Breaking News

"Stress should be a powerful driving force, not an obstacle."  ~Bill Phillips



I interrupt this blog to inform you that the stress and day to day grievances of life have knocked me off my usual path and I am taking just a bit of a break for a while.  I promise I will return.  I just need to pull off the road and let the storm pass.  I miss you all very much and when the clouds have moved on I will step back out onto the sunlit highway once more.
Love you all!

A Beautiful Gift From A Beautiful Friend,

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.  ~Anäis Nin

Friendship is such a beautiful blessing that God gives us in our lives.  Someone we can share with, laugh with, and cry with.  Over the last couple of years blogging, I have had the great opportunity to meet many wonderful writers, and gain amazing friends all over the world.  Today I would like to acknowledge one of these lovely souls.  Her name is Ninot Aziz.  She lives in beautiful Malaysia, has five children, and is the author of several books, about Malaysian heritage,culture, and legacy.  Ninot is a very busy, and successfull human being, but she always makes time for her family and friends.  I first met her at my blog, always leaving beautiful and uplifting comments. This led me to her's and the rest is history.  We became true friends.  One fact that I find really intriguing is that we both started writing at the same tender age of eleven years old.  Ninot once asked me to share my story of what inspired me to first start writing, so at her request I would like to share that story now.  When I was eleven years old a lot of changes had taken place in my life.  My mother had passed away 2 years before, and my father had just remarried and my stepmother and two of her teenage sons had moved in with us.  It was both an exciting and frightening time for me.  Because of limited space, and the fact that my brother could be cantankerous, I lost my room to my stepbrothers and had to sleep on the couch in the living room.  All of my toys had been packed aways while I was gone at my grandparent's house during my father's honeymoon.  So I began finding other things to do with my time when I came back home.  I did some reading, and watched more T.V., and then one day, out of the blue, I got the idea to write a poem.  I remember sitting at my father's desk with a pen and paper, and deliberating what I would put down on that page.  I looked out the kitchen window, and saw this magnificent tree, and just started writing.  The entire piece was about our home, that tree, and what it meant to me.  It was a silly little poem, but I never have forgotten how it made me feel to have written it.  It was such a wonderful sense of accomplishment.  It is a wonderful thing in the blogging world to be able to share my writing with other like minded writers and poets.  It certainly has motivated me to write more, and I have truly enjoyed reading other peoples amazing works.  Ninot recently generously sent me across the globe her latest book, "Srikandi".  I was very touched by her beautiful gift and wanted to share the story here.  Thank you Ninot for being such a lovely friend here in the blogosphere.  I feel so blessed to have met such an amazing and accoplished poet, writer, and beautiful friend!

 



Reaching Out

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain

I have learned through my children that when it comes to learning and growing you have to be willing to reach out and feel your way around, like a blind person in a maze.  My experience with blogging has been no different.  I first created my blog in March of 2010.  At that time in my life, I was going through a difficult family problem,and blogging became a wonderful diversion and outlet to my crazy world.  The whole blogging experience has been such a wonderful and uplifting journey.  I have met so many amazing poets, and made some even more amazing friends in the process. 

I recently received a versatile blogger award from one of my amazing blogging friends Tug.

I would like to thank you Tug for considering me for this wonderful award.  In the blogging world we have the opportunity to reach out and meet and communicate with people all over the world.  It is an amazing experience indeed.

Here are my nominees for The Versatile Blogger Award:

Life At Willow Manor with Tess

Poems By Ninotaziz

The Poetry of Alaurilee

Signed....Bkm

Circling The Cuckoo's Nest

Enchanted Oak with Chris

Bob at Average Poet

In The Corner of My Eye with Mary

Star Dreaming With Sherry Blue Sky

Kerry with Skylover

Eileen with Words And Thoughts

Inside The Mind of a Highly Sensitive Person

Imperfect Prose with Emily

Out of My Ocean with Susannah

Brian with Way Station One

Each one of these blogs has something wonderful to offer the blogging and writing world.  I think you will enjoy them as much as I do.

Now here are the rules:

1. Thank the person that gave you this award, and link back to his/her blog.

2. Nominate 15 bloggers for this award, and notify them about the nomination.

3. Finally, tell  readers 7 things about yourself.

(I know that everyone is busy these days, so if you do not want to follow the rules....that is fine....I understand. Just know that you are loved and acknowledged here in the blogosphere.) :-)

Now for the 7 things about myself....YIKES:

1.  I am the proud grandmother of 10 wonderful grandkids.

2.  I never went to college....I only graduated from the school of hard knocks.

3.  I am a terrible speller.

4. I am dreadfully afraid of heights.

5. I went to boarding school in 10th and 11th grade.

6. I am distantly related to Edgar Cayce.

7. I live in tennis shoes...high heels hurt me in less than 5 minutes!

(4 of my kids and me)

Hanging In There

I had a lover's quarrel with the world.  ~Robert Frost, The Lesson for Today, 1942

I just wanted to take the time to let you know that I am still alive and kicking.  The last couple of years have been stressful ones for me.  Some of you know my troubles but many do not, and I apolagize for not explaining any further at this time.  I just have been hanging in there the best I can.  On top of everything else I recently changed job locations as well.  I work at a different library now, and I no longer have time to spend blogging and reading blogs the way I used to.  That is why I have not participated in Magpie Tales, One Shot,or Thing Tank, latley.  I did not want to post a poem and not be able to read the other poems that were linked to those sites.  I am working on getting internet at home, and then that will give me an opportunity to read and blog the way I would like.  Thank you for all for taking the time to read my blog and becoming a dear friend and encourager.  I may not be blogging, but my heart is still in it, and all the wonderful friends that I have met along the way are still in my thoughts and prayers. I promise I will be back....for now, I am just

hanging in there.

Thank you Ruth

I just received an awesome award from an awesome fellow blogger.  Ruth at Underneath His Wrapping  Ruth I feel honored to receive this award from you!!
You are such an inspiration to me!!!
I am supposed to sum up my blogging philosophy in five words, so here it is: hope, inspiration,friendship,sharing, and healing.  There are so many that I feel deserve this award, but I am going to choose three.  Enchanted Oak ,Finding Prose In The Laundry,and The Chocolate Chip Waffle
You all inspire me!