic is plentiful this time of year, in smiles and hugs, glances and nods. The falling rain sparkles, reflecting colorful lights around rooftops.

Memories are made. Traditions are upheld, or challenged.

The pessimist in me wonders if all this wintertime togetherness was started simply to help us stay warm, and fed too, by shared meals.

It works. The magic, known by many names, warms the heart all the same and fills the soul, well fed indeed.

Good cheer to all and to all a goodnight,

Loraine

12/7/15 RMB Happy Birthday and Moving Days

12/7/15 RMB Happy Birthday and Moving Days

Dear Rita Mae Brown,

In the weeks since I last wrote my office at work has been uprooted and replanted thirty yards eastward. Our publishing company has relocated to another area of the building. As I approach in the morning I have to be aware of which door to enter, or I find myself reaching for the “old door”. It is someone else’s New Door now.

Time waits for no one. As boxes pile up around me, the phone still rings, books are ordered, deliveries arrive and new titles are printed. One day my computer is on a temporary table, waiting to catch up to its siblings (desk, file cabinets and bookcases). Another day, the phone systems is down, as phone extensions are shuffled into place.

And the outside world marches on. Your birthday flew by in November and I hope you had a joyous celebration. May your new year bring you all that you wish for and be all that you wish it to be.

As I continue reading Loose Lips, I realize that a writer is unique in that the work done one day continues to do its job ever after. The pleasure and understanding gained from reading your novel today is equal to that of someone reading it years ago and to another reading it for the first time years from now. I can think of no other profession or work that carries on in such a manner.

Thanksgiving feast was served once again in the desert, where friends made into family gathered. A couple dozen of us stood in a large living room, held hands and gave thanks, one after another, for all we hold dear, including the land that holds us and the universe that surrounds us. Afterwards, the festivities concluded with a rousing game of Attack Uno.

Blessed by two Thanksgiving gatherings, on another evening family shared a candlelit dinner of favorite fixings and easy conversation, thankful to be together.

Settling into the new office, with work accouterments shifting into their new places amidst the holiday rush, resembling a real life version of the puzzle game called Tetris, this is a time of change and adventure. It is evident that we must put our best foot forward, for our efforts today determine our tomorrows, our destiny and our legacy.

Wishing all my best, always,

Loraine