Writing stories of experiences or making your own seems to be a natural thing for humans. Many never do it, though they think of it, and many do it without ever sharing what was written.
My experience this summer has been spinal surgery. Lots of fun! But in my journey toward healing, I’ve met some extraordinary people. And they write! I decided not to use names because I didn’t ask permission for this blog.
After my surgery at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital South, in Oklahoma City, I met a nurse who had written a children’s book about a child who’s family lives in two different houses due to divorce or separation. Children all over the country deal with this problem most of their lives. It’s common, but is a problem that needs to be dealt with and she did it in a kind and common-sense manner. The boy in the book talked about the good things at both houses and it was obvious that the parents put the child first. A beautiful story about life.
While still at the hospital, the Chaplin came in to check on me and pray with me if I wanted. He asked if I had questions before he left. My eyes were drawn to the pins on his lapel – of a Star Trek emblem. He was a trekkie! I asked him about it, and he was a sci-fi fan. And with a little prodding I found he was a writer. He had a manuscript in the bottom drawer somewhere that no one had ever seen. I encouraged him to get it out and refresh it. He seemed pleased to tell someone that.
While in physical therapy for the last 3 weeks, I met a young man who was hanging out at his father’s physical therapy clinic. He was thirteen, an athlete, and hung around in the morning after football practice – then went with his mom later in the day. He was very easy to talk to. One day I noticed he had written a book that was for sale at the clinic – and of course I bought it. We had something in common. We were writers. Once we started talking about writing he instantly asked me what genre I wrote. Well, I have several. The next day I brought a copy of all my books for him to choose one. He didn’t pick the one I expected for a boy his age. But I hope he enjoys it.
Writers are everywhere. Since the dawn of time writers have been carving on cave walls and telling their stories – some true, some not. But they had a story to tell and they told it. I hope these three talented people continue with their writing and get that story out there for the world to read.
So many books, so little time. What are you reading this week?
It’s been three weeks since my spinal surgery and I’m feeling human. I walk and practice my physical therapy exercises and I’ve even had to get back into cooking. I’m doing well.
I’m reading a new book, Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray Love. You might like it. It is about living the creative life and is mostly geared toward writers, but also other artists.
I spent a couple of days this week at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital South. No there is nothing wrong with my heart. But my spine is another story. My neurosurgeon works out of that hospital and he gave me some new scaring, my third back surgery, and I have some new fusion in the L4 L5 area.
Sandhill Island is a mythical place – a place in my mind. But I could live there. I would love the slow pace and the self-reliant people who live near and on the water. They have adventures, romances, and lives of every type. They are islanders. As I write about them I can smell the salt air, and hear the relentless waves washing up on shore.
IT’S HOT OUTSIDE! And I’m not talking about the political scene. The temperatures in Oklahoma have reached the century mark and the humidity is trying to keep up with it. If you’re going outside, do it early morning or late evening. I’m sure it’s the same wherever you are.
If you follow my blogs you know they’re normally light. I talk about the current book I’m promoting or the flowers blooming in my garden. But today, I had to say something serious.
I’m sure the rest of the world is having as much trouble staying home and doing nothing as I am. But this is getting ridiculous! It’s not as if I am doing without, we have food to eat and a nice home to live in, but I really want to travel. And I can’t at this time.
Last year when The Wild Rose Press called for submissions for novellas based on a fictional Vermont Inn, the noise of mad scribbling and typing could be heard around the globe. Not all of The Wild Rose Press authors live in the United States. The story would be built around a quaint Vermont Inn nestled in a tiny town with lots of eclectic characters.
It’s Mother’s Day and today we celebrate mothers everywhere and their contribution to the world. I looked for a picture of my mother in the stacks that desperately needed attention and came up with this one. She was young, maybe unmarried, I don’t have a date on it. She married Dad right after WWII and they had my oldest sister a few years later. Eventually they had 3 daughters. I resisted using the one of her in a bathing suit. She might have come up from the grave to chase me with a stick! She was a piece of work.
The second picture is my daughter who is now a mother too. This adorable photo was taken when she was about two years old. She has been my lifelong friend as well as my daughter. I had her with I was barely 20 and I had to practice motherhood on her. But when her brother came along was when I really became a mother. Women with one child are mothers, but women with multiple children should be canonized before death. I have a niece with 8, my grandmother also had 8, and I have a friend who raised 5 on her own. I only thought I was stressed. Stressed, but blessed. I couldn’t have survived without them.
