February 2003
San Diego North Coast Singers under the Rose Window at St. John The Divine Cathedral, New York City
I’m writing to you from Southern Oregon, sitting not in the sun at the picnic table but instead from inside our trailer, because Oregon decided to give us hours of misty rainfall, clouds, and fog.
In 1945, my mother had answered an advertisement that Augusta had placed in the local newspaper, seeking employment as a housekeeper.
I love you so much, Mom, that it sometimes hurts. Dark curls frame your face as I watch you apply your red lipstick. Somehow, you make red lipstick look natural.
