Last February, I did a presentation at the Lee County Enrichment Center for a class on "Telling Your Life Story." My focus was on the process of writing my memoir. The participants shared about their projects that included delving into family history and collecting objects from their lives to share with their grandchildren. Listening to … Continue reading Preserving the Past: “The Black Snake Story”
writing
Three Discoveries during Cancer Treatment: Remembering after 26 Years
Last Monday June 22 was twenty-six years since I heard my doctor say, "You have cancer." Nobody forgets that moment. After those words, you can't hear anything but the repeating thought, "I have cancer, I have cancer . . ." In the years that followed, each follow-up visit to the oncologist was accompanied by a … Continue reading Three Discoveries during Cancer Treatment: Remembering after 26 Years
Answers to Prayer: The Synchronicity of Simple Things
Yesterday morning, I enjoyed sitting at my kitchen table, sipping my first cup of French Roast, and watching the interaction of the birds in my patio. I have a special fondness for the Eastern bluebirds, a couple who've taken up residence in my birdhouse and now have 3 eggs in the nest. The daddy is … Continue reading Answers to Prayer: The Synchronicity of Simple Things
Time to Travel: Changing Priorities
It's that time of year when folks are nailing down plans for the summer. My daughter-in-law, Emily is scheduling summer camps and family vacation--often what the mother does; I remember that phase. I signed up for a few days of "Grammy camp" to fill in my grandsons' vacancies. Meanwhile, people have started asking me if … Continue reading Time to Travel: Changing Priorities
Baby Boomer Divorce: Building a New House
This week I returned to my writing desk to work on Book 3 in my memoir series. It was Monday morning when it was cloudy and I was feeling residual blues from attending a Saturday funeral. The service was a Celebration of Life for a woman who'd lived in her home community for 84 years … Continue reading Baby Boomer Divorce: Building a New House
Happy 500th Post: Connecting with the People in My Path
This is my 500th post. Amazing! When I started this blog site in May of 2017, I couldn't see this far down the road. At that time, I was pitching my memoir to Literary Agents and their view was that writers needed to have an established platform to build readership. A blog site was one … Continue reading Happy 500th Post: Connecting with the People in My Path
Finding Your Path: Letting Go of FOMO
This week I noticed some of the impact of being an older person. An over-the-counter med for allergies that has worked for years, and never resulted in disturbing side effects, briefly caused me to have a fast, irregular heart rhythm. I remembered back to November when I had an Upper Respiratory Infection. Previously, I would … Continue reading Finding Your Path: Letting Go of FOMO
New Year’s Goals: Finding New Strategies
We're over three-quarters through January and I'm looking back at how I entered this new year. In my post 2026: Focus on New Year’s Being, I was feeling residual restlessness, an irritated spirit from what had been a long holiday season. The most important thing was to check my anxious thoughts, my "immediate sensitivity" and become … Continue reading New Year’s Goals: Finding New Strategies
Artist’s Retreat: Ft. Caswell
Today I returned from my writing retreat at the Ft. Caswell Coastal Retreat and Conference Center in Oak Island, North Carolina. I appreciated that even though I'm not of the Baptist denomination, the facility is open to folks, like me, who are not. What a gorgeous setting on the 250 acres that was part of … Continue reading Artist’s Retreat: Ft. Caswell
Keeping Our Dreams Alive
Last Saturday, I attended a birthday lunch for my brother-in-law, Winslow who was celebrating his 75th. Reference was made to it being his "3/4th of a Century Birthday."; that really put it all in perspective. I'm about four years behind him and have had many conversations with my peers about life passing by so quickly. … Continue reading Keeping Our Dreams Alive
Connie Rosser Riddle 