Last night I spoke in front of an audience of 50+ people. Public speaking is not my bag. I prefer the least amount of attention rather than a situation where all eyes are on me. I’m a nervous public speaker, even when it’s a topic I know a lot about. There are always some awkward […]
Miscellaneous
Getting Back on the Write Road and a Tribute to Lonnie Hull Dupont
As I resettle in to life in to life in a log home in rural Florida, my creativity is encouraged by the slower pace of life and natural beauty of this area. Unpacking more boxes, I recently came upon a stash of books, mostly animal-rescue anthologies published by the Revell-Baker Group to which I’d contributed […]
Optimizing
I’m kind of the polar opposite to my departed spouse when it comes to health. Oh sure, I had some “party years” back when I was younger, but by the time I hit 30, I was pretty much over all of that. Looking back, I honestly think that was a healthy approach to do all […]
Balance
There are times when being someone who is very empathic is tough. Over the years, I’ve learned ways to kind of shield myself and my energy if need be, but when there is so much awful in the world happening at one time, it’s difficult. I felt this way during the start of the pandemic […]
Hiatus
I recently read a post on the Soaring Spirits International Facebook page which now serves as a writing prompt for me as it resonated with me at this stage of the grieving period. Even writing those two words “Grieving Period” is still difficult. That Post was about dealing with Face Book Memories which appear in […]
The Gift of Dog
When I first met my late husband, Rich, I understood that he was a true lover of dogs. And they loved him. He seemed to have a way with them; in command with a gentle touch. It surprised me then, that early on when I suggested that it would be nice for us to have […]
Let The Cabin Chronicles Begin!
As I write this, I’m pulling together the final details for my latest “project”. I know many of my friends and neighbors have learned of my new venture, but as I’ve been cautious to share before I’ve signed on the dotted line, I’ve been concentrating on navigating the challenges of acquiring real estate, this […]
Back-to-School Days
I watch the kids walk by while sipping my coffee on the front stoop. Today, there is a crispness to the morning air that stirs memories of the first days of a new school year. Even if you were not the most enthusiastic student, those first days of school invariably were the most exciting ones. […]
The Rerouting of Plans
With my dad’s passing in April and my mom’s return to life up north, my life has changed – with my return from Camp Widow San Diego just four weeks ago, there have been some interesting developments, and as promised I will share more when I’m able. Last week I received an interesting e-mail regarding […]
Getting Meta-physical
It’s been four weeks since I’ve returned from Camp Widow in San Diego, however, the experience of that conference still resonates and inspires. It was enlightening to cross paths with nearly 600 individuals who’ve lost their spouses, or significant others; I gained knowledge, insight and growth from presenting my Writing Work Shop which only accounted […]
“Winding” My Own Business
It is hard for me to grasp that next month marks one year that I’ve posted here at The Widow’s Voice. Each one of the “Blogging Seven” – one writer for each day of the week – offers a personal account that has evolved around the circumstances that brought them (okay us) to the […]
The “Write Tools” for Processing Grief
When I submitted my request to present at Camp Widow in Tampa and/or San Diego to Soaring Spirits International, I had a fairly good grasp of what I wanted to achieve with my presentation. When my proposal was accepted, however, I began to worry if what I had in mind would be beneficial to those […]