Dooley

Though making an annual trip to St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., admittedly causes a certain amount of anxiety, there is no greater feeling than hearing that my son remains cancer free after a decade since being treated for leukemia. We praise the Lord each year after learning that his scans are clear, just as we did all those years ago when we first heard the word remission.

​This trip felt different though, because of our visit with a beautiful little girl from our city who is just beginning the same journey we traveled back then. Her parents were strong and optimistic, but their tired eyes told on them. When we walked into that little hospital room, I immediately felt the same fears and anxieties that plagued me on the day cancer rocked our world for the first time.

I still remember the musky smell of the room. Cartoon characters decorated wood paneled walls and bundles of children’s books were on both sides of our chairs as we braced for the worst. When the doctor walked in, her facial expression communicated great concern. Bracing for the worst, I knew deep down that whatever came next would not be good. “I wish I had better news,” said the doctor, “but I believe your son has leukemia.” [Read more…]

January is the month for setting new goals and creating change in our life. However, a recent study shows that 80% (abc.columbia.com) of people who start, disregard those good intentions by February.

Excuses pile up and you’re back where you started. Reasons for abandoning these new goals may be “you’re too busy,” “you don’t have time to add one other item to your ‘to-do’ list,” “the weather is too hot or too cold,” or “I’ll start tomorrow.”

Members in our congregations will agree: keeping them is the problem. And I’ve heard this statement several times. “The only promise I ever make– is to ‘not’ make promises or vows!”

Several years ago on a cold January day, I visited my paternal grandmother who was at least 97 years at the time. Her hair was rolled up in those plastic pink curlers that were popular at the time. I could tell she had plans for the evening. So, I asked, “Grandmother, are you going out for the evening?”

Immediately, she gave me a sly grin and said, “Yes, there is a service at my church tonight and I’m going! Someone is picking me up.” [Read more…]

Vittorio Ristorante & Pizzeria was a quaint, family-owned neighborhood eatery tucked just off Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades. When my wife and I visit Los Angeles to see our daughter, our trip wasn’t complete without a visit to Vittorio’s. The garlic rolls were divine, the pizzas a culinary masterpiece—and I can taste the chicken parmesan just thinking about it.

I said it was a quaint place, and indeed it was. Vittorio, Park Lane Cleaner, Knoll’s Pharmacy, Ronny’s Market, and Palisades Animal Clinic are all gone now, connecting businesses burned to rubble when fire destroyed 85% of the city’s residential and business community.

We found Vittorio’s when we took our daughter to college in fall 2021. We had five days to explore LA before freshman orientation began and visited the shops of Rodeo Drive, the Farmers Market, the Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Walk of Fame, the iconic Mann’s Chinese Theatre, the Getty Villa, Santa Monica Pier, Malibu, and more.

Vittorio’s was never convenient but always worth the effort. Unfortunately, the community in which it was nestled now resembles a bombed-out wasteland. Watching the news, seeing raging fires consuming places we’d come to love, feels surreal. The destruction feels deeply personal. All I can offer the people of Los Angeles from 2,000 miles away are my prayers, and my lament. [Read more…]