Tag Archives: determination

Life – Just stay on

Posted on by
Reply

Life is a carousel, don’t you think? We go round and round, a circle of life,  trying to catch the best parts.

Sometimes, the ride is slow, like one at a kiddie park. Or maybe the ride never starts. Perhaps something is broken, the belt ceases to move, and you are left without your luggage. (That’s a good thing. Get rid of the baggage!)

Other times, we are on a grand adventure of beauty and magic. I say, if we must go round and round in life, let’s ride on this one.

But whatever we do, let’s not choose the stationary seat. It might seem pretty but it also means we’re playing it safe.

Instead, choose one that moves you up and down, makes you giddy from the inside out, and leaves you smiling.

 

Dollywood-Carousel-Sevierville4.jpg

Unknown-5

 

 

Love in the Dustbowl

Posted on by
2

Lyrics from one of my favorite songs.

Baby I know that we’ve got trouble in the fields
When the bankers swarm like locust out there turning away our yield
The trains roll by our silos, silver in the rain
They leave our pockets full of nothing
But our dreams and the golden grain
Have you seen the folks in line downtown at the station
They’re all buying their ticket out and talking the great depression
Our parents had their hard times fifty years ago
When they stood out in these empty fields in dust as deep as snow

[Chorus:]
And all this trouble in our fields
If this rain can fall, these wounds can heal
They’ll never take our native soil
But if we sell that new John Deere
And then we’ll work these crops with sweat and tears
You’ll be the mule I’ll be the plow
Come harvest time we’ll work it out
There’s still a lot of love, here in these troubled fields

There’s a book up on the shelf about the dust bowl days
And there’s a little bit of you and a little bit of me
In the photos on every page
Now our children live in the city and they rest upon our shoulders
They never want the rain to fall or the weather to get colder
[Chorus]

You’ll be the mule I’ll be the plow
Come harvest time we’ll work it out
There’s still a lot of love, here in these troubled fields

 

From Nanci Griffith’s CD: Dustbowl Symphony

       Nanci Griffith – Trouble In The Fields     

A not-so-traditional woman

Posted on by
2

“It is always painful to set one’s self against tradition, especially against the conventions & prejudices that hedge about womanhood.”

— Helen Keller, Rebel Lives: Helen Keller

What courage and determination it must have taken this woman to realize her potential! We are all better because of her.

Traditional– daily prompt

Redefining Disease

Posted on by
2

This man, Chris Hageseth, my writing and editing buddy, has Parkinson’s Disease. Instead of giving in to it, he redefines it. Chris is “The Director of the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group, a retired psychiatrist, author and an outspoken activist on sweating out Parkinson’s disease through exercise.”

Please read THIS outstanding article! Go Chris!! You are an inspiration!

screen-shot-2017-02-04-at-12-29-15-pm

 

Writers, DON’T GIVE UP!

Posted on by
11

After my first attempt at sending out my latest novel, the agent’s letter came back: Screen Shot 2017-01-13 at 2.13.52 PM.png

So, how many agents should I send my MS to? Am I  Capable of receiving more rejection letters?

Hell, yeah, I am.

Kathryn Stockett’s book, The Help, was rejected 60 times.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell was rejected 38 times before it was published.

Carrie by Stephen King was rejected 30 times before it was published.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle was rejected 26 times before it was published.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was rejected 12 times and J. K. Rowling was told “not to quit her day job.”

Lord of the Flies by William Golding was rejected 20 times before it was published.

Not giving up, nope, not giving up.

‘Cause I got High Hopes (excerpt)

Next time your found, with your chin on the ground
There a lot to be learned, so look around
Just what makes that little old ant
Think he’ll move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, can’t
Move a rubber tree plant
But he’s got high hopes, he’s got high hopes
He’s got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
So any time your gettin’ low
‘stead of lettin’ go
Just remember that ant
Oops there goes another rubber tree plant

-music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn.

 

 

 

 

Loving Ted, here and now, up and down, two and fro, so there you go!

Posted on by
Reply

A little inspiration that a friend gifted me:

img_0339

 

Although, part of me has “outgrown” his books, as a retired Early Childhood Specialist, I will always love his dedication to children. AND,  I am a _UGE fan of his art!

Unknown-5.jpeg

“Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents. In the process, he helped kids learn to read.” Read more

 

 

 

Meeting Dixie Dupree!

Posted on by
2

I rarely write a review on Amazon, but after reading The Education of Dixie Dupree by Donna Everhart, I had to. Here it is:

51ep1ndvxel

Readers will learn from Dixie Dupree’s education!

Like every great book, the first chapter of The Education of Dixie Dupree grabs the reader by the collar and makes us yearn to know more. Loved this book!

The author, Donna Everhart, blew so much life and guts into her eleven-year-old protagonist that Dixie Dupree leaped off the page and into my heart from the very beginning. I identified with this young girl’s sassiness and grit, wagged my finger at her mischievous tongue, and, later, screamed at her to speak up and let the words flow.

Set in a small town in Alabama in the late 1960’s, the story revolves around Dixie and her relationship with her mother, father, brother and uncle. Written in first person point-of-view, Dixie shows us the good in her life, and how to survive when it’s anything but.

Some readers may find parts of Dixie’s suffering too troublesome to read. But her suffering is also part of our education. What reader can’t identify with the emotions of guilt, anger, and sadness that may lead to (hopefully temporarily) damaging our being?

But these emotions do not depict the whole story. The Education of Dixie Dupree is also about determination, insightfulness, warm hugs, resolution, and wholeness.

Dixie Dupree deserves a degree for her education—and her creator, Donna Everhart, deserves to be wearing a cap and gown and handed a framed diploma for writing this outstanding novel.