Writing post How much is enough?

Today when I was sitting at my kitchen table writing out my bills a question came to me...How much money is enough? Is it enough when you can pay all your bills? Or is it enough when there is some left over for fun but non-essentials? Is it enough when you have a small savings account with the recommended 3-6 months emergency fund?

I have been very fortunate in my life to have a loving family and wonderful friends...but it seems as though there has never been a lot of extra money. Sometimes when I think about not quite enough money I realize I have always had a roof over my head and food and clothing, and to ask for more than that while looking into the eyes of the Haitian children seems to be a rather greedy desire. I am a woman with everything I need, despite the lack of extra money. So many children and adults in Haiti (and elsewhere) are suffering because of a lack of food or even clean water. It makes me want to change what I think about how much is enough. I may not be able to afford a vacation, but that seems far less important as I watch the disaster unfold and the lives that hang in the balance in Haiti. Enough money is just that...enough.

The sun is shining today. Even though we had more snow flurries last night it feels warmer with the sun shining.

New post for today: As I start removing all the decorations from the holidays I feel torn about putting everything away. The lights will be gone from the tree and all the ornaments that have special meaning to me will be boxed up and put away until next year. It saddens me a little that the season is over. It seems as though it should last longer.

While I am putting away the ornaments and wrapping them in tissue paper I will remember the people who have given them to me...the child I took care of when I worked as a nurse that made me a polka-dotted snow man so I would always remember her...the shiny gold engraved ornaments given to me by my little sister the year before my husband and I were married. Those were the only ornaments on our first Christmas tree. This year a sweet young woman gave me a new ornament that she said reminded her of me...it is a beautiful dove with an olive branch. Each year as I add that to my tree I will remember Janet and her lovely gift. All the ornaments mark the years and the memories of times past. Do you have a favorite ornament? A special tradition with ornaments? Write about it and we will see what comes to our minds when we write.

Well...I am back to try this blogging thing again. After 3 computers quit working during the time I was recovering from my car accident I bought my very own computer as a Christmas present to myself. So I'm rededicating my efforts to writing nearly every day. This is for me as much as it is for anyone who is interested in following this blog. I know I have at least one faithful follower in my friend "Ignite to Write" blogger Jan Mader.

My post for today.....It is a snow day! No school! I am snuggled in here in my kitchen watching all the snow as it continues to pile up outside. I am looking out as the lovely flakes cover every inch of the branches on the pine...my summer garden is buried deep in slumber under the white blanket. Snow blankets everything around me in its white cover...It is virginal and pure just like a beautiful bride dressed in white. As the flowers rest under cover I imagine they are hibernating and awaiting the first signs of spring with the sunshine and warmth of longer days. I am waiting too.

Fall introspection.

My connection to all of you is inspiring my continued writing, even though I still have to hop into my office. While I can't do it daily, until the cable for my internet connection is installed later this week I will continue to write as often as I can.

This is the new writing exercise: It is a story starter. The days are growing shorter and the hues of red and gold are appearing in the trees. The fields are yellowing in the distance. Fall is a time for the slow down of nature. For me, fall is.......

I will write first, and I hope all of you will follow.

The days are growing shorter and the hues of red and gold are appearing in the trees. The fields are yellowing in the distance. Fall is a time for the slow down of nature. For me, fall is like another beginning. When the sun shines and the colors are aglow it makes me feel as though I am beginning a new phase. I buy new notebooks and begin to fill them with stories and words...ideas for articles and things that I want to know more about. While nature is slowing down, my introspection increases. I make time to do these things because of the shortness of days. In the summer I am continuously drawn to the outdoors and I will spend all day in the sunshine and stay out in the evening shadows. The cooler temperatures remind me that it is time to sit back and enjoy the pleasures of writing.

Thanks to all of you who visited in connection with Jan's blog....I am glad to begin to know all of you. Today I was feeling inspired when I was sitting in my kitchen with a cup of coffee and the cinnamon. It smelled like fall, and even though it is a gloomy warm day outside, it seemed toasty and warm inside. So the writing exercise today is....When I smell cinnamon baking it reminds me of____________.
When I smell cinnamon it reminds me of apple cider and fall apples. When I smell cinnamon baking it reminds me of home, and of my Mom who always prepares something special when I come home. I see her in her log cabin, inside the blue and white kitchen with her dog "Sweetie" laying at her feet. When the door opens and she hugs me the smell of cinnamon wafts through the house as I arrive. It is always a reminder of her love and feeling loved. I have been fortunate to have her here right now while I am healing and recovering...but today I am doing the baking!

Life Gets in the Way

I started this blog with the intent to write nearly every day. Then we moved to a new home where we worked for 2 months in the spring and early summer to create the "Country Haven" Farm with fruit trees and a perennial garden as well as a vegetable garden. First it was the work outdoors taking me away from my writing. Then my sister became ill and I spent many hours with her at her bedside until she was recovered. Next, just as I was about to start writing again, I was driving to the farmer's market near home when a car ran a stop sign and hit my car. It totaled my car, but more importantly, I ended up with a broken kneecap on the left side, a broken lower leg bone at the knee on the right, as well as a broken ankle on the right. I am at a 1 month point after the accident and in a wheelchair. I am looking at a recovery time of at least 2 more months plus 3 months of rehabilitation, at a minimum. It is difficult to get into my office like this, and so, once again, life has gotten in the way of my writing. Today I decided to begin again, despite the reasons for keeping me from my writing. I need to write, just like I need air and water. I am not whole unless I am free to express myself by reaching for pen and paper (or computer keyboard), and so I am committing myself again. I am following what my heart keeps telling me. So with the help of a loaned laptop computer and after I get the wireless router I need, I will be back to writing with plans to continue to interact with other writerswhile I am recovering. That includes the writing group that I facilitate at a local Barnes and Noble. So since life will always get in the way....I will work my way around the obstacles to do what is essential to my heart..

ideas from other writers

My good friend and fellow writer gave me an idea to write about today....Tell something about me in in 5 words. "I always believe in dreams." The dreams I have had for my life are not just dreams...they become real and tangible when I believe in them and work toward them. I wanted to be a writer...and after multiple searches I found the supportive environment I needed to give me the courage to try. So the dream became real for me, and even though I do not always faithfully submit my work I know the possibility of being published again still exists. It gives me the desire to write because I feel I still have a story to tell...something that is mine and that no one else can tell from the same perspective. My experience is uniquely my own...just like each writer has their own unique experience. It is like experiencing a piece of music...some hear the trumpets, some hear the drums, some hear the guitar. I hear the sounds of the music as a whole, the same way I see life...not as pieces of a whole, but as a whole with some exceptional pieces. These are the stories that haunt me and bless me with their need for telling.