I have always had issues with Mother’s Day. First of all- bring me flowers on a random Tuesday in October or July. Much more meaningful. Write me a card filled with one specific way I have made a difference in your life, and leave it on my dresser for me…

I met Neil Simon when I was 26. He was 57. We were “introduced” in the 80s on the patio of Tommy Chang’s, my favorite Thai restaurant on Melrose Avenue. Neil was exactly what I would have imagined he’d be, if I had ever imagined sitting and talking and laughing with one of America’s greatest playwrights. But I hadn’t ever imagined such things.

I think the affair began at the New Year’s Eve party. Everyone dressed in costume. Mama was a geisha. Daddy, a drum major, all white satin and golden edges. It wasn’t clear who Buddy was supposed to be. The King of Siam, maybe? My 2 yr old brother was already sleeping. But I was allowed to stay up long enough to…

In a big metal tub, they would wash the sand off their feet and tell each other lies. They were the usual lies. The ones shared with sincere faces. “Love you forever. You’re the only one. Til death do us part.” Then the years started passing. There were fertility issues…

I have a brother who is homeless. And mentally ill. They didn’t take hold of him in that order. (you can read a previous piece about him here) It is a truth I find difficult to reason, my youngest brother’s mental illness. He is currently diagnosed bipolar. But his condition…