Magical Memoir Moments
About Shirley Hershey Showalter
‘When I was little, I wanted to be big. And not just big as in tall, but big as in important, successful, influential. I wanted to be seen and listened to. I wanted to make a splash in the world.” – from Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets the Glittering World. I was born on a…
Do You Have a Landscape of Love? A Walk Down Memory Lane
This is Northlawn, my college dorm, 1966-1969. I fell in love with Stuart in the spring of 1967. He was a grand senior. I was a lowly “frosh.” Stuart pinned a red rose corsage on my lime green Spring Banquest dress while I stood on the porch of that dorm. Now, after 45 years of…
Seven Lessons from My Lenten Sabbatical
I expected that a Lenten Fast would give me a time to rest. I craved a less active, more contemplative, life. Did I get it? Well, yes. What improved? Exercise. At least an hour/day of stretching, weights, walking, yoga, and even a little jogging. I feel stronger and leaner, especially when I wear Spandex biking…
A Week in Sarasota: The Bittersweet Disruption of Cars
As you read these words, I am heading back north from Sarasota, Florida. I leave behind the palm trees, Gulf breezes, white sands, delicious fresh sea food, key lime pie, beach sunrises and sunsets, — and some wonderful surprises! Two of the surprises had to do with cars. Just last week I described my…
Eves-dropping: A Good Way to End 2014
I created a new word today: “eves-dropping.” Meaning? To prepare a blog post on the eve of a holiday and then drop it on your readers. Since Christmas and New Years this year fall on Thursdays, and this blog goes live regularly on Wednesdays, you get eves-drops. As a way of celebrating the year-end of…
A Good Day is a Gutsy Day: How You Can Win a Free Book or Download a Bargain
It’s a good day today. In no spectacular way. It’s good just by waking up, alive, in a “warm” house (I’m grateful for the afghan made by my mother-in-law and a prayer shawl give to me by Mennonite women this fall). Then there was coffee, and breakfast with Stuart, who made the steel-cut oats. Lots…
In Praise of Breakfast: Starting Three Good Days at The Bishop’s Hall
What’s your favorite meal? In the morning, at least, mine is breakfast. 🙂 And my last three breakfasts have started a good day with a bang. Here’s the table setting: Along with my two “Pilgrim Sister” friends, I enjoyed the hospitality at The Bishop’s Hall at our annual meeting, this time in Oak Park, Illinois….
Prairie Lights Bookstore, Faulkner, Carol Bodensteiner, and Me
Stuart and I are on the road again. This time we are driving instead of taking Amtrak. The prairie is our playground and this Sunday October 19 2-3 p.m. Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City will be our destination. In the meantime, we visit friends in various Wisconsin cities and Kalona, Iowa. Finally, I will…
Three Amazing God Stories from My Self-Chosen Amtrak Writer’s Residency
When we travel, we multiply the chances that we encounter a “once in a lifetime” event that defies all odds, seemingly flying to us on wings from the universe. I like to think of these times as God moments. Or, as my sister Doris says, “God’s poetry.” On our BookTourAnniversaryPalooza, on Amtrak, July 1-28, 2014,…