I find it funny that Thanksgiving is a secular holiday but perhaps the most spiritual of all. Spirituality begins with… Read more Grateful for…
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.
The Military Philosophers
The Military Philosophers by Anthony Powell The Military Philosophers completes the third “movement” of Anthony Powell’s twelve-novel series titled A… Read more The Military Philosophers
Window Washing
I live in an apartment building on the fourth floor, so washing the windows is a big deal. It’s not… Read more Window Washing
The Soldier’s Art
The Soldier’s Art by Anthony Powell The eighth novel in the twelve novel series titled A Dance to the Music… Read more The Soldier’s Art
Prayer and Spiritual Practice
Spiritual practice is part of the action of a faith life, how we “do” our religion. For UUs that includes… Read more Prayer and Spiritual Practice
The Valley of Bones
The Valley of Bones, by Anthony Powell This is the 7th of the 12-part, very long novel by Anthony Powell… Read more The Valley of Bones
Between Honor and Gratitude
On this Veteran’s Day, I’m thinking with gratitude of the men and women who have served our country and those… Read more Between Honor and Gratitude
The Personal and the Plural
The American character wrestles (very visibly, lately) between the poles of individualism and community. These poles are present, too, in… Read more The Personal and the Plural
Life is Funny. Seriously
When I officiated at a friend’s memorial service two weeks ago, I began the service by assuring folks that it… Read more Life is Funny. Seriously
Russians in Hollywood, Hollywood’s Russians
Russians in Hollywood, Hollywood’s Russians: Biography of an Image, by Harlow Robinson I’ve long been fascinated by the part of… Read more Russians in Hollywood, Hollywood’s Russians