Larada Horner-Miller's Blog, page 29
February 28, 2021
Waiting for the Vaccine?
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Are you waiting for the coronavirus vaccine? I am but not very gracefully! I want it NOW! My nerves feel frayed. I vacillate between understanding the delay and wanting mine now, no matter what!
Because of a suggestion of an older friend, I registered at the New Mexico website and received my number several weeks ago. My husband drug his feet, thinking he’d wait for the Johnson & Johnson one shot treatment.
Then he had a phone call with his primary care physician on another issue, and the doctor quizzed him, “Have you gotten the vaccine yet?” He questioned him because Lin has been reluctant to take any of the vaccines until this doctor convinced him of the importance of the flu shot, specifically.
In response, Lin said, “No, I’m going to wait for the Johnson & Johnson shot.”
Our doctor responded sharply, “New Mexico has bought the two vaccines. There’s no guarantee they’ll buy the third one. Sign up!”
When he got off the phone, I signed him up. He’s eighty years old and within a few weeks he received a text to set up a time. He did and has taken the first shot at the Pit, the basketball court for the University of New Mexico.
When he went to get vaccinated, I rode with him, just in case he had any reaction. He didn’t and was really impressed with the efficiency of the operation there. They set up his second shot for mid-March, so he sees a light at the end of the tunnel!
As always, I turned to poetry to express my exasperated feelings:
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I Hate Waiting!
February 28, 2021
Here I sit Waiting Waiting Waiting For the coronavirus vaccination! I’m 67 years old Old enough you’d think But In a nebulous zone Caught between Not old enough For the first priority group Not young enough Not to worry Shortly, we face a year’s anniversary Since this pandemic started.Quickly the talk of the vaccine began Questions arose Too soon? Too quick? Too everything? Tests held Thousands of willing guinea pigs More questions More waiting Then the day came! The vaccine roll-out started In the UK December 14, 2020 In the USA January 14, 2021 Yahoo! Yet I had some misgivings At first Total acceptance Now And I keep waiting! I’ve been obedient Watched my P's and Q's! Social distance Shelter-in-place Mask Wash hands religiously Quarantine After trips to Colorado To safeguard Lin At first, Obedient Patient Recluse Against my gregarious nature Fearful Cautious Now, Impatient Questioning Tired and exhausted I see the vaccine As the pathway To normalcy As the pathway To perhaps Instead I sit here Waiting, Is it tomorrow I get the long-awaited text? Is it this week? Or the next? Waiting to go back To go forward To do something proactive To undo what’s been Ongoing a year! I realize The vaccine is not a panacea! We still have to be cautious, But when we both are vaccinated We can think Of possibilities We can dream We can stretch Our shrunken imaginations To venture forth. Will the new world Demand I show My vaccine card At dances? For sure on airplanes For sure to travel To foreign countries Is this new sought-after card My entry Back into life? I’m waiting Waiting Waiting A possible silver lining For my wait! Maybe Johnson & Johnson Will be available When my time comes— That means one shot Instead of two! So, the waiting Once again, As is so often, Maybe the reward! I’ll wait and see!Right now, in New Mexico, I have to wait for Phase 1A and 1B, because I’m in Phase 1C—60 years old and older. When I look at the list of people in the two phases above me, I shudder, because there’s many crucial people who should receive it before me. See the document: https://cv.nmhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021.1.28-DOH-Phase-Guidance.pdf
So I will wait!
In closing, my turn will come. My life will change when it happens. Will yours? Are you getting the vaccine? Have you got it? Are you impatiently waiting like me right now? I’d love to hear from you.
Did you miss one of my blogs in February? Here’s a chance to see them:
My Agony of WaitingWho Should Write a Foreword to a Biography?Valentine’s Day 2021! So Different Yet So Good!Remember My Extreme Costa Rica 2020 Trip?
~HAVE YOU ORDERED YOUR AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~My Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00LLQTXSM
~ Visit my Etsy Shop for all my books: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
~VISIT MARY ZALMANEK, A FRIEND’S BLOG: Cooking in a One-Butt Kitchen | Eating Well in Small Spaces: https://cookinginaonebuttkitchen.com/
The post Waiting for the Vaccine? appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
February 21, 2021
Remember My Extreme Costa Rica, 2020 Trip?
The Rain Forest Canopy in Costa RicaHave you ever thought about going to Costa Rica? A year later, I remember the amazing trip we had to Costa Rica in 2020 and sigh deeply! A trip of a lifetime, and I want to go back!! Let’s revisit my blog posts about this trip for your travel pleasure and mine. Victoria, the trip organizer, and Enrique, our guide, put together a fun-filled trip with variety and adventure. We spent time in villages shopping, in the rain forest looking for exotic animals and by the ocean soaking up the sun! You couldn’t have asked for a better experience!
So where is Costa Rica?So, visit any or all of my blog posts about this wonderful trip to get a glimpse of this beautiful country:
I’ve Fallen in Love Again!Extreme Costa Rica: Highlights of Our First Four Days!Extreme Costa Rica: Mawamba and Our Animal AdventureExtreme Costa Rica: Zip Line Adventure and MoreExtreme Costa Rica: Snorkeling & The End!Costa Rica Reflections in PoetryI’m a great one to remember anniversaries of special events in my life—this is one that has been reeling around in my mind for most of January and February because we traveled there in January 2020, but I wrote my narrative mostly in February.
A Coatimundi we saw on our trip!I have thousands of pictures that I have revisited; snapshots of a world so different from my dry desert and mountains of New Mexico. Thinking back, this trip challenged me to expand myself in so many ways, and I’m always up for a challenge!
The group we traveled with became known as, “The Dirty Dozen” and has kept connected through the year with a couple Zoom get-togethers. It’s funny how we remember key events and retell the stories again and again. Facebook also keeps us abreast of each other’s lives. Initially, most of us didn’t know each other, but after twelve days of adventure, exploration, and spending travel time in a van, we became close friends. We plan to journey again some time, some place whenever we can. When you find people you can travel with, keep them close!
So, do you travel? Have you had a trip of a lifetime? More than one? Have you been to Costa Rica? If so, what was your favorite city? Area?
Did you miss one of my recent blogs? Here’s a chance to see the last three weeks:
My Agony of WaitingWho Should Write a Foreword to a Biography?Valentine’s Day 2021! So Different Yet So Good!
~HAVE YOU ORDERED YOUR AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~My Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00LLQTXSM
~ Visit my Etsy Shop for all my books: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
~VISIT MARY ZALMANEK, A FRIEND’S BLOG: Cooking in a One-Butt Kitchen | Eating Well in Small Spaces: https://cookinginaonebuttkitchen.com/
The post Remember My Extreme Costa Rica, 2020 Trip? appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
February 14, 2021
Valentine’s Day 2021! So Different Yet So Good!
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Valentine’s Day 2021—a snowy frigid winter day in New Mexico! We’ve experienced a different celebration today yet so good! How have you spent your day?
Still we face coronavirus restrictions, so we had no choice of eating out to celebrate this day. Our marriage has spanned ten years, and Lin and I have been together for eleven. As the years rolled by, this celebratory day of love has changed.
Early in our relationship, Lin filled it with memorable times of special gifts and memorable nights. Now we comfortably celebrate in much less dramatic ways, yet know the depth of our love grows each year. Now, we exchange cards, flowers and nominal gifts.
As I pondered the whole impact of the holiday today, I found some really poignant and fun memes I’d like to share with you:
This is for Jesse, my cat!
That look!
Again those eyes!
Did it find you?
For my writer’s heart!
Another one for my writer’s soul!
The place where love is!
Oh, those precious memories!Years don’t lessen the love in a relationship—it doesn’t have to grow stale. In fact, we have deepened our relationship, especially with the intense togetherness the pandemic forced on all of us. As we went through this unsettling time mostly 24/7, I found a deep-rooted respect for Lin and his work ethics. His humor delights me every morning when he serenades me and Jesse, my cat, belting out a rhyming ditty he created on the spot. His deep care and commitment to me still leaves me breathless!
The routine we created during this time together comforts my soul: a leisure morning of Lin reading his current history book and me doing my Quiet Time then Cribbage and breakfast. We go our separate ways then lunch together and a thirty-minute comedy series where we laugh together. We spend our afternoons separate on our own endeavors. Then after his workout and my walk, we head towards the hot tub for warmth and again a leisure time to talk over our world’s matters.
After a shower and dinner, we sit shoulder-to-shoulder watching our favorite British detective solve yet another crime. Before the finale, we share our choices of the villain!
Then off to bed we go! Quite a different routine for us than our usual busy lifestyle of constant dancing and traveling. And the benefit yielded—wow!
Right now, Lin naps on the loveseat downstairs waiting for the Nascar race to restart after a rainstorm. This last week, he has worked hard in the yard, preparing for spring planting, so he needs the nap and refreshment.
I write at my laptop in the loft and I hear only his soft snores—the heartwarming music of my Valentine’s Day with a dear, dear man for many years, still so, so good!
Finally, I love the reward of time together in a relationship, and I value Lin Miller as much today as I did ten years ago—maybe more because of what we have experienced.
What’s your routine? How has your relationship grown during the pandemic? How did you spend Valentine’s Day?
Did you miss one of my recent blogs? Here’s a chance to see one from the last three weeks:
Did Democracy Win? Hell, Yes!My Agony of WaitingWho Should Write a Foreword to a Biography?
~HAVE YOU ORDERED YOUR PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~My Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00LLQTXSM
~ HURRY! ENDS TODAY! Visit my Etsy Shop for all my books for a Valentine’s Day discount of 25% off select books and bundles: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
~HURRY! ENDS TODAY! Enter the $400 Valentine Giveaway & WIN a $400 Amazon eCard! Only One Lucky Winner – Why not YOU? ~> http://ow.ly/L7Vn50DkYGN~VISIT MARY ZALMANEK, A FRIEND’S BLOG: Cooking in a One-Butt Kitchen | Eating Well in Small Spaces: https://cookinginaonebuttkitchen.com/
The post Valentine’s Day 2021! So Different Yet So Good! appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
February 7, 2021
Who Should Write a Foreword to a Biography?
For quite a while, I wondered who Flippo would choose to write the Foreword to his biography. Before he died, I asked him a couple times who he wanted to write it. Each time we broached the topic, he lamented over the fact Betty Casey and J. C. Wilson, his two mentors from the Abilene, Texas area, were dead because they were his first choice. He made no decision before his death. I ended up with the perfect person: John Flippo, his son.
During our conversations, he kept evading the question. I would repeat, “Flip, who do you want to write the Foreword to this book?” Names came up, and his lack of commitment spoke volumes—so many had died already. So, we made no decision before his death.
After he died, I continued to muse over this vital part of the book. My husband, Lin, suggested John Flippo, his son. Immediately, I knew in my heart and soul I had found the right person, so I asked him, and John humbly agreed to write it. Any time Flippo talked of John, his voice softened, and his deep fatherly love shone through, using words like “my best friend“ and “good man.” What powerful words to describe the love and respect Flip had for his son.
In reading John’s Foreword, his words speak reciprocally of his father. Enjoy what John wrote:
FOREWORD
I remember my first-grade teacher going around the room and asking each of us what our fathers did for a living. There were lawyers, doctors, truck drivers, and the like, but when she got to me, I proclaimed my dad was a square dance ca!ler! The whole room busted out laughing.
Restraining her own giggles, the teacher informed me that square dancing was a hobby, not something someone did for a living, but I insisted, with only a hint of doubt in my young voice. She asked where he went in the mornings and what kind of uniform he wore. He wore a bolo tie and cowboy boots, but I was certain that if I mentioned that, I would have been laughed at again.
Being a square dance caller was the only job I knew my dad to have. He was one of the best in the world, but of course he would never say that. People who danced to his calls always made a point to tell me how much he meant to them and how much they loved him.
I never cared for school and didn’t plan on taking any more, so when I graduated high school, I was thrilled. Unfortunately, shortly after, my mom told me that instead of just working at our resort, Kirkwood Lodge, I was going to need to go out and get a real job. This was a responsibility I had never considered, nor thought to consider.
Noticing I was reeling from the revelation, my mom suggested that I go on tour with my dad. She has always been there to rescue me when needed. Going on tour seemed to me a great deal better than getting a real job or going to more school. The plan was to do three months out east, come home for Christmas, and finish with three months out west. Dad made room in the car for my boom box and a few dozen t-shirts, and we were off.
Dad loved everything about touring, and we loved being on the road. We reveled in making good time on a trip (we took this very seriously), getting “smokie” and “statie” reports from the CB radio, finding the cheapest motels in the best locations, and finding the best coffee and breakfast in town. The only thing he didn’t like was doing laundry. He taught me how to do it, and it was clear this was my main purpose in being on the trip. I am still using those skills today at FlipBack, our boutique resale store.
Dad made a point to introduce me right away at the dances. I was shy and tended to mumble, but no one cared about that. I was Marshall Flippo’s son, and that made me royalty and an instant friend of anyone that knew my dad. We both had great memories of that tour. I got to see another side of my dad, and I learned more on that trip than I could have ever learned in school.
When my dad told me Larada was planning on writing a book about him, I was ecstatic. I had always thought his life would make a great book, and I was immediately on board. He was a little harder to sell. He didn’t want the cover to mention square dancing, or have a picture of him on it, and he figured the book would be better if he didn’t talk about himself. Fortunately, Larada won him over. I could tell, the more they worked together, he began to look forward to their weekly interviews. He would even take notes during the week of things he wanted to go over or something he thought might be interesting. I hope you enjoy this book as much as he and Larada did in putting it together.
John Flippo June 5, 2019
Left: Flippo & John Calling Together, Middle: Flippo & John at Kirkwood, Right: John, Shelly and Flippo ready to go on the lake! Source: John FlippoWhen I read this Foreword for the first time, I choked up—what a precious tribute to Flippo from his loving son.
In 2021, I plan to feature monthly an excerpt from the book, Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo, for your reading enjoyment.
In conclusion, if asked to write a Foreword for your dad or mom’s biography, how would it sound? How about if your children wrote yours, how would they describe your relationship? Something to think about.
Here’s a chance to see my blog posts from the last two weeks:
~Did Democracy Win? Hell, Yes!
~HAVE YOU ORDERED A PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Larada’s Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00LLQTXSM
~ Visit my Etsy Shop for all my books for a Valentine’s Day discount of 25% off select books and bundles: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
Enter the $400 Valentine Giveaway & WIN a $400 Amazon eCard! Only One Lucky Winner – Why not YOU? ~> http://ow.ly/L7Vn50DkYGN~VISIT MARY ZALMANEK, A FRIEND’S BLOG: Cooking in a One-Butt Kitchen | Eating Well in Small Spaces: https://cookinginaonebuttkitchen.com/
The post Who Should Write a Foreword to a Biography? appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
January 31, 2021
My Agony of Waiting
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Waiting? For a dream to come true? Waiting a long time? No answer? The wrong answer? A reoccurring heartache in my younger life came up last week: waiting to get pregnant. After reading a Bible study program on waiting, back I went forty years ago.
I married my first husband in September 1973, and in December I stopped taking my birth control pills, hoping to get pregnant, and it happened easily. Around three months pregnant, I walked into see my gynecologist’s office pregnant, thinking I would hear the heart beat for the first time and walked out not pregnant. I had had something he called a “mis-abort.”
In Googling it, I found “A missed abortion is a miscarriage in which your fetus didn’t form or has died, but the placenta and embryonic tissues are still in your uterus. It’s known more commonly as a missed miscarriage. It’s also sometimes called a silent miscarriage.”
After that life-changing experience, I have no memory of how I drove home to southwest Denver from downtown. At 20 years old, I had my heart set on having a baby. My brother and his wife had a baby; my friends had children. I had been raised to get married and have children, so it was in my DNA.
Monthly, waiting for my period became torture. When my period came, I sobbed and spent the rest of the month longing for it to happen. It had happened so effortlessly once. Why not now?
After a few more unsuccessful years and frustration, we decided to seek out the help of a fertility specialist, and we found the best—Dr. Bradley who started the Bradley Method of childbirth. “The Bradley method of natural childbirth (also known as “husband-coached childbirth”) is a method of natural childbirth developed in 1947 by Robert A. Bradley, M.D. (1917–1998) and popularized by his book Husband-Coached Childbirth, first published in 1965. The Bradley method emphasizes that birth is a natural process: mothers are encouraged to trust their body and focus on diet and exercise throughout pregnancy; and it teaches couples to manage labor through deep breathing and the support of a partner or labor coach.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_method_of_natural_childbirth
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At this time, I felt encouraged after our first appointment with Dr. Bradley, and he invited us to his house that evening where women who had just given birth to their children through the Bradley Method showed them off. I reveled in the possibility.
Then he started fertility testing on my ex-husband first, simply because a man’s test is much easier than a woman—a sperm sample. After this test, we received the bad news. He had a disorder called aspermia, “inability to produce or ejaculate semen.”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/aspermia
When Dr. Bradley relayed this information to us, he also told my ex-husband that the miscarriage I had earlier was caused by weak sperm—hard news for a man to hear! He offered alternatives: artificial insemination or adoption.
Broken hearted, we isolated individually and grieved over this major loss. I toyed with the idea of artificial insemination until I found out it would be from a donor and not my ex-husband. He basically refused.
During a Christmas holiday during this heart wrenching time, my larger family unit met together to have the holiday with my grandmother on my dad’s side. Toddlers and babies abounded, and one proud cousin strutted around the house and repeated often throughout the evening, “Aren’t we a fertile bunch!” He had no idea what we were going through, but I cringed every time he professed our family’s fertility.
Being in our twenties, we continued to be surrounded by friends and family members pregnant with families growing. I ached to join the ranks.
After much thought and prayer, our only alternative became adoption. We decided on the Lutheran Social Services as the adoption agency to use. They handled the process differently than other adoption agencies. Instead of doing the deep investigation into our backgrounds immediately, they waited until it was closer to our adoption date. They felt if you waited three years or more, you had nothing to hide.
From then on, we attended meetings and learned about the process. We saw other couples see their dreams come true, so we waited, feeling positive about our chances.
After waiting three years, we finally received notification that we would receive our baby in six months. Excitedly, I started knitting booties and baby afghans. My Mom and I bought baby clothes and blankets. So did my mother-in-law. Everyone joined in our excitement. I just couldn’t believe it.
But with the notification of the baby coming, the adoption agency would start the background checks, and my ex-husband knew that. I knew my husband had a drinking problem and had been unfaithful to me, but I loved him and looked away. What I didn’t know was he had much more to hide than I thought, so he left me.
At the same time, we divorced and had to cancel the adoption, and that ended my hopes of having a child.
Over the years, I have grieved repeatedly the barren state of my life. In 1995, I turned to poetry to express the pain:
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Childless The pain of being without child! Eternally alone! No child has burst forth from my womb nor sucked at my breast. Empty cavity deep inside waiting to be filled with life. Waiting, waiting, waiting! I have no child to pass my stories on to, my history, our history, how Grandad created our ranch, how special Branson Christmas trees are because we cut them down from our ranch, our land, how to do the Jessie polka and waltz, how I was almost named Jessie. My name, Larada, that should be passed on to my granddaughter, like my grandmother passed it on to me, every other generation for 7 generations. Cheated, robbed, failed! Not woman, not mom, nothing! Does a child define a woman? Does the lack of them define me? Names and faces dance in circles in my mind-- Lael Marie Patrick Lawrence Curly blond hair, blue inquisitive eyes. Bright red hair, changeable hazel eyes. A mixture of him and me. I have no daughter that has my smile nor a son with my Dad’s red hair. No one to call me, “Mommy.” The empty cavity waiting to be filled has grown larger no longer just my womb, but now my whole being, my every thought, ME! Aching, lonely, pulsating to the beat of life missing what never was!
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In a way, it’s strange that this came up now; I’m 67 years old. God gave me lots of children in my classroom over the years. My brother and his wife shared their three children with me, and now they have shared their children, too. My cousin shared her three daughters, so God filled the void.
I ultimately believe my childless life speaks of God’s mercy and love. For many years after my first marriage, I had an unsettled life which would have been hard on a child. As I waited for the answer I wanted, God in his infinite mercy gave me different response to my prayer for a child and said, “No!” and I understand why today.
So, don’t take having children for granted. Many women’s hearts break every day for the lack of a baby suckling at their breast. If you have children, be grateful!
Did you have trouble getting pregnant? If, not, why are your children a blessing to you today?
Last week’s blog post:
~Did Democracy Win? Hell, Yes!
~HAVE YOU ORDERED A PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Larada’s Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00LLQTXSM
~ Visit my Etsy Shop for all my books for a Valentine’s Day discount of 25% off select books and bundles: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
Enter the $400 Valentine Giveaway & WIN a $400 Amazon eCard! Only One Lucky Winner – Why not YOU? ~> http://ow.ly/L7Vn50DkYGN~VISIT MARY ZALMANEK, A FRIEND’S BLOG: Cooking in a One-Butt Kitchen | Eating Well in Small Spaces: https://cookinginaonebuttkitchen.com/
The post My Agony of Waiting appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
January 24, 2021
Did Democracy Win? Hell, yes!
Photo by
Edgar Colomba
from
Pexels
I cherish and respect our long-held democracy in the United States of America, but then on January 6, 2021, my heart dropped as I watched domestic terrorists breach our Capitol. I’ve spent the last couple weeks mulling over the the bizarre start to 2021. Insurrection has become an often-repeated word. Really? Pertaining to the United States of America? Oh, my God! For other countries, other angry people, yes, but here? I thought we were immune to this sort of rebellion.
So, I turned to poetry to process my feelings.
Photo by
Edgar Colomba
from
Pexels
Insurrection, Not a Part of My Vocabulary
January 11, 2021
Definition, “an act or instance of revolting against civil authority or an established government.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insurrection
The word, insurrection
Has never been
A daily word in
My vocabulary.
Never
Until January 6, 2021
Invoked its repetition
Over and over
Again.
I witnessed
The invasion of our Capitol
By a blood thirsty mob.
Shocked
Spellbound
Disgusted
Violence
Planned
To take over
Our Capitol,
To take hostage
Certain congressmen and women
Our vice president
To execute them!
Gallows with a noose constructed
Within view of the Capitol.
Elected officials heard
Their names screamed
As they feared
For their lives!
For months,
I’ve heard rumblings
Of a Civil War
From conservative and liberal
Friends
And family.
I knew they were planning something.
Facebook knew.
Twitter knew.
Why didn’t the government know?
A question that needs answered.
Insurrection in the USA!
I’m 67 years old,
Never before
In my lifetime.
An anger that has raged
For years
Spun
Out of control
In
that insurrection.
What’s coming?
On January 20, 2021
Inauguration Day
Threats of massive protests
All over the country.
The Civil War could be here!
What do I do?
The two weeks before the Inauguration I wondered. I checked news’ source repeatedly. The FBI actively arrested the leaders of the insurrection which totally changed the atmosphere at the Inauguration.
The military presence of 25,000 National Guardsmen in Washington, D. C. sent a strong message to the disruptors—we will not let it happen again!
Here’s my poem after the Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris:
Insurrection or Democracy? Who Won?
January 22, 2021
On January 6, 2021
Insurrection raised its
Bloody head
Stood armed
And
Dangerous.
Fear constricted my throat.
A breached Capitol
Desecrated with
Angry urine
A Confederate flag
Unfulfilled dreams
The threats of death
And
Execution
Of
Legislators
Our vice president.
Did democracy win? Hell, yes!
Our legislators counted the votes!
Insurrection did not stand in the way!
Two weeks we waited
As a country,
Holding our collective breaths
Multiple arrests
Family members turning in protesters
More video of the vile carnage.
Rumors abounded—
More violence
More threats
For January 20, 2021
Inauguration day.
Photo by
Jill Wellington
from
Pexels
But democracy won!
A civil exchange of leadership
A warm presidential speech
Overflowing with calm,
A call to unity.
Musical interludes
Patriotic celebrations
Then my heart exploded!
Amanda GormanAmanda Gorman spoke,
The young black poet
Crowned her black braids
With festive red ribbon.
My poet’s heart soared.
Her words captured
unquestionably
A much-needed positivity.
Her presentation,
Clear and precise!
Don’t let your political party affiliation
Stop you! Listen to her words!
They expressed
A positive spin
Of our wounded nation
“The Hill We Climb”
with multiple alliterations
and strong imagery.
Amanda’s words
Healed my heart
Healed my fear.
I pray deeply, “If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
The light
Did democracy win? Hell, yes!
As an English teacher, I printed Amanda’s poem and marked it up, circling the numerous alliterations and images. The repeated sounds created a poetic rhythm that soothed my soul. She made two references to the award-winning play, Hamilton, in her poem. https://bookstr.com/article/amanda-gorman-references-hamilton-in-the-hill-we-climb/
Poetry, above any other genre, needs to be heard, and there’s a magic if it’s in the poet’s voice. Reading it is good, but hearing it is so much better. Be sure and listen to Amanda’s presentation of her poem, “The Hill We Climb.”
If you’d like a copy of Amanda’s poem, download here:
The Hill We Climb_Amanda_GormanDownloadAs we move forward in 2021, insurrection no longer needs to be spoken or thought about. I choose to focus on peace and the spirit of Amanda’s intriguing poem.
How about you?
~HAVE YOU ORDERED A PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Larada’s Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00LLQTXSM
~ Visit my Etsy Shop for all my books: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
~VISIT MARY ZALMANEK, A FRIEND’S BLOG: Cooking in a One-Butt Kitchen | Eating Well in Small Spaces: https://cookinginaonebuttkitchen.com/
The post Did Democracy Win? Hell, yes! appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
January 17, 2021
What Does Seven Years of Blogging Look Like?
Seven years! Thank you to any reader who took the time to read what I deemed my priority for that week. I so love thinking about my weekly blog post. Topics tumble around in my head, percolating. I usually spend Sunday afternoon writing my weekly post.
Since 2019, I’ve evaluated my year of blogging during the early part of January. I believe this type of deep assessment has helped me grow my exposure.
During my first few years, I adopted the suggestion to do a blog but posted sporadically and had no commitment to it. My first year I posted seven times—obviously not a priority in my life! Something happened in 2018, and it’s grown ever since.
As I faced 2020, I planned to write about the following:
Our TravelsSquare DancingMAJOR FOCUS: Marshall Flippo and promoting my new bookPersonal life storiesBeing 65 and fully aliveHoliday highlightsRanch life in southeastern ColoradoMy 16-year-old cat, JesseLittle did I know, that the coronavirus would affect much of my writing for the year. Yes, we had two amazing trips. In January, we spent twelve days in Costa Rica, and I wrote about that amazing trip in six posts. My readers loved my travel blogs, and February 2020 showed a marked increase in views—2511 for the month. That month ended up my biggest month of the year!
At the end of February, we traveled to Spain, and I had the same plan—blog about our trip featuring each day in my weekly blog. Then the coronavirus hit! I did feature the nine day Spain trip in four blogs, but the pandemic changed my plans for the year.
As a poet, I turned to writing poetry to process my feelings generated by the pandemic, so I featured those poems and my narrative in twenty-seven posts. And as an offshoot of those posts, I collected those posts in a book I’m publishing in the next couple months that will be available on Amazon as a paperback and e-book titled Bitter or Better: My Coronavirus Journey.
2020 saw a marked increase in views and visitors by almost 5000 each. My blogs about our trips and the coronavirus stimulated that increase. Look at the growth my blog has had over the last seven years:
Here’s how many posts I have published in seven years:
2014 – 72015 – 162016 – 62017 – 222018 – 542019 – 662020 – 64For a total of 235! Wow! That’s a lot of words!
My audience continued to span the globe. I advertised worldwide on Facebook last year, until recently when it made that option not available. That concerns me for future growth worldwide.
The United States continued to be my biggest market, followed by countries with the most to least visits: Myanmar, China, Algeria, India, Ireland, Nepal, Laos, Philippines, and Bangladesh.
Other visitors came from Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Canada, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Iraq, Turkey, United Kingdom, Australia, Bhutan, Vietnam, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Tunisia, Libya, Japan, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Honduras, Sweden, France, Brazil, Morocco, Cote d’lvoire, South Africa, Afghanistan, Mali, Somalia, Maldives, Venezuela, Congo – Brazzaville, Paraguay, Armenia, Suriname, Ecuador, Cambodia, Senegal, Jordan, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Samoa, Denmark, Mozambique, Fiji, Costa Rica, Ukraine, Peru, Nigeria, Lebanon, Congo – Kinshasa, Guinea, United Arab Emirates, Palestinian Territories, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka, Italy, Tanzania, Albania, Timor-Leste, Spain, Romania, Chile, Angola, Russia, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, Guyana, Mauritania, Thailand, Georgia, Chad, Liberia, Cape Verde, Belgium, Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan, Belize, New Zealand, Malaysia, Kenya, Djibouti, Togo, Macedonia, Switzerland, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Brunel, Serbia, Singapore, Ghana, Gambia, Vanuatu, Jamaica, Israel, American Samoa, Bulgaria, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Uruguay, Solomon Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, Moldova, Benin, Northern Mariana Islands, Comoros, Finland, Caribbean Netherlands, Greece, Gabon, Burundi, Taiwan, Hungary, Martinique, Guinea-Bissau, Curacao, Mauritius, Panama, Czech Republic, European Union, South Sudan, Lesotho, Zambia, Poland, Niger, Micronesia, South Korea, Equatorial Guinea, St. Lucia, Oman, Central African Republic, Palau, Rwanda, Yemen, Madagascar, Namibia, Cook Islands, Lithuania, Tonga, Kosovo, St. Pierre & Miquelon, Zimbabwe, Norway, Aruba, Bahrain, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Barbados, U. S. Virgin Islands, Kuwait, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sint Maarten, French Guiana, Anguilla, Reunion, Uzbekistan and Guam.
In 2019, visitors came from 154 different countries to my blog. This year it expanded to 176 countries! That is so amazing to me, and it shows the worldwide accessibility to the Internet.
So, I’d like to share the take-aways from this in-depth look at my blogging history:
Blogging has become a major focus of my writing.Readers especially like my blogs about our travels.Readers emailed me about my blogs about the coronavirus.I love the worldwide audience I have created with my blog!Seven years of sharing my thoughts! I continue to want more interaction with my readers. Respond, like, let me know what you think. Let’s have a dialogue!
~HAVE YOU ORDERED A PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~ Visit my Etsy Shop for all my bookss https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
~VISIT A FRIEND’S BLOG: Cooking in a One-Butt Kitchen | Eating Well in Small Spaces: https://cookinginaonebuttkitchen.com/
The post What Does Seven Years of Blogging Look Like? appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
January 10, 2021
Epiphany 2021: Light & Darkness Collide
Light and Darkness CollideOn Epiphany 2021, January 6th became a day in USA history. Light and darkness collided with not many even aware of that fact. Most years this ecclesiastical day goes unnoticed except for those who celebrate it. I will never forget this year.
So, what is Epiphany to me, as an Episcopalian? “. . . the church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany, which marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas each year on January 6. Epiphany is a Greek word meaning “manifestation” or “appearing.” At the Feast of the Epiphany we celebrate Jesus being made manifest or appearing as Christ.”
https://episcopalchurch.org/files/bi010613half.pdf
The Episcopal church says: Epiphany is “. . . the manifestation of Christ to the peoples of the earth. The day was called “The Feast of Lights.”
https://episcopalchurch.org/library/glossary/epiphany
“On the Feast of the Epiphany, the Wise Men, or Magi, arrive bearing gifts and present the Christ child with gold (recognizing him as king), frankincense (recognizing him as a priest) and myrrh (an anointing oil for burial).”
https://www.newsday.com/long-island/asking-clergy-what-does-the-epiphany-celebrate-1.25264739
Normally, I have mixed feelings with the arrival of Epiphany because it marks the end of Christmas, and I love the Christmas season and everything about it. I do love Epiphany, though, because of its focus: Jesus, the light of the world. I wait to take down my Christmas decorations until then. In its own way, Epiphany is a celebratory time.
This year, I dreaded this day for weeks ahead of time because I knew it coincided with the certification of the results of the election by Congress, and I knew protesters planned an event in Washington.
When the day came, initially I forgot it was January 6. I did my normal routine: my Quiet Time reading and writing in the morning, rousing Cribbage games with Lin, my husband, during breakfast and normal stuff. At 11:00 am, I had a Zoom meeting with my marketing agent and ten other authors.
After finishing that peaceful, supportive meeting, I headed downstairs. Lin came in the door, returning from a trip to Walmart. He had listened to a news station on Sirius, and said, “Turn on the TV. They’re storming the Capitol.”
I did; we ate lunch trying to digest the horrific activity before our eyes. Our Capitol had been breached by the protesters, no terrorists. I sat glued to the TV for the rest of the afternoon and early evening. Image after image exploded on the screen of these lawless invaders looting the Capitol. Darkness raised its ugly head.
As I watched, I cried! I posted my despair on Facebook and received massive support and one dissenter. What a dark day in our history! I realized that day stood as a turning point in my life for acceptance of the lies perpetuated over the last two months about the election and the results. It had been brewing for four years, so I set boundaries on Facebook with supporters of this sedition.
As the afternoon dimmed into night, I remembered Fr. Dan Tuton, the priest at my Episcopal church, had scheduled a Zoom Epiphany Service and I planned to attend. Should I? What new development would I miss? My hours’ long vigil had worn me out. I needed to refocus on God and love and light.
Earlier in the afternoon, I had shared with Lin I planned to attend this service, and he joined me. I want to thank Fr. Dan Tuton and Hope in the Desert Episcopal Church for a peaceful reflective Epiphany service in the midst of such a turbulent day. He read Matthew 2:1-12, recounting the Magi’s visit to the Messiah. Then he read Henry Van Dyke’s, The Story of the Other Wise Man.
How I did need that time bathed in the glory of Epiphany. God works in mysterious ways for sure. Right before we took an intermission at the mid-point in Van Dyke’s story, a dear friend messaged me with a personal prayer request, so I shared it with the group, and we prayed right then. I knew they would because my church is a healing community. Whew! My God in the middle of chaos!
The images from that infamous day whirl around in my mind still. Because I’m a historian and record keeper, I downloaded several images of the looters, the terrorists, the destruction, thinking I would use them in this blog, but no! I do not want to give them any more notoriety. Instead I want to provide a respite from the chaos.
Let’s focus on the light, the Christ Child who lights up my life. Fr. Dan helped me refocus that sad day to a commemoration of three wise men (or more or less. No one knows for sure) who traveled a long distance to confirm the birth of the Messiah as described in Matthew who witnessed the beginning of His life.
Then in Van Dyke’s story, The Story of the Other Wise Man, he revealed another possible wise man, Artaban, who touched my heart with his willingness to give his gifts intended for the Messiah to those in need. In doing that, he missed the Magi’s finding of the Christ Child but had a serendipitous meeting with Jesus later.
So, this sad day ended on a positive note, with a celebration of the Magi honoring the Christ child and the giving spirit of Artaban. I felt God’s light and love emanating from this Scripture, this tale and this service.
How can we refocus now? How can we identify the goodness of our country and its people? I would be interested in your thoughts!
~Visit my blog post from last week:
What Does 2021 Hold for Us? https://laradasbooks.com/2021/01/03/what-does-2021-hold-for-us/
~HAVE YOU ORDERED A PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller
~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~ BEGINNING OF THE YEAR SALE: Visit my Etsy Shop for 25% off individual paperback titles & bundles. Good until JANUARY 15, 2021. https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
~VISIT A FRIEND’S BLOG: Cooking in a One-Butt Kitchen | Eating Well in Small Spaces: https://cookinginaonebuttkitchen.com/
The post Epiphany 2021: Light & Darkness Collide appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
January 3, 2021
What Does 2021 Hold For Us?
Photo by
Vladislav Murashko
from
Pexels
2021 is here! Yahoo! Happy New Year! Whew! I thought it would never come! Closing 2020 with a quiet bang, I look to opening up 2021 with enthusiastic gusto!
But like so many others, I reminisced about meaningful past New Year’s Eves, and one repeatedly came to mind. In 2017 many square dance callers and dancers met in Green Valley, Arizona to witness Marshall Flippo call at his last square dance on New Year’s Eve 2017.
Flippo’s Last Dance 2017Many national callers came out to see their mentor and friend end a 60 year+ career. Numerous dancers traveled from far and wide to hear Flippo call one last time. I felt the magic in the air that night—sadness mixed with deep love and appreciation. I will never forget that evening nor my dear friends in attendance.
This year, we celebrated a quiet one. We watched “Bells of St. Mary” with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman and cried at the ending even though we had seen it before. After the movie, we prepped an elk roast and vegetables to cook in the crockpot overnight for our New Year’s Day dinner. Then we ended the year watching the celebration on the plaza in Santa Fe, NM—what a New Mexican party it was. I loved that they sang, “Las Mañanitas!” to bring in the new year!
So, let’s talk about this new year. 2021 is an empty book, a new chapter, today a blank page in my life! What will I do in 2021 with still so much uncertainty? Yes, we have the vaccine, but not many people have been inoculated yet. So, we need to be cautious and use those familiar safety suggestions:
MasksSocial distancingWash, wash, wash our hands
That just reminded me of a hilarious experience Lin and I had on cruises we have taken. Greeting us at the door of any restaurant onboard, two ship employees sprayed our hands with sanitizer and sang, “Washy, washy.” What made this so hilarious was the enthusiasm they did their task with—smiles and pure joy! I wish most Americans handled all the safety suggestions with such joy and enthusiasm!
So, as I ponder 2021, I think about a day in this year as being a blank page—the nemesis of many writers. I love the sight of a clean page, a new year, a new beginning. I choose what’s written there. I choose my attitude with which I face each day. I choose to be positive and proactive.
So, I spent part of yesterday and today reading book marketing ideas to prepare for this new year as an author. I jotted down several new ideas to incorporate into my plan for 2021. I also thought about how I want my life to be different, especially incorporating what I learned in my solitude in 2020.
A Word Cloud of My 2021 GoalsSo, here’s my list (more than book marketing stuff):
Publish a new book, Bitter or Better: My Year’s Coronavirus JourneyDo my daily Quiet timeDanceAttend recovery meetingsDancePromote my books, especially the Flippo book at dance eventsDanceExerciseDanceSpend time outside in natureDanceConnect face-to-face or virtually with family and friendsDanceRecreational ReadingDanceVisit our family ranch in ColoradoDance
As you can see, dancing tops my list of activities I want to add back this year.
As I face 2021, a year with possibilities, adventures and people, I wonder. I know I thought 2020 had all those possibilities. Will this year be different or more of the same? I’m sure the first part will feel very similar to 2020, but hopefully mid-year 2021 will take a turn towards normalcy.
What do you think?
I do want to end with some 2020 humor. This was shared our Next Door app before the end of the year, and I thought it was hilarious:
2020 – A YEAR IN REVIEW!!! I hope everyone can get a chuckle from this!
The dumbest thing I ever bought was a 2020 planner.I was so bored I called Jake from State Farm just to talk to someone He asked me what I was wearing.2019: Stay away from negative people. 2020: Stay away from positive people.The world has turned upside down. Old folks are sneaking out of the house & their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors! 5. This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her dog. It was obvious she thought her dog understood her. I came into my house & told my cat. We laughed a lot.Every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well.Does anyone know if we can take showers yet or should we just keep washing our hands?This virus has done what no woman has been able to do. Cancel sports, shut down all bars & keep men at home!I never thought the comment, “I wouldn’t touch him/her with a 6-foot pole” would become a national policy, but here we are! 10. I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.11. I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to the Backyard. I’m getting tired of the Living Room.12. Appropriate analogy. “The curve is flattening so we can start lifting restrictions now” is like saying: “The parachute has slowed our rate of descent, so we can take it off now.”13. Never in a million years could I have imagined I would go up to a bank teller wearing a mask & asking for money.14. The spread of COVID-19 is based on 2 things:How dense the population is;How dense the population is.
~Visit my Christmas blog posts:
Good bye 2020, Hello ’21! https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/31/good-bye-2020-hello-2021/Did the Coronavirus “Stay At Home” Rulings Affect Your Christmas Plans? https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/27/did-the-coronavirus-stay-at-home-ruling-affect-your-christmas-plans/Lin & Larada’s Christmas Newsletter and Decorations:https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/24/lin-and-laradas-christmas-newsletter-decorations/Charles Dickens’ Message for Christmas 2020:https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/20/charles-dickens-message-for-christmas-2020/What is Your Favorite Christmas Memory?https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/17/whats-your-favorite-christmas-memory/Christmas Shopping During the Pandemic?https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/13/christmas-shopping-during-the-pandemic/When Do You Put Up Your Christmas Tree? https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/10/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-tree/Holiday Greetings from the Flippos’ and Who Else? https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/06/holiday-greetings-from-the-flippos-and-who-else/Enjoy Three New Mexico Christmas Traditions! https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/02/enjoy-three-new-mexico-christmas-traditions/
~HAVE YOU ORDERED A PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY FOR A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR A LOVED ONE OR YOURSELF? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller
~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~ END OF THE YEAR SALE: Visit my Etsy Shop for 25% off individual paperback titles & bundles. Good until JANUARY 15, 2021. https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
The post What Does 2021 Hold For Us? appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
December 31, 2020
Good bye 2020, Hello ’21!
Good bye 2020, yes for sure! Hello 2021, welcome here! This afternoon, I wrote a couple poems to end this tumultuous year with my eyes on the next.
Standing on the Precipice
December 31, 2020
Photo by
@joagbriel
from
Pexels
Today I stand on a precipice
2020 here
2021 there
My heart yearns
For the normalcy
Of
2019
2018. . .
2020 stopped me
in my tracks
The world stopped
turning
Ten months shut-down
Shelter-in-place
Quarantine
Words I wasn’t familiar with
Before 2020
The new normal
Masks
Social distance
Wash your hands often
The life we live now
To protect us
To protect you
Good bye 2020
With your excruciating
Pain and loss
With your deep lessons
Of spiritual changes
With the coronavirus
Taking center stage
Hello 2021
Can you be new?
The same?
Normal?
Just a little bit!
I stand here
On the edge
One foot in 2020
One foot reaching
Stretching
For 2021
I extend my hands
To the future
To the unknown
To possibility
I still believe
God is here
In this moment
In the midst
Of life
In 2020
God will be in 2021
Also
Today, He gently grabs my hand
To jump into this next year
To face the uncertain future
To know the goodness of life
Yes, 2020 is over–Good bye!
Thank God!
2021 is here! Hello!
I’m ready!
We Get to Start Again!
December 31, 2020
Photo by
Karolina Grabowska
from
Pexels
A new year
A new beginning
Standing on the brink
Of 2021
I revel in its newness
A new year
With so many possibilities
Possibly more desirable
Because it’s 2021
Hope abounds!
A new day dawns
Upon a tired citizenry!
I smell anticipation in the air
I taste joy in each bite
I hear hope in cheerful voices
I feel kindness unfolding worldwide
Yes, we start anew
2021
A fresh slate
To write my dreams on
To sketch out my desires
To scrawl and doodle my ambitions
It can happen
Yes, the coronavirus is
Still here,
The surge continues
The cases and deaths mount,
But the vaccine provides a possibility
I must honor
The place where I am,
Before I can move forward
But as I stand
On the edge
Of 2021
For the first time
In months
I feel different
A sliver of hope
A dash of optimism
A smidgen of return to my old life
A glimmer of hope
Join me
Right now
In the universal
Circle of hope!
Good bye 2020, hello 2021! Do take this time to be mindful of this year behind us and one ahead!
And here’s a little humor to start the new year!
~Visit my Christmas blog posts:
Did the Coronavirus “Stay At Home” Rulings Affect Your Christmas Plans? https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/27/did-the-coronavirus-stay-at-home-ruling-affect-your-christmas-plans/Lin & Larada’s Christmas Newsletter and Decorations:https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/24/lin-and-laradas-christmas-newsletter-decorations/Charles Dicken’s Message for Christmas 2020:https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/20/charles-dickens-message-for-christmas-2020/What is Your Favorite Christmas Memory?https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/17/whats-your-favorite-christmas-memory/Christmas Shopping During the Pandemic?https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/13/christmas-shopping-during-the-pandemic/When Do You Put Up Your Christmas Tree? https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/10/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-tree/Holiday Greetings from the Flippos’ and Who Else? https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/06/holiday-greetings-from-the-flippos-and-who-else/Enjoy Three New Mexico Christmas Traditions! https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/02/enjoy-three-new-mexico-christmas-traditions/
~HAVE YOU ORDERED A PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY FOR A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR A LOVED ONE OR YOURSELF? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203 Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036 Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8 Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8 Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller
~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~ END OF THE YEAR SALE: Visit my Etsy Shop for 25% off individual paperback titles & bundles. Good until JANUARY 15, 2021. https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft
The post Good bye 2020, Hello ’21! appeared first on Larada Horner-Miller, Author.
