Sixty-Two Years Ago Today

This remains my favorite picture from our wedding day because it represents so much. 

·     The vows before God.

·     The blessings for our future.

·     Our mutual commitment to the unknown.

Nothing changed with our promises while much was changing in our lives.

·     Children

·     Grandchildren

·     Great-Grandchildren

·     Careers

·     Moves 

·     Celebrations

·     Travel

·     Challenges

As we have attempted to follow God’s guidance during these many years, we always found Him to be faithful. Did we make mistakes? Of course. But nothing that was done can be changed. Not words. Not decisions. Not actions. So my reference point is always the place where I turn to the Lord and seek His mercy. This may be why I like John Henry Jowett’s take on, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, …  .” in Psalm 23. He wrote: “I have turned my face toward the Lord. My yesterdays pursue. God’s grace comes between me and my yesterdays.”

Lately, we have come to accept the realities of our years as we develop one-on-one relationships with things that scan, gram, ultra, and image. We now . . .

. . . travel less.

. . . ache more.

. . . climb ladders less.

. . . slow down more.

. . . value things less.

. . . think about end of life issues more. 

. . . go out less.

. . . cherish special times together more and love deeper, knowing that each passing day serves to bring closure to our time together on this earth.

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Happy Anniversary, Elvin. You deserve a medal for patience and long-suffering.

Now That I Write

My high school experiences included friends, fun, and learning. In all honesty, I experienced mostly fun and friends. I knew the purpose of friends and fun, but I sometimes questioned the same with regard to things that required study time, such as Algebra, World History, and Nineteenth Century Literature.

Possibly the time I spent doodling on my notebook during classes accounts for why I missed important information that could have lead to me being a more informed individual. I thought I was saving my sanity.

Although I loved to read, “studying” literature was not the same and I thought Edgar Allan Poe’s writings were dark and chilling. I did not consider his works to be great reading during the daytime and they were downright frightening when tackled as late night homework.

My take on learning about nineteenth century authors could have been summarized with one question: Do I care about dead authors? I’m sure my lack of interest screamed to my teachers that I was not a serious student. However, I did learn enough to earn grades that did not produce frowns from my parents (and for many years I could quote a large chunk of “The Raven”).

Now that I write, I’m much more interested in the lives of those dead writers and what made them tick. What I have come to realize is that possibly all writings somewhat reflect the lives of authors, as Poe’s dark writings reflected the darkness in his life.

While I’ve had people ask me if my novel is about my life (perish the thought) it’s worrisome to think that maybe someone out there is analyzing my story and assigning me a classification from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Yikes!

Novel: Child of Desire

Clipart from Acertijos y mas cosas

Advice

Never continue to read a book that contains grammar and spelling errors, excessive repetitions, or unrealistic dialog. There are hundreds of thousands of books from which to choose. Don’t “settle” for irritating reads.

Clipart from Santa Clara Library

Link: Child of Desire