-
Miracles Are All Around Us
Miracles are all around us if we just slow down enough to stop, look, and listen. Most of us are rushing so much we’re trapped in our own thoughts. We barely get out of our own way long enough to recognize something beautiful. To recognize a God-moment in our lives takes practice but once you begin recognizing all the little miracle moments, you realize that God is as close as your heart. This morning, my God breeze – a little whisper from God – came in the form of a bird. My husband and I live on a 17-acre farm. We love to observe the wildlife around us. I’ve noticed…
-
A Pilgrimage to Walton’s Mountain
For my 50th birthday this year, I made a list. It’s not a bucket list. It’s not a list of things I want. It’s a list of things to do, adventures to experience, and places to explore this year. It’s a list of short day trips to get me out of the house and exploring my environment. This month, our trip took us on a pilgrimage to Walton’s Mountain, otherwise known as Schuyler, Virginia. The Walton Museum is located in a repurposed school building off of Route 6 in Schuyler. The building itself is interesting; Earl Hamner, Jr., the author of the original Waltons stories, lived down the block just…
You May Also Like
Goodbye, Peter Tork
-
On a Quest for the Perfect Oatmeal Cookie
I am on a quest for the perfect oatmeal cookie. Or am I searching for something else?
You May Also Like
The Quest for the Perfect Oatmeal Cookie Continues
-
The Jewels in Our Midst: In Praise of Local Arts and Culture
I don’t know what impetus pushed me out the door last night. Boredom, the arch-enemy of creativity, crept into my work, and thus I found myself seeking any excuse to drive from my farm into town. I love my farm. I love the life that I live, the quiet, the solitude, the peace. But six days out of seven, it’s just my husband, my cats, and myself. Social media helps break the isolation, a little. However, all the funny memes, status updates, and pictures of friends cannot suffice forever. A good friend of mine, a professor back in New York and one of my mentors, accepted a position at a…
-
Pruning Away the Dead Wood
I stepped back, studying the lattice of branches arcing overhead. My husband stood across from me and a few feet away, studying the apple tree in our orchard. “Here?” I asked, using the long-handled pruners to tap on the offending branch. “That one,” he nodded. It took every bit of strength in my upper arms to close the pruners over the thick branch, squeezing until it finally fell, crashing, to the orchard ground. My trapezius muscles ached, a deep, satisfying pain that meant we had finished pruning eight apple trees in one afternoon. A good day’s work for late winter. We collected the branches, living and dead wood, that we…
-
Goodbye, Peter Tork
Today, the world learned of the passing of Peter Tork. The oldest member of the Monkees, Tork was the sad, puppy-dog-eyed member of the group clowning around in the background of many shots. He had sandy brown hair that seemed to fall over his eyes continually. I imagine teenage girls, sighing over the Monkees, wishing they could be the one to brush back that hair. I remarked to a friend, “It feels like a bit of my childhood just slipped away,” but that’s not entirely accurate. It feels more like it cleaved, the way rocks or glaciers do, a giant shelf sliced and sliding into the endless ocean of time.…
You May Also Like
A Pilgrimage to Walton’s Mountain
-
The Pain We Cause by Gossiping
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” It’s a commandment. Not a suggestion.
-
Living as Flesh and Blood in a Virtual World
We are living in an age when calumny is king. It is becoming difficult to live as a flesh and blood being in a virtual world.
-
It Was Mine Selected as Top Novella, Receives Great Reviews
My novella, It Was Mine, is receiving pure 5-star ratings on both Amazon and Goodreads – the top rating you can give a book. Shortly after Christmas, I found out that the blogger over at Franciscan Mom had awarded It Was Mine the title of “Best Novella” of 2018. I’m thrilled. It’s not a Pulitzer, but it’s something, and it gives me a great sense of satisfaction to know that my story touched at least one person so much that she wanted to share it as a book worthy of recommendation to others. If you haven’t purchased your copy of It Was Mine yet, it is available in paperback and…
-
Pictures from the Book Signing
My first book signing and reading event on October 28th was a success – thanks to YOU! A huge thank-you to all of the people who came to the event, and to those on social media who so generously shared the information with their friends and family about it. We had coverage in all the local newspapers, posters in the windows of the bookstore, and my very first book-on-the-shelf moment when I saw my books on a bookstore shelf and went, “Ah…yes…that’s it! Author!” Here, a few pictures from the day’s fun and festivities. I read a brief excerpt from the prologue to my new Majek Family Mystery, “The Red…
