* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time For Another Nostalgic Sunday

 

 

 

 

Gosh, I almost forgot another Nostalgic Sunday! (That's why there wasn't one last Sunday...I forgot.)

 

With it being autumn, or so the calendar says, I love reminiscing about my Catholic School days. Strolling home from grade school, carrying an arm load of books, and purposely zigzagging through crunchy leaves, I'd go over the day's events in my mind...

 

(my uniform was similar to this, solid color, no plaid)

 

I enjoyed Sister Marie's English class, but as always, hated the torture of Arithmetic word problems.

 

The cafeteria's lunch was one of my favorites: a bowl of chili-mac, a peanut butter sandwich, celery sticks, and milk to drink.

 

That boy I've had a crush on for over two years actually said "Hi" to me today! Be still my heart! At least I think it was me...I looked around and nobody was behind me...

 

~~~

 

Although my family moved around quite a bit during my very early school years, I attended the same grade school from the middle of 4th grade through graduation at the end of 8th grade. I loved it there!

 

And I so love the fact that I grew up in an era where kids were safe walking to and from school, and/or riding their bikes to friends' houses, and not coming home until it was almost dark. I think growing up in the 50s and 60s was undoubtedly the BEST time to grow up...for which I am SO THANKFUL!

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Happy Nostalgic Sunday!

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday

 

Yesterday I received a Facebook message from someone who was both a grade school and high school friend. (Yes, once again Facebook has been a good thing for me, so I guess I better quit stating that I don't like Facebook!) It wasn't "just a message," but it contained some very profound words. The kind of words we writers live for.

Her name is Debbie and we'd kept slightly in touch through Facebook, mostly through our "Group Leader" who is so good about keeping classmates up to date on things, and arranging reunions, both large and small. A couple of weeks ago, Debbie sent me a check for a signed copy of my memoir. The following are her words, taken directly from our Facebook messages. (And yes, she gave me permission to use them.)


DEBBIE

"Totally enjoyed your book. Will definitely be interested in your sequel. It did make me laugh, make me sad, made me want to sit down and have a cup of coffee with the author like Judith Hendricks said. And it also did make me remember a lot more from my past and brought my life into a sharper focus like Susan Bono said. It definitely left me wanting more so bring on that sequel girlfriend - I am definitely ready. Thanks again, Becky."

"Oh by the way - Was Gary XXX the boy in grade school? Thought I recognized the description. If it was, it was the first boy I kissed in 8th grade. LOL... Maybe not the first for sure but the first I can remember. CRS"


Becky

"OMG! You are one fast reader, Debbie!" [I think she read it in one day.] "Thank you SO MUCH for your compliments!! Those words mean the world to me! And yes, that was Gary XXX! I asked his permission first, to use his name, and after I wrote the chapter, let him read it and give his okey dokey! He's a really nice guy. Did you remember that the house your family was renting on 87th Street, was the one my family moved into and rented after your home was ready?? Thanks to YOU! I think you had me over for dinner one night, or something, and I found out then about you guys renting it. You saved us!! True!"


DEBBIE

"ZZZZ did tell me about that although I had a stroke in 1975 and I lost a lot of memories - so I did not recall it. I am not very computer savvy on sharing anything correctly but I did put a new message on facebook about your book. I think you brought back memories for me that I thought I had lost forever and I am not sure how but somehow through the listing of songs and just different little things - something started coming back. Amazing. You are sure welcome to use anything I have written to you as a quote or recommendation. Also, you are an inspiration also to all of us that kept things inside and our insecurities. Still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. LOL but not really funny. I use laughter as a defense.

PS I am not usually a fast reader however I just wanted to keep reading - couldn't put it down."

 

Becky

 

"You are so sweet! And I'm sorry I didn't know about your stroke. How wonderful that you have recovered from it as much as you have! YOU are inspirational, Debbie. And I agree with you....I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up! Thank you again!! My STA and St. Philips friends/aquaintances have been my best cheerleaders! It feels so wonderful. Bless you...and xoxo "

 

~~~

 

This Is Why I Write. This is what I hope for when I write; for readers to feel something...happiness, sadness, memories of their own, hopefully to make a difference in their lives. And when Debbie shared her above feelings with me, I was on top of the world.

 

 

 

“If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.”
—Wally Lamb

 

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's time for another Nostalgic Sunday

 

Why is today a "Nostalgic Sunday?"  Hmm, where should I begin? 

• The Ronald and I met friends for breakfast this morning, which is something we hardly ever do. Having breakfast at a restaurant usually occurs when we're out of town on vacation. It's a real treat! And I'm feeling very nostalgic for.... vacations..... *sigh*

• Last Tuesday, I spoke to three each - 2nd Grade classes at a local elementary school. It was Career Day and I spoke about being a writer. In addition to my talk, I handed out decorative pencils, envelopes, lined paper, and a questionnaire/fact sheet I wrote. I was actually surprised to know they still use pencils that need to be sharpened! Also, I learned a generation-gap kind of lesson. The students responded excitedly about the pencils, but when I asked if they'd also like loose-leaf paper, they all stared at me in complete silence. I was so surprised and couldn't imagine why they wouldn't also want paper, when one of the teachers stood up and said, "Mrs. Povich means notebook paper." Ahh....more cheers!

• Tomorrow, I'm doing the same thing at another nearby school. I'll be speaking to one each - 2nd Grade class, and two each -5th Grade classes. I'm all ready to go and looking forward to it. I love speaking to students and adults of all ages.

              And why do these two speaking events make me feel nostalgic? There are quite a few reasons: it seems like yesterday when my two sons were in grade school and high school. And it doesn't seem that long ago since I was that young! Where did those years go?!

~~~

 

 

Tomorrow I'm a guest on Karen Lange's blog! There's an interview and a giveaway, so please stop by!!


I have lots of additional writerly news to share in the next few days, so please come back for that, too: Contests, Calls for Submissions, etc.

 

 

 Welcome to my newest follower Patti of Magnolia Cottage!  I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

 

 

“It shocks me how I wish for...what is lost and cannot come back.” -- Sue Monk Kidd, Traveling With Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story

 

 

"There's a certain nostalgia and romance in a place you left." -- David Guterson

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time Again for Another Nostalgic Sunday

My mind has been racing around in figure-eights and zig-zags, and miles way up high, and then swirling, floating down below with thoughts as many and as unique as the miracle of snowflakes. 

And because of all that, it's been almost impossible to choose which memories I want to include in today's Nostalgic Sunday post. So, I've decided to post random snippets of my memoir.

.....Some of my best memories are the times Dad and I watched TV together. It was more than just sitting, side by side, on our scratchy couch.(What was that material?)

I loved watching him as he watched TV. It was a show all by itself, an interactive one, and I was mesmerized every time...........

Dad would be so busy trying to watch TV while peering over his newspaper and holding his cigarette that he’d be lost to the world. It was as if he were daydreaming. Trying to get his attention during those times was next to impossible. I would watch the long ash of his cigarette hanging on for dear life, slowly bending down farther and farther, until it was the size of a gray wooly worm. Not being able to stand it a second longer, I’d finally yell, “Dad! Your ashes are falling!” I’d usually grab the ashtray and catch them just in the nick of time. He’d nonchalantly glance my way, as if he’d forgotten I was even there. He’d let out a chuckle and thank me for being so watchful. Afterwards, he’d go back to doing it all over again.

~~~

.......“Do you know what this note says?” she asked.

I already knew it wasn’t something good from her face and her tone. “No, ma’am.”

“Miss Mary Ann says you cheated during the times table test today! Rebecca Anne, is that right? Did you cheat?”

 Oh my gosh. I know I’m in big trouble when I’m called Rebecca!

“Uh…well, I uh—”

“I can’t believe this! You know better than to do something like this. You know it’s wrong to cheat. And it’s a sin!”

There it was—the dreaded guilt of sin being laid on me. I’d never seen my mother so upset, about anyone or anything, and here she was angry with me. I guess I was going to go to Hell. Attending a Catholic school Monday through Friday and Mass every Sunday, I knew all about Heaven and Hell and sins. But what I did should only be a venial sin, shouldn’t it? Not the horrible, mortal kind.I started to explain about the paper hanging out of someone’s desk, and how I thought I could do something like that.......

~~~

I hope y'all enjoyed reading those little tidbits of my young life! What else might have happened when I watched TV? What punishment did I receive for my gosh, I'm gullible sin?

*Welcome to my newest follower, Living a Dream. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much! *

"Back on its golden hinges, the gate of memory swings. And my heart goes into the garden and walks with the olden things." --  Ella Wheeler Wilcox

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time Again for Another Nostalgic Sunday

Normally, I'm up 'til midnight or later, but I didn't have a "normal" weekend. I attended a Happy 60th Birthday Party to Us last night and was up really late...or should I say until early this morning. *I'm most likely the oldest one of the group of "high school graduates of 1971 & born in 1953."  My birthday was in January and obviously a few haven't had their 60th birthday yet...but they're not far away!*

It was a small get-together, maybe 60 people. Hey, that would be perfect: 60 people, 60th year! Yikes! Forgive me. I'm really tired!

The best part was that I had been friends with a few of the women since grade school! We had a fantastic time sharing memories, talking about our current lives, and laughing hysterically. Some brought old yearbooks, scrapbooks, school memorabilia, and one put together a photo filled DVD, that was set to the music we grew up with. (I ordered one for myself.)

At first I didn't even remember something we 8th Graders did right before our graduation from grade school. The teachers asked us to write down what we wanted to be when we grew up, and the answers were typed up and given to all of us. I couldn't wait to look at the pages because I had no idea what I'd written. I was such an idealist then and my dreams for the future changed quite often. Some of the students wrote complete sentences, but I wrote two words: a reporter.

Oh my gosh! I remembered! I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. My first "real writing job," although it was for no pay, was writing an opinion column for our local newspaper. And that was just 12 years ago. 

I am living proof that anything is possible. 

That dreams aren't even realized sometimes until later in life. 

And that......"It's never too late to be what you might have been." -- George Eliot

* Nostalgic Sunday *

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday!

Although I'm still on my blog break, I miss posting my Nostalgic Sunday memories, and some of you have said you miss reading them, too. 

A little over a month ago, on April 19th, I got together with three of my OLDEST friends! We've all known each other since I entered their school in the 4th grade. (I'm pretty sure they all met in 1st grade.) We were in Girl Scouts together, and went to high school together (STA). That is....until Barb's family moved away around 1969, as did mine around 1970. So, although we didn't actually graduate from the same high school, I've attended almost every STA reunion, because that is where my heart lies. 

Barb and I have stayed in touch really well. We live fairly close to each other and meet for lunch or dinner whenever our schedules allow. Cheri and Chris certainly don't live that far away, but trying to get four busy women together is almost impossible. 

Thanks to Cheri, our official party planner, we all met for dinner and drinks at Blueberry Hill, in University City, Missouri. It's in a very popular dining/shopping/entertainment area known as The Loop. The legendary Chuck Berry still performs there one night a month! (I've been saying for years that I'm going to attend one of his shows....but I forget, and/or they sell out too fast! I know. I know. None of us are getting any younger!)

NOW PHOTO
Four Very Glamorous Gals!

From left to right: Cheri, Barb, me, and Chris. 

(next time, Chris and I need to have much better sunglasses. We just had our clip-ons.)

I love the caption Cheri posted with the photo(s)

"Four St. Philip Chics Loudly Reunite! 19 April 2012 Blueberry Hill - The Loop"


We had a BLAST! We struck up conversations as if we'd gotten together just the week before. We talked, laughed, snorted, giggled, howled, and roared. The young waiters looked at us like we were a bunch of crazy old ladies, but to each other, we still looked and sounded the same way we did all those years ago.
Amazing....the friendships of women.

Okay, that's the NOW PHOTO....wait until you see the THEN PHOTOS.....

THEN PHOTO

Cheri (left) and Chris! June 1967, our Girl Scout troop took a bus trip

to Washington, DC. This was at a road-side park for lunch. They don't look

too happy, do they?! Maybe they'd already seen and/or smelled the food!

THEN PHOTO

OMG! Here's the Piece de Resistance!

Barb (left) and me. No, she was not taller than me. We're standing

on the steps of the US Capitol Building, getting our picture taken 

with Illinois Congressman, Melvin Price and our entire troop. 

(It's pretty obvious why I wasn't with the "In Crowd," don't ya think?!)

We're all looking forward to another "Four St. Philip Chics Loudly Reunite!" It may be months from now, but we surely won't let it be years from now, as in the past.

 * Welcome to my two newest followers, Jennifer and Carrie Lynne. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you! *

"A friend will tell you she saw your old 

boyfriend - and he's a priest." 

-- Erma Bombeck