Why subscribe to Reflections?
Reflections is a place to visit for inspiring Words and Images that feed the soul amidst the turbulence of today’s troubled waters. A subscription to Reflections is free. Narratives emanate from my daily handwritten journal, exploring topics and personal anecdotes that nourish the spirit. I write to help us seek a deeper understanding of who and what we humans are and can be, relating our daily lives to our world. Reflections’s written narratives complement compelling and painterly photographic images, which are my joy to create!
Who am I?
My career as a performance artist started at age seven. I danced, acted, and sang professionally on television, in theater, and in commercials for twenty years. One of the highlights of this event in my life was working on the Jackie Gleason television show in New York City from 1962 to 1964 as a June Taylor Dancer. Every week, we videotaped our live performance at the Ed Sullivan Theater. I was a small part of American history, fortunate to work with Jackie and other celebrities who graced the stage upon which we danced. Here I am at eighteen: so young, eager, and grateful.
Of course, at age 80, I do not look anything like what you see! But the spirit lives on from those heady performance years, which morphed into writing as I chronicled the most memorable experiences. Photography grew in importance as I developed the wisdom to see the wonder of a flower petal, a leaf, trees in all their glory while leafed, and nature’s architecture, the bones of their existence when bare. I see the aura in every subject I photograph, including the ocean’s vastness, the majesty of mountains, and the soothing flow of rivers.
A Time to Mourn & A Time to Dance, a memoir, was completed after two decades and published in late 2019. The book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Excerpt: Grainy images flash before me like an old film projector flickering, skipping frames every so often. A bottle of Shalimar perfume. Fever. Drugs. A leg brace and wheelchair. An old Black man in Georgia and an angel at sunrise. Long-stemmed roses in glossy white boxes wrapped in red satin bows. Flawlessly applied small rouge circles on sixteen faces. Highways with pink elephants. Jackie Gleason and June Taylor. Tony Bennett, Glenn Miller, and Tommy Dorsey. Dom DeLuise, and more. Stories written. Stories burned. A remote cabin with galloping horses. Beloved animals and supernatural creatures. Love and loss. Mourning and joy.
Living seven decades is not particularly noteworthy, yet one strand of my personal tapestry is: I was nearly never born. This is one reason, though there are others, I try to understand what is and what was and to accept that which must remain at the edge of mystery. So, I write. And as I write, I remember.
I loved writing the memoir. I am now embarking on crafting my second memoir, which is about the aging odyssey, with humor and poignancy, including stories, anecdotes, and wisdom from a variety of sources.
When will you see the newest Reflections essays and art?
I aspire for monthly essays, whether content-rich or brief. A caveat: As a photographer, I prefer using new images that require time to shoot and create. Let’s see what happens! I aim to present you with relevant, compelling messages in words and pictures.
Where will you find Reflections?
In your email inbox, of course.
Join Reflections.
Please consider subscribing to Reflections if you enjoy reading and art and like essays relating to today, tomorrow, and the past. It is a FREE subscription.
To learn more about the company that provides the technical platform for the Reflections column, visit Substack.com.
