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 |    I will be adding stories & reflections as time marches on. Take a gander today! |
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Contest Entries: "The Contest Challenge"  Participant"I Write in 2018" Participant"I Write in 2019" Participant"I Write in 2020" Participant2021: Independent Writing 2122: "I Write: Enter the Second Decade" Participant2123: "Twenty-three in Eleven " ParticipantThis mixed collection contains fiction, non-fiction, prose, and poetry. Entries vary in length from very short to one that is over 3000 words. 53 entries written in 2018: ▼ 53 entries written in 2019: ▼ 43 entries written in 2020 ▼ 2 entries written in 2021 ▼ Entries written in 2022 ▼ NOTE: All Titles with ~ ~ are either non-fiction or based on a true story. |
| "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" Prompt 6. Sept 6. Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets. Paul Tournier Can you share a secret? Small or big, tell us. No? Tell us why not. Who is Paul Tournier? I don't know and a quick google search didn't help me. It kept giving me the Paul Tournier quote in our prompt for today. It also caused me to think of another quote I know: "We are only as sick as our secrets." I first heard that statement around 12-step tables. As I walked the walk, I found it to be true. I often say the 12-steps saved my life—because they surely did. I was ableto embrace myself warts and all. It started when I officially worked the first three steps: 1. I admitted Iwas powerless over food and my life had become unmanageable. 2. I came to believe God could and would restore me to sanity. 3. I made a decision to turn my life and my will over to the care of God as I understood Him. Then I was at the fourth step and I did my best to take a fearless and thorough moral inventory of myself. It was not an easy task. I cried my way through reams of paper. With my inventory in hand, I was ready to share the secrets of my failings with God and with another human being. Prior to working my firsr fifth step, I was certain that if anyone really knew me, they would reject me but, ya know what—they didn't. As I shared openly and honestly about my failings, I discovered that being real and authentic was the best way to go. I was blessed to have learned that lesson. It serves me well to this day. Being real and authentic is very high on my list of values and I am glad—relieved and glad... ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
| "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" Prompt 2. Sept 2. Tell us about an earthshaking Life-or-Death situation in your life. What happened, how did it change you, if at all? Day 2 Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024 I am late.  it is 1 minute after midnight as I start this entry...Being late is not earth-shattering. Life is taking a toll on me right now. I am going to write an entry anyways. How many words do I need? 300 Word Minimum.. 79 down 221 more to go... The first thing I thought of when I read the prompt was the first earthquake I ever experienced. It was August 2011. I was in Annapolis, Maryland—actually Arnold, Maryland. My dad's address was sometimes Arnold and sometimes Annapolis for some reason I don't remember and never understood... 133 Words—I am so exhausted—I am struggling to reach the minimum word count. Day 2 and I am already a failure!!!  My father died on July 29th, 2011. That was an earth-shattering event for me. My youngest sister and my con-man brother-in-law had tried to keep the news of his death from my other sister and I. That was VERY EARTH-SHATTERING. It made my dad's death even harder to bear. They tried to steal my dad's estate. They wanted my dad's money—I wanted my dad...  I need 79 more words... Well, actually the needed words become fewer as I note them, eh? Not only was that August 2011 earthquake the first for me, it is the only earthquake I have experienced. I was talking on the phone to my "good" when it happened. The strangest part of it was that the kitchen cabinets suddenly no longer seemed solid. They appeared to be waving as though the were a piece of cloth. Oh good, I am going to reach that 300 Word minimum!!! As I think back to that sad summer, memories come flooding back. The tears are gentler this time... ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ I am late. it was 1 minute after midnight when I started this entry...~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
| "Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024" Prompt 1. Sept 1. It's the site's 24th Anniversary. Tell us about your love or fondness of Writing.com. What makes this a wonderful place for writers? Why are you (still) here? What do I love about Writing.Com? I have mentioned this before: There is a song we sing in church that has a chorus that reminds me of The StoryMaster (no disrespect to God intended): Even when I don't see it, You're working Even when I don't feel it, You're working You never stop, You never stop working You never stop, You never stop working StoryMaster is always working behind the scenes. The best thing about this site is the couple who started it. The self-taught coder, The StoryMaster and the artist/photographer he loves, The StoryMistress My only regret is that I did not find this site sooner! From the beginning, I got to have open communication with the OWNER of Writing.Com. Our interactions started on "Technical Support Forum" back in 2009. He was kind, patient, informative and occasionally a bit cheeky.How was he cheeky? Well, there was this one time I thought I noticed changes in heading font sizes and such. I posted on "Technical Support Forum" asking, "Am I crazy or have some of the font sizes changed today. He responded, "Well, I can't say whether or not you are crazy but the font sizes did change.  "Cheeky, eh? Another place we have interacted is "Suggestion Box" . Something that has made this site super special to me has been his responsiveness to my suggestions. He has implemented several of my ideas over the years which totally blesses my heart.Another thing is the man is a good businessman! First of all, he understands the baker's dozen philosophy: when you order something from the WdC store, you ALWAYS get little extras along with your order. That's just one of his business strategies—there are others—some are done anonymously and show the same business savvy. Truthfully, I love the man and I love WdC.   And, The StoryMistress is a sweetheart, too. Years ago, I told her I would like a custom made merit badge. I wanted it to have blue daisies and be titled "Just Because". Back then, they did not offer this feature but the day came that she started using her creative talents to do just that: ![Merit Badge in Just Because
[Click For More Info]
Thank you for creating this BEAUTIFUL BADGE! *^*Heart*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Just_Because.gif) You can see the image I sent her here:
The StoryMistress has also made some of the most beautiful trinkets I have in my collection! You can see them here: There is much more I could say about these two but I will conclude with another thing I love about Writing.Com" YOU! StoryMaster did not just create a site, he created a community and if you are reading this, it includes you! Reading, Writing, Reviewing. and interacting with each other definitely makes Writing.Com a wonderful place for us to gather, eh? 24 Years and counting! ~ ~ ~ JESUS is LORD! ~ ~ ~ |
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