TAKING A BREAK

I am taking a break from all my packing to attend the Stories from the Heart National Conference. I belong to Story Circle Network...for Women with Stories to Tell and every two years they have a national conference that is one of the best conferences I have ever attended. I am so excited to go to this conference and meet up with friends that I have made from all over the country. Some of these women have blogs that I follow on a regular basis, some I have met at past conferences and some will be new to me. I am looking forward to the new friends I will meet this year.

I am also excited because Son #2, his wife, Kara and their three girls are coming because Kara will also attend the conference and will be a presenter on an on-line-writing panel Sunday morning. I will be the one sitting in the audience beaming with pride as I listen to what she has to say. Also, my good friend, Gwen, from down near the coast will be driving in tomorrow afternoon. It will be a busy time and I am really looking forward to all the new writing tips I will learn.

Busy Days!

The past weekend went by in a flash! On Saturday and Sunday I helped with a Story Circle Writing From Life workshop. It was a wonderful experience with about 20 participants exploring "the women we were," "the women we are," and "the women we hope to be." We also learned more about writing Legacy Statements or Ethical Wills. Some recommended sites for more about writing Legacy Statements can be found at http://www.ethicalwill.com/examples.html and http://www.yourethicalwill.com/.

Sunday evening we had a neighborhood gathering and birthday party for one of our neighbors. It was a beautiful evening and we had wonderful potluck food and a great time visiting. On the left is a picture of the "birthday boy" with a marvelous cake that his daughter and wife made for him!

We tried for a group neighborhood picture and it was interesting and challenging as we tried to get that many people still and paying attention at the same time.

And, finally, our big buck came in for a bit of food this morning. He was very rude because he used those horns to run off all the females who were also heading in for a late meal. The ladies did not argue with him much, except Bossy Mama, and she got poked in the side. She only tried to eat with him once and then moved on.

I Got Tagged Again...

Book Meme

Connie tagged me for a book meme and I had to inquire as to the process. It has taken me a little while to get around to it, but here it goes. The instructions are as follows: Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages). Open the book to page 123. Find the fifth sentence. Post the next three sentences. Tag five people.

I just happened to have the book, Writing from the Heart: Tapping the Power of Your Inner Voice, beside me on my computer desk because I heard the author, Nancy Slonim Aronie, speak at our Story Circle Network conference weekend before last. She was a wonderful speaker and charmed us in her talk entitled, “We Are All Alchemists: How to Turn Your Sorrow into Gold.” She kept us laughing even when she was talking about difficult topics and easily moved from laughter to tears and back again. She was most inspiring.

Here is the quote that I found on page 123: (she is talking about her writing workshops in this section of the book) "So in a group setting, the participants become the teachers for each other. I have come to understand that writers need help undoing the red marks that scarred their tender creative tissue, tissue that developed a hardness, a callousness that keeps the writing cold and the reader out. But safety and unconditional love are the salves that soften those scars.

As writers, you must learn how to translate your emotional experience onto paper."

And now I tag two bloggers that I enjoy visiting from time to time:

Boo Mama

Big Mama

A Wonderful Conference

I am very happy to say that the Story Circle Network conference was just marvelous! This first picture is of our two wonderful conference chairwomen who did a great job of handling all the details involved in organizing a national conferece of this size!

The second picture is of a presenter who introduced me to the idea of writing about cultural traditions and I was amazed at the variety of cultural traditions found in our group as we shared the things that we wrote.

Our Blog Panel was very informative and I learned quite a bit from my fellow panelists and questions from the audience--on my way to being a better blogger! Other workshops I attended were quite enjoyable and informative--especially one that combined Yoga and Writing!

My own workshop was lots of fun with a great group of lively women

attending--despite the early hour on Sunday morning. Here I am--bright eyed and bushy-tailed at the end of my presentation. Well, almost!

I was sorry to see the conference end and to say good-bye to so many new friends!