Dec 20, 2011
The other day I was driving on Main Street when I came upon a slow moving car, following a slow bulldozer trying to make its way in traffic. The three of us, and others, stopped in line for a red light.
That’s when I saw it.
The license plate.
The vanity plate.
It wasn’t anything special. And it took me a moment to figure it out.
And then I realized. I’ve seen that plate before. On a different vehicle. Years ago.
And then I realized…
It must be driven by one of them. A member of that family; his family.
That license plate is a vanity plate belonging to the family of a former boyfriend.
And I’m driving right behind them.
Oh, joy.
It’s been about 15 years since I broke up with him and his family. And every now and then I see him about town. And every time, I get a little snobby. A little proud. A little taller. A little How Do You Like Me Now? attitude.
I know I shouldn’t. I know it’s vain. But let’s be real. If he was a keeper, I would have kept him. Right?
There’s a reason (or two… or ten) why that relationship ended, and I don’t for a moment miss it. I love the person I’ve become since then. But every now and then, I’m reminded that even I am capable of making really stupid choices.
The point is, to pick up and move on. And I’ve done that. Every now and then it’s okay to look back and see how far I’ve come, how I’ve changed, how I’ve grown.
But every now and then, I guess I get a little arrogant. I don’t mean to. But every now and then, I take a little pride that on those few-and-far-between days that he spies me out and about, I still look better than I did. I still stand up for myself, and am nobody’s doormat.
Most of all, the dreams we had 15 years ago… well, mine are coming true. And since he’s still in this general area, I know for a fact his are not.
The light turned green. And in that split-second writer’s inspiration that I get, I thought it was very apropo as I accelerated and drove around the slow moving, road-blocking tractor and car making their turn down another road.
Did they recognize me? I have no idea. I’m not one to keep looking in the rear-view mirror. I just prayed as I passed and happily thought There but for the Grace of God go I.
Dec 19, 2011
I’ve been hunkering down under this laptop for what seems like an endless amount of days, but I am nearly done with the final draft of my cookbook.
That, along with the impending Christmas celebration events and tasks, I have nothing to write tonight except soon it will all be over.
Not the whole writing, just this week. I’m thrilled with everything that’s on my plate; but I can’t devote any energy tonight to an in-depth blog post.
So. You get this instead: my thanks for your tolerance, and the promise that my cookbook will soon be available for purchase.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 18, 2011
Every now and then, I wonder if my goals and dreams are reachable. Am I really doing what I’m supposed to be doing, or am I wasting my time? If I’m supposed to be a writer, why aren’t I published yet? Can I report back to my family, friends, and readers that I’m really doing everything I can to reach these goals, or am I just sitting around waiting for that Golden Ticket to fall in my lap?
Am I just fooling myself?
I think not!
Because every time I think of throwing in the towel, two things happen: First, I start singing that song from Annie: “It’s a Hard-Knock Life”. The one with the lyrics about what a sad little life those orphan girls live. And second, I remember.
I remember why I love writing.
It’s because I love reading.
And I remember that my favorite authors weren’t always authors. They all started somehow, sometime. And they never gave up.
They inspire me:
L. Frank Baum was married with two children when his newspaper business folded. In 1898, at the age of 42, he had received many rejection letters and decided the only way to get published was to do it himself. He self-published his book, By The Candelabra’s Glare”, which finally garnered him the attention he needed. Two years later, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published, leading the way for 15 sequels.
Laura Ingalls Wilder devoted her life to her husband, children, and their farm. It was her daughter Rose’s encouragement that led her to write Little House in the Big Woods, the first in the “Little House” series of books for children. She was 65 when it was published in 1932.
Louisa May Alcott fashioned her Little Women stories after her childhood and sisters. She fancied herself to be Jo March, the unsettled tomboy writer of the four. Struck by poverty, Louisa determined to help her family by any means, and took such jobs as seamstress, governess, and teacher. However, she never let go of her dream of writing and at the age of 22, her first book was published. At age 36, Little Women brought her her most famous success.
Stephen J. Cannell overcame dyslexia to produce and write many popular television shows from the early 1970s through the 1990s. He sold his production company and began his second career: a novelist. His Shane Scully series is a popular cop-drama-in-print; the final novel having been published December 6, 2011, just over one year after his death.
Charles Dickens was born into an impoverished family. His father often lived beyond his means and when Charles was young, his father was arrested into Debtor’s Prison. His mother and siblings soon followed. Charles was a young teen when he was forced to quit school in order to work over ten hours each day to help his family. These experiences flowed out of him in his creative works, most notably, A Christmas Carol.
Lucy Maud Montgomery’s mother died when she was just 21 months old. Out of grief, her father handed custody over to Lucy’s maternal grandparents who raised her in an overly strict, lonely manner. When she was sixteen, Lucy spent a year with her father and his new wife, but came back to her beloved Cavendish. Lucy credited her lonely childhood as starting her creative mind, as that’s when created several imaginary friends and began to write. A poem was locally published when she was just 16, but her real success came at age 34 when her first novel was printed: Anne of Green Gables was the fairy-tale telling of a mixture of Lucy’s childhood and the life she had wished for. Ten more novels recounting life on Prince Edward Island followed.
J. M. Barrie’s family dissuaded his writing tendencies, instead encouraging him to go into Ministry. He bargained with his parents and they agreed that he could attend college to study literature. He was first published with minor works in 1888. It wasn’t until 1904, when Barrie was 44 years old, that Peter Pan entered the world. Shortly before his death, Barrie gave all Peter Pan rights to the Great Ormond Street Hospital; which to this day, continues to benefit from Barrie’s talents.
These stories and more inspire me. They inspire me to write my stories. They inspire me to keep at it, no matter what. Because some day, I’ll be on a list like this.
Whatever it is you’re born to do, don’t give up. Learn from others who have forged the way for you. Let their lights lead you. And blaze your own trail for those who follow.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…” [Colossians 3:23a].
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 17, 2011
Saint Nicholas is real.
Yes, he is.
YES. He IS!
At least, he was. About 17 centuries ago. Dude, the legend is old. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Some elements have been altered from time to time and culture to culture; bringing us to what we now know as the Big Jolly Man in the Red Suit who comes around December 25th each year.
That’s Saint Nicholas! Well, sort of…
Saint Nicholas was born in Asia Minor, in what is now the area of Turkey. He became a Greek Bishop and was very well liked. His parents were Christian, and he adopted their beliefs and lifestyle at a very young age. Unfortunately, his parents died in an epidemic and young Nicholas was sent to live with his uncle, also Nicholas, who was at that time the Bishop of Patara. The elder Nicholas educated the younger in reading and the Church.
Saint Nicholas’ generosity is told and retold in stories that have him giving money to a poor man so his three daughters could each have a dowry and therefore be able to marry instead of supporting themselves through prostitution. One recounting portrays Nicholas secretly tossing bags of coins down the chimney at night, where one inadvertently caught in one of the stockings the girls had hung to dry. This is the origin of today’s Christmas stocking.
Other stories retell the great miracles of Saint Nicholas: how he resurrected three young boys after their murder; and how he convinced a ship’s crew to donate part of their wheat load to the impoverished city but after, when the wheat still on ship was weighed as payment to the Emporer, they had not lost any.
The celebration of Saint Nicholas’ Feast Day is celebrated by Christians on various days throughout the world. Some choose Christmas Day (December 25). Others prefer the Orthodox celebration of January 6. Still other countries have a three-day celebration in mid-May.
The transformation of Saint Nicholas into our modern day Santa Claus took several centuries; and even now it is easy to distinguish the two personalities.
There are many, many wonderful stories of the origins of Saint Nicholas; too many to repeat.
Whoever drops down your chimney this year, I wish you a very Merry Christmas.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 16, 2011
Here’s some fun and interesting facts about Christmas and decking the halls:
It is believed that Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in one month.
Reindeer didn’t accompany a chubby Santa Claus until 1809, when introduced by Washington Irving.
In the Middle Ages, some people would light a huge candle on Christmas Eve. If the candle burned out before the end of Christmas Day, it superstitiously foretold of bad luck for the coming year.
According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” as sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time: over 50 million copies worldwide.
“The Homecoming: A Christmas Special” was written for television by Earl Hamner, Jr. It was based on his novel Spencer’s Mountain, a fictionalized account of his childhood. It became the pilot for the long-running show, “The Waltons”.
There are approximately 60 calories in a standard candy cane.
It is believed that Romans invented the Fruitcake in the 1400s as a way of preserving dried fruits and nuts so they wouldn’t spoil.
In 1510, the first written record of a decorated Christmas Tree came from Riga, Latvia. The tree was decorated with artificial roses.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade started in 1924 and is considered by many to be the official kick-off to the Holiday Season.
The idea of Santa Claus is based on the real Saint Nicholas, born in Fourth Century Asia Minor. Since then, his legend has remained as a kind, gentle-hearted gift giver who joyously put others’ needs before his own.
Some elements of the Christmas celebration actually began as pagan rituals; those in December celebrated “Light and Life”. The Early Church chose December 25th to celebrate in order to incorporate some of those elements in celebrating The Light and Life of Jesus Christ.
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet debuted December 18, 1892 in St. Petersburg.
The three most popular Christmas gifts are clothes (especially socks and underwear), jewelry and money/gift cards.
The three most-watched Christmas movies are “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), “White Christmas” (1954) and “A Christmas Story” (1983).
Christmas is the second-most celebrated holiday in the world.
The first is New Year’s.
