Tag Archives: choices
Recently, I had the pleasure to being interviewed by teenagers who dream of writing. They asked insightful questions and a couple that “dug” into challenging experiences of my youth. During the interview, one student asked me how I “overcame” my obstacles and how I helped my children overcome theirs. This, of course, inspired my response . . . These wise words are from the quote by Dr. Charles Swindoll. It was on my refrigerator for as long as I can…..
I had the honor and privilege of being the guest author in Ali Faustino ‘s eighth grade English class at The Brawley School in Mooresville, North Carolina. Although I have done many television and radio interviews during my literary journey, this was my first zoom interview with teenagers. I was wonderfully surprised by their insightful questions. Not only did they inquire about how to write in general and how to tackle the arduous task of writing a novel, they also…..
I watched Gone with the Wind today — AGAIN! I realize many people — especially the younger generation — like to “blow off” these “old” classics because there isn’t any computer generated action with a lot of instant gratification woven through it. Instead, these movies rely on the script, the cinematography, the story, the music and — of course — the acting. Unfortunately, this particular movie is one of many that has been a target of “Cancel Culture” because it…..
Several times in the last couple of weeks, people have asked me to repeat my philosophy on this subject . . . here it is in a nutshell. During the years when I was teaching, the parents of my toddlers often asked for parenting advice. Many of them were first time parents who were struggling with their child; however, some of the parents had several children and were confused because each child reacted differently. My first response is always —…..
Memorial Day Weekend As we enjoy this three day weekend with family and friends, let us not forget why Americans have a day off to relax and enjoy. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day celebrating the lives of more than 620,000 soldiers who died during the Civil War (April 12, 1861 to May 13, 1865) Although the South was well known for “decorating” the graves of their soldiers during the Civil War,…..
Have you ever had one of those days when you truly wish you could start over? Perhaps it was a volatile interaction with a co-worker . . . or a misunderstanding with a friend . . . or a nasty argument with your spouse . . . or a screaming match with your child . . . or a horrible traffic jam that put you in an irate mood; consequently, you took your anger out on a stranger . ……
Have you seen the recently released movie POMS starring Diane Keaton? First, I must admit . . . I would never have picked this movie on my own. Movie tickets are expensive; I normally do not pick a comedy that is just as good on my television set as it is in the theater. However, my girlfriends chose to see this movie and invited me to join them. As a result, I elected to go more to spend time with…..
When I thought about the topic of my first blog post of 2019, I initially had a totally different subject to address. However, this morning as I sipped on my second cup of coffee and flipped through an old family album, I discovered a Dear Abby entry from The Washington Post. I am not sure of the exact date; however, because of its placement in the album, I believe it was in the summer months of 1991. At the time…..
“Take care of your memories for you cannot relive them.” Bob Dylan I took this picture several years ago when I visited Elon’s majestic campus for Homecoming. It inspired so many personal college memories; in addition, it also was a reflection of my imagination too! For those of you who have already read Cobwebs of Time, you know the importance of Elon’s campus and particularly the beautiful lake next to Harper Center (in the 1970s) This was the setting for…..
Do you enjoy bookstores? Ironically, in 1931 – during the year the characters in Reflection of Memories were born – only 4,000 stores in America sold books – most of those were gift shops or specialty stores that sold only a few of the best known novels. In fact, brick-and-mortar bookstores at that time numbered less than 500 – the majority of them were in major cities, not small towns. During the mid-to-late 1900s – as our nation became increasingly…..