“Why not now”? said my friend Sheryl Bullock who, approaching a 70th birthday, has written her first children’s book. “Why not take what we are learning and do something vibrant and exciting with it.” According to Bullock, The Journey of the Doll Cradle sprang from a 14-month experience as a foster grandmother, a time when […]
If you’re finding hope through my words, please know that I first found the same through the words of others. Which is why I’m asking your help to share hope with new readers. Here’s how: Write a review on Amazon. Rate my book and share a line or two about how it is helping you (believe […]
My brother Craig loved burned toast. At least, he told Mom he did. For the record, I didn’t believe him. I thought he was just currying favor with the chief cook and chauffeur. Well, it worked. He did seem Mom’s favorite. And she did burn a lot of toast. It’s easy to see why now, […]
I once received the best retirement gift ever. I’ll share it with you, but first this: With 10,000 Baby Boomers a day turning 65, a lot of people are buying retirement gifts. On Amazon the most searched phrase regarding retirement is “retirement gifts for women” (100,900 shoppers used the wording last month), followed closely by […]
Yes, you can write your way to a happy retirement. I know, not because I read it somewhere, but because I lived it. More correctly, I am living it. You see The Best Is Yet To Be began with journals or blogs, like this one. Those of you who have read my book know how […]
Instead of “easing into a ‘leisure only’ stage,” author Robin Ryan wants retirees to move to a “new fun job and leisure stage.” “Retirement,” she says, “is not an extended vacation.” You need to “retire to something.” I like that, especially the “fun job” part. And the best thing about Ryan’s book is she gives […]
So I’m doing my traditional New Year’s assessment—seeing what got done last year and thinking about what needs to happen in 2020—and I had a thought. Maybe the most important thing is not what I put on my “to do” list but what I leave off. Because, it’s obvious; I can’t get ALL these things […]
Had my first reading last week. It took place in a small room in a small bookstore with a small crowd (can you call 10 a crowd?). I loved it. I used to tell students that you never know what you have written until a reader tells you. So authors live for reviews and comments. […]
The moon over Santa Fe—I consider it a retirement perk. Not that I didn’t visit my favorite New Mexico city pre-retirement. I just didn’t go as often, didn’t go on weekdays when crowds were smaller, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t spend as much time noticing full moons rising above the plaza Christmas lights. Maybe […]
OK, so I’ve been neglecting this blog. Why? Well, would you believe writing teachers get writers’ block the same as our students do? Oh, I have excuses, but—truth be told—they’re the same “dog-ate-my-homework” variety I used to get in my classes. Truth is I haven’t come up with any cool ideas—so in lieu of a […]