Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 17

Sharing the Pew by Liz Flaherty

"Family is family, whether it’s the one you start out with, the one you end up with, or the family you gain along the way." — Unknown

I love my family. Duane, the kids we had and the ones they brought home to us, the grandkids, my sisters-in-law, my brother. Nieces and nephews who fill in so many places. I love the memories of those I've lost. The losses still hurt. A lot. 

But family goes so much deeper than its description, doesn't it? Sometimes family comes in the form of hospice nurses and hos...

Just for Now... by Liz Flaherty

 This was first on the Window in April of 2022. Like April of this year, it was a time of changing, of sorrow and dance, of ...well, April being April. Today would be my mother's birthday--I'm pretty sure she'd like this one. I hope you won't mind reading it again. 

I've always known what the word ephemeral meant, but I've never used it--possibly because I didn't know how to spell it and I'm not completely sure of its pronunciation. It means, in case you aren't sure, "lasting a very short time."

C...

Make You Mine by Nan Reinhardt

My writing bestie Nan Reinhardt is here today and I'm always so glad to see her. We work together, talk an unconscionable amount, travel together...and there's wine and food involved ALL the time! She's here to talk about Make You Mine, the newest River's Edge book (think Madison, IN) and about where she gets ideas. Make her welcome!

So often I’m asked, where do you get the ideas for your books. I’ve tried to come up with answers that don’t make me sound as if I need to put away someplace or at t...

Friendship and 33 Dozen by Joe DeRozier

I'm always happy when Joe steps out from behind the table to come through the Window Over the Sink to visit. His stories are always special, and this one is even more so. Thanks for coming, Joe. Take it away. 

There are days I travel to neighboring cities and meetfriends in designated areas to deliver donuts. It isn't a highly lucrativeadventure for me... Well, not monetarily. I sell them for just $10 a dozen, amout of the bakery for a couple hours, so I have to pay someone to hold down thefo...

Wonderfully Made by Liz Flaherty

"My emotions aren’t in the dictionary." - Heather Lende

The other day, on Facebook, I read this from Deuteronomy: "Foreigners who live in your land will gain more and more power, while you gradually lose yours. They will have money to lend you, but you will have none to lend them. In the end they will be your rulers. All these disasters will come on you, and they will be with you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God and keep all the laws that he gave you."

I admit it...

Amazing Days by Debby Myers

Have you noticed how everyone is talking about April 8th? Many of us will be elated to experience the most astounding astronomical event of our lifetime. The solar eclipse. Yet I’m going to have a really hard time being excited about anything, including a total eclipse, on April 8th. It’s also my daddy’s birthday.

It's been 35 years since my dad died in the dead of winter in January 1989. He suffered a massive heart attack. I shouldn’t say he suffered. He died before he hit the floor, as the doc...

I Wish I Had... by Liz Flaherty

Thank you to everyone who responded to last week's post. If anyone was helped or encouraged, I am so glad. 

I have been trying to think of something to write about, and not doing very well. So I started thinking about regrets. I'm lucky that I don't have many big ones. I'm sorry I never lived outside of Miami County, that I never lived in a new house, that I wasn't a better mom, and that I haven't traveled more than I have. Other than that...

I'm sorry I never saw the Beatles or the Eagles perform...

Sad On Sunday

I don't remember when I wrote this, although the mention of when I stopped smoking makes it about 18 or so years ago. It was hard to write and hard to think about, but I thought it was important. I still think it is, and I've written about it a few times, a few places since I wrote this. Several of us talked and laughed today about what we take to keep ourselves...okay. I laid claim to my little green pill and others spoke of other pills, other methods, dark days and not-so-dark ones. 

       ...

Sad on Sunday... by Liz Flaherty

I don't remember when I wrote this, although the mention of when I stopped smoking makes it about 18 or so years ago. It was hard to write and hard to think about, but I thought it was important. I still think it is, and I've written about it a few times, a few places since I wrote this. Several of us talked and laughed today about what we take to keep ourselves...okay. I laid claim to my little green pill and others spoke of other pills, other methods, dark days and not-so-dark ones. 

       Dep...

The Art of Being Thrilled by Liz Flaherty

Okay, it's probably not an art. Being thrilled, I mean. It's something I've never given much thought. I don't read thrillers, don't watch thrillers, am categorically scared of anything described as a thriller. I'm not afraid they'll hurt me--they're mostly fiction--but they will keep me awake, reappear in my dreams when I do get to sleep, and make me say after watching one that "there go two hours I can never get back."

But there's a real difference between dramatic thrillers, which really are ar...