Tribute to a Memory

“WHEN A LOVED ONE BECOMES A MEMORY, THE MEMORY BECOMES A TREASURE.”  Author unknown On January 28,1986, the world watched in horror as the Challenger space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral,Florida. Anyone over the age of  thirty-five will remember what they were doing on that day. School children everywhere tuned in that morning to watch the launch of the first schoolteacher and ordinary citizen bound for space,Christa McAuliffe. While this high-tech catastrophe was unfolding on live TV, life was unfolding in living rooms,kitchens and offices around the world; moments in time when life events will forever be connected with the Challenger explosion. For my Mother,Kathryn, it was the moment...

Posted by on Jan 28, 2011 in composting memories, memoir-writing, Truth in Memoir, Uncategorized, Writing to Heal | 16 comments

The Fine Art of Composting

” TRUTH IS THE STRONG COMPOST IN WHICH BEAUTY MAY SOMETIMES GERMINATE.”Christopher Morley, American writer and editor(1890-1957)  If it is mid-June, it is time to cut back the garlic scapes (shoot that garlic sends out as it starts to grow) so that the growth of the garlic will occur in the bulb underground, not in the shoot with the seed pod. I was struck with the similarity between composting and writing as I was helping my gardener husband, Wayne, cut garlic scapes, which by the way, can be used in cooking just like a bulb of garlic.  Composting is a process where the byproducts of organic material  left to decompose over time release nutrients back into the soil so that the cycle of life and growth can continue.  Natalie Goldberg devotes...

Posted by on Jun 12, 2010 in composting memories, life cycle | 14 comments