My father died on a Saturday, alone in a hospital bed in Las Vegas; the following Saturday, my daughter, her friend and I were in Puerto Rico, surrounded by humanity. Still so in shock, I was. Hampered by my burdened decisions, choices I made of the unbearable Sophie-esque. I was, as it were, engulfed in pain. The irony was that I languished in that pain under the warm sun of San Juan. Anything to mask over it. Anything at all was welcome. I spent 8 days on the island. Brave face before my daughter. Anguish in silence. Puerto Rico is part of my year of grieving, part of my year of unravelling, part of my year of tremendous loss. A kinship I feel for the island, one I don’t feel for any other. And so, at the top of this post, is a photo from my time there, a lush set of palm trees. And the bottom of this post, are a growing list of organizations you can donate to.

Michelle Obama: “Life teaches you great. It gives you the ability when you encounter obstacles. That’s why I always tell young people don’t be afraid of failure, don’t be afraid of those obstacles. Those are the things that make you stronger. They make you better.”

Jacqueline DePaul: “I love the stimulation that comes from the tech career and I love the creative stimulation that comes from the modeling and social media — I wouldn’t want one to be taken away from me.”

Viva: “Looking back, I cannot believe how naïve I was.”

Kristen Schaal: “And for those of you who are a little confused, the taint tain’t the balls and it tain’t the vagina and it tain’t the anus. Tain’t nothing there! It’s the tiant — and that’s the nursery rhyme about it.”

Maye Musk is the new face of CoverGirl. News because she is 69 years old. It’s a new age.  a

Woke. Woke. What it is. Woke.

Creating your own family. Of friends.

How to find love in five easy steps. One includes swiping. So that.

Fixing your relationship.

Tents. Space Age kinds.

And now have a laugh with Ellen Degeneres.

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Hurricane Maria Support.

Puerto Rico has been devastated by the recent hurricanes. Your help is needed.

The Maria Fund. “One hundred percent of monies raised will be used to support immediate relief, recovery, and equitable rebuilding in Puerto Rico for the communities hit hardest by the storm.”

Operation Puerto Rico Care-Lift: “The island has been devastated by two back to back Hurricanes in two weeks and has lost 100 percent of its power grid. This disaster happens on the heals of over 10 years of severe economic recession and hardship. And frankly, most people don’t have a way off this Island.” Lara Richardson & Chris Sloan

Support The Girls. Always an advocate for women in need, Dana Marlowe’s set up a donation for Puerto Rican women and girls.

Unidos. “100% of your gift to UNIDOS goes to help children, friends and families recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria and the Mexico City earthquake.”

Unidos Por Aguadilla.  “That’s why we concerned about our towns of Aguadilla and Yauco , where we were born and raised, are creating this fund to funnel 100% of the resources directly to help  the families in need on the West coast of Puerto Rico. ” (Samy Nemir & Hedmanuel Soto)

Unidos Puerto Rico. “United for Puerto Rico is an initiative brought forth by the First lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló in collaboration with the private sector, with the purpose of providing aid and support to those affected in Puerto Rico by the passage of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane María.”