Susan Gabriel's Blog, page 9
March 29, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 29th – Day 11
Today’s dispatch is a message from Old Sally, one of the characters I created for the Temple Secret Series. She is often cited as a reader favorite.
For anyone who doesn’t know, the Temple Secret Series consists of Temple Secrets and the sequel, Gullah Secrets. The wise old woman character, Old Sally, is of Gullah descent and 100 years of age....
March 28, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 28th – Day 10
Laughter builds resilience. Not that there is much to laugh about these days if you watch the news, but I think it’s important to try. Watch funny movies, read cartoons, joke with your friends on FaceTime or Zoom. Or have a belly laugh all by yourself. You will have to fake it at first, but chances are you can create one.
In the meantime, I hope...
March 27, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 27th – Day 9
Do you ever get a song stuck in your head? I keep hearing Alison Krauss singing Down to the River to Pray (from the movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou?). No matter what our spiritual beliefs, if any, if you’re like me this song will grab you by the heart.
The song also makes me think of Lily McAllister, a character I created for Lily’s Song,...
March 26, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 26th – Day 8
Why do you read books? What would life be like if you didn’t? For some of us it seems the perfect time to get to that stack of books we haven’t read yet, and how fortunate we are to even have such an abundance of books!
Gary Paulsen, award-winning American writer of coming-of-age stories, has created a list of why he reads books. Which ones...
March 25, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 25th – Day 7
In the New York Times this morning, I found this lovely cartoon that captures what many of us are going through. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Alas, sometimes I wish I could draw like illustrator, Gracey Zhang. If you’re in the mood to comment, let me know what you think.
Stay resilient, sweet readers, and stay...
March 24, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 24th – Day 6
Like you, I didn’t see this coming. I thought my life would go along as planned. I would write my next book, go out with friends, socialize in groups, spend time in my beloved local coffee shop, etc.
It didn’t occur to me that a Coronavirus would appear and make all that go away for a while.
Now it seems our task is to calm our fears and make...
March 23, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 23rd – Day 5
What would we do without our pets, especially during a time when we are asked to stay inside and not be around other humans? They help us be resilient.
Meet Jack and Charlie, my author assistants. This photo was taken in my office; you can see the arm of my writing chair. Jack (the bigger one) is 14 years old, kind of lumpy and half...
March 22, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 22nd – Day 4
Resilience Dispatch – March 22 – Day 4
To get through tough times, I often read poems. Not the hard-to-understand ones, but the ones that talk about ordinary things in a fresh way. See what you think of this one:
Sifter
by Naomi Shihab Nye
When our English teacher gave
our first writing assignment of the year,
...
March 21, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 21st – Day 3
As we say goodbye to winter, let us be gentle with ourselves during this unprecedented and challenging time. We are all in new territory, and we are all on the same journey. In that respect, although we are more apart than ever – physically – we are more connected than ever emotionally and spiritually, like here on this page.
A...
March 20, 2020
Resilience Dispatch – March 19th – Day 1
Dear Ones. We are all in new territory. If you have read any of my novels, you know that I create resilient and courageous characters (Old Sally, Wildflower, Ida Trueluck, etc) who go through rough situations and ultimately persevere with insight and hope. We have built a community here, and I care about each of you.
With that in mind, it...
