The Kid from Tomkinsville by John R. Tunis In Philip Roth’s American Pastoral, he mentions The Kid from Tomkinsville as… Read more The Kid from Tomkinsville
Author: Rick
My life-long passion is in the arts: music, theater, visual arts, and literature. I graduated from Cal Arts in 1985 with a degree in music composition. After a career in Human Resources with the AIDS Project Los Angeles and as a parish minister for Unitarian Universalist churches in the Los Angeles area, I retired in 2025 and pursued my artistic work: drawing, painting, composing, and creative writing.
Compassion
Buddhism’s First Noble Truth declares the truth of suffering. Buddha’s enlightenment revealed an eight-fold path that we can follow to end… Read more Compassion
Enough is as Good as a Feast
The earth’s abundance is the glory of Autumn. Materialism advertises its delights, tempting us with more, more, more, but never… Read more Enough is as Good as a Feast
Thanksgiving
I often think that Thanksgiving is the most sacred holiday in the Unitarian Universalist year. A holiday that celebrates gratitude,… Read more Thanksgiving
American Pastoral
American Pastoral by Philip Roth Philip Roth is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read quite a few of his… Read more American Pastoral
Some Gave All
Spiritual health asks us to put aside self-interest for the good of others. That others are persons of worth as… Read more Some Gave All
The Natural
The Natural by Bernard Malamud After I finished The Caravaggio Shawl, the Samuel Steward mystery that I had borrowed from… Read more The Natural
For Better or Worse
Without exaggeration, this Tuesday’s election may be the most significant any of us will ever participate in. The consequences come… Read more For Better or Worse
The Caravaggio Shawl
The Caravaggio Shawl by Samuel M. Steward, subtitled “A Gertrude Stein–Alice B. Toklas mystery”. This novel, from 1989, follows Murder… Read more The Caravaggio Shawl
To Be… Continued
Whether this mortal life is all there is of us or if our personal experience continues in some fashion after… Read more To Be… Continued