On September 8th, when Kim and I were waiting for our flight to Scotland at the Raleigh-Durham Airport, news came of Queen Elizabeth II's passing. The next days, as we walked through the historic cobblestone streets of Edinburgh, preparations had started for the arrival of her procession from Balmoral. What pageantry followed as Great Britain's … Continue reading One Fun Night in Dublin
Solo journeys
“Will You Forgive Me?” : Online Dating
We'd met through an online dating site at the end of December. It was easy to talk with him from the very first message. We shared a love of music, activities including dancing, family, faith-- and surprisingly, words--me, primarily with writing and for him-- public speaking. We laughed easily and had a similar energy. The … Continue reading “Will You Forgive Me?” : Online Dating
Taking a Risk in Kentucky
Lately I've been remembering my solo journey in 2016 that was the longest I've ever taken. That year I traveled to Kentucky, to a rural area that was an hour, northeast of Lexington. There I attended an artist's residency at Artcroft, a program that provided living quarters and studios for artists-- including writers. I'd learned … Continue reading Taking a Risk in Kentucky
A New Thing Springing Up
Last week, I talked with a friend and she noted that she'd been in a "blah mood"--but couldn't figure out why. There were no new challenges, no worries at present about medical tests results for family or friends, nothing bad had happened. She could list things she was grateful for--but still felt her spirit was … Continue reading A New Thing Springing Up
People in Our Path: Online Dating
When I first realized that I would be out on the 'dating scene,' going through a divorce at sixty-five years old, I had no idea that would occur during a pandemic. When I thought about dating, I remembered back to when I last went out at twenty-two, before I was engaged to my future husband. … Continue reading People in Our Path: Online Dating
Like No One’s Watching
This time of year, I remember back to those days of working as a middle school nurse. The long weekend for the Martin Luther King Holiday was followed by the dreaded stretch through gray winter to spring break. I often found myself daydreaming about summer when I'd go on my solo journey. I started taking … Continue reading Like No One’s Watching
Saturday Morning in Paris
The chilly breeze yesterday morning, walking in my neighborhood with the tree limbs moving about with leaves edging into fall, reminded me of three years ago in Paris. My husband and I'd flown into Charles de Gaulle Airport early on Thursday morning for a trip that would celebrate my retirement from school nursing. Photo by … Continue reading Saturday Morning in Paris
Gathering Energy for the Journey
This week I continued to navigate my life through The Gap--a period between the Ending of my life as I knew it and the Beginning that awaits. In looking at that stream pictured in last week's blog, I think that perhaps I need to spend some time sitting on one of those rocks. Crossing over … Continue reading Gathering Energy for the Journey
Released from Quarantine: Return to Joy
Last week I was able to come out of my fourteen-day quarantine that kept me from caring for my grandson, Baker. It resulted from being in the nursing home with my mother the last two days of her life. While she didn't have COVID-19, nor did any other residents, my son and daughter-in-law felt it … Continue reading Released from Quarantine: Return to Joy
Happy 200th Post!
This is my 200th post on this blog. I started in May of 2017 after I returned home from the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers' Conference. There, I pitched my memoir to agents and attended sessions on marketing my work. What everyone in the writing world suggested was having a blog so you could provide … Continue reading Happy 200th Post!
Connie Rosser Riddle 