To have an abundance of whatever is important to you is what matters most. For me, it's the knowledge of writing and knowing my craft top my list. Would I've ever thought that five and half years ago? Nope. I was in blissful unawareness that my life was about to be uprooted and changed forever because in three months I would loss my daughter. Three months after the loss I began to write on her dedication website. It was my outlet during a very hard time in my life as this has, and will always … [Read more...]
Day 1: Family Owned Diner
In my book, "The Unknown Door," one of my main characters, Nate, his family own their own little family diner. When I think of a family diner, I think of a quaint little place. Everyone knows everyone type of atmosphere. That's the kind of diner I'm going to have for Nate and his family. One of those types of diner I remember seeing in a movie is in "Picture Perfect" with Jennifer Aniston, Jay Mohr, and Kevin Bacon. In the movie, there is this scene where Jennifer's character is sitting in a … [Read more...]
Getting Credit for Good Deeds
Do you like to get credit for the good deeds you do or do you prefer to stay anonymous knowing you did something to someone else? I think most people if they are completely honest with themselves they like to get a little thank your or some form of acknowledgement for something they have done. I think its human nature to want to be recognized for the good things we do. However, have you ever done something where you received no recognition at all because you went out of your way to help someone … [Read more...]
Day 137: Mileage from Childhood Fears
Many things happen to us throughout our childhood. Some good things while other not so good and for some they hope they never remember the really bad things. No matter who we are. No matter how we were raised. We are who we are today because of how we grew up. Our childhood shaped and molded us into the person we are now. I think back to when I was growing up. Was there a lot of bad stuff, like abuse? Unfortunately, the answer to that is yes. If I could take away all the abuses, neglect and … [Read more...]
What if money were no object
That isn't a hard one. I know there are the typical answers like traveling the world, or buying your dream house or car (or both :) ). But that is more materialistic than what I'd want to do. First, I'd want to start the scholarship program in my daughter's memory. For those of you who don't know me very well, my daughter had severe classic autism. And finding good teachers who not only want to teach but want to teach child with autism and also have the patience to do it at the same time are … [Read more...]
Effortless Giving
When we talk about giving something away, do we do it with a kind, open heart or do we do it because it feels like an obligation or that we have to. Personally, I can't remember the last time where I felt pressured to give a gift. I love walking into a store and seeing something that reminds me of a family member or friend. It's not something overly big or pricy, but it's something I know the recipient will like. I call them "Just because" gifts. And because it's a "just because" I don't expect … [Read more...]
Helping Others
When you help someone else how does that make you feel? For me, I get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. It lets me know I'm doing the right thing. If I were to do something for only self-satisfying reason, there isn't that good feeling that comes with it. You feel kind of icky after it's all said and done and you've had time to think about it. I always think back to Mari and her time in the hospital. On the day the "Doom and Gloom Squad" sat us down one final time to tell us that our beautiful … [Read more...]
Day 130: Paying Attention
When I write about Mari, I’m paying attention to my internal thoughts and feelings that I have at the time. She will be at the forefront as I write out the words on the screen. For me, it’s about know that I’m being truthful about what I’m feeling at the time. It helps me to grieve for her and heal at the same time. Sometimes it’s when I’m feeling sad and really missing her and other times it’s about the happy memories I have of her. I know that all of this requires me to pay attention to my … [Read more...]
Volunteers: A Priceless Commodity
Being a volunteer. Do we really know what our time means to someone else when volunteer our time? Sometimes I think we take for granted what some people do. Not that we do it on purpose, but we all get busy with our own lives. Things happen. For example, think of all the people it takes to run a single church. There are only a few paid positions. The pastor. The church secretary. Maybe one or two associate pastors. If the church is big enough, a youth pastor. But that might be about it. Think … [Read more...]
Day 129: Imaginations Going Nuts
I had to laugh. Just yesterday I was talking to a friend on the phone and I was talking about my story. She said, “Well, I’m glad I’m not in that family.” I had to agree. My main character is going to go through a tragedy that so few will ever go through, and thank goodness most people never will. However, it will hopefully still resonate because everyone in life at some points has some type of tragedy that befalls them. Whether it’s as simple as loss their job or as tragic as losing a child, we … [Read more...]
