SOL 7/31: Unfinished Business

 I belong to a memoir writing group and this piece of unfinished writing from January popped up when I opened Word this morning.

Our theme for this first writing of 2023 is unfinished business. What?  Just when we’re supposed to have arrived at the clean slate of a new year, someone suggests we deal with unfinished business. Oh my goodness! Where to even begin? There are the conversations I want to have with family and friends who have died, mostly just to tell them how much I love and miss them, but also so they can answer the odd questions that pop up in my life that only they can answer. Like the one I want to ask Mom and Aunt Estelle, What are you holding in the picture of the two of you, aproned and smiling, standing outside? What was the occasion that drew you together? 

 

And then there’s the unfinished business from our move of 2022. I still have boxes that I need to deal with, the unfinished business and loose ends of our move. As I think about how to do this and feel overwhelmed and undermotivated, I think perhaps I should read the book about Swedish death cleaning that Blake gave me. Maybe I can glean some tips and inspiration for this essential task that lies ahead of me for 2023. 

 

And finally, there’s the unfinished business of my years on earth. Will this be the year that I finally figure out how to overcome my weaknesses? Will I learn how to control my temper and treat those I love most with more lovingkindness? Can I finally figure out how to hold one thought in my mind long enough to complete the task before me without being easily distracted by other tasks and bright lights? Will this be the year that I figure out how to hold myself to a set morning routine (a major fail ever since retirement)? One unfinished piece of business that I definitely want to accomplish is to finish editing my Storyworth book.

 

And then, I recall the real purpose for our theme of unfinished business, the stories that we have begun, but never finished. I have quite a few of these in my family journal. The one that calls to me the most is the one about my mom’s sister, Ruby Dee Duff Mills. (And my writing then veered off to tell the story of this dear aunt. And that's a slice I'll save for another day.) 

 

Just had to add this piece of serendipity that occurred when I left my link at TWT:   The numbers align! My link was #77 on this 7th day of slicing.

This is my twelfth year to write a slice of life each day during the month of March.  Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.

SOL 6/31: Sunshine!

So glad the weather app is wrong some of the time. Today's forecast was for cloudy weather all day. A haiku proves otherwise. 

Sunlight beckons me

breathing slows, contentment grows

writing in sunshine.

This is my twelfth year to write a slice of life each day during the month of March.  Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.

SOL: 5/31: Is five book clubs too many?

I like to blame it on the pandemic! Before it happened, I only belonged to two book clubs.

My long-standing book club, celebrating 25 years in 2023, has a book club retreat each March. Only we've missed it the last three years. So we are elated to head to a friend's cabin to laugh, to shop, to chat, to eat, to stay up too late, and of course, to choose our books for the upcoming year. 

My second book club, started with two friends who had moved away. began as a way for us to stay connected. We sometimes choose the same books as my other book club, but we also read young adult, middle grade, and light and fluffy books. We don't always meet monthly. We pick a book and then text when one of us has finished it. That usually spurs me to action and I start reading. Then begins the back and forth texting to find a time when we can all be present.

During the pandemic, I joined two more book clubs (both of which do not meet monthly). One is connected to an online community and the other is a group of friends who read books of a spiritual nature.

The last book club I joined is a group of women in my new congregation where we moved last summer. I was excited to take some titles I wanted to read to a recent meeting. They chose to read The Snow Child, a book I've wanted to read that's been on my shelf for more than a few years. We'll discuss it this week. (I actually discovered a friend's name in the front of the book, so it's not even my book. When I return her book, I'll do it with a loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread and my sincere apologies for keeping it so long.)

Five book clubs IS too many, but I find it impossible to relinquish my hold and friendship and book love for any of them.

This is my twelfth year to write a slice of life each day during the month of March.  Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this challenge and providing the space and support for us year after year. And thanks to this magnificent community for sharing stories with me and encouraging my writing life.

SOL 4/31: Quiet Time Shenanigans

Yesterday's quiet time wasn't so quiet. After we pick up Robby from preschool, he has lunch and then it's quiet time for an hour. Because he's been gone all morning, Grandpa finds it difficult to enforce "quiet and alone" time. The two of them go downstairs and play. I popped down once to remind them it was "quiet" time and they needed to use their quiet voices since brother Ollie was napping upstairs. 

Soon the two of them came upstairs, excited to show me the dice they had found online that glow in the dark. I took one look at the price and tried to convince them that the dice we already have will glow in the dark if thrown down in a dark closet. 

Robby interjected, "But this one doesn't work." (We have three that still work.)

He handed it to me and I tried to remove the "plug" so we could access a battery. 

When my first attempt failed, Robby (almost four) insisted that I couldn't try again. 

I tried over and over again to get the blue malfunctioning die from him, all the while trying to explain that "If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again." 

Robby insisted that it was glued shut and it wouldn't open.

While I was trying to get the die back, my husband started laughing and I joined him. Before long, I was giggling so hard that I had tears rolling down my face, all while Robby continued to tell me how we could afford the dice that he and Grandpa found. He even mentioned using his and his brother's and his dad's star money combined with Grandpa's money. A check-in with his mom revealed no star money account, but Robby knows all about it!

Laughter is certainly good medicine. I felt so good after our afternoon of belly laughter and tears. 

Now, to make sure that Grandpa doesn't buy the dice. 

And where is that blue die? I still want to try to make that battery switch!  

This is my twelfth year to write a slice of life each day during the month of March.  

SOL 3/31: I Get to Be a Guest Reader!

My daughter volunteers regularly in grandson's kindergarten classroom. I watch the other two boys so she can do this. Recently, she returned from volunteering with the news that she had mentioned to Jack's teacher that I would be willing to come read to his class. One day when I picked up Jack, I made a point of speaking to his teacher about this opportunity. She was open to it, but somehow we have just failed to set it up. 

And then this morning, I opened a book to share with Jack. I told him that I have been waiting for this book ever since their school book fair in November when I read it, didn't buy it, and came home to request it from the library. The wait list was long. It's taken four months for this book to make its way to my holds shelf. 

After we finished reading, I told Jack that I would like to read this book to his class. He promptly told me that only kids get to read in his class, but I reassured him that I had spoken to his teacher and that she said I could come in to read sometime. Jack then told me that read alouds could only take ten minutes, so we set the timer and read the book again. It came in just over five minutes.

After I dropped Jack off at school this morning, I came home and emailed his teacher. Imagine my delight when I received a return email this afternoon asking if I could come on Friday morning! Are you ready to see the long-awaited book I'll be reading tomorrow? 

Hopefully, I can calm my excitement enough to get a good night's rest. I may need to get up early to practice my troll and goat voices!

This is my twelfth year to participate in the Slice of Life Writing Challenge.

SOL 2/31 & SJT: Words to Fall Back On

It's Spiritual Journey Thursday, an open gathering for bloggers who write on the first Thursday of each month about spiritual topics. Karen is our host for this month and invited us to write about words to fall back on, special verses or poems, hymns or quotes that give us strength and encouragement, and act as touchstones. Thanks, Karen, for this lovely invitation.

 

 

The first verse that came to mind when I reflected on this month's theme is a favorite from Psalms 109:105: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." I love the imagery in this verse that reminds us of the power of the word of God to be a lamp and light for our daily walk.

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it," (Psalms 118:24) is a verse for the good days and on those days when life is challenging, these words provide comfort and solace: "My soul melteth for heaviness: Strengthen thou me according unto thy word." (Psalms 118:28). 

 

This verse from Isaiah 41:6 reminds me that the Lord is an ever present help in my life: "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee." I could write all day about the verses that speak to me and provide a soft landing for my soul. 

 

Songs of the Heart is a post I wrote in December 2020 about the power of hymns to bring comfort and solace. 

 

I would also like to share some words from my personal quote book, a handmade book created by Stacie (Girl Griot) that I won in the 2014 SOL Writing Challenge. 

 

Some of the words in my book come from fellow bloggers. This one comes from Anita (10/11/14) at Learning to Be Writers & Readers:

"I am grateful for the energy to do what I can,

The faith to let go when I can do nothing, 

The wisdom to know whether to intervene,

To wait, or to pray." 

 

From Tara Smith (8/5/16): "Sunrise slowly reveals glimmering little gifts."

 

And finally, these words from Lee Ann Spillane at Portable Teacher (3-1-23): 

"I know the writing will be worth it.

    Worth the time.

    Worth the challenge.

    Worth the effort.

    Worth the connections.

    Worth it."

 

I am grateful for words and connections and friendships shared in our writing communities. This is my twelfth year to participate in the Slice of Life Writing Challenge.

SOL 1/31: Since Last March!

Since last March, we moved from our home of 25 years to be closer to daughter Sara and son-in-law Will and their three boys.

Since last March, I made too many trips to count to the local thrift store as we downsized and decluttered.

Since last March, we celebrated a 40th anniversary with children and grandchildren in a wonderful vacation getaway home in Chimacum, Washington. 

Since last March, I've made two trips to Texas and two trips to Utah.

Since last March, I've had my fill of snowy days.

Since last March, I joined another book club, bringing my total # of book clubs to five! (They don't all meet monthly.)

Since last March, I've made more loaves of pumpkin chocolate chip bread than I care to count.

Since last March, I've written 29 blog posts. 

And now it's March again and time to get back in the saddle for my twelfth year of slicing.

Away we go! Yippee I oh!

Thanks to Sarah at Read.Reflect.Teach for the Since Last March idea.