Embrace The Suck

"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe." Gail Devers I've been waiting for notification of the grrrand Grand Opening of Sally's Sweet Shoppe in Genessee Depot, WI. Alas it seems that Miss Sally Sunshine is so busy baking, that although she's been open for business since Labor Day, she has not been able to have an official opening. In the spirit of Halloween and enough sugar concoctions to make your head hurt I've decided to go ahead and steer you in the Sally's direction. I realize that most of my readers are nowhere near Wisconsin. But that doesn't mean you can't appreciate a good treat when you see it. And something tells me if you called and placed an order Sally would find a way some of her treats to you. A little background: I've been reading Sally's (aka Tracey) blog about tryi

"Angels may not come when you call them, but they'll always be there when you need them." Author Unknown It's hard to believe it's been a whole week since I've posted anything on this blog. I've tried. I've started a few posts and a couple of stories for my writing group, but I either lack the words or get interrupted before I'm finished with even a rough, rough draft. But today, I have to write something. to let my gratitude sit quietly inside my head for one more day would be like being given a piece of chocolate cake layered and frosted with fudge and not sharing even one bite. Today I was blessed by two angels. I didn't recognize them at first when they walked in the door. They had no wings, nor halos or gilded instruments. In fact they looked pretty much like CNA's from hospice. Dressed in bright colored scrubs each flashed a smile that made me feel better than I had in the last 24 hours. I explained the situation and the angels went

"In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference." Rachel Carson Last Friday, while I was toodling along the back roads of rural Florida, other bloggers around the world were taking part in BlogAction Day 2010: Water. My blog buddy Akasa Wolfsong told me about the event because anything to do with or that can bring attention to the plight of the world's water is her passion. I'd never heard of Blog Action Day. According to the website "this is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. The aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion around an important issue that impacts us all." I guess you could say that water is right up there at the top of the list. Even though I'm a week late I'd still like to add my tribute to water. I was born under the si

"Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways." Sarah Ban Breathnach Here ye! Here ye! This day shall officially go down in history as one of the best days of my life. So the next time I'm whining about something, or feeling depressed, unloved, unloveable, or thinking that life stinks, I hope someone will shut me up by saying a simple October 20, 2010. And the reason(s) this day is so wonderful is: 1. I finally - FINALLY - have my very own copy of Saying Goodbye in my hot little hands. I can hold it, see my name on the back cover, flip through the pages, find my story on pg. 143, and re-read it to make sure there is not a latent type-o lurking about. I can go to sleep tonight with the book under my pillow and dream of all the books I'll write in my future. I must say, I thought just knowing about it was cool, but seeing it for the first time is, mmmmm, pretty damn sweet! 2. My dad has been kind of clueless about the upcoming publ

"A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in." Robert Orben The thing about vacations is that they never seem to last long enough. And walking in the back door always feel like you never left. There is something comforting, yet a little disconcerting, in that. Sweetie and I only packed one suitcase but managed to somehow fill the whole back end of the car with stuff that we might or might not need on our short journey to the other side of the state. Well, it would have been short, but we missed a turn off which would have taken us due west. Instead we took a more zig-zaggy route. But since we had nothing but free time to be together and lots of highways to travel, we enjoyed the ride. I think there is a life metaphor in there somewhere, just not sure where! When you travel the back roads of Florida you see lots of scrub pines, signs that advertise the sale of cold beer and worms, rusted out tractors, mobile homes, saw shops, Bar-B-Que shacks (aka "Bubbaque

Sweetie and I are getting ready to go away for a couple of days. Zippidy Doo Da! Talk to you when I get back! Wishing for you time for rest, relaxation and a change of scenery, Merry ME

"Farewell. God knows when we will meet again." William Shakespeare I know all this talk about my story being published is going to get old real quick. So while I can still chalk my excitement up to newness and thrill of it all, I'd like to add something about goodbyes, that I read recently. My friend Dani suggested I read the book, The Four Things That Matter Most, by Ira Byock, MD. While the four things might be aimed at what to say when a person is dying, they are really statements that can make a difference in any relationship. Please forgive me. I forgive you. Thank you. I love you. Short and sweet, but depending on your relationship circumstances, not necessarily easy to say. I'm only half-way through the book, but I can already see the value of these statements. "The four things offer essential wisdom for completing a lifelong relationship before a final parting, " says Byock (page 6). "Thankfully, not all goodbyes are final - but goodbyes can

Woohoo! It's Launch Day!! Downer's Grove, IL. - Saying Goodbye, an anthology of true stories about saying goodbye to the people, places and things in our lives, will be released in book stores on October 11, 2010. The book features "Goodbye Upstairs" by ME of Jacksonville, FL. OMG! It's official! I'm a published author. Well, ME and 30 others from the U.S. Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. OMG! That's some kind of company I'm in. "Saying Goodbye is the first anthology in a new series from book publisher Dream of Things. 'The goal,' said publisher and series editor, Mike O'Mary, 'is to publish books that fill the gap between popular anthologies that are short and sweet, and the Best American Essays series which I love but which are much longer. Dream of Things anthologies will not be short and sweet, but short and deep." Saying Goodbye ($13.95) will be available in tr

"Juxtaposition" is a word I don't often use. Sometimes I even have trouble pronouncing it. However, it's a perfect choice for the stories of two women - girls really - I learned about this week. For starters, there was this picture that captured my heart on the internet news a few days ago. Ohio teen, Jackie Kasburg, of Chippewa High School, not only kicked three extra points in the school's homecoming football game, she also took home the title of homecoming queen. What you can't see in this pictures is that she is wearing pink cleats. Football pads, pink cleats, an arm full of roses and a diamond tiara. That has got to be what the founding members of the feminist movement had in mind. In my opinion, feminism is not just about bra burning, and breaking through glass ceilings. It is about being free to be comfortable enough in your own skin (male or female) to pursue your dreams in whatever venue they appear. I wish I'd had a picture of Ms Kasburg on my

"Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department." David Packard For more on marketing, please stay tuned. Merry ME

I heard some things at writing group this week that took a little wind out of my writing sails and spoke directly to one of my biggest questions. Our group facilitator, Carol O'Dell, said the Internet has opened up a new world to a whole host of would-be writers. Not only does a writer have to be extra good, the writing has to be clean and polished to even get noticed. Which, for me, is the same thing as saying, "Hey Merry Me, what makes you think you are any better than all those others? Why should someone publish your stories?" And once those questions start flowing, it's hard for me to stop them. What's new behavior for me is that in the face of all my doubt I've kept on writing. Dare I say believing? Published or not, it's the act of writing that brings me joy and clarity. That said, I'd be lying if I told you I don't have a secret desire to see my name in print. "Getting published," Carol said, "is like crack for writers."

Wednesday was my writing group day. This day always begins with an air of expectancy. There is much to enjoy - a few hours away from the house when I don't have to think of anything that has to do with caregiving, feminine energy and humor, the aroma of coffee and sweet breads at Panera's, loving and supportive feedback. Mix them all together and you have the makings of a good day. This week our group was a little smaller than usual. That's bound to happen because it's never easy to gather ten people together on a regular basis. It's a given that life will run interference - doctor's appointments, the flu, work, etc will get in the way of fun. Our group is mostly made up of women. To keep us honest a gifted writer who happens to be of the male persuasion is also a part of the group. Or was until his boss handed him a group of interns to train. Tim has many great stories to write. His memoir is sure to be a good read. I won't be surprised if there is a chapt

" I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge, myth is more motent than history, dreams are more powerful than facts, hope always triumphs over experience, laughter is the cure for grief and love is stronger than death. Robert Fulghum I get a weekly newsletter from motivational speaker and author Jon Gordon. He is all about how positive thinking can change your life. I've never participated in team sports, so I don't really know what locker room pep talks are all about. If I had to guess, though, I'd say Gordon's Monday missives are the stuff of what coaches say to get their teams pumped up and ready to win. Today's message is about how experience can sometimes be a curse. Sometimes being naive or inexperienced can give one the courage to jump in with both feet, when experience might say, "beware of the alligators". My dad has a habit of saying, "it's my habit." Both he and my mother lived their lives by a playbook made up of