What's the Point?

Burton and I do not fight much and I still remember one of the big ones. I had made the mistake of asking 'What's the point'? Burton was working two hours away and had been gone for a couple of weeks. He had the afternoon off and drove home to see me knowing he would only be able to stay for about an hour. Actually in recalling the fight it was about twenty minutes he would get to have at home. My reaction was not received well. His response was a powerful defense on the value of any time spent together and he did not take kindly to me not understanding that. The message has stuck and I woke up on this beautiful morning with those words echoing in my head. What's the point? I am tackling the task of planting a garden , dropping tiny seeds in the ground and hoping that despite all the things that can go wrong (chickens, crows, cows, frost, drought,insects, rabbits, weeds to mention a few) a plant will grow and be harvested. What's the point of so much we do?; of sweeping a floor when it will need to be done again tomorrow, of cooking when it gets eaten, of loving an old dog, of writing a book, of mowing a lawn, of doing laundry , of visiting a mother who can't talk to me,of bringing the girls home when they will leave again , of getting my hair cut , of believing what we do matters.Of course there is a point.Twenty minutes does matter. It all matters and is the gift we have been given, the time we are blessed with and the treasure we must not squander.

A Special Joy in June

I have had some wonderful school visits this year and I have written about each one. I try for a balance of writing activities and actual writing time. This year I prepared a package for almost every school in the Anglophone South district.After sending the fifty or so envelopes I'd hoped I hadn't bitten off more than I could chew. I find school visits very rewarding but extremely exhausting. I try not to do two back to back. Two a month is perfect. So as we come to the end of another school year I reflect on the visits that were and am perfectly happy with the ones that presented themselves. Some interest in May and June has been put over to the fall and I look forward to following up on them. I went to some repeat schools and some I had never been in before. It was a lovely mix. On Friday I had the pleasure of meeting with a Book and Movie book club at Harry Miller Middle School. It was wonderful. From the moment I walked in the door I felt the welcoming atmosphere. Bonnie Demmons , the principal went out of her way to make my visit special. She leads a great group of kids who love to read and we had a great time together. They chose books of mine to read over the summer and will decide in the fall which one would make the best movie. How fun is that! Chloe, Marin, Olivia , Kaley,Cait, Brooke, Sarah, Abby and Allie along with the librarian and the principal and I had a great time talking books, writing , reading and movies. We had a nice lunch together and I ended my school visit year on a wonderful note. Sorry Eli was sick and couldn't join us and I hope I didn't forget anyone. Have a great summer kids. Swim,travel, play, sleep, dream and read! I know I plan to.

Last Writing Day

I woke up early anticipating the day.I so well remember the thrill of the last day of school. June was always a frenzy of activity. Report cards to write. , school trips , events and special days, hot weather and kids excited for summer. By the time the last day came I was counting the minutes. Goodbyes, emotions , water gun fights, finally seeing the kids on the bus and watching the bus pull away were the countdown moments to summer. Relief followed as I packed up my classroom and put another year behind me. Now for the last nine years I have had the privilege of following a much different routine. The years have gone by just as quickly and the rewards though much different have been just as great. So today I woke excited to start my last day. I told Burton my boss expected me to be at work early and I may have to work late because today is my last writing day and I plan on hitting send on a manuscript I have worked faithfully to prepare. The small seed for this book was planted when my friend Kathy and I boarded a boat to take a Thousand Island cruise in 2011. I wrote the draft and have rewritten it several times. I will spend the day making sure it is ready to let go. Today there will be no closing ceremonies, no gifts,no hugs goodbye, no tears just the wonderful feeling of completion and the hope of having another first day of writing in August. I look forward to all the tasks and joys of summer.Seeds will be planted in the soil and I will watch them grow. I will watch my grandchildren blossom and thrive. I will swim and allow my lake to replenish and fill my soul. I walk away from my writing with a sigh of regret that another year has passed, with the deep feeling of gratitude that another book has been released and will find its place in reader's hearts and minds, and that I will be given another beautiful summer. So much to do to step into the next season but right now my boss is saying get to work . "Books don't write themselves you know."