This book constitutes a first amendment review commentary. On June 28, 2014, my cousins put together the "life celebration" for their dear mother Helena. They did this at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in La Jolla, California. It was beautiful. The location was beautiful. It was specially nice for me, because I remember this place which I visited as a child. My aunt Helena had a beautiful house in La Jolla. I seem to recall it had ocean views. And she had wonderful taste in decor. I always marveled at it. But what impressed me most from my visits to her home, was how much she loved and cared for her children. When we came down to visit, they often invited us to spend time at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club of which they were members. And this was a blast. Swimming in the pool, eating burgers and just plain spending time with the cousins. And now that I think about it, I can't think of a more fitting place to celebrate Helena's life. Everyone's childhood has difficult moments. But I know and I am so happy Helena had this wonderful place, the club, to go to herself and to bring her children, so they could have a wonderful time of beach fun and play. A respite from the drudgery of everyday life perhaps, I can only imagine how many times my cousins spent there playing, laughing, eating... And I am sure they have endless stories they could tell about it. So it was here that her children chose to bring us together to remember the life of a beautiful wonderful woman and mother, HELENA! Dear Helena, Here is thinking of you. Your memory will live with us as long as we are breathing. God bless you and God bless your children. And as for the club, well, it is an older club with the full flavor of fun heavily weighing upon its walls. I loved it. And the club is so San Diego, with its Spanish style structure and decor. I loved that too. The pool, so often filled with children and families enjoying themselves screams enjoyment. Also, I still remember their burgers and I've heard others comment how delicious they still are. But most impressive is the beach, the waves, the water and the views. I truly believe, that for the right occasion, this can truly be the perfect place for a gathering.
About the Author: I am a survivor who believes in the inexorable power of the human spirit. I am a believer who has seen through tragedy into the eye of the setting sun knowing that the morrow can bring a new and brighter day. I am a compassionate human being who empathizes with the suffering of others and wants to be there for them. And I do this by writing transformational stories and creating art filled with characters and images that are imbued with passion and love. I was born in California. At five I was abducted in the trunk of a car. I only saw my mother a few times after that. I was moved from place to place as a child and hid in the US, Mexico and Spain. I went to ten schools the first twelve years. During this time, I had to contend with a father whose mental illness and drug and alcohol addictions caused him to be a dangerous sadist. I was barely eighteen years old when I ran away from home because he threatened to kill me with a 38 revolver. But I got on my feet, found a job, bought a car. I graduated from UCI with a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics and the ability to speak several languages. While there, I married a medical student. My first pregnancy ended in stillbirth. Notwithstanding this and other hardships I graduated from UCLA Law School in 1992. We moved to Texas and while I was raising my children, I graduated from the University of Texas Dallas where I received an M.A.. There I took several writing courses. Then, I began a career as a visual/writing artist. My artwork, mostly surrealist, includes extensive writings, short stories and poetry. One of my paintings "The Kiss of Death," is featured adjacent to a Picasso in the acclaimed documentary by the BBC: THE PRIVATE LIFE OF A MASTERPIECE: THE KISS BY GUSTAV KLIMT ICON OF THE 20TH CENTURY. Today, I engage my writing, photography and art in an effort to understand the nature of the human experience, the processes of the mind, the experience of memory, visual and mental perception and life in general. My art and writing also include queries into the nature of the universe and the existence of life after death. As such, my art constitutes a form of auto-biography. I see it as a glimpse into an American woman artists experience at the turn of the 20th century. Ultimately, I am glad to be able to share my artistic experience. Perhaps others will find it useful in their quest to understand life.