A year ago, I was working on the edits to my memoir including writing the preface. I thought a long while about what I would say in that opening portion of my memoir, how I wanted to speak to my readers. The paragraph that I 'sat with' for a long time was worded like this … Continue reading Sidetracked Dreams: Getting Back on Track
It’s Still About the Future
This week has been a time of reflection. Monday was supposed to be my 41st wedding anniversary. Instead, it marked the sixth week of separation from my husband. I'd dreaded that day, knowing the reality of it all would hit on that observance that was just ours as a couple-- not a family holiday or … Continue reading It’s Still About the Future
Companions Through Grief
Over the past week, I've continued to be touched by the support I've received from family, friends, and readers. It's been three months since I realized that I was losing my marriage. On the one hand, that's a short amount of time and it's still unbelievable; on the other hand, I've traveled on through a … Continue reading Companions Through Grief
Grace for the Journey
In my post last week, "41st Anniversary: Not What I Expected" I shared the news that my life has greatly changed, that my husband and I have separated. Since then, I've been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from my family, friends, and readers. This time in my life has reminded me of … Continue reading Grace for the Journey
41st Anniversary: Not What I Expected
We're moving through summer and fast approaching August 5th-- the day that would have marked our forty-one years of marriage. I'd expected that David and I would grow old together as a long-married couple. We first became friends in eighth grade and maintained that friendship through college. Afterwards we dated for a year and and married-- to … Continue reading 41st Anniversary: Not What I Expected
96 Years: A Life Well Lived
Today we celebrated Mama's ninety-sixth birthday. The gathering at Parkview Retirement Community included Mama's niece and her husband, we three daughters and our spouses, all but the eldest of the seven grandchildren, and six out of eight of the great grandchildren. It was quite a lively group with six children ages five and under. It … Continue reading 96 Years: A Life Well Lived
Summertime Moments
This has been a quiet week in my neighborhood. Families must be gone, celebrating the Fourth at the beach, or a lake, or maybe somewhere far away. It continues to feel like a season of waiting, as I wrote about in my post two weeks ago Season of Waiting. I have no travel plans, no … Continue reading Summertime Moments
Encouraging the Artist Within
Recently, I pulled a book from my shelf that I haven't read in many years: The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. I purchased it at my first writers' conference in the early nineties and used it to help me delve into the art that had been pushed down deep inside. Looking … Continue reading Encouraging the Artist Within
Season of Waiting
Tonight, on this first night of summer, I write this post while sitting in a wicker chair on my front porch. I listen to the sound of water trickling down the ribbed sides of our pottery fountain. Birds are flitting back and forth in the early evening light. Parents pass with school-age children riding bikes … Continue reading Season of Waiting
Wild Horses Drew Me
I have always loved horses. When I was a girl, I never understood why we had a hundred-acre farm with cows, pigs, and chickens but never horses. Later, I would come to realize that my overworked father didn't need the cost or effort of maintaining horses that would never ‘pay their own way.’ Throughout my … Continue reading Wild Horses Drew Me
