** 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.)

** Happy Saturday Evening **

I positively couldn't believe what I saw when I opened my blog this evening. I have 100 Followers!

(image from aol.com)

When I began this blog I didn't really think I needed one, but some of my writer friends urged me to give it a try, and thank goodness they did! I have learned so much through blogging. There are always posts to read about upcoming writing contests, calls for submissions, writing prompts, memes, and blog contests, etc. I've "met" some wonderful people, too. Some are writers, some are artists, some are decorators and collectors, some live in the US, some in other countries. I'm truly amazed by it all.

Besides learning all kinds of information, sharing photos of some of my little treasures, searching for just the right quote to end a post, I have recently realized that blogging for almost 2 years has made me a better writer. Although I've felt at times that I spend too much time blogging, I know that the book I'm writing would not be the quality it is now, if I hadn't been writing posts almost daily. It's all been a work in progress. I needed this time and practice and knowledge to hone my writing and hopefully make my book worth reading.......by millions of people! : D

If anyone is interested, here is the link for my first post in November 2008.

I can't thank everyone enough. I truly appreciate the comments, the friendship, and the camaraderie.

"For memory has painted this perfect day with colors that never fade, and we find at the end of a perfect day the soul of a friend we've made." -- Carrie Jacobs Bond

* Happy Saturday Morning & The Winner *

Although I spent another night of minimal sleep, I'm feeling bright and cheery this morning.....and in spite of a slight headache! Why, you may ask? I really don't know! I'm just in one of my I'm so happy to be alive moods!

Oh, the minimal sleep was due to:
A) Trying to catch up on reading my blog buddies' posts and commenting on them. I've still got lots more to read this weekend.
B)  Another night of thunder storms that scared Tiger, so I slept on the couch in the family room, because that's the only place she wants to be during those times.
C)  So many ideas going through my head that I want to write about!

And, speaking of writing, I have the winner of the PDF copy of Margaret Norton's book, When Ties Break.
It's June Freaking Cleaver!! Yay!

(courtesy: www.philebrity.com)

June, I will e-mail the PDF to you right away!

Thanks again to Margaret for her very insightful interview! I look forward to meeting her in person when she's in town for book signings!

I have so much more I want to blog about, but that will have to wait until later.......

"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her." ~David Brinkley

** This 'n That on a Thursday Night **

A little of this and a little of that.

Don't forget to comment or ask Margaret a question on today's earlier blog post. They can be left until midnight tomorrow night. (Friday, August 13th) One person will win a PDF copy of Margaret's book, by random drawing. From the portion of the book that I've read so far, it's definitely a page turner. If you don't win the free copy, let's help Margaret as much as possible by either passing the word around and/or buying the book! Thanks to all participating, and hopefully y'all will support me when my book comes out!

When I wrote about my dad yesterday on his birthday, I felt a little guilty that I hadn't written much about my mom on her birthday which was just last week. Unfortunately, it was the same day as another scary day concerning Scott's health, and also my frustrating ranting about AOL and my e-mail problems. Sorry, Mom! I'll post more about her this weekend.

I want to apologize for not getting around to all the blogs I usually read and comment on. I don't know where the time goes, but somehow I'm losing it! ....in more ways than one! Please know I try and I certainly do not forget about any of you. You're all always in my thoughts.

While driving to my see my chiropractor today.....yes, my back is a lot better, but not totally 100% yet....I happened to hear the end of a radio interview on NPR with legendary long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad. The host was taking phone calls and somewhere in the conversation, Diana talked about the word "Commitment"....about how important it is in life to actually "commit" to something significant, whether it's swimming a long distance, finishing the task of writing a book (yeah, she had just spoken to a woman in her 50's and I missed that part!), or being the kind of parent that is devoted to raising their children. I had one of those light-bulb moments. While I drove, I grabbed my ever present pen and notepad and scribbled the word Commitment. At the stop light, I added: A commitment to my writing -- to finishing my book. It's not as if I haven't been committed to completing my book, but hearing those words from someone else, and in the way Diana said them....it was magical. I can't express how wonderful I feel and how much I've written this evening.

One of my favorite musicals, Fiddler on the Roof, has one of my favorite songs, Tradition. I am now singing it, replacing Tradtion with Commitment!!

"The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work. " -- Oprah Winfrey

Blog Interview With Author Margaret Norton

Hello Everyone! Today, I'm having a blog interview with writer, Margaret Norton, about her memoir, When Ties Break (A Memoir about How to Thrive After Loss), which also includes a Give-Away!

1. What made you want to write this memoir?

Initially I did not plan to write a book. I started journaling in 2005 at the suggestion of my counselor as a way to deal with grief I was experiencing from eight deaths the previous year. I shared this with a few people and their reaction was "that's good, you should write a book." I was working away from home and living in a hotel at the time with lots of free time on weekends. Not really knowing where all this would take me I started turning my journal into my life story.


2. How difficult was it to recall and reveal some of the tragic things that happened to you?

It was difficult but also healing. I don't think I realized the connection to all the events in my life until I wrote the book and took a good hard look back. It was difficult admitting that I had made mistakes and some of my misfortune was my own fault. I experienced a range of emotions - feeling sorry for myself, angry with myself, beating myself up, etc. It was especially hard when I wrote about my children and having to come face to face with the reality that my decisions had also profoundly shaped their lives.


3. Did you have to get permission from the people in your life who you included in your book?

I struggled with this for a long time and sought the advice of several published authors. Since I was writing my story I did not ask for permission from anyone but I did change everyones name. People that know me will know who I'm talking about. I did this out of consideration to the people in my book. Even though I was writing my story - which often involved them - I was very aware that some of them did not want their story shared with others. By changing the names people that knew them could read the book without knowing who I was talking about. I wasn't trying to get even with anyone and I didn't make anything up. In fact, I left some things out that I felt were just too personal to share with the whole world. It has generated some interesting conversation from my family and friends.


4. What are some of the major themes you explore in When Ties Break?

Divorce, Adultery, Step Parenting, Single Parenting, Death, Grief, Abuse - physical, emotional, financial & sibling, financial loss, loss of faith in God and family estrangement.


5. How long did it take you to write it?

I wrote the book in six months but then spent one year revising and editing it.


6. What are some of the struggles you've had to overcome in your life that led you to write this memoir?

The struggles that I've overcome are the major themes listed in question #4. Those were all big, major events but I think the real struggle for so many years was to find, understand and like myself. I was insecure as a child, married young to an abusive partner and suffered terribly from low self esteem. As my self confidence increased and I learned how to set boundaries and take care of myself the struggles changed. In some ways they became easier. When I was younger I took everything personal - it was all my fault because I was a terrible person. Now that I'm older my perspective is totally different.

Tuesday, August 3rd was the official release date of Margaret's book. It is available from Amazon, major book stores, from her publisher or autographed copies directly from Margaret.


Attached is the link to Tate Publishing which will take you directly to Margaret's book.

This is a very exciting time in her life, which I can totally relate to!



A little more information about Margaret.  When she lived in this area she was a member of Saturday Writers, which is a marvelous writers' group, and not only because I'm also a member! Now that she lives in North Carolina, she has joined several groups:



Writers' Group of the Triad, Editorial Freelancers Assoc, NC Writers' Network, Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance and Story Circle Network.


Margaret states: "Being a new writer I'm eager to meet as many people in this field as I can and soak up some of their knowledge."

Below are numerous ways to contact Margaret.
Margaret Norton
Personal Life Coach, Writer, Speaker
314 956-2588
To schedule your FREE Consultation
call 314 956-2588 or email me at margaret@margaretnortonlifecoach.com.

http://www.margaretnortonlifecoach.com/

http://www.whentiesbreak.com/

http://www.twitter.com/margaretnorton

Follow me on Facebook, too!


** Okay, here's the part about the "give-away".  Everyone who leaves a comment or question for Margaret, will be placed in a random drawing to receive a PDF file of this book! I started reading it right after I downloaded it, and I can assure you it is a great read! I couldn't wait to read more of it. I've also been told that PDF files of books can be read in some e-readers such as Kindles. Who knew?? Not me!

** Let's do the time for comments and/or questions from Thursday, August 12th at 12:01 am, CDT, until Saturday, August 14th at 12:01 am, CDT.  I'll do the random drawing and announce the winner sometime during the day on Saturday.

I'm very excited for Margaret and I've never even met her! Margo Dill asked if I would like to do a blog interview for her and I agreed. I'm so glad I did, because just from e-mailing back and forth with Margaret (after we got the e-mail goblins to go away!) we've learned that we have quite a bit in common!

Don't be shy! Please leave some comments and/or questions for Margaret!

"Life gives us many chances to start over again, like a cat with nine lives." -- Margaret Norton

* Remembering My Dad on His Birthday *

Today, August 11th, was my dad's birthday. He was born in 1924 and if the math portion of my brain is working at all this morning, that means he would've been 86 years old, but he died on November 30, 2002.

Those of you who've read my blog for awhile, know that my dad left us when I was a young girl. I have many memories, both happy and sad, but I won't go into any of the sad ones today.

This is how I remember my dad in the early 1960's.

I want to highlight his intelligence: His years as a student at Parks College in Cahokia, Illinois, and his years of teaching there, immediately following his graduation. He taught kinetics, which I had never heard of until last year when my husband, Ron and I attended Homecoming at SLU. Parks College has always been part of SLU- St. Louis University, but was in a separate location across the Mississippi River in Illinois, until 1997.  

(photo I took of a wall of memories in the Timeline Exhibit)

(This probably isn't "kinetics", but most math problems look the same to me: a foreign language!)

Parks Air College, as it was known in the beginning, has a wonderful, rich history of aviation.

I'm pretty sure it is still the place to attend for aeronautical studies....in the entire world.

This is my favorite photo from our visit last September. There are several walls covered with former and current professors' and other employees' pictures. I provided this one to be placed on the wall. (That's me, crouched down and pointing at it. I was thrilled to see my dad included among so many. This photo was placed in two separate areas and I was so glad neither was too high for me to see!)

Today, Parks College is known as: Parks College of Engineering, Aviation & Technology. It has such a rich and interesting history. Besides the fact that my dad, James G. Lewellen, attended and taught there, the very famous Gene Kranz of Apollo 13 fame, also went to Parks around the same time as dad.

I took this photo of a huge poster of Gene Kranz.

Ed Harris played Mr. Kranz in the movie, Apollo 13.

Happy Birthday, Dad. Although we spent many years apart, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't be the person I have become. I wouldn't be a writer. I wouldn't be me.  

"In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them." -- Johann von Neumann

I just totally threw my back out. I accidentally deleted my previous post. I'm going back to bed.......

♪ Those Lazy,Hazy,Crazy Days of Summer & Wind Chimes ♪

** Thanks to the comment left by Sioux, I changed my previous music for this particular post, to one that makes much more sense! Wind Chimes! Hope you enjoy! **

I don't know if I've ever written anything on my blog about my love of wind chimes.........

But, ever since I was a little girl, I've been mesmerized by them. I especially love to listen to these shell-like ones. They are delicate and have a soothing, summery kind of sound. As you can see in these photos, I have two sets hanging on a floor lamp. The lamp occupies a corner of my upstairs office, which gets really hot in the summer, so a couple of years ago, my husband put in a window air conditioner for me. The lamp stands near the window and when the a/c is on, the air blows toward the chimes ever so gently, and they make just the slightest of tinkling sounds. I find it so soothing. It takes me back to other times in my life and brings me great joy. Isn't it wonderful when something so simple can be so life effecting?

 

 

Can you see the shells swaying in this photo?

Can you hear them, as well?!

"Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy." - Richard Halloway