Today is Black April, the day Saigon fell to communism on April 30, 1975. My husband asked how I was doing, and I didn’t have the right words. My throat tightened, and I felt tears welling up. I said, "I'm sad. It's sad."

It’s strange, but I mostly feel sad today because I miss my parents. They passed away within a year of each other a few years ago, and I have continued to feel a more significant loss each day. They were my refuge, connections, and foundation to Vietnam. In that sense, I miss Vietnam and my parents both. I comforted myself that they were in every beat of my heart, and I thanked them for their sacrifices so I could gain and live in peace and freedom.

See my remembrance on an Instagram video HERE. The accompanying song is titled Tuổi Đá Buồn sung by Ngô Lan Hương. The closest sentiments I can describe in this song are the grief, sadness, and numbness (hence the reference to the age of a sad stone, the literal translation) someone endures from a death of a loved one, most likely a husband or boyfriend from the war. In the song, she's burying her beloved at the cemetery in the softly falling rain while singing lullabies for his eternal sleep while weeping in sorrow. To me, it's almost a war ballad, invariably, everyone back home has lost a family member, relative, or friend during the Vietnam war.

This song is among one my classic favorites that my family listened to around a cassette tape player or an 8 mm reel-to-reel tape pre and post-1975.

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Sacramento iconic Art Deco Esquire theater originally opened in 1940. It's been beautifully restored as the Imax theater around 1998, and is now showing Top Gun-Maverick. If you haven't seen it in the theater, it's fun to go back to the movie again. #sacramentolife #sacramentoliving #sacramentowriters #sacramentoauthors #imaxmovie #topgunmaverick #topgun #aboutsacramento #livinginsacramento #moviestowatch #whattowatch

📍The Sacramento River Delta is the first location of my next book. We've made a life here since the early 1990s where the population remains diverse and easygoing. 🚜🧑‍🌾 It's the Capital of California, and besides the politics and politicians (no, thanks!), we proudly stand by our title of The Farm to Fork City, which means our restaurants use locally grown produce from the million-plus acres of farmland. ⛏️Sacramento is especially rich in history, starting before the Gold Rush era with the indigenous, missionaries, and then the new settlers. 🍷Also rich with micro breweries, notable wineries and wine appellation, a vibrant coffee culture, theater, music, and art scenes on Second Saturday Artwalk. Yes, I am full of civic pride! 📸I'll be sharing more pictures and historical facts each week. Stay tuned. #sacramento #californiacapital #mynextbook #wip #wednesdaywip #historyofcalifornia #farmtofork #farmtoforkcapital #sacramentoliving #whatitslikeinsacramento #authorlife #amwriting #sacramentoauthor #sacramentowriters #sacramentolife #ilovesacramento #writerfriends #writerfriendscommunity #authorsofinstagram

My writing process includes keeping written and photo journals. This notebook dated back to 1998 through 2001 that detailed our family trips to Baja, Mexico and Brittany and the Loire Valley. Warning: it's four minutes plus long and I rambled a bit since it's non-scripted. #travellessons #traveljournal #travelwithkids #familyhistory #familytime #documentary #amauthor #authorlife #authortips #writinginspo #writingtips #writefirsteditlater #justwrite

Simplicity (adj.) is the quality or condition of being easy to understand. As writers, we take time and persist in crafting pleasurable reading. It takes many cuts, rewording, and rephrasing to make a simple sentence. We are like gardeners, tending, weeding, and nurturing our flowerbeds for the best blooms. Like Nathaniel Hawthorne succinctly said, “Easy reading is damn hard writing!” #amwriting #amediting #easyreadingisdamnhardwriting #itsharderthanitlooks #keepediting #amauthor #wordsofwisdom #kiss #keepitsimple #writesimple #writefewerwords #editing #writing #indieauthors #indiewriter #keepwriting #justwrite #tellyourstory #memoirwriting #Sacramentoliving #sacramentoauthors

An author is someone who binge-writes their books, one chapter at a time, sometimes in one sitting. Yup, that's what I do and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. #Bingewriting #authors #writers #authorlife #booknerd #booklove #writerswrite #justwrite #onechapteraday #bingeworthywriting #writesomethinggood #writingcommunityofinstagram #writinginspo #writinglife #indieauthor #indiewriters

Dear writer friends! After months of struggling on the POVs of my next book, I've changed my perspective, miraculously gained traction, and making good progress. Life and writing are similar that way. When you are stuck, change your perspective and you will get your groove back. #changePOVs #POVs #amwriting #keepwriting #amediting #changeperspectives #authorsdilemma #authorstips #writersblock #simplereadingisdamnhardwriting #writewellishard #sundaywisdom #sundaywritingtips #lifewisdom #writing #pondering #fixit #icandothis #youcandothis #yougotthis #igotthis

We are that family who read together. But we also eat and drink, travel, laugh, and cry together. #readtogether #familytime

💜 Protect Our Children 💜 I volunteered in my children's classes and on field trips. I raised funds to teach art for K-6 at their school. These are pictures of my children book reading at a Sacramento library and a Davis bookstore. I'm feeling heartbroken and mourning for the unspeakable losses of 19 young, innocent lives, and their two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX. I'm sorry that we as a nation kept failing our school children who didn't get our protection where they ought to feel the safest! #robbelementaryschool #uvaldetexas #mourningforuvalde #gunviolenceprevention #stopschoolshootings #heartbroken #wefailedourchildren #policychangeforamerica #protectourkids #protectourchildren

These are Bleeding Heart Flowers, and this is how I feel, heartbroken and mourning for the unspeakable losses of 19 young, innocent lives, and their two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX. I'm sorry that we as a nation kept failing our school children who didn't get our protection where they ought to feel the safest! #robbelementaryschool #uvaldetexas #mourningforuvalde #gunviolenceprevention #stopschoolshootings #heartbroken #wefailedourchildren #policychangeforamerica