Paying it Forward~The Irresistably Sweet Blog Award

“The miracle is this-the more we share , the more we have.” Leonard Nimoy     What a pleasant surprise to find that I had been awarded “The Irresistably Sweet Blog Award” by my fellow memoir writer friend, Ruth Zaryski Jackson. Ruth and I met at the Writer’s Digest Editor’s Intensive weekend in Cincinnati in 2009. We have stayed in touch through our blogs. Hop on over to her Family History Blog Memoir Writer’s World   to experience a fascinating step back in time through her past memories and family stories. The obligations of the award are to thank the person, tell 7 things about myself and pass on the award to other new bloggers. Thank you, Ruth, for nominating me for this award. I am so glad that our paths...

Posted by on Aug 19, 2011 in The Irresistably Sweet Blog Award | 21 comments

Hope Renewed

” SOME THINGS HAVE TO BE BELIEVED TO BE SEEN.” Ralph Hodgson      My hope always seems to get pumped up whenever I hear about someone who is facing a major life challenge. Let’s face it, we all take our turns.      I remember the feeling of the floor opening up beneath me, of being outside my body, of falling down an endless shoot and landing on unfamiliar ground that  December,1996 morning in the ER when the ER doctor sat by my stretcher and told me,      “You have lymphoma.”      So when my good friend and nursing colleague,Barb, told me they found a “suspicious mass ” in her liver, I was right back in that ER receiving the news that my own life as I knew it would never be the same again.      I...

Posted by on Apr 29, 2011 in Faith | 6 comments

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

Christmas Blessings

“SILENT GRATITUDE ISN’T MUCH USE TO ANYONE.” G.B Sterns Robert Louis Stevenson It’s Christmas and I am counting my many blessings~ Adam,8, Kevin,6, Jacob,5,Carter,5, Ethan Wyatt,4,Ethan Thomas,3 and Brendan,2. They are our sweet baby boys, our joy and our hope for the future. A long time ago in Bethlehem, a sweet baby boy was born to bring hope,faith and belief in all that’s good.. Wishing you all the blessings of this Christmas season.

Posted by on Dec 24, 2010 in Faith | 6 comments

Sometimes There is No Other Explanation

” FAITH IS THE BIRD THAT SINGS WHEN THE DAWN IS STILL DARK.” Rabindranath Tagore When the call came this week, I felt certain I would not arrive in time to see my Dad alive. “You’d better get here” my brother Gary said on the phone. “I’m on my way.” I said.  Dad had fallen and lapsed into a coma the day before.  My four hour trip down Routes  88  and 17 was filled with prayers, waves of tears, thoughts of my Dad and all he meant to me; my Dad, my rock, my voice of reason, my port in the storm, my hero. Somewhere between Binghamton and Elmira, I started anticipating that he was already in the arms of the Lord. He was 88 years old and by his own admission had  lived a wonderful life. But contemplating life without him felt unbearable and...

Posted by on Nov 19, 2010 in Faith, Uncategorized | 14 comments