Lisa M. Buske's Blog, page 59

TOP's Tuesday: Didn't Take a Picture

This Easter than any other year. My husband and I were married in 1993 and since then, this year was the first time we didn't join either side of the family for a big Easter dinner or festivities. We didn't plan it this way, it just worked out. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about it on Easter morning but after church, we returned home and I baked bread and enjoyed cleaning my house. I puttered around the house most of the day until joining my Dad for a ham and mashed potatoes. Rather than returning home, we went to our friends' house to watch the SU basketball game and visit. It's been a couple months since getting together. 

The day was stress free and relaxing. Did I miss my Mom? Of course but then again, Easter was always the day when the pain of Heidi's kidnapping shined brightly in her eyes. In a sense, it was nice to know Mom knows the answer to the question we still ask, "Where's Heidi?" This coming Sunday is April 3, the final of three timeline remembrances of Heidi's kidnapping. The first, Daylight Savings Time, followed by Easter. A week later, the actual date of her disappearance. 

I continue to pray and hope we learn the answer of where Heidi is while my Dad is alive to know but if this isn't God's will, then I pray He continues to give us the strength, perseverance, endurance, hope, healing, love, and peace to keep moving forward as we wait.

If Mom was alive, I would leave a teaser in this week's TOP's Tuesday about next week's TOP's Tuesday post. Maybe I'd say  it's time to start sharing upcoming announcements about a book release or something like that, but Mom's not here to tease with anticipation. 

Oh wait, what about you? Are you curious? If so, you'll have to come back next week. TOP's Tuesday started as a weekly update blog about book publication, upcoming speaking engagements, and remembrances for Heidi. Let the updates begin...one week from today. What did you do over the Easter Weekend?
Leave a message below.

It's Good Friday...And Sunday is Coming

“An Incredible Talent for Existing” A Book Review Times Two

Hello everyone! Are you ready for something very different? I hope so. Crystal Otto, Blog Tour Manager at Wow (Women on Writing), also known as The Muffin. As I first read about Pamela Jane's book, "An Incredible Talent for Existing", I was intrigued and curious. After watching the book trailer (see below), my interest peaked a little more. I wasn't sure if this was my kind of book or not prior to reading it. I shared it with my daughter because I thought she might like it too. Pamela contacted me within a few hours and I looked forward to reading her book and learning more about her adventure. I hope you will take a few moments to learn more about Pamela, her book, and read the review below. Let me Introduce you to Pamela Jane... ​About the Author:  Pamela Jane has published over twenty-five children’s books with Houghton Mifflin, Atheneum, Simon & Schuster, Penguin-Putnam, and Harper.  Her books include Noelle of the Nutcracker illustrated by Jan Brett, Little Goblins Ten illustrated by NY Times best-selling illustrator, Jane Manning, and Little Elfie One (Harper 2015). Pride and Prejudice and Kitties: A Cat-Lover’s Romp Through Jane Austen’s Classic (Skyhorse) was featured in The Wall Street Journal, BBC America, The Huffington Post, The New York Times Sunday Book Review and The Daily Dot, and has just come out in paper. Pamela Jane has published short stories and essays with The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Antigonish Review, Literary Mama. Pamela Jane is a writer and editor for womensmemoirs.com About her book, "An Incredible Talent for Existing" “An Incredible Talent For Existing: A Writer’s Story” summary: It is 1965, the era of love, light and revolution. While the romantic narrator imagines a bucolic future in an old country house with children running through the dappled sunlight, her husband plots to organize a revolution and fight a guerrilla war in the Catskills.

Their fantasies are on a collision course. The clash of visions turns into an inner war of identities when the author embraces radical feminism; she and her husband are comrades in revolution but combatants in marriage; she is a woman warrior who spends her days sewing long silk dresses reminiscent of a Henry James novel. One half of her isn't speaking to the other half.

And then, just when it seems that things cannot possibly get more explosive, her wilderness cabin burns down and Pamela finds herself left with only the clothes on her back. From her vividly evoked existential childhood ("the only way I would know for sure that I existed was if others lots of others acknowledged it") to writing her first children's book on a sugar high during a glucose tolerance test, Pamela Jane takes the reader along on a highly entertaining personal, political, and psychological adventure.
A Review or Two...Mother and Daughter Read and Review Hello everyone, it's another book review for you. My daughter planned to read and review this also but I made a parent's decision and opted to not. Pamela's has a gift to write and express herself. Her authentic sharing of her past and how it molded her into the woman, writer, and author she is today took many turns. 

Through her writing I felt the anticipation, anxiety, pressure, and then the release, calm, and acceptance. Pamela Jane writes in a way that draws her reader in and shares from the depths of the pain and travels experienced in her life time. I found the cover intriguing and was one of the reasons I thought about joining this blog tour. After reading the book, the significance of cabin and "Pamie" posing with confidence, as if walking on air takes on a deeper meaning after reading the book. 

This isn't a book I would typically read or review but with each unexpected turn, God opened my eyes to see there are so many stories waiting to be told within each of us. I admire Pamela Jane's courage to share her life's journey with her readers and all participating on this blog.I don't know anyone with such a energetic and interesting past personally so it was beneficial as I have a new understanding and appreciation when someone says, "life was hard" or "I traveled a lot" and ways I could pray more specifically.

Pamela Jane's gift to write kept me reading yet I must warn you, if you decide to purchase and read this book, there are sexual scenes (I blushed on a couple pages) and language within so this is why I opted not to have my teen read and review. I hope you are disappointed not to read Mag's review but first and foremost, I'm a Mom. 

Thank you Pamela Jane for trusting me to read and review your book.
​Lisa
Below are Links to Articles about Pamela Jane and her writing Literary Mama:
 
http://www.literarymama.com/creativenonfiction/archives/2015/10/the-ambivalent-agnostic-an-adoption-story.html
 
Womensmemoirs:
 
http://womensmemoirs.com/memoir-writing-prompts/5-tips-for-getting-your-memoir-published-in-2016/
 
http://womensmemoirs.com/memoir-writing/memoir-writers-take-note-help-i-cant-press-the-send-button/
​ A Video Trailer about Pamela Jane's book... To Read Other Reviews and Pamela Jane's Post on this Tour: Monday, March 7th  @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview and book giveaway!
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/
 
Tuesday, March 8th @ MC Simon Writes
Don’t miss today’s guest post “Likeability: Getting Your Readers to Hang Out with You” and giveaway of the memoir “An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer’s Story” by Pamela Jane.
http://www.mcsimonwrites.com/
 
Wednesday, March 9th @ All Things Audry  
Pamela Jane visits All Things Audry today with a guest post “The Light Side: Adding Humor to a Dark Story”. Don’t miss this great post and a giveaway of Pamela’s memoir “An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer’s Story”.
http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com/
 
Thursday, March 10th @ Choices with Madeline Sharples  
Madeline Sharples hosts fellow memoir writer Pamela Jane as Pamela provides today’s guest post: “Trimming the Pie Crust: What to Leave out of Your Memoir”. Don’t miss this insightful post and get in on the giveaway to win your own copy of Pamela Jane’s memoir “An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer’s Story”. Good Luck!
http://madelinesharples.com/
 
Friday, March 11th @ Colloquium
Pamela Jane visits the popular blog Colloquium as she answers the question "Writing About Sex: Fade in or Fade Out?" and offers a giveaway of her memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story".
http://www.jhsiess.com/
 
Monday, March 14th @ Mari McCarthy’s Create Write Now
Join Pamela Jane with a guest post titled: Organic Organizing for Writers. In addition to this fabulous guest post, readers can also participate in a giveaway for Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story".
http://www.createwritenow.com/
 
Tuesday, March 15th @ Bring On Lemons
Pamela Jane writers today's guest post: Do You Need a Writing Coach? (5 Tips on Finding a Good One). This is fabulous advice you don't want to miss. Once lucky reader will also win a copy in the giveaway for Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story"
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
 
Tuesday, March 15th @ Lisa Haselton Reviews and Interviews
Don't miss today's interview between Lisa Haselton and Pamela Jane as Pamela gives us some insight into her memoir An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story.
http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com/
 
Wednesday, March 16th @ Jerry Waxler
Fellow author and memoir expert Jerry Waxler reviews Pamela Jane's "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story"
http://jerrywaxler.com/
 
Thursday, March 17th @ Selling Books with Cathy Stucker
Cathy Stucker interviews Pamela Jane to find our more about Pamela's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story"
http://www.sellingbooks.com/
 
Friday, March 18th @ Lauren Scharhag
Author Pamela Jane offers a great guest post "A New (and winning) Perspective on Rejection" and has graciously given a copy of her memoir for a giveaway. Don't miss this blog tour stop to find out more about Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story".
http://laurenscharhag.blogspot.com/

Thursday, March 24th @ Lisa M Buske
Find out what Lisa M Buske and her daughter have to say about the touching memoir "an Incredible Talent for Existing" by Pamela Jane. http://www.lisambuske.com/
Monday, March 28th @ Sherrey Meyer
Sherrey Meyer reviews Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing"
http://sherreymeyer.com/blog/
 
Tuesday, March 29th @ Linda Appleman Shapiro
Fellow author and memoir writer Linda Appleman Shapiro shares her thoughts as she reviews Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story".
http://applemanshapiro.com/
 
Thursday, March 31st @ Karen Jones Gowen
Karen Jones Gowen shares her thoughts after reading "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story" by Pamela Jane. This is one memoir and one memoir review you won't want to miss!
http://karenjonesgowen.com/
 
Friday, April 8th @ Kathleen Pooler
Kathleen Pooler puts Pamela Jane in the author spotlight today as readers learn more about Pamela Jane's memoir "An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer's Story". There will also be a giveaway for one lucky reader to receive their own copy of this intriguing book.
http://krpooler.com/
Ways to contact Pamela Jane and learn more: Websites:

http://www.memoircoaching.com

http://www.pamelajane.com  (children’s books)

http://www.prideandprejudiceandkitties.com  (humorous book)
 

Facebook:  
https://www.facebook.com/pamela.jane1


On Twitter: 
@memoircoaching
@austencats 
Do you have a question for Pamela Jane? 
If so, ask in a comment below, she will stop by to answer.

Thanks for welcoming her to the blog.

From Beginning to End...The Sun Still Shines

It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music to your name,
O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
    and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
    and the melody of the harp.

Psalm 92:1-3
Earlier this week, on a brisk thirty-seven degree day, I dropped my daughter off for rehearsal and headed to the lake with my 35 mm. I should have wore thin gloves because some of my photographs are a little blurry. Rather than focus on the few that are evidence of the chill, I'm thrilled with the other four-hundred pics. Yes, over 400 pictures over two hours.

It was worth every chill and the time driving from Fort Ontario on the East side of the Oswego River, to the Oswego Marina, to the outlook above the Marina, to Rudy's, SUNY Oswego, and back to the fort to capture pics from the very location I started.

I had the opportunity to spend quality time in the car with my Dad last weekend and he inspired and motivated me to pick up my camera and start snapping pictures again. It wasn't until talking with Dad that I realized I haven't really taken many pictures, just for the joy of taking them in almost (if not over) a year. It felt good and for the Leader In Me and 7 Habits people out there, I spent almost three hours sharpening my saw. And I slept better because of the fresh air too, a win-win if you ask me. I hope you like the first picture, the first taken when I started and the one of the right, just before I picked my daughter up. Do you take time to "sharpen your saw"? 
a.k.a - enhancing your best asset...YOU!

Come as you are...

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God —
not by works, so that no one can boast. 
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus
to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10
Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the journey to Jesus' death on the cross.

My hope is to use this Holy Week to regenerate my faith and blogging. 

I hope you will take this journey to the cross with me.

What is your favorite part of Holy Week?

Do you have a family tradition?
Community Services?
Church traditions? 

Will you share below in a comment?

It's Palm Sunday...Hosanna!

Have a beautiful and blessed day!

TOP's Tuesday: Instead of baking a cake, we made memories

Our Day in Review... Today was spent with my Dad and daughter. Most of it in the car traveling to appointments in Buffalo.

Memories and laughter filled the car. 

In life, we are given the opportunity to make choices. We could mourn my mom by cancelling appointments and staying in bed, or we could stay the course. We know what Mom would want, so we spent the day together. 

The appointments went well and our travel delivered us to Buffalo and home again safely. As we headed home, I saw this sign "Old Editions Bookshop". I think this might be worth a visit one day when I'm in Buffalo again, when we are exhausted that is. LOL
The thruway offers such beautiful scenery and I wish it was safe to pull over with my 35 mm to take pictures. Since it isn't safe, Dad and I talked about how beautiful it was.

From the bird nests atop all the trees in the swamp area that are hidden when the leaves are on the tree.

Or the hundreds of blue and white buckets hanging from the trees filling with sap during these warm days.

On top of a hill was an American Flag flying with the green and blue as a backdrop but I wasn't quick enough with my phone camera, so all I got was the hill and clouds, but I remember the beautiful red, white, and blue waving its brilliance & strength for all to see.
On the way home, talking about the appointments and sharing memories, memories of my mom, family vacations, and talking of the future.

This photo was taken after I shared a message with the Fulton Alliance women and their friends. This was a fun time of fellowship and challenging the ladies to ask if they are being lured are are alluring. I even put on my Dad's rubber fishing pants, which made my laugh to watch me "jump" to get in. A great memory...

Want to learn more about this message, click here. It's the first year I didn't make a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting for Mom on her birthday. We miss her so much and to remember her on her birthday instead of celebrating and spoiling her made for a different day, yet one we spent together.

"And now these three remain:
faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13

How do you remember your loved ones on their birthday?

Time to Fly To the Theater for Mary Poppins TONIGHT!!

Come out and see "Mary Poppins" performed by the Mexico High School drama department.

The show runs March 3rd, 4th, and 5th, all show times at 7:00 pm

Tickets are $10.00 at the door. 

Thank you, and hope to see you all there! 

Due to construction at high school, all performances
will take place in the Mexico Middle School auditorium. Like what you see? Want to see more?
You'll have to come to the show to experience it!

March 3, 4, and 5 at 7 p.m.
Held at the Mexico Middle School due to renovations at the high school.

One Wait Comes to a Close...Another Remains

Where's Heidi Allen? Photo designed by Donna Seabrook Yesterday Judge King filed his decision in regards to Gary Thibodeau's attempt for another retrial, it was denied, along with other motions (I think this is the word) filed by the defense attorney. Some believe this means it is over yet it is never over, just this leg of the journey is. And most importantly, our family's goal in 1994 is the same today, to bring Heidi home. This hasn't happened yet, so our journey continues.

I want to thank each and everyone of you who continue to remember Heidi and our family in your thoughts and prayers. We will never give up hope on Heidi and that we will know where she is one day, to bring her home where she belongs. I thank those who have sent messages and notes over the past year and a half when God placed it on your heart. They were such an encouragement. We were overwhelmed by your support almost twenty -two years ago and this continues to this day. THANK YOU!

I also want to thank the media for the respect and consideration you extend to the families involved during such stressful and difficult times. We appreciate it. Thank you for respecting my parents wishes to wait until the judge filed his decision to contact the family. I wish my Mom was able to hear the decision but she wasn't, nor is she hear to give a comment to the media. I have been representing my parents behind the microphones and ink on your paper for a couple years as Mom's arthritis got worse. I'd like to thank the media's acceptance and grace with me as I learned this new role, daughter, sister, and spokeswoman.

In the next few days, when I'm not working or supporting my daughter at the theater, I will share with local media. Here is the "press release" I sent to them. To write for the newspaper and media is by far the most difficult form of writing I do. I hope you know how much you are each appreciated. You may read this, or portions there of, in the newspaper or hear it on the radio or television but in case you miss it, I want to be sure you know we appreciate you.

Our journey is not over. Heidi is remembered and never forgotten.

We will never give up until the question of Heidi's whereabouts is answered...
​hopeful and hope filled. Praying Heidi comes home!
Written by Lisa Buske, Heidi Allen’s Sister
In Response to Judge King’s Ruling

For the past few months, our family waited for Judge King’s ruling. He said it would be released soon. If we have learned one thing over these almost twenty-two years, the courts definition of “soon” is different than the “soon” the families anticipate, and pray for. After months of testimony, reviewing statements and proposed evidence, and additional staff to assist the Judge, the wait concluded yesterday. We appreciate Judge King’s time and dedication to Heidi’s kidnapping case, decades later.

My sister, Heidi M Allen, kidnapped from the D & W Convenience Store on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1994, remains missing 8,005 days later. The first days, weeks, months, and couple years were times of intense searching, media attention, and court hearings, acquittals and a conviction.

Years transitioned into decades and Heidi’s memory was kept alive on the anniversary of her abduction and her birthday until July 2014. One summer afternoon, my parents and I, and Heidi’s family, friends, and community were thrust back into the same intensity endured decades prior. We went from a hopeful waiting to a hope-filled waiting and “the” call. The call never came and the roller coaster of emotions and impact of Heidi’s kidnapping wore on us with a rawness we thought we were numb to, but we weren’t. In the matter of a moment, the raw and heart breaking pain returned.  

July 2014 to March 2016...one thing remained the same...Heidi was, and is, still missing.

We are thankful for this time of waiting is over. We aren’t naïve and understand court hearings and motions never stop, but neither do our hopes, prayers, and dedication to keep Heidi’s memory in the forefront until she is found. We appreciate the judge taking time to be diligent and meticulous in his response, showing both his character and desire to uphold the law.

The journey in having a missing loved one never ends. The hope and prayers for their return are just as constant. My greatest sorrow in this recent announcement, while it confirms the right man is in jail, my Mom wasn’t able to hear the news and have this peace when she took her last breath. Mom wanted to know where her youngest daughter was but a broken heart and cancer took her before she could thank the sheriff’s and DA’s office personally, or to know where her Heidi is.

The Oswego County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s offices kept my parents and I informed. They tried to stay ahead of the media but in today’s technological age, and their desire to read and review things in their entirety before calling us, sometimes I saw it on Twitter or heard it on the radio before we, and the rest of our family could be notified.

There have been positives in this aspect of the journey too. Heidi’s kidnapping case is thought of more often and people new to our community and surrounding areas learned about the missing eighteen year-old from New Haven, New York that may have never known such a tragic case occurred in our small town. The newer investigators and deputies gained valuable experience in handling and investigating a missing person’s case. People are talking about Heidi and her disappearance again. While this is difficult at times, one of these conversations might be the one reveals the missing puzzle piece to finding Heidi.

On the flip side, this recent journey wore my Mom out. Some may not know she passed away on Heidi’s birthday this past September, after a short battle with Stage 4 Metastasized Cancer. While we would have preferred this month to be spent with only family, the investigators and DA still needed to keep in contact due to additional statements made during this time. I am grateful for law enforcement’s compassion and concern expressed each time they called, apologizing for bothering me, yet dedicated to Heidi’s case. They too hoped to answer my parents’ question, “Where’s Heidi?”

We understand some don’t trust or have faith in the Oswego County Sheriff’s Department or the District Attorney’s Office yet for us, we’ve see the countless hours first hand spent to find Heidi and to uphold justice. We recognize and appreciate the time sacrificed away from their families in order to interview, search, investigate, and do the necessary paperwork in such an intense and detailed investigation. I personally am amazed at their strength as they fielded negative attacks to their character, their department and office. They modeled such restraint and professionalism by not responding as they focused on the case and finding Heidi.

The past months have been a challenge for so many people. Heidi’s family, friends, and community miss her. We hope and pray she is found and if there are others, that all involved are brought to justice based on facts and evidence. Our family and so many others felt, and feel the turmoil, stress, and intensity of the recent investigation and hearings. Yet none of this brought Heidi home or answered the questions so many ask. I continue to pray that every sleepless night, nightmare, and tear is worth it in the long run and at the end of this leg of the journey, my Dad’s last thought and question isn’t the same as my Mom’s…“Where’s Heidi?”
Thank YOU for remembering and praying for Heidi and our family!

Is it an "To-do-list" or are they "Opportunities"?

“Rename your “To-Do” list
to your “Opportunities” list.
Each day is a treasure
chest filled with
limitless opportunities;
take joy in checking
many off your list.” 
― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

I posted my "to-do-list" for my week of vacation and instead of having a crossed-off-list to share with you, I had a less-than-half completed list when last week started. I plugged through the list before and after school last week, half a dozen "to-do" items remain. There are a couple ways to respond to this. One, I could beat myself up for not getting everything done in a timely manner or two, celebrate the things I did accomplish.

I happened upon this quote last week, challenging us to view our to-do-list, as an opportunities list. How would our thoughts and motivations change? How would our priority items be adjusted? It's an interesting and life-changing mind shift when you slow down and reflect on previous lists.

If you follow me on Facebook then you know I've talked about how cleaning my house has been on my list since Christmas vacation and is still a work in progress. If I shift my mind to an opportunities list, then I have accomplished far more than I haven't. Is my house still in need of some TLC, yes, BUT, did I spend time with my daughter planning and preparing for her future after graduation? Yes. Did I help a friend who needed a listening ear and enjoy a much needed cup of coffee (with baskets of clean clothes stacked in the chair near us)? Yes. And guess what, my friend never mentioned the laundry because our TIME is more IMPORTANT and VALUABLE than the cleanliness of our house or the amount of clothes in need of folding.
How would your attitude and prioritizing change if you
made an "Opportunities List" instead of a "To-Do-List"?
What is the first opportunity you will write down?