I am saddened to hear the death of an amazing woman, poet, celebrator of life and living, Maya Angelou. Last week I had just posted a poem I wrote in her honor on her Facebook. She has done so much for us…But a woman like that lives on in each of us…Nemaste my friend.
Ode to Maya Angelou
Maya –
Transformer
Spiritual reality
Messenger of the Gods
So ideally named
Your tragedy evolved strength
You, oh mother of words,
Who transforms women from frailty to power
With spiritual messages from the Gods,
You are love, you are light, you are a living message
To women of the world.
You are acceptance.
You are peace.
I first met my blogging friend Rhonda Blackhurst on the A-Z tour and really enjoyed reading all of her challenges because she writes passionately and from the heart, and I like that.
Rhonda Blackhurst asked if I could join her on a blogging tour of the Writing Process. I enjoy learning how others write so I can get clues and improve on my own writing process. I can’t wait to hear what works for you!
1.) What am I working on at the moment?
I am currently working on writing my dad’s biography. He has always been a closed man. I call him a “vaulted” man. He has Alzheimer’s and is a recovered alcoholic. Through various techniques, like Poetry Therapy and my education experience, I am learning more about my dad and developing a relationship with him.
Off on the side, I am writing poetry and essays and other fun tidbits to keep the writing muse going. I’ve always loved writing and getting to know people, so the blogging world has been perfect for me. I used to do a blog about ten years ago and really enjoyed the community. I also aspire to do a variety of other book projects that are budding for me.
2.) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
My current writing shows a developing relationship between a daddy and daughter, putting aside all the years of heartache and hard roads and differences from living with an alcoholic to forge a new relationship, leading from a soberly life. I’m also hoping to offer ways for others to assist their loved ones in living a more quality life if they have Alzheimer’s.
3.) Why do I write what I do?
My dad’s biography began as an adventure to gather some family history and seeking to know him better as a person. Throughout my life, my dad revealed very little of himself unless it had to deal with the weather or fishing or other activities as part of his outside world. I found some questions in a book that daddy allowed me to ask which opened a door for us. Through a lot of patience and tender loving care of my daddy’s feelings and life, he began to trust me enough to work on building his biography. Through the encouragement of a dear friend, I went from a 3 page essay to taking on the writing of a biography. Writing this way is truly a challenge and an adventure, but I’m truly enjoying the journey!
4.) How does my writing process work?
Because my dad is a vaulted man and has Alzheimer’s, it’s a delicate thing to gather information and to write about his life, especially linearly. Life stories don’t come to him that way. Often times I will get the same stories over again, but with new details, so I have to really be on my toes. And there are some stories, I can’t seem to access yet. So, I’ve developed a system of interviewing him daily and taking notes and saving them in folders by category so as to access them later.
If you have questions, please fire away!
Here are some fellow bloggers who have agreed to be on the tour with me. I know you will enjoy their work. They are truly personable people with a passion for writing. Be sure to visit them when they post their answers on June 2nd! We have a lot to learn from each other. Enjoy your day my friends.
Many people think I am the teacher; but honestly, when you are the teacher of five and six year olds, you become the student because they really understand what’s truly important in life. Remember the joy my friends….watch through their eyes.
Taste of Joy
Lessons from a Five Year Old
All that is significant in life is
The here and now,
What I am doing this very moment
Is the most important thing
And it has all my attention.
If I am painting,
There is no worry for where the paint splatters.
The joy comes from the act of getting it on the canvas,
Spattering, spilling, splashing,
Sloshing and galoshing,
As long as the colors are swished and mixed on the page.
Waiting for Prince Charming,
for lipstick and high heels,
for years to pass,
to reach “the right time.”
Ah, some day….I sigh
with the hopefulness of youth.
Waiting in checkout lines,
for holidays and weekends.
Children soon grown
with children of their own.
Filled with longing, regrets
and “what ifs,” I wait
and wait some more.
Then finally I fall
down the rabbit hole and see
that what I was waiting for
was always in me!
Not before or behind
only within will I find
my soul’s yearnings
for the right time.
Don’t you wish there were a warning sign like this to point out a “Rough Road” in life?” Not only is there a sign, but a pink flag waving in the wind!
My daughter pointed this sign out to me on our way to school one day. It made us giggle because we were going through some tough times. Lately, the writing road has been a tough one for me….mostly time because my day job, teaching is really busy now. But honestly, the toughest part is working on my dad’s story. Dad is locked up tight inside again.
Alzheimer’s is a nasty beast to the patient and to the families. It is confusing to know what to say and what not to say because they are so caught up in fear and paranoia that often we don’t know what to say. I can’t even hardly talk about what he’s going through on this post for fear that it will get back to him and somehow hurt him. And I’m not trying to hurt anyone. I’m just working for understanding, and writing it to you gets it out of me.
You see, what Alzheimer patients are going through is very very real to them. As my dad’s story unfolds, I realize more and more where his fears come from. He is afraid of people attacking him because he was jumped daily on his way to and from school. He feared for his life often because he knew the guys who jumped him carried knives, and he didn’t know when they would pull one on him.
Rush forward to the present, dad feels this same fear of people wanting to harm him and fearing for his life. Like I said, it’s REAL to HIM. His reasoning skills are waning, so I can’t reason with him about what is real. The most I can do is find ways to comfort him and refocus his energy on positive things. And sometimes I just listen because he needs a way to get the ugly out of him.
I won’t give you details because it will feel like airing dirty laundry. It’s not like that. It’s just that I want you to know there are others out there who understand what you are going through and maybe we can talk strategies together.
Sometimes poetry works with dad because he had such a love for words. And words can be healing. We’ve even written some poetry. For a little while oils like peppermint and orange worked, until he was afraid that the oils were something that would harm instead of help him. Everyone says to use music, but he doesn’t like it and doesn’t have a player. I know through interviews there was music he liked fondly. I’m hoping this summer to bring a CD player with me to visit him with some of those songs to try this out.
The good news is that these episodes go in cycles with some really bad days and then clear days just pop in. I must always be ready because I never know if “today will be the day.”
But I do know this, I never know how much time I will have with him, so I cherish each moment and every morsel of him that is revealed, the good, the bad and the ugly…because he’s my dad…he’s a part of me, and his history is part of me, and I want his grandchildren and great grandchildren to know this man better than the “vaulted man” I knew most of my life. I want to get as many locks off as I can.
Writing retreats are an investment. You are betting your hard earned money that the retreat you are embarking on has the information you need to grow beyond what you expect. You hope that you will gain some writing skills, network with people, and learn some things about the publishing industry. From speaking with others, I KNOW that this isn’t always the case.
I’ve been on 3 writing retreats through Inspired Legacy, with best selling author,
Bridget Cook, and I can tell you that though it seems like it would be the same retreat for me, I learn exponentially each time. Bridget is a soulful, masterful coach who is constantly growing and learning her craft and the latest and greatest in the publishing world so she can be the best for her clients.
Let me get more into more specifics of the retreat just in case you might be interested. Bridget brings phenomenal, engaging groups together and goes through the process of publishing a book, outlining steps of making your writing “juicy” as she calls it, assists you in your audience focus, exploring all publishing options that best suit you, as well as how the publishing process works. You also get to bring your book or idea of a book and have a one on one with Bridget where she gives her insightful feedback. What makes Bridget masterful is not only is she always learning her craft, but she is an avid reader and researcher. An avid reader knows what a reader wants, and an avid researcher knows the market well. You leave the retreat with so much information. I started my first retreat with a 3 page essay, and now I’m writing a book! (Blows my mind too.)
What I love the most, is you can extend the retreat by doing an intensive writing program with Bridget and go into the process deeper, making writing a COLLABORATIVE PROCESS. A dear friend of mine acknowledged this for me by saying “only you would take something like writing which is usually a solitary act and find a way to do it collaboratively”…obviously not only me, because there seem to be others craving the same thing. I believe that blogging is a lot like this collaborative process and we learn a lot from each other. This is just something a little bit more for those who might be ready for a new adventure.
I realize this is a plug for my friend, but I know there are others thinking of taking their writing to another level; and I know that Bridget is more than a writing coach, she’s an experienced author and a caring person who is great at individualizing the program for you. I went into the retreat with a 3 page essay about my dad, and now I’m not only writing his book, but have other great projects on a burner. DREAM BIG!!! (You’ll surprise yourself.)
Just some food for thought.
For those of you who read my blog and were hoping to hear more about my sweet dad, I should be getting back on track very soon. I’ve just had some busy weeks, and have another 3 busy weeks ahead until I can breathe. A teacherly life is crazy in May…and then you’ll really hear from me!
Have a blessed Sunday and happy writing!
Hope to give you an update later today.
Nemaste.
A writer’s retreat in Heber City with the beautiful Bridget Cook of Inspired Legacy.
I can’t wait to write down all my break throughs and noticings along my writing journey of my daddy’s legacy.
It was really fun creating this design with Jakob Marketing. I gave them ideas and suggestions and colors and made a few changes, and Wahlah! It’s as if they could read my mind!
Super easy to work with. So if you’re looking to create your own logo, then this is a place to at least consult: http://www.jakobmp.com
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY LOGO? HAPPY HAPPY DANCE!!!!
Writing Wings For You 