“My life is like a lemon drop. I’m suckin’ on the bitter to get to the sweet part”—these lyrics from the Pistol Annies’ song “Lemon Drop” have always resonated with me. Cute and humorous on the surface, they hold a deeper truth. Their simplest message is a certain optimism contained in lines like “I know… Read More

A year ago, if you had asked me how long the earth would take to regenerate in the absence of human activity, I would have said ten years. Now after just a few (albeit long and tedious) weeks, my opinion has changed. A few weeks after Italy went under Covid-19 lockdown, the water in Venice’s… Read More

Sewing face masks the other day, I got a strong feeling of peace, and I felt sure I was receiving a beyond-the-grave message from my mother, or maybe my grandmother or my Aunt Edith. What did these women have in common? They all taught me to sew. My mother taught me the basics of operating… Read More

On Passover the other day, an idea struck me. When Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, they didn’t like the privations of the wilderness and started grumbling. They missed the comforts of food and peace they enjoyed in Egypt, even though they were slaves to the Egyptians. They actually tried to mutiny against… Read More

I keep hearing people say they look forward to “getting back to the way it used to be” after the Covid virus burns out or we are all vaccinated against it. But there are plenty of things I do not want to come back. Let me list a few of them. 1. I do not… Read More

Announcing the second novel from Pamella Bowen and Green and Purple Publishing—Labyrinth Wakening.  Graced by a sunrise-bright cover painted by Sacha Hope, the journey of Therese Oakes traces her transformation from selfish Bridezilla to loving follower of a divine voice she discovers through the mystical labyrinth. Order the paperback or e-book here:  Order Now