Last week we drove up to Hollywood for my oral surgery with Dr. Daneshgar, whom I’ve known and trusted for 25 years. I’m still not sure what was harder, the procedure or the three-and-a-half-hour drive through heavy traffic. But I’m deeply grateful for Dr. D’s tender loving care and to be wearing my smile again.
Driving through Los Angeles afterward I couldn’t help noticing that even the nicer areas looked tired and run down. It made me feel even more grateful for our country home in the Inland Empire with its old California charm.
Sometimes it takes leaving home to remind you why you love coming back to it.
Late light lingers along the hills
the air is warm against my skin
the day unwinds, the garden still
and everything now settles in.
So many roads have brought me here
through passing seasons, year by year,
I stand between the Now and Then
and feel Your Presence once again.
No need for more, no need for less
no need to roam, I feel so blessed
here at home.
I love it here.
*
Yakira Shimoni Fulks
April 24, 2026 / Citrus Hills, CA
