Magical Memoir Moments
A Role Model Shows Up in the Inbox: Plus, A Book Giveaway
All my life I have looked ahead to someone older to help show me the path ahead. Role models, we sometimes call these people. I started early, looking up to my neighbor Shirley Clark. She was a member of the safety patrol. I became a member also. Last week someone who just might qualify as…
Joan Rough Takes on a Big Challenge of the Jubilación Years : Forgiveness
My current theme of Jubilación, defined as joyful vocation in the elder years, does not exclude challenges. Far from it! Most people are well aware that aging inevitably has negative consequences and that the pains of youth and middle age continue into the elder years. Fortunately, even trauma and suffering can be met with resilience,…
Two Volunteers Who Make This July Special
A volunteer sunflower and a volunteer interview fill me with joy in my favorite month of July. See post below to see both!
Recovering Joy in A Good Day: The Woman in the Photograph
What if the only clue you had to your mother’s past was a photo taken before you were born — when she was young, carefree, and beautiful? What if it looked like this:How would you feel, upon waking up in the morning, if the day stretched out before you had no clear architecture from the…
Always Returning: Prairie Wisdom for Breathing in a Good Day Every Day
So what if the day you are having doesn’t seem like A Good Day? No day can be Good all the time! I’ve learned much Prairie Wisdom from my friend Daisy Hickman, author of Always Returning: The Wisdom of Place. I have her book on my table TBR (to be read) soon! I hope you’ll…
Interview with Carol Bodensteiner, Memoirist Turned Novelist
Meet Carol Bodensteiner. Pershaps you already have. Fellow writer Janet Givens refers to her as my twin! That’s because both of us wrote memoirs about being country girls and growing up on dairy farms. But only one of us is a blonde. 1. Your first book was about growing up on an Iowa dairy farm…
Crossing Cultures Through Memoir: A Guest Blog Post
Do you remember Jimmy Carter’s mother Lillian? She did many remarkable things, but what I remember most is that she applied to the Peace Corps at age 68 and then nursed leprosy patients during a two-year term in India. Let me introduce you to another Peace Corps volunteer, also a Gestalt psychotherapist and sociologist, Janet…
Sharing Nostalgia for Childhood at Christmas Time With Linda Gartz
Nostalgia. Comes from two Greek words meaning a longing for home. Probably Christmas brings out more nostalgia than any other time of the year. According to the New York Times, nostalgia is good for us. I’ve been sharing nostalgic photos of vintage decorations and ornaments with those of you who subscribe to my weekly Magical…
Your Chance to be an Author! Tell a FriendStory
Some of the people who read this blog are authors and bloggers. Other people who read this blog have a closeted desire to write. They need a little push. So, here’s a perfect opportunity for both kinds of people. Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, an author friend, started a blog a year in advance of her next novel Bittersweet being published. Bittersweet is…