friends

A Glance Back

/ authordianemhow / Leave a comment

Trying to measure where the last two years have disappeared is like trying to hug a passing cloud.  I could no more complete an after action report accounting for the time than I could return to working full time every day.

Often, an inner voice urges me to accomplish more than I have done, yet another voice reminds me that I have crossed off a few bucket-list items.  Sometimes I yearn for more, but today, I choose to focus on those things that have brought me pleasure and a sense of fulfillment.

Writing tops my list of achievements.  No, I cannot proclaim a best-seller, but I did publish my first book, Peaks and Valleys.  The non-fiction memoir begins in the 50’s in my childhood hometown of Pine Lawn, Missouri.  As indicated by the title, many of the tales brought a smile to my face as I wrote them.  Some of them were written as tears fell from my eyes.  Revisiting the happy, and sometimes painful, times of my life had a therapeutic consequence.  When I finished, it brought me peace, comfort and an appreciation for the experiences that made me whom I am today.  The journey is worth taking, for everyone.  I hope others will be inspired to follow my path and clean out a few of their own closets along the way.  The book is available through Amazon.com and Kindle.

I also wrote a second book, Burning Embers, for which I am currently searching for a publisher.  Writing a romance/suspense novel in thirty days was not on my original bucket list, rather it was a challenge introduced to me through a writing club that I joined named Pen to Paper Writing Club.  I found the experience so rewarding that I drafted an outline for my next novel which I will begin shortly.  Who knew I had an imagination?

The poet in me continues to surface whenever I cannot find the words to speak directly to friends and family.  I have contemplated publishing some of my poems, but finding gratification in the positive effect the words provide the person for whom they were written is enough for now.

As a multi-tasking person, all that writing wasn’t quite enough to keep me busy, so I began this blog.  My social media skills are limited and until one of my fellow writers encouraged me, I had never visited a blog site.  Now I follow a few that tickle my interests or touch my soul.  I’m still in the beginning stages, but I find it another way to release the writer in me. (http://authordianemhow.com)

More recently, I began volunteering with VITAS Hospice Care as a Story Keeper.  This rewarding opportunity entails recording life stories of patients who are in hospice care so that they may leave a treasure for their loved ones and future generations.  I wrote about my first visit in one of my blogs.  It is amazing how God directs us on our journey to the right place at the right time.  If you have any doubts about following His lead, read When you volunteer are you giving or receiving?.

Every day has not been as uncomplicated as this post makes it sound, but as I said, today, I am sticking with the positive, happy times.  My husband and I have found time to fish, gamble and spend time with our daughter and her boyfriend.  We’ve even managed to get in a few short trips to Branson, Lake of the Ozarks and Georgia.  Lunch and dinner dates fill a few of the squares on my calendar and provide me with the chance to catch up with family, friends, former co-workers and my wonderful Girl Scout buddies.

I yearn to know what memories filter through when you look back a few days, months or years.

A Treasured Gift

/ authordianemhow / Leave a comment

 

The Treasured Gift

            I put little value on material things.  I am a terrible shopper and find no enjoyment in browsing the racks of a clothing store.  Other than my wedding and engagement rings and a simple watch, my jewelry collection consists of a few necklaces given to me by my husband and daughter.

Early in my marriage, I began buying a spoon from each state I visited.  They, hang in a shadow box on the wall of our dining room.  I look at them occasionally when I dust the case.  Family and friends have given me other items that are displayed in a curio cabinet in the living room.  The sentiment far outweighs the monetary value of my earthly possessions.

I prefer to give gifts rather than receive them.  For me, it is the thought that counts.  I enjoy watching someone’s eyes light up when they open an unexpected package.  That brings me joy more than anything else.

The office where I worked participated in a secret Santa gift exchange one Christmas.  About three weeks before the holiday party, each person wrote down their name and three inexpensive items he or she desired.  I seldom came prepared with a well-thought out selection.  Often I ended up with a gift card or a pair of gloves.  I will never forget the enjoyment of opening a gift that I knew I would always treasure.

I carefully picked up the eight-by-ten, simply-wrapped package trying to anticipate its contents.  As I peeled the paper back, I saw a plain black plastic case wrapped in cellophane.  I struggled to remove the clear cover, more puzzled than ever.

I could not imagine what would come in such an unusual container.  My eyes widened in delight at the contents.  A professional assortment of writing pens made me grin like a child.  Not only were there six pens, including a fountain pen with cartridges, there were many refills for each.  It was a gift that someone selected with thought and love.  I knew immediately who my secret Santa had been.  My friend and co-worker, Joyce Richard, recognized the perfect gift for a writer.

I spend many hours on my laptop, working on my novel, but there is nothing that can replace a smooth writing pen and a blank piece of paper.  I have written many thoughts on scraps of discarded paper, tissues, on the corners of a newspaper and even the palm of my hand.  I can’t imagine having all these thoughts in my mind and not being able to write them down.

Until recent years, you couldn’t stuff a computer in your pocket or the bottom of your purse, ready to support you whenever the need arises.  Maybe someday I’ll catch up with the progress made in electronics.  Until then (and probably after), I’ll continue to cherish the wonderful selection of pens and the comfort they bring me when I fill my pages with thoughts.