So many wonderful quotations and poems about gratitude. This short passage from Melody Beattie is one of my favorites.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
I reread the blurb for the flash fiction writing contest several times. It was the perfect antidote for the lingering writers’ block that was preventing me from moving forward with the next book. The entry fee was a bargain—three flash fiction stories for only $15—and the $500 prize added to the contest’s appeal.
I resurrected two unpublished stories from my files. Only one problem—both were close to 1500 words and the rules for the contest specifically called for flash fiction of less than 500 words. While some writers may balk at the idea of trimming almost 1000 words from a short story, I welcomed the challenge of revamping both manuscripts. But before starting the whittling down process, I decided to research this style of fictional literature.
Continue reading on the Sisterhood of Suspense blog.
I had planned to read one chapter each evening but found I couldn’t put this book down. Instead, I stayed up two evenings in a row to finish reading this crash course in Soul advice and wisdom, written by a woman who has worn many hats: full-time mom of four, editor-in-chief, hedge fund manager, self-help author, and Chicken Soup for the Soul lady.
Amy Newmark has skillfully compiled lessons and heartwarming stories from over 20,000 books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
Glancing at the Table of Contents, I couldn’t help smiling at the intriguing and entertaining array of 26 chapter titles, among them “A Smile is a Boomerang,” “Life is a Happy Mess,” “My Mother is an Alien,” “Use the Guest Soap,” “A Life of Yes, Yes, Yes.” I could easily relate to Amy Newmark’s practical and doable advice.
My favorite snippets…
• Your smile will change the way people react to you.
• It’s hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head.
• If you regain only two percent of the minutes in your day by being mindful and not wasting them, you actually get back half an hour each day.
• A dream that is not interpreted is like a letter that is not read.
• Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.
• “Don’t take it personally” is the single best piece of advice I give other mothers as they navigate their children’s teen years.
• Worry is a misuse of imagination.
Simply Happy is an an excellent pick-me-upper that will inspire and motivate readers to improve the quality of their lives.
Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indigo
Received a lovely review of A Season for Killing Blondes from Estella Robinson at Love Romance Books.
Molte grazie!
Born this day in 1868, Mahatma Gandhi began a life that would change the history of India and the world. His non-violent activism and teachings continue to inspire us today.
I’m honoring his birthday by sharing 10 favorite quotes:
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
Be the change that you want to see in the world.
I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.
Without action, you aren’t going anywhere.
A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ uttered merely to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.
Nobody can hurt me without my permission.
In a gentle way, you can shake the world.
Hero or dissident. Whistleblower or evil hacker. Patriot or traitor. These are some of the labels tossed about whenever Edward Snowden’s name is mentioned. And the conversation rarely stops there: Snowden’s disclosures have fueled numerous debates over national security and information privacy.
Director Oliver Stone has taken Snowden’s side, but with a strong measure of restraint.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers an excellent performance as the bespectacled computer wizard who has a sincere desire to serve his country. Levitt skillfully captures Snowden’s low voice, gestures, and mannerisms, breathing life into the motivations behind the startling decision that transformed a former soldier into a wanted man. Extroverted and liberally minded Lindsay Mills (girlfriend) portrayed by Shailene Woodley provides the perfect foil to Snowden’s daily brooding and growing paranoia over government secrets at an NSA facility.
I wondered about Snowden’s parents and siblings. While there are brief references to government and military careers, the family of origin is not represented. Instead, two “father figures” emerge: Corbin O’Brian (Rhys Ifans) appears as Snowden’s boss and mentor, and Nicolas Cage portrays a renegade instructor.
This gripping docudrama contains real news footage and clips from President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and CNN.
Disturbing…thought-provoking…unsettling…The movie evoked many feelings, some not so comfortable, but I don’t regret seeing it. I needed to shake up my zebra thinking!
While it is easier to simply add water to a mix that promises and delivers extra-fluffy results, I prefer to make my pancakes from scratch. Here’s a family favorite recipe from my mother’s kitchen.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 egg
2 cups milk
3 tbsp white sugar
1½ cups sifted flour
3 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 tsp softened margarine
¼ tsp vanilla
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Preheat electric griddle.
3. Beat egg very well.
4. Add milk and sugar and continue beating.
5. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.
6. Combine both mixtures.
7. Stir in margarine and vanilla.
8. Pour pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Pools of batter should be 2 inches away from each other.
9. Cook until golden brown on each side.
10. Place finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven.
11. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Makes 12 pancakes
I’m thrilled to welcome author Lori Spangler. Today, Lori shares her amazing journey and her memoir, Miles of Memories.
Here’s Lori!
I did not grow up planning to be an author. I was in my 50’s when I decided to write a book. Throughout my life, I set goals, meet them, and then move on to the next. About 20 years ago when I finished graduate school, I was ready for another challenge and decided to visit all 50 states.
What a beautiful country we have, filled with talented, friendly people. I finished my 50th state, Hawaii, on my 53rd birthday. A few weeks later my friend Shelley and I were out to lunch and she said, “Now you are going to write a book.” She said it as a statement, not a question. So I set another goal.
Off and on over 5 years I worked on my book and remembered my travels. It would have been much easier if I had kept a journal but thanks to a good memory, souvenirs and travel brochures I had kept, I was able to write about my experiences. There were a lot of decisions. Should my book be organized alphabetically by state? Or in the order I traveled them? Did I need to include maps? How do I include my humor?
As most writers know, the writing process is not always an easy road. I had my ups and downs. During my writing process, Shelley sent me the postcard I had sent her when I was in Hawaii. It provided motivation for me to finish AND included it in my book: “Shelley, I have not officially visited all 50 states!! In Hawaii for my birthday—53 was never this good! Love, Lori.”
Someone told me to be sure you are proud of a book that has your name on the front. I am proud of my book and am glad others are enjoying reading it.
Excerpt
Several years before I turned eighteen, the voting age changed from 21 to 18. After a lot of debate at my high school, the policy for absence notes changed. Once a student turned 18 she could write her own excuse for being absent from school. Since I turned 18 at beginning of the school year, I was one of the lucky few. I felt grown-up to not need a parent’s signature. Since I never cut classes, and had to be seriously ill for my parents to allow me stay home from school, there was little chance I would abuse my excuse-writing responsibilities.
I wrote my first absence note because I planned to miss school for a college visit. I wanted to go to a college that offered a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement. As a freshman, for a social studies assignment I wrote a paper about a career that interested me. All the other girls wrote about being a nurse, secretary or teacher, except one girl who wrote about being a dog groomer. I wanted to do something different, so I decided on a policewoman. My paper focused on a career in law enforcement, and being a detective on a police force. In essence I probably wanted to be Nancy Drew and solve mysteries, but get paid for it.
My goal of being in law enforcement stayed with me as I shopped for a college. I looked for schools with degrees in Criminal Justice. The University of North Dakota (UND) in Fargo offered this curriculum. Fargo is across the border from Moorhead, a city in northwestern Minnesota.
I arranged with Mom and Dad to miss two days of school, take the Greyhound bus to Moorhead, stay overnight with my sister in her dorm room at Moorhead State University, tour UND, and later get a ride home with her.
When I wrote the absence note, I gave it to the school secretary the day before I planned to be gone. Classes ended at 3:32 p.m. each day, but about 3:20 the principal came to my classroom and asked to speak to me. It was a big deal to get called out of class by the principal. The other kids said “Oh. Oh. What did Lori do now?” and “Busted!” as I walked out of the room. The principal asked me about my note, wanted to ensure my parents knew about my trip, confirmed I had notified my teachers, and that I was considering UND. Yes, yes and yes.
During high school I tried not to have much contact with the principal because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, but he inadvertently became a part of my senior goal. I don’t know how or why, but I decided I wanted to pull a fire alarm. Early in the school year I told my goal to the principal, and asked if I could pull it sometime when we had a practice drill. I mentioned it to him once. By the last week of school, since nothing happened, I assumed he had forgotten about it, but I was happily wrong. With two days of school left, he pulled me out of class. And like earlier in the year, everyone in the classroom said, “Oh. Oh. What did Lori do now?” and “Busted!” But this time he walked me to the other side of the school, without talking. I thought I was in trouble too, until he stopped outside his office and pointed to the red fire alarm. I got to pull the lever setting off the alarm. What a feeling of power to make such a loud noise and be able to stop it again. It felt great to meet a goal. Mission accomplished.
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Bio
Lori Spangler is a native Minnesotan with a zest for living. Kids and dogs appreciate her infectious laugh, witty sense of humor, and positive outlook. When not indulging in her passion for travel, Lori can be found reading, eating ice cream, or teaching others the finer points of public speaking. She lives in Minnesota with her plants.
Where to find Lori…
Joanne Guidoccio 