October 2025 Magazine

This past week saw the first stage of a Gaza Agreement agreed to by both Israel and Hamas (cease fire, hostage release, and prisoner exchange, as well as Israel moving back a border it occupies), and action should be realized this next week. Coincidentally, it was also the beginning of announcements of the 2025 Nobel prizes, perhaps the most highly prized global awards bestowed annually.

I am writing a new work of fiction that takes place on the North Coast of Oregon. "The Mail Lady’s Confession" is a journey into old-growth forest, to a world beyond the edge of the Pacific Ocean, where grief, compassion, and joy are interwoven and hidden in the rings on the trunks of old trees. 

Since I was a small child, I have been fascinated with the Catholic Church. When I was six, I wanted to be like Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ, and spend eternity with the angels and archangels. By the time I was twelve, I learned that the Catholic Church had demons among its ranks and did not always live according to the words expressed by Christ. I learned that the Catholic Church, under the leadership of Pope Pius XII, did not act to save Jews during the Second World War. As a matter of fact, the Vatican played a significant role in helping Nazi war criminals flee overseas in a secret escape network known as The Italian Ratline.