* KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED *

Yesterday afternoon, after a long day at work (thank the Lord for air conditioning!), I received an email from Chicken Soup for the Soul that a story I submitted had made it to the first phase of their selection round! (It's a book about forgiveness.) Wow! I had a story accepted for one of their doggie books in 2017, but this soon for another one is surprising. (It was back in 2007 and 2008 that I had four stories accepted. As I've mentioned many times, I just can't get back into it very much.)

So, anyway, don't know when I'll hear for sure, but for now I'm honestly putting it out of my mind, which isn't difficult because I'm so forgetful anyway. Ha!

Oh, this isn't what I was eluding to in my July 9th post, either! 😃

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Speaking of books...I finally made it to the library today...BUT I forgot to take my list of books and authors I wanted to find. Duh. (I've been blaming my forgetfulness and other silliness on the effects of anesthesia, but that might be getting too old, so now I'm going with the excessive heat we're having and it's not supposed to end anytime soon.)

I did get three books. One from a familiar author that I like, Elizabeth Berg, and 2 others I haven't heard of: Tara Conklin and Dana Bate. (Oh and I dropped off a copy of my memoir for them to send to their "marketing department" or something like that.)

I finished Good Riddance a couple of days ago. It was typical Elinor Lipman, a fun, not profound, easy read.

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This photo makes me really happy, for various reasons...

I want to visit Switzerland and/or Austria so much some day, to see sites like this, 

AND it makes me feel I'm in a much cooler temperature! 

Stay cool or warm, depending on your part of the world!!

* HAPPY EASTER 2016 *

 

~~~~~~~ HAPPY EASTER ~~~~~~~

 

 

Bunny with S&P Shakers

photo taken by Becky 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

"On this Easter Sunday…. Forgive someone. Tell someone you love them. Let your light shine." -- Unknown

Walking on the Sunny Side of Life

Finding the Music in Life

Today’s post is in participation with Women On Writing’s mass-blogging event, "Everybody is Talking About Finding the Music in Life."

We are celebrating the release of Sonia’s Song by Sonia Korn-Grimani. To read about the blogging event and follow the symphony of participating bloggers visit Wow - The Muffin. 
To read the Q&A with Sonia, visit Wow - The Muffin - Interview

Share your comments on any participating blog for a chance to win a copy of Sonia’s Song!
* I forgot to post the deadline to leave a comment here or at other participants, for a chance to win the book...print or e-book...winner's choice! Deadline: Thursday Oct 18, 11:59pm (Mountain Time)

Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in our daily struggles or traumatic events from our past that we feel like "poor, poor, pitiful me." But, instead, I think it's so important to not dwell on those things, and to start looking for the positives....to find the "music in our lives." 

As a participant in this Mass Blogging Event, I've been asked to share what helps me stay positive in this crazy world we live in. 

I love to listen to many styles of music!

(Below is taken from my blog post of October 4, 2011)

"There is nothing in the world so much like prayer as music is." ~William P. Merrill

When most people think of the The Beatles, I doubt if "prayerful music" comes to mind. We all have our favorite songs of theirs, ranging from the very first pop/rock tunes until the final more contemplative recordings. 

Somewhere in my past....maybe 15 or 20 years ago....two of those songs became prayer-like to me. The music and lyrics would pop into my mind, just when I needed them. I'd either sing out loud or only "in my head," depending on whether I was alone or not!

Those two songs are: 

The Long and Winding Road

Let it Be

I've read various so-called explanations about the lyrics of these songs, and it doesn't matter to me what the "real" meaning is or isn't. I know what they mean to me and that's all that counts.

Wind chimes make me happy.

I see beauty everywhere I look.

I'm crazy about Vern, especially when he smiles at me!

And I love my family.....every last one of them...

I believe in laughter, and kindness, and joy, and wonder, and forgiveness, and I think most of all HOPE.

Having hope has always gotten me through the saddest, most difficult days of my life. I always know that things will be better, and that I have the strength to get there. 

* If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know that I always end with a relevant quote.

"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death." -- Robert Fulghum All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

** Bits & Pieces About My Mother **

As I said last week, I posted a lot of memories and photos for my (deceased) dad's birthday, but I kind of just skipped right past my mom's and I certainly didn't intend to do that. She was born on August 6th, 1915. (If you noticed the date of my dad's birth, she was nine years older than he was.) She would've been 95 years old! Happy Belated Birthday, Mom!

Mother was a true homemaker in the 1950’s kind of way.

(courtesy: countryinthetown. blogspot)

She cooked homemade meals and made wonderful baked goods. She always let me help, too, even if I really was more of a hindrance. I couldn’t have been happier for those first few years of my life, but then my carefree days came to an abrupt end when my dad decided to leave.

(Mid 1950's - summer vacation)

She had already endured the loss of one husband. Her first husband was killed in World War II. And then, her second one decided he didn’t want to be married to her anymore. I know she was devastated by both losses, but probably more so by my dad, because he chose to leave. She never did get over that. I remember feeling sad and helpless sometime because I couldn’t do or say something that would make her happy again.

Looking back on it now, I'm sure she suffered from depression. There wasn't a whole lot of joy in our house from that point on. There weren't the kinds of medications to help then, either.

There's so much more to the story, but that my dear friends, is all for now. The rest is in the book.....

**After reading the first few comments, I decided to post the link to the story I wrote about my parents, that was accepted and published in Chicken Soup for the Soul; Divorce & Recovery. I've mentioned it before, but many readers may not have seen it.  It was also chosen to be published on Belief Net.

"I was very mad at my father and I wanted him to die so I could remember him the way he was before he left us, not what he had turned into." -- Written by a nine year old in www.divorceandkids.com

( I can remember thinking the same kinds of things....It took me many years to forgive him.)