My grandpa passed away exactly one year and one month to the day after my daughter passed away on August 16, 2009. Since I can remember Grandpa told me stories about his time in the Navy in World War II. When he went to basic and his job school (which is the equivalent of AIT in the Army), everyone put down there preference of where they wanted to be stationed. They could either choose the East Coast or The Pacific in Hawaii. Since he was from the west coast he choose The Pacific and since … [Read more...]
Day 106: Odd Notes
In life we all have our times where we will either jot down a quick note or store something away in the corners of our minds for later use. As writers I think it is even more important to write down those sudden thoughts that come to us. It's in those thoughts that the true magic of our writing comes out. Our hidden story ideas that get written in the page. I still remember the day about three months after Mari died where I had all these thoughts floating around in my head beginning to be … [Read more...]
Day 105: PERFECTION!
I don't think there is a single person out there who wouldn't want to do something and know they did it perfectly. The thing is we are human and we will never be perfect. As parents we try our very best to be the best parent we can. We want to raise our kids to one day be adults and be as successful Aa they can be. But no matter how hard we try we will never be perfect at it. We will make mistakes along the way. We will doubt ourselves. We have to learn from both our own mistakes but also from … [Read more...]
Day 104: Writing Your Own Front Yard
Think about this for a moment. When we write or talk about things do we use our past experiences during those times or do we just guess and hope what we say make sense to others. Personally, I think the best comes from the things we have personally experienced. For example, how could someone write about loss and how it feels if they have never been through any kind of loss. There are different types of loss. Losing a job. Losing a pet. Losing a friend or even just the friendship itself. … [Read more...]
Day 100: Writing as Therapy
Since I can remember I have kept a diary. I think I was in the fourth grade when Grandma Patton sent me a diary for Christmas as well as a pen. I could write whatever was on my mind. Whether it was that I hated my mom for something I probably got in trouble for or that she wouldn't let me do whatever I wanted. If I'd only known then what I know now. I promised myself I'd never be like my mom, yet the honest truth is all kids can't stand their parents as kids but so appreciate all they have done … [Read more...]
Day 99: Writing Your Own Corner
I love this. Most of us only know the areas where we have lived or been surrounded by. For an Army brat they are constantly being moved around the country and sometimes even living in different countries. For another they may have lived in the same small town their entire life. Another might have been raised in the foster care system constantly being moved from one home to another. Think about it. We are all so different. No two people have lived the exact same life. Yes, many people have … [Read more...]
Day 92: Rituals of Discipline
Discipline. Does it come natural for everyone or just for some while others have to work at it? I think it's the latter two. For me, discipline hasn't always been easy. I'd love to be like one of those people who set out to do something and they always do it. They don't allow distractions to get in their way. However, I tend to get bored with things too easily. I can focus on something for a couple of months but then I get distracted and stop. I need something new to keep my attention. I … [Read more...]
Day 91: Naming Names
In life we have all been given a name at birth, typically by our parents. My name, Kristena, is a rather common name in the way it is pronounced. The most common spelling is Christina, with Kristina in a close second. But then you have my spelling. When you first saw my name did you catch that it had an 'e' in it? If you're like most you didn't. That's normal. Whereas the spelling of my name some might say is abnormal. To me that doesn't sound right. I like to think of the spelling as … [Read more...]
Reflecting Back on the A to Z Challenge in April
It’s hard to believe that the month of April is already over as well as the A to Z Challenge for 2013. I remember finding out about the challenge toward the end of March and thought it was a pretty kewl idea to take a letter from the alphabet for each day of the month. I knew right from the get go that I’d be doing it about my daughter. However, I had to come up with what each letter for would signify. Here were all the words I used this month: Amazing beautiful caring dare-devil energy … [Read more...]
Z is for zest
Mari's zest for life made you want to follow her lead. Have you ever wanted to feel complete freedom? No worries. No deadlines. No bills. Just complete and utter freedom. I think of freedom and Mari's picture comes to mind. She had an unmatched zest for life that I don't think I've seen in other people. She really didn't care what people thought of her as she always did as she pleased. Whether it was creating Lake Mari in the bathroom sink as the waterfall hit the floor or take a permanent … [Read more...]
