Outside my window is a winter wonderland, the first real snow of the season, and it is beautiful! Yet our front porch is still lined with large pots of lush red geraniums...maybe this will be their last night. I could not bring myself to throw them in the mulch pile while they are in their prime, and I have never had any luck keeping them from one year to the next. I’ve completed the outside winterizing projects around our
home, even down to the deer netting around our fledgling pine shrubbery.
I am thankful for my family, my friends and church:
My family keeps me grounded and inspired. God has blessed me with a large and lively crew, in my immediate family as well as our extended family. We were all excited about our granddaughter’s happy planned pregnancy, their beautiful little girl is 16 months old. Then two weeks ago, all went wrong and she lost the baby in her fourth month. It’s been heart breaking. Aunt Doris, my father’s only remaining sibling, told me she imagines him and Mom in heaven rocking the beautiful little one. Maybe you don’t share that sort of faith. But believe me, it helps when dealing with loss.
My friends remind of the importance of sharing joys and tribulations with the other sisters and brothers we collect as we travel life’s path; they are the tapestry we’ve woven around ourselves. One of my dear friends passed away ten days ago, in life she was a beautiful flower full of wit and joy. She was one year younger than me, and lost her long battle with colon cancer. (Oh, how I hate cancer!!) Her passing reminded me to have that extra cup of tea, and make time for friends. Because if not now, when?? Memories are not made as we do the ironing, dust the corners, etc. Memories are made by sharing life moments with friends and family.
My church provides me with the stamina and faith I need to cope with all that comes my way. There’s a great group of folks there who support each other with continuity and shared beliefs through the good times, as well as bad times. And by uniting together we do a greater good for our community, wherein strengthening our faith.
I am also full of gratitude that I am at a point in my life where I’m able to pursue my writing. Still the reality of the writing life is that it keeps most writers humble. Really humble! The endless waiting…hoping for acceptances and coping with the dreaded rejections. Not to mention the snide reviewers who make themselves feel important by criticizing the tiniest details of a writer’s hard work. Yes, I still do reviews. But you won’t find me doing negative reviews. If I have nothing positive to say about a book, I will decline to write a review on it. Of course, all readers do not like the same types of books, thus the wide range of genres. But if I don’t like a book, all it means is that I didn’t like the book.
I’ve had several small things published over the last month, two writer interviews, one with Carol Smallwood, and most recently with Todd McClimans, have been posted on www.commonlinejournal.com
This is the link for my review of Lauri Lowensteins’ Unmentionables. I loved it! http://www.storycirclebookreviews.org/reviews/unmentionables.shtml
I read a review copy of the memoir,The Day the Whistle Blew by Marilyn Nesbit Wood. I will write a positive review of it as soon as I finish reading my other review book, Juliet’s Nurse by Lois Leveen. I’m really enjoying reading this novel. Both reviews will soon be on www.storycirclebookreviews.org
The best movie we’ve seen in the last month was A Hundred Foot Journey with Helen Mirren. Speaking of movies, there’s a mini-series, The Red Tent, coming to Lifetime Network, December 7 and December 8. My husband’s great nephew Saif Wareth, will play the part of Simon. Saif is a great young man who’s been a struggling actor in London for several years. He plays an evil character which will prove his mettle as an actor because in reality he’s a sweetheart! He spent two months filming in Morocco for a four hour movie. And it lead to a part in Mission Impossible Five with Tom Cruise, etc. which will begin shooting in London in January 2015. He last visited us three years ago. We were there two years ago. Fifteen years ago we hosted Saif and his two slightly older brothers for two weeks. We had such fun showing them a little part of America!
Till next time …keep reading my friends. Your blog comments are always welcome!
Ann