Cynthia Lord's Blog, page 37

This Christmas Eve

May all be merry and bright

Christmas Cookie

Fa la la la la la!

Five Things on a Friday

I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning. --J. B. Priestley


Spruce Head, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

1. It's a new day, and it's baking day at my house!

2. Julia and I went to see "The Hobbit" last night. We enjoyed it very much.

3.  A couple weeks ago I left a comment on the class blog of an adorable group of students in Inverness, Scotland. Now, they've written their own hamster stories . Their hamsters play football (soccer in the US), have Christmas parties, a wedding (!), and even a couple of their hamsters break their ankles! Who knew those little furry animals had such drama in their lives! :)

4. I love Christmas lights. It's one of my favorite things to see our neighborhood all lit up.

5. This video made me laugh. These are out-takes from a commercial for a restaurant/truck stop in Bangor, Maine.

Reaching The End

24 / 24 chapters. 100% done!

Now I can print out this revision and set it aside while I enjoy Christmas with my family. Then I'll read the novel all the way through a few times and let it go.

Yesterday

As the mom of an adult son with autism, my heart hurt even more when I started reading that the gunman in the Sandy Hook attack may have had an Aspergers diagnosis. I already know what an uphill battle our children on the spectrum have for acceptance, and I wondered if this would affect how the public looked at them, including my son, who has obvious autism.

My son loves his weekly schedule of community trips. Yesterday was the first day since Friday that it was my turn to take him. Our world has changed since Friday, but one thing that hadn't changed was that it was Tuesday and Tuesday is the day he gets to choose where to go out for lunch.

There's a gas station in my town that has a lunch counter that my son loves. He gets a couple slices of pizza, a little container of chocolate milk, and chips. Every time.

But yesterday, he got his two slices of pizza, his little container of chocolate milk, his chips. . . and then he purposefully went to the little collection of paper products and handed me a big package of red Solo plastic cups.

Why? I don't know. "Because" is his answer. I know there is a reason--there is ALWAYS a reason--and just because I don't know it and he can't really express it to me in a way that I see the importance, does not mean there isn't importance, even crucial importance.

I put the package of cups under my arm. There were people in line behind us, and as my son made a few sounds that are a big signal that here is someone with special needs, I wondered if the other people were afraid or thinking of Adam Lanza. I couldn't look at anyone, except the lady behind the counter who works Tuesdays, so she sees my son every week. "Getting more than usual today!" she said, surprised as I was by the bright red cups.

"It looks like we're having a party," I said.

"You're having a party?"

"No," I said. "It just looks like it."

And my son thought that was funny and laughed. His party for one.

"He doesn't ask me for many things," I said to the clerk. "So when he does ask, I usually say yes."

She smiled at him. "Enjoy your party," she said.

And only then did I take a quick peek at the people in line behind us. They were all smiling--every one of them.

Adam Lanza took so much from the people of Newtown, CT, but he truly took things from all of us. But we don't have to give away things that he didn't take. And one of the things we don't have to give away is our goodwill toward people who are different. Complete strangers showed that to me yesterday.

Waiting for Santa

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Have you been a good boy, Milo? 

This photo is sweet, but also funny, because way back in 2006, I had an "ugly ornament" contest to see those tree ornaments you keep but don't really know why. And my "Santa Bugs" entry is in this photo!  Proving that not only do we still have it, we still hang it on the tree! In fact, every year Julia and I hang up the "Glass Yellowjacket," "Santa Bugs," and "The Circle" and laugh about that contest.


22 / 24 chapters. 92% done!

Oh the weather outside is frightful. . . .

But inside, it's looking like Christmas.



Cookie says, "Welcome to the Christmas party! I hope you brought the vegetable platter."

21 / 24 chapters. 88% done!

Another Day

She took a step and didn't want to take any more, but she did. --Marcus Zusak, The Book Thief


Bailey Island, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

It's hard to do anything normal when you know other people are having a time of crisis and pain. But today, I'm going to work on my book, spend time with my family, answer kids' mail to me, and focus on hope and love and kindness. Because they are what endure.
 

It is such a secret place, the land of tears. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

My heart is broken for the people of Newtown, Connecticut. And for all of us.

Damariscotta

I've reached a place in my revision where I need to add something. Maybe a chapter, maybe a scene, maybe it'll just end up being a mention.  But no matter what finally ends up on the page, I need to write out the scene first. Then I can see if it contributes enough to warrant all those words.  

So I took a drive to Damariscotta to run some errands and do some shopping, and as I drove, I thought about my choices.  What does the scene need to accomplish? And where should I set it that will allow those things to happen in the most organic way?



It was a cold day, but beautiful--perfect for thinking.