Some incidents from chaplaincy are unforgettable. One was watching a woman get cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — three times over the course of a day. Twice, she was resuscitated. Death won the last match-up, but not without a fight. Before the attending doctor instructed the code team to stop, the woman’s abdominal area looked like a…
Not just the leaves turning golden yellow in the background either! This is the desk of someone who only has one chapter to go to finish writing the first book in a new series. (Don’t get too excited, I still have to keep editing, (hence the big coffee pot) but I only have one chapter…
Are you living authentically? Someday, someone will reflect on that question. However, since the person will be speaking at your funeral, you won’t be there. We often wait until someone dies before we tell them how much they have meant to us. The word eulogy derives from Greek and means praise, although people generally associate…
I just can’t wait any longer. I have been slaving away, writing this book for oh–about ten years, TEN YEARS! (At least now the book is a three book series – but is that justification for how long this is taking? no!) These past few months I have been frantically trying to meet my publisher’s…
As I walked in a crosswalk, a driver stared at me and then rolled right in front of me. If I hadn’t stopped, the car would have hit me. It’s possible the phone she was using distracted her. As she passed, I noticed the license plate’s ironic message: Choose Life. Apparently, there are limits to…
It’s official! I have signed a three book contract to publish my new series The Journey of Cornelia Rose. Do you have any idea how excited I am??? #dreamjob. Just ecstatic that my series has been accepted at Evolved, since the competition to get published is pretty stiff, I am now a member of the team for…
Some of my memories from the early 60s are clear. Records and newspapers can confirm public events; unverifiable is what they meant to me. Mourning President Kennedy’s assassination: November 1963–a worldwide tragedy but heartbreaking and personal for Irish Catholic immigrants, like my parents–“He was one of us.” Watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show: Feb…
I have been having a blast researching West Point Academy history in the 1850s. Writing a few chapters about the Academy in those pre-civil war days, when West Point was busy training leaders for both the North and the South, demands not only online research but books, magazines like Bugle Notes and some trekking through…
In reading the eulogies for 81 year old Senator John McCain, what resonated was how he faced his final fight. He knew his brain cancer carried a death sentence. He did not deny or avoid, but planned for the end. He spent time inviting special people to memorialize him. Given his seeming pragmatic approach, he…
Finding the Right Title is an art all by itself. How do I convey the subject matter of a story and ‘knock out’ the reader all in one punch? After the genius (ok, ok, 1% genius, 99% work) of writing a book, the author still has to come up with a title that will not only…
First we had a problem with being called “Grandma” and “Grandpa”, coming up with such creative names as “GranMo”, “Z” and “Sweetums”. (I drew the line at Grandude and G-dawg.) Boomers Name Themselves. Now we have a problem with being called “Senior Citizen” “Elderly” and “Golden Ager”. Forget ‘Seniors’ Aging Boomers Search For A Better…
It started innocuously enough in October 2015. After a weekend of yard-work, Becky woke up and noticed that she was unable to bend her pinky. She visited a doctor who thought the problem might be related to a herniated disc. Before agreeing to surgery, Becky sought a second opinion and horrifyingly learned that she had…
