NaNoWriMo is a funny word that stands for National Novel Writing Month. This year was my 16th consecutive year of participation — and as of today, it is also my 16th consecutive year of reaching the goal of 50,000 words. What follows is something I wrote during one of our fun times, ten years ago, when as many as five or six members of our family took part in it, and we would all go to the NaNoWriMo kick-off party…
Two years ago I wanted to write a book called, “Life Begins at 65”, because mine certainly did in many respects. I’m not sure where it started, really. Maybe it was six or seven years ago when I realized my life was getting smaller and smaller, and I wanted to get to know some more of the people I admired at church. We had been attending the same Bible study for several years, and the attendance had dwindled so that…
My husband, Ian, did something for me a few years ago, that I will treasure always. He took a black & white photo of my dad taken in 1949, when he was 28… and a colour photo of me in 1980, when I was 27… and put them together as one photograph. He colourized Daddy and the background to make it look as if we belong together. This picture would be a treasure under any circumstances, but I treasure it…
People often ask, “Why do the good die young?” Why did my father die at 38, leaving behind a 28-year-old widow with three children, 7 and under? Why did my first husband die at age 30? Or my oldest son when he was 25? Or my son-in-law when he was 43? People come up with various “answers” to make themselves feel better, and many of those “answers” are downright wrong. Even the best of them miss the point. The point…
Toward the end of December, 2019, I saw the challenge on Facebook to choose one word for 2020, which would be my theme for the new year. I don’t like feeling like I’m squeezed into someone else’s mold, and I refuse to jump on the bandwagon just because someone else thinks I should. However… I loved the idea of a motto we had at Prairie Bible Institute, back in the 1980’s. The Junior class would secretly formulate a motto from…