Blogging, Grief, parenthood, parenting, Photography, Photos, Writing

Ain’t No One’s Humpty Dumpty

If you read a children's nursery rhyme, something dark crawls beneath its surface. Take Humpty Dumpty for example. He "sat on a wall." Okay, it seems simple."Humpty Dumpty had a great fall."Okay, he fell. So did Jack and Jill. "All the King's horsemen and the King's men couldn't put Humpty together again."It seems simple, right?There was nothing anyone could… Continue reading Ain’t No One’s Humpty Dumpty

Family, Life, Loss, parenthood, Photography, Photos, Writing

The Middle School Season

Corrie on the night of my school's eighth grade dance this past winter. Some seasons we long to keep going. It is like that swim you want to take in September before the climate changes.  Some seasons we want to end quickly. For five years and five months, I faced some serious tests from graduating… Continue reading The Middle School Season

Family, Loss, parenthood, parenting, Photography, Photos, Writing

Letting Go and not in the Elsa Way

The hardest part of parenthood is letting go. I am learning to let go in more ways than one. I'm not Elsa at the top of the mountain singing the joy of newfound freedom, "Let it go." As a child, I dreamed, however naively, I'd find this great love story and have my own children.… Continue reading Letting Go and not in the Elsa Way

Art, Cook, Cooking, Family, Life, parenthood, parenting, Photography, Photos

You Will Have to Make Omelets Again

Corrie had a way of bringing out the artist in me. She had a way of opening me up when I had closed myself away from so many due to trust issues I’d developed through the years. In fact, if people wanted to see my real personality, I encouraged them to come to my classroom.… Continue reading You Will Have to Make Omelets Again

Death, Family, Grief, Life, Loss, parenthood, parenting, Photography, Photos

Mommy, I Need to Water the Flowers

The work ahead of my family seems heavier than a load anyone wants to lift.It's a load my students this year would say, "This is too much work." It's the type of work previous students would say, "You doin' too much." Sometimes I think my past traumatic experiences are taken lightly. But, those ordeals made it… Continue reading Mommy, I Need to Water the Flowers

Advocacy, autism, Blogging, Family, Life, Photos, Writing

Expand Your Writing Platform

I was never comfortable saying, "Hey, check out this latest collection my work was published in." Especially to my family. I'm of the opinion any writing I did would not impress the whole of my family or even friends from the past. Like many people, I compartmentalize aspects of my life. Career, raising children, daily… Continue reading Expand Your Writing Platform

Art, Education, Life, Photos, Poetry, Writing

Writing about Goodbye

Poetry contains photographs. Old school poetry didn’t interest me much, but when introduced to early twentieth century poets, my world changed. Poems didn’t have to rhyme. Lines could break. You could paint with words or create pictures through the placement of words. In my last blog, I wrote about how we, as writers and teachers,… Continue reading Writing about Goodbye

Life, memoir, Photos, Writing

Writing Memoir Snap Shots

A photo I took in a town forty-five minutes from where I live.  Writing a memoir is like taking a good photo. What is the best angle? What snapshot do you want to show? As I taught my students three years ago, a memoir is not like an autobiography. I could not write every detail… Continue reading Writing Memoir Snap Shots

Blogging, Family, Life, Photos, Writing

Pardon the Interruption

I went missing last week. On my new blog Meals on Three Burners and A Word or More, there were no posts. That happens some Sundays. Sometimes I do not make the deadline I set for myself. It happens. The deadline is for stories, a book and poetry collection. Standards are high. I completed several rounds of editing… Continue reading Pardon the Interruption

Art, Books, movies, Photography, Photos, Writing

Take on the Worlds: Dreamscape

You never went before. Or, maybe you did. Somewhere between the worlds of memories, dreams and what writers understand of reality is your story’s landscapes. You may write Sci-fi, paranormal or realistic fiction, but no tale begins without the sense of place.  An important topic in writing is: Do you know the world where your… Continue reading Take on the Worlds: Dreamscape