1161 Covington Road | Dore Frances

When Someone Shows You Who They Are, Believe Them

I woke at 5 a.m., my heart aching and my mind swirling around a lesson life keeps teaching me: when someone reveals their true self, believe them.

Don’t dismiss the way someone treats you—it’s telling you everything you need to know.

When they act as though you don’t matter, believe them. When they consistently put someone else ahead of you, it’s because they believe you’re not their priority.

When they focus on what’s “wrong” with you, believe that is truly how they see you.

A person’s actions reveal the truth behind their words. They show where their loyalty truly lies and whether you hold a place of priority in their life. Sometimes the truth […]

By Doré Frances|August 12th, 2025|1161 Covington Road, Dore Frances, Relationships, Spirituality, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Between Two Worlds: A Spiritual Awakening in Fifth Grade

I was in fifth grade when a quiet awareness settled in that I was between two worlds – I hadn’t been living in what most would call the “real world.”

The moment unfolded on a sunlit playground in Los Altos, California, as curious eyes studied me with a mix of wonder and confusion.

It became clear: I was different.

One of the so-called hippie kids—born in San Francisco, raised on intuition, and open skies.

My hair was long, my stepmother walked her path with sacred herbs, and I came into this life with an empath’s gift—feeling deeply, seeing between the lines, sensing what others missed.

That day, I didn’t feel out of place—I felt awakened.

A soul realizing a different rhythm had shaped it, […]

By Doré Frances|August 5th, 2025|1161 Covington Road, Dore Frances, Relationships, Spirituality, The Sixties and Seventies Counterculture, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Near Death Experience: Surviving My Stepmother’s Abuse: A Story of Pain, Silence, and Strength – Series

The trauma inflicted by my stepmother echoed through every corner of my childhood. I was nine when my mother died. Two years later, George and I met our stepmother, Dotti, and our two half-brothers, Rick and Ron.

Ron was born the day after our mother died—October 15, 1962.

That date would take on deeper meaning in the years to come.

From the very beginning, Dotti made her resentment of us clear. Her abuse was constant and unrelenting.

She struck out physically—yanking my hair, slapping my face, locking me in closets, and denying me meals.

Her true cruelty lay in her emotional warfare: calculated, relentless, and all-consuming.

There was no respite, no safe moment. Her […]

By Doré Frances|June 1st, 2025|1161 Covington Road, Dore Frances, Near Death Experiences, Near Death Experiences, Spirituality, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Resilience Through Adversity: A Story of Stoicism and Self-Discovery

Epictetus once said that all philosophy begins with self-knowledge. When I entered 1161 Covington Road, the air grew heavy with darkness. It clung to everything. Before long, the police would become familiar visitors to that address.

It wasn’t just the atmosphere; it was in the air, in the silence that followed.

Then came Dotti’s words—cold, cutting, and final:

“You two aren’t wanted here. Who would want children who killed their mother? Just stay out of my way.”

Our father said nothing. He stood silent, just as he would far too often in the years to come.

Two small children, still reeling from the loss of their mother just […]

By Doré Frances|May 20th, 2025|1161 Covington Road, Dore Frances, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

The Girl Left Behind – What Came Before: Uncovering Truth Through Trauma and Memory – Series

So much of my beginning was shaped by my grandfather’s quiet strength.

It feels right, at least to me, that I’m beginning to write this story now, as I wait for more information from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department and sit with the simple fact that I am still here. There’s a pull to remember my life, and all the people who shaped it.

I want to reflect on our shared time: growing up, stumbling forward, and doing my best with what I knew.

I want to make space for the grief I carried—often silently—after losing the greatest love of my life when I was just nine years old.

I want to hold every detail from a life interrupted, a life some tried to […]

By Doré Frances|May 4th, 2025|1161 Covington Road, Dore Frances, Frances Cascinai (Mom), The Girl Left Behind Series, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Growing Up with a Stepmother Struggling with Bipolar Disorder

Unpredictable actions, intense emotional shifts, and suicide threats.

I am opening up about my experience growing up with a step-parent who had bipolar disorder.

At 12, I moved into the house at 1161 Covington Road in Los Altos, California, and began life in what appeared to be a typical middle-class family.

However, those close to us—friends, neighbors, and relatives—were well aware of the underlying turmoil. I never knew which version of my stepmother I’d face each morning. Would she be the nurturing stepmom I had expected, as promised by my father?

Or the aloof stepmom who insisted I start looking after myself and care for my three younger brothers and even demanded that I pay for any food I took from the kitchen?

Some […]

By Doré Frances|September 14th, 2024|1161 Covington Road, Dore Frances, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Twelve Is Far Too Young for Adult Responsibilities – My Story

With no other option, I had to adapt quickly to my circumstances.

I worked for my father during every holiday, summer, and weekend. I pulled my stepmother off the driveway when she passed out drunk and dragged her into the house.

I also cared for three younger boys, aged 9, 4, and 2—changing diapers, washing their clothes, packing George’s school lunch, and preparing meals.

Until now, I’ve rarely spoken about those years. The Vietnam War was a constant presence on television, fueling my lifelong disdain for war. At fourteen, I considered becoming a nun and joining a seminary, but the philosophy and theology felt overwhelming.

I was more drawn to action and introspection in a household filled with talkers.

I seldom spoke unless directly addressed.

Making […]

By Doré Frances|August 30th, 2024|1161 Covington Road, Aldo Cascinai (Dad), Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments

Why Forgiveness Felt Impossible – My Journey to Letting Go

My stepmother grew up in a home marked by abusive alcoholism, and I suspect she may have had borderline personality disorder. When George and I moved into her house, I was eleven, and he was eight. The memory that stands out most from that day is her explosive anger and emotional outbursts.

Our dad had never told her—the woman he married and had two children with—that he also had two adopted children.

After living with our elderly Italian grandparents for two years, he had no choice but to bring us to her house; there was nowhere else to go. Nowhere else he would let us go. My dad, being very non-confrontational, never intervened or insisted that Dotti change.

Unlike what you might expect, […]

By Doré Frances|August 21st, 2024|1161 Covington Road, Dore Frances, Why Wisdom Is Harder Than You Think|0 Comments