Featured on “A Life of Words”

 Words are a vital part of my life. I love words, I love to speak them, I love to write them.  I even collect them in the form of quotations in my handy dandy notebook filled with favorite quotes.  And I try very diligently to season my words as best I can.

You might say I do live a life of words.  I’ve written since I was a little girl; I even worked for a time in the world of words as a newspaper writer/editor.  And now, I blog and send my words out into cyberspace.

Today,  I’m feeling special and blessed as my humble little blog is featured on a fellow blogger’s site.  Nikole Hahn at Nikole Hahn’s Journal started a series of posts about writers whose blogs she enjoys reading.  I’m privileged that Nikole has been a long-time reader of my blog and she has become a friend too!  And I felt even more honored that she chose my blog to feature in her series, “A Life of Words.”

You can read her series and also find out the answers I gave to her set of interview questions here: A Life of Words

It’s possible you’ll learn something new about me from reading this that you didn’t know before!  Let me know what you think and be sure to add Nikki’s blog to your blog roll.  She’s an awesome writer and a great book reviewer.

I find it amazing that my life with words has given me such incredible friends in the blogging world.  Believe it or not, I’m frankly a little speechless!

Copyright ©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Late June’s recurrent holding pattern

You know the old adage, “mum’s the word?”

Well, not only has mum been the word lately at Mama’s Empty Nest, but Mum has been fairly mum herself as well.

Definition of mum:  (adj) silent, not saying a word.   The origin of the word possibly came from “mmm,” the humming sound we humans make with our mouths closed, which indicates either unwillingness or an inability to speak.

Shakespeare used the word in Henry VI when he wrote:   “Seal up your lips and give no words but mum.”

In other words, keep quiet, say nothing, shut your trap.  The saying “mum’s the word” worked its way into our language as a means to advise another person to not reveal what he knows about something, to keep a secret, or stay quiet on the subject.

If you regularly follow my blog, you’ve probably noticed I’ve been awfully mum in the last week or two.  Throwing in some synonyms for the word  – mute, speechless, uncommunicative, wordless – adequately describes me right now.  And I know it!

I can’t admit that I’ve been quiet because I know something I shouldn’t reveal because that’s not it.  I don’t know a secret about anything!  So I honestly have no clue why I’ve been so uncommunicative (which is very unlike me anyway).

Should I blame my wordless state on busy-ness?  No,  I cannot.  No more busy days than usual.  Oh, there has been a little wedding planning (two more to go), some strawberry picking and freezer jam making sessions, a bit of cleaning and household chores here and there in between my hours at my job, but nothing that demands my full attention.

Even my computer sits idle.  I check my email occasionally and then shut off the distraction.   Logging in to Facebook has become a rarity because I see those words asking me to declare what’s on my mind, and I’ve got…nothing, no status updates, nothing interesting to say.

If I do fire up my laptop, I sit and stare at the blank screen and I am…. speechless.  Wordless.  I feel like I have nothing to impart, even though my notebook of blog ideas paints  an entirely different picture.  I just don’t feel like saying it or writing it or even thinking about the ideas long enough to put a sentence together.

It’s like I have a disorder – a non-communication complaint, summer speechlessness, or author’s apathy.  I can’t decide whether it’s just writer’s block or summer’s siren song of idleness.

In my younger days, I could be quite the talker, making chit-chat and small talk to fill any awkward silences.  But as I’ve aged, I’ve become more of a listener than a talker.  And honestly, sometimes I really have nothing to say.  Absolutely nothing.

This speechless state has woven its way, spreading like runners of ivy, into my writing.  I don’t want to bore my readers with just any old words.  I won’t publish a blog merely for the sake of publishing every day….or two…or 12.  If I have something worth writing, it also needs to be something worth reading.  And alas, I feel no compulsion to write.   And so I’ve been mum.

I hope I haven’t been disappointing, but I fear I may have been just that for those of you who log into this blog each day expecting some new post from me.   Bear with me, my faithful readers, I’ll get my words back.

For now, in my book I call Opportunity, my deck and the coolness of the evening after a warm summer day (yes, cooler weather came back for awhile) are calling out enticing me.

My softly cushioned patio chair whispers, “Come hither.  Come rest and bask in the quietness of a country evening.  Inhale the scent of freshly mowed grass and savory strawberries, plucked from the garden.  Listen to the birds warbling their sing-song melodies.  Feel the gentle breeze as it ruffles your hair.  Gaze westward and witness another spectacular sunset.   Evenings like this won’t last for long.  Maybe tomorrow you will find your words.”

[Blogger's Note: I actually wrote this in late June last year and because I am yet again in this predicament of having no motivation or inclination to write anything new and feeling quite mum, I decided to reblog this post.    What surprises me is this seems to be a recurring theme around the last week or so of June.  Hmmm.....summer doldrums, summer sunstroke addles my brain, summer makes me mute??   What do you think?]

Copyright  ©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Weighed and measured and balanced

You know how a line from a movie often permanently etches its way into your brain and comes to mind frequently?

A line from the movie, A Knight’s Tale, is one of those quotes for me.  Adhemar, the villain, assaults defenseless underdog hero William and pummels judgment on him, “You have been weighed [punch], you have been measured [another punch], and you have been found wanting [final blow].  In what world could you possibly beat me?”

Every so often, even though I knew better, I compared myself to my peers, especially when it came to writing.  And sometimes I thought I just didn’t measure up.

I confess that when I log in to my blog site, I check my daily stats because statistics float my boat. Stats have been high recently, but when I analyze the breakdown, I see reality.

Most ‘hits’ on my blog aren’t for reading purposes; instead search engines hit on images used in my posts.  Actual readers of my blog seem quite low compared to  search engine hits.  Even my Wordless Wednesday photos get more action than my written posts.

I’m a simple writer.  I don’t write elaborate, flowery sentences nor do I use a myriad of literary devices.  Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m a very creative writer either and I don’t write fiction.  That’s probably why I don’t possess a burning desire to be a published novelist.  There are no fully-developed characters or intricate plots bouncing around inside my brain ready to burst forth into life onto a blank page.

I write about basic, uncomplicated things that occur to me from everyday sources and often from my faith.  I’m not much of a humor writer, nor am I satirical.  I find many writers today to be irreverent, edgy, sarcastic, profane, or politically correct.  I am none of those.   I’m pretty certain some people may think I write schmaltz – excessive sentimentality.

Early in my blogging efforts, I once received a caustic comment which I chose not to publish because not only did it insult me, it insulted the God I serve.  The commenter accused me, among other things, of writing “drivel.”  That person is entitled to his/her opinion, but that schmaltzy drivel that I write comes sincerely straight from my heart.   If that makes me mundane, so be it.

I figured out my writing style a long time ago.   Once upon a time, I sat around my college dorm room composing really bad poetry and short stories in an effort to prove to myself, my peers, and my professors that I really was a “creative English major.”   I also wrote scads of papers about symbolism, archetypal images, and other literary terms for my classes.  But those papers were forced because identifying those aspects didn’t come naturally to me.

I was one of those rare English majors who liked grammar.  Grammar makes sense to me.  Diagramming sentences is a breeze because it’s logical.  Syntax, sentence structure, is like an equation, which is why my Structures of English class earned me an easy A while my fellow English majors (those creative types who saw symbolism in everything I couldn’t, while spouting poetry at the drop of a hat) struggled to pass the tests.

I often questioned why I even had become an English major.  I loved to read and I enjoyed writing since stringing sentences together was a piece of cake.  I’m fairly sure those were the main two criteria I used to decide upon my major.

While enrolled in a journalism class, I realized writing about facts came extremely easy to me and was so much more enjoyable than writing about symbolism in a poem.   Just give me the facts and I can weave them into a story pronto.

When I was a college senior and getting weary of college life, my university initiated a Communications major.  Journalistic writing, speech, and oral interpretation classes, even acting, were more my speed than trying to identify archetypal images in Flannery O’Connor stories.

By this point though, I was already scheduled to student teach and since I was one semester away from graduation, now wasn’t the time to change majors.  I also did not want to incur the extra expense or time required to earn a Communications degree, so I settled for my B.S. in English Education.

But somehow, I just never fit the English major role, no matter how hard I tried.  I weighed and measured and found myself wanting.  No doubt I’m too literal, facts oriented, and a realist to boot.  Don’t get me wrong, I love reading classic works of literature, poetry, and drama; I’m just never going to be the writer of such worthy works.   And I feel it’s safe to say you won’t see me on the New York Times Best Sellers List.

My English teacher days came to a halt when I realized I just didn’t like teaching.   So instead I found a niche, for a time, writing feature stories in a daily newspaper, editing other people’s works, and volunteering to write and edit newsletters for various organizations.

All of these many years later, I am a blog writer.  I shouldn’t compare my blog to others, but sometimes I attempt to ‘measure’ my writing by ‘weighing’ it against Freshly Pressed blogs on WordPress, or writers whose blogs I stumble upon, or bloggers/aspiring novelists.

So give me the facts, ma’am, just the facts.  I’m a college-educated person with an English degree who really just writes because that’s what I do to express ideas that come to my mind.  My one shot claim to fame being Freshly Pressed was possibly the only experience of hitting the ‘big time’ with my blog that I’ll get.

My writing probably does not appeal to the masses, to those on the cutting edge, or to those who want to read about social or political issues of the day (believe me, I have distinct opinions on those but I choose not to publish them), or those who like to read particular genres.

I am a writer of life.  My life.  Real life.  My blog is a hodge-podge of thoughts, ideas, and experiences about family and faith because those things make up my life and give me joy each day in my book called Opportunity.  I hit the publish button in an attempt to share some of that joy, or insight, or opportunity to brighten another person’s day or give them something to consider.

And I believe I’ve finally learned to stop trying to be like other writers and just be me.  I’ve weighed, I’ve measured, and I’ve balanced.

See that Shakespeare class I took all those years ago really did teach me something because I have never forgotten a line in Hamlet  (Act 1, Scene 3).  The ill-fated Polonius, the King’s chief advisor/spy, gives fatherly advice to his departing son Laertes.  “This above all:  to thine own self be true…”

Copyright ©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

You! Yes, you!

If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times.

That sounds like something my mother would have said to me when I was doing something wrong or not accomplishing what she asked of me.

“If I said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, go pick up your room,”  I can imagine her saying.  Matter of fact, I’m sure she did say it a thousand times.  And I’m pretty certain I’ve used the same saying a thousand times on my own children too.

But today, that saying doesn’t refer to something negative.  Today in my Opportunity book, that sentence gives me joy.   Why?  Because if I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times – I’ve ‘met’ some truly wonderful people through blogging.

While reading what other bloggers write, I’ve learned much about their characters and their lives while their stories humor, inspire and bless me.   When a blogging buddy regularly reads my posts and offers interesting and uplifting comments, that blesses me too!

Recently, two blogging friends conferred more honor upon my little blogging world.  Kate at kateschannel  presented the Liebster Blog Award to Mama’s Empty Nest and Dianna at These Days of Mine gifted me with the All Around Wonderful Blog Award.

First, let me tell you about these two talented people before I divulge info about the awards.  I first ‘met’ Kate when she commented on my blog and I was interested in getting to know who she was.  That’s what I do.  Leave a comment, I’ll visit your blog, see what you write about, peek in on your “about me” page.

Here’s what I’ve learned about my new friend, Kate.  She has much experience in the communications field, so when she compliments my writing,  I appreciate that.  Kate is a die-hard Detroit sports fan and a work at home mom.  I can tell she’s passionate about her family and her life in Michigan.  And I like that about her!

I can’t remember exactly when my path crossed with Dianna’s, but I never miss reading this gracious lady’s blog because it brightens my day.   Occasionally, her clever kitty, Sundae, may offer a guest post making me chuckle.  Dianna and I share some commonalities: we’re around the same age, we are owned by beautiful but spoiled calico cats, we enjoy photography, and our families mean the world to us.

Now that I’ve introduced you to these two friends, here’s the scoop on the awards.  The Liebster Blog Award is sweet because the German word means dearest, beloved or favorite.   You can’t get any better than being someone’s favorite or beloved, so it warms my heart that Kate lists my blog in that category!

Like other blog awards, the Liebster rules require the honoree to pass the torch to five favorite blogs who have less than 200 followers.   I’m not a fan of following the masses, so many of my favorite bloggers fit this requirement, so that wasn’t a challenge.  Among my beloved blogs are writers who have already accepted this award, so I’m bestowing it upon those who haven’t received it yet to my knowledge.

I proudly pass the Liebster Blog Award to five of my favorites:

1)    Homestead Ramblings HR is my go-to person.  She and I have become very good friends since our early blogging days and I love both her blog and her!  Her blog is always surprising as she writes about a myriad of subjects.  Her faith and love for nature (and Alaska) shine through her posts.

2)    Montucky  Montucky’s spectacular photography mesmerizes me and I love clicking onto his blog to see his latest shot.

3)    Watkins Every Flavor Beans  This writer is my oldest daughter’s friend.   A stay at home young mother of three handsome little fellows, she chronicles her family life while living in Scotland.  Her creativity astounds me.

4)    Dividing By Zero This guy can be incredibly funny or deep.  He’s my personal friend  from a long time ago, and I witnessed his humor daily when we were co-workers.  I enjoy reading his talented writing because he always has thought-provoking things to say.

5)    Laura’s Blog Another personal friend, Laura is one witty gal.   She can wrap a rhyme around words in a flash and her humor is pointedly funny.  She writes often about her faith and that’s one of the reasons I love her.

All Around Wonderful Blog Award -  what an honor to be named “all around wonderful!”  I gratefully accepted this award and the charming award badge that accompanies it.

The rules for accepting this award are “be a follower of this blog,  pass the award on to 3 other blogs,  and lastly, link the award back to this blog.”

Simple, right?  But narrowing down my blogroll list to only three blogs for this honor proved difficult for me.  I wanted to wrap it up like an unexpected present in cheerful, colorful paper tied with an exquisite, shiny ribbon and bestow it upon every single one of my blogging buddies.

But I am a rule follower so I’ll obey because I can hear my dear mom’s voice in my head saying, “If I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times…”

So my choices for the All Around Wonderful Blog Award are:

1)    Saturday Evening Porch  When you go sit on my sweet Southern friend’s front porch, you’ll find yourself chuckling out loud.  She has a clever knack of taking ordinary things and turning them into amusing stories because she’s such a wonderful story-teller.

2)    Big Happy Nothing  Amiable Amiable, lovingly known as AA, literally cracks me up.  She’s funny, witty, yet can throw some poignancy into the mix so easily.   She also is an all around wonderful story-teller.

3)    Believe Anyway I’ve just recently become acquainted with this writer who created the Candle Lighter Award, but her enthusiasm for life and her faith is contagious.  She is the eternal optimist and I think we need more wonderful people like her to brighten up this world.

I once read a quote by psychologist and philosopher William James that said, “What every genuine philosopher (every genuine man, in fact) craves most is praise – although the philosophers generally call it ‘recognition’!”

So true.  Every person does yearn for praise.  To have the words and thoughts which I chronicle in this blog considered to be worthy of recognition truly provides me great joy.   Today, I’m kind of like actress Sally Field as she accepted an Academy Award, “You like me, you really like me!”

Thank you, Kate and Dianna, for liking me!  Thank you, fellow writers, for delighting me each day in our blogging community.  You are such treasures!  And finally, thank you to all those readers who click on my blogspace and light up my world.

“There are amazingly wonderful people in all walks of life; some familiar to us and others not. Stretch yourself and really get to know people. People are in many ways one of our greatest treasures.”  ~ Bryant H. McGill

Copyright ©2012 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Seven – perfect link number

“Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.” ~  William Arthur Ward

I’m not the perkiest early morning person,  but I do love watching the sunrise from time to time.  Stay in bed a minute too long and you miss it.  Likewise, in a blogging community when you stay offline a couple of days, you miss important stuff!

Sometimes I’m concerned that I spend way too much time on the computer in my free moments, so occasionally I go on a cyber-diet, a kind of fast away from the lure of the laptop.  Other times my plate is full of to-do lists and I just don’t have time to log in because a “quick minute” for me somehow turns into a couple of hours.  And the clock doesn’t lie!  (If my chiropractor is reading this, now he knows why my body is knotted up when I visit!)

Last weekend, my laptop stayed off my lap.  I had places to go, people to see, things to do, pictures to take, weddings to plan, not to mention Christmas cards to address, decorating to accomplish…you know the drill.

So on Monday afternoon, when I cracked open my trusty laptop (somehow laptop right now reminds me of lap dog, but I’m digressing),  I first logged in to my blog to check my stats.  It’s an addiction, I tell ya!  Then I scrolled down my favorite list of bloggers and checked out the posts I’d missed.

That’s when I realized I missed my new friend Dianna’s (These Days of Mine) announcement over the weekend. She was the recent recipient of the 7 X 7 Link Award and she graciously awarded me with this honor also.  Thank you, Dianna!

And I almost missed this opportunity!   If you’re a faithful reader, you know I consider each day of this year an opportunity and I write in my “Opportunity book” each time I post.     In the words of another blogging friend, Georgette, (Georgette Sullin’s Blog)  it has become my “signature.”  If you overlooked why I started mentioning my book called Opportunity, you can read about it in Chapter One.

So on to the 7 X 7 Link Award.  The premise of this award requires a little contemplation and mulling things over because the recipient is asked to review all of the posts he/she has written to date and select seven posts that fit nicely into seven categories.

Sound easy?  Not when you realize you’ve written 296 posts!  And can I just say right here, right now, that I’m a tad indecisive?  So this actually was a bit of a daunting task for me.

But I prevailed!  I purposely chose some earlier posts because many of my subscribers have read my recent rantings writing, but perhaps overlooked some of my earlier work.  So now, drum roll please…. here are my 7 choices in the 7 categories:

1)    Most Beautiful -   I find beautiful things tend to make me cry and since I usually write from my heart, many of my posts are a little damp with tears.    Narrowing down a choice for this category wasn’t easy but I finally decided that the words of my son, which I quoted in this post, were some of the most beautiful sentiments I’ve ever heard, so it must be Come For Me Reflections.

2)    Most Helpful – Written on one of my quirky, trying to see the bright side of the empty nest syndrome days, this one, How to Cope Humor, might be helpful to someone facing the same ailment.  Hopefully, it will give you a chuckle as well.

3)    Most Popular – When Nature Shows No Mercy remains my most popular entry because it was my first and only Freshly Pressed post.  If my memory serves me right, it squatted on the FP page for a few days, acquiring almost 10,000 hits.  Wow, I felt so popular then! (Way better than being in the high school “in crowd,” which I wasn’t!)

4)    Most Controversial – I’m not a fan of being controversial.  I tend to avoid confrontations in my private and public life, so Apology Please was the best I could come up with for this category (unless you count the time I was on a real rant and wrote how tired I was of people’s excuses).

5)    Most Surprisingly Successful  – One day I fell, literally.  And taking a nose dive actually gave me fodder for my post, Fallen and Can’t Get Up.  I didn’t expect it to hit high on the stats chart or garner the comments it received, so this one surprised me.

6)    Most Underrated –   You’ve Got Mail just flowed from my head to my fingers to my computer.   I liked it as soon as I wrote it, but I don’t think it ever got the attention it deserved.

7)    Most Pride Worthy –  Another post, Come Sail Away, has been one of my favorites.  It popped into my head when I viewed the picture that accompanies it.  So if I have to choose a post I’m proud of,  I’m pleased with what I wrote there.  Again, it was one of those easy to write, flowing from my heart, inspired by God kind of posts.

And now comes the second part of the award stipulations,  passing the 7 X 7 Link Award on to seven other bloggers.   I visit quite a few blogs from time to time, but in addition to Diana’s and Georgette’s blogs (who both already have received this award), I find myself always reading these seven:

1)    Homestead Rambling’s Blog 

2)    Saturday Evening Porch

3)    Nikole Hahn’s Journal

4)    ElsiePhoebe’s Blog

5)    Coming East 

6)    Play 101

7)    The Real Full House

If you’re on my list of seven and you’re not into awards, don’t fret.  You don’t have to accept the award or pass it on, just sit back and maybe enjoy some new readers.

If you’re not on this list, please know that I follow directions, and the instruction are to only pick seven.  There are so many of you out there whose blogs I enjoy and today on this 8^th page in Chapter 12 of my Opportunity book, I’ve already read most of them.

©2011 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Kreativ blogging

One of the most difficult aspects about entering the Empty Nest stage of life is feeling left behind.

As my children somehow metamorphosed right in front of my eyes into adults and moved out of our home, I struggled with so many emotions.  Coming on the heels of losing my last living parent, the empty nest found me wallowing in a knee-high bog of grief.

The kids grew up and moved on to new lives of independence (read “Mom felt not needed anymore” here).   My Dad went on to his eternal reward in Heaven joining my Mom and my in-laws there (read “Those days of needing to check up on and take care of Dad were gone” here).   That’s why I felt like I was left behind holding a bagful of tears.

I turned to blogging as a way of working through my feelings and rediscovering my love of writing.  Blogging opened up a fresh, newfound world for me in ways I never dreamed would happen.

Somehow my words sent out into cyberspace found their way into other people’s worlds.  My quiet life with its lack of connections  suddenly came alive with lots of electronic firings.  It seemed as though an unused circuit board sparkled to life with all the lights, bells, and whistles.  I had imagined my life like a switchboard with no phone calls, but as my blogging world expanded, that switchboard was flooded with calls, totally transformed.

I found an entire new set of friends, something I never expected.   My belief is that God made the connections and brought some amazing people into my life through blogging.

“How rare and wonderful is that flash of a moment when we realize we have discovered a friend.” ~ William E. Rothschild.

Recently, I made a new friend, Dianna, in this world of connectivity.   She shares lovely photos and sweet narratives on her blog, These Days of Mine.   Visiting her blog is like welcoming a ray of sunshine into a dreary day.    She blessed me the other day with the Kreativ Blog Award and I thank her for thinking so highly of me and my words.

As with other blog awards, one of the rules in accepting it is to share snippets about yourself that you haven’t already blabbed about shared with readers.  I might have to dig deeply here, since I’m often like an open book.    Hmmm….thinking….thinking…??

Okay here goes:

1. I was born on a Wednesday, and as everyone knows from the old nursery rhyme – “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.”  Not true!!  I beg to differ.  I’m not full of woe, no matter what day I was born upon.  If I could have chosen,  I would have entered this world on Tuesday (full of grace) or Friday (loving and giving).
2. I have never owned a dog, and I really don’t ever want to own a dog. (Sorry, canine lovers, will you still be my friend?)
3. I’ve had a pen pal since I was in 4^th grade, but we’ve never met in person…yet.  We began our friendship writing letters to each other as children and continued through high school, college, marriage, and having children.  We still communicate with newsy letters at Christmas time after all those years. Someday, I hope we have an opportunity to meet face to face.
4. When I was a kid, I had a cat named Susie.  Once she brought a baby rabbit (still alive) into our house and laid it in a box with her newborn kittens and another time she brought a snake (also alive) in! I’m not sure why that tidbit of info just popped in my head; let me go check the cat and make sure she hasn’t brought any wildlife into the house!
5. I’d like to say I have visited all 50 states in the USA, but I’ve only been to 32. I need to do some traveling.

Now comes the fun part – passing the Kreativ Blog Award to someone else.  There are so many creative and fascinating blogs that I visit, it’s difficult to narrow down the field.

One blogger I’ve recently discovered truly is creative.  She’s a mom with young children and right there is a recipe for creativity.  Her blog is fun,  she’s always full of great ideas, and I think her kids must be very blessed to have such an awesome mom!  Check out her blog at Play 101.

I’m also passing this award on to Montana Outdoors .   If you want to see amazingly beautiful photographs of nature taken in Big Sky Country, this is one blog you shouldn’t miss.  I am continually awe-struck at the beauty Montucky captures with a camera.  I know it takes a creative eye to snap such stunning pictures.

During this month when our thoughts turn to thanksgiving, I find myself grateful on this 21^st page of Chapter 11 in my book called Opportunity.  I’m grateful for friends, old and new.  I’m thankful for a blogging community with such creative and encouraging writers.  And I’m thankful for you, my readers.  May you have a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving Day.

 ©2011 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Fall surprises

Surprise!  That’s the nice way I started my morning today in my book of Opportunity, Page 23 in Chapter 9.

A blogging buddy of mine Georgette Sullins bestowed the Versatile Blogger Award on me.  Thank you for thinking of me!  Georgette and I became friends way back in April when she commented on my Freshly Pressed post, When Nature Shows No Mercy .   I find Georgette’s blog always fascinating as she chronicles endearing stories to be saved and cherished for her family.

Since this is the first time I’ve been honored with the Versatile Blogger Award, I researched it to find there are rules to follow.   So here goes:

Rule #1 – Thank the award-giver and link back to them in your post.   (As the kids would say, Georgette, you rock!)

Rule #2 – Tell your readers seven (7) things about yourself.  (Prepare yourself, dear readers, these are very random!)

1. I launched this blog on a whim, partly because of the weird funk I found myself in after my last child graduated from college, snagged a job, and moved to the state next door, and I also I thought I’d work through the empty nest syndrome by writing about it.  But this blog has morphed into more than just an empty nest activity.  Writing again has given me great joy and I’ve met some delightful friends through blogging.
2. Hubby and I come from families with ‘three of a kind’ (I’m one of three sisters; he’s one of three brothers).  But we were dealt a ‘pair and a spare.’   After our two daughters, our third child was a boy.  We were so certain we were having another girl, we didn’t even have a boy’s name chosen!  Sonograms weren’t very definitive back then.
3. When I was a young girl, I dreamed of being famous.  (What little girl doesn’t?)  At first, I thought I’d be a legendary actress, but later I decided I’d be a renowned writer.  Hmmm…so far, my only claim to ‘fame’ might be my one-time freshly pressed experience.
4. I’ve experimented with a few different careers – teacher, newspaper reporter/editor, technical editor, and in the last 10 years, working part-time for a non-profit.  But my absolute favorite occupation (and my most important one) has been motherhood. I was blessed to be a stay at home mom for 19 years!
5. My new found interest is photography – both taking pictures and looking at others’ beautiful shots.  I used to just click my camera to document special occasions, vacations, or my kids’ events.  Now, I grab it when I see something interesting or I just want to experiment.  I’m not very good at it, but I find it fun.
6. My perspective on life totally changed when I was diagnosed with early stage and very treatable cancer 6 years ago.  The whirlwind of diagnosis, surgery, and treatment left me dazed, but later so profoundly grateful for life and much more aware of the precious moments in it.
7. I don’t like seafood or coffee.  My husband loves both.

Rule #3 – Give this award to up to fifteen (15) recently discovered bloggers.

I’m veering from the rule here because my first award goes to a blog I’ve been reading for over a year now, so she’s not recently discovered, she’s one of my “must-reads” -  Homestead Rambling’s Blog.  We became instant and life-long friends when she found my blog and started commenting.  We’ve realized we are kindred spirits with so much in common, including our faith.  She truly is a versatile blogger because her posts may be informative, humorous, encouraging, or inspiring.  Right now, she’s writing about her recent journey to Alaska, a land that seems to be calling to her, and from her pictures, I can sure see why.

Crossing the Line  also deserves this award.  This blogging buddy has been one of my cheerleaders for some time.  Her comments always make me feel valued and appreciated as a writer.  I relish reading her posts on her relatively new blogging adventure.  As she honestly writes about the aspects of life that invite her to ‘cross the line’ and move forward on her personal growth journey, she reminds us all about our human frailties and how we can choose to take a different path.  She’s on my ‘must-read’ list too.

Rule #4 - Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news.  (Boom, done, finished.  Emails complete.)

For now, I’m signing off.  My favorite season of fall arrives with some of my favorite people – the pair and the spare all will fly back to the nest this weekend!  We’ll have a full house with a family day Sunday.  That’s a gift that’s even better than a blogger award!

©2011 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

How to celebrate a blogiversary – chocolate’s on me!

One of my favorite things is chocolate and another is writing this blog.

Obviously, I can’t share my to die for chocolate candy (pictured)  with you.   But I can share my thoughts with my friends and readers in written form here at Mama’s Empty Nest.

July is my “blogiversary” month.    I use the term month because I’m not sure which July date actually commemorates my blog’s anniversary.

Six years ago on July 9, 2005 on a whim and a dare from oldest daughter, I started writing a blog via a different site.  Recuperating from cancer surgery and not physically able to accomplish my usual summer to-do list, I needed something to occupy my time and mind.

Oldest daughter convinced me to create a blog on the same site she then used and I started putting my thoughts into written words again.  My writing topics ranged from silly thoughts to serious ones, everyday life to the change in thinking that a cancer (albeit a curable kind) diagnosis brings.  Once I recovered and returned back to “real life,” I only posted occasionally, when I encountered a little free time, until fall 2007.

And then… nada…zilch…nothing.  My blogging life ended.  Life got in my way.  Hubby and I still had kids in the nest, two sets of college tuition to pay, a calendar full of events to attend, jobs,  a home to maintain, and all of those dominated my waking hours.

With our youngest child’s college graduation last year and all of our children’s subsequent moves away from home, my world and waking hours changed.  I tried social networking for a while; fun at first reconnecting with old friends, but after the novelty wore off, I found myself sitting at the computer playing endless rounds of Reversi and Bubble Town.

Way to let the brain atrophy!  In between popping bubbles and knocking off Reversi opponents, I began reading a far-away friend’s new blog on WordPress.   One day, I realized how much I missed writing myself.   Why not take my love for stringing words together in written form down from the shelf, dust off my skills, and rekindle my blog?   So I moved my old posts from the previous site over to WordPress, started cranking out new posts on July 19, 2010, and my new blog, Mama’s Empty Nest,  was  hatched.

What happened next I compare to coming out of a coma.  Suddenly, my mind leaped into over-drive and so did my senses.  It felt like I had awakened from a very long winter’s nap.  Once I commenced writing, words just kept gushing out of me, words that were obviously bottled up inside for decades.  Ideas would spring into my mind when I gazed at a picture or often when a sight unfolded in front of my eyes, while driving,  and even while sleeping.

My senses seemed heightened – eyes wide open, observing things I couldn’t wait to write about, ears hearing sounds I previously must have taken for granted.  Every day occurrences in my world suddenly needed crafted and sculpted into paragraphs of written language, and I was constantly grabbing the nearest scrap of paper to jot down my thoughts before they melted away.

An old composition notebook became my new best friend in which I scribbled ideas, thoughts, and topics when they surged into my brain.   And then something truly amazing happened.  I realized I wasn’t just writing for myself and my closest family anymore.  Somewhere out there in cyber-land, people  – friends and strangers – started reading my blog and commenting!

A whole new world opened up for me [cue the theme song from Disney’s Aladdin]  as I gained new readers, blogging buddies, and very good friends.   I recently reviewed my posts from five years ago and marveled at the change I see in my writing and even in myself.

Where I once blogged as a way to fill up empty time, now I blog because it brings me joy.  Where I previously wrote whatever came to mind, now my posts have meaning and depth…and I believe, purpose.  I’m thrilled that a fellow blogger recently invited me to join the High Calling Blog Network where I only hope I can rise to the challenge of writing well about work, life, and God like the other talented writers there.

Today, on this 26th page of Chapter 7 in my Opportunity book of life – not exactly my blogiversary date – I  am astonished at how far I’ve come, but I’m more grateful to those who’ve traveled with me on this journey:

• to my family who always encourages me to write (special thanks to hubby who patiently listens to each of my posts while I read them aloud to catch any errors);
• to the friends who personally know me and read my work, spurring me on with kind words of support (you are great cheerleaders!);
• to my new friends, my faithful readers, and fellow bloggers (your comments and your blogs inspire me and I appreciate them so very much);
• to my Lord Jesus Christ who graciously gave me a gift which I must use for His glory and for allowing me to “see” through His eyes as I write.

So Happy Blogiversary to all of us! If I could, I’d share my chocolates with every one of you for the entire month of July!

©2011 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Why Mama’s been mum

Mum’s the word.

Well, not only has mum been the word lately at Mama’s Empty Nest, but Mum has been fairly mum herself as well.

Definition of mum:  (adj) silent, not saying a word.   The origin of the word possibly came from “mmm,” the humming sound we humans make with our mouths closed, which indicates either unwillingness or an inability to speak.

Shakespeare used the word in Henry VI when he wrote:   “Seal up your lips and give no words but mum.”

In other words, keep quiet, say nothing, shut your trap.  The saying “mum’s the word” worked its way into our language as a means to advise another person to not reveal what he knows about something, to keep a secret, or stay quiet on the subject.

If you regularly follow my blog, you’ve probably noticed I’ve been awfully mum in the last week or so.  Throwing in some synonyms for the word  – mute, speechless, uncommunicative, wordless – adequately describes me right now.  And I know it!

I can’t admit that I’ve been quiet because I know something I shouldn’t reveal because that’s not it.  I don’t know a secret about anything!  So I honestly have no clue why I’ve been so uncommunicative (which is very unlike me anyway).

Should I blame my wordless state on busy-ness?  No,  I cannot.  No more busy days than usual.  Oh, there has been a little wedding planning, some strawberry picking and freezer jam making sessions, a bit of cleaning and household chores here and there in between my hours at my job, but nothing that demands my full attention.

Even my computer sits idle.  I check my email occasionally and then shut off the distraction.   Logging in to Facebook has become a rarity because I see those words asking me to declare what’s on my mind, and I’ve got…nothing, no status updates, nothing interesting to say.

If I do fire up my laptop, I sit and stare at the blank screen and I am…. speechless.  Wordless.  I feel like I have nothing to impart, even though my notebook of blog ideas paints  an entirely different picture.  I just don’t feel like saying it or writing it or even thinking about the ideas long enough to put a sentence together.

It’s like I have a disorder – a non-communication complaint, summer speechlessness, or author’s apathy.  I can’t decide whether it’s just writer’s block or summer’s siren song of idleness.

In my younger days, I could be quite the talker, making chit-chat and small talk to fill any awkward silences.  But as I’ve aged, I’ve become more of a listener than a talker.  And honestly, sometimes I really have nothing to say.  Absolutely nothing.

This speechless state has woven its way, spreading like runners of ivy, into my writing.  I don’t want to bore my readers with just any old words.  I won’t publish a blog merely for the sake of publishing every day….or two…or 12.  If I have something worth writing, it also needs to be something worth reading.  And alas, I feel no compulsion to write.   And so I’ve been mum.

I hope I haven’t been disappointing, but I fear I may have been just that for those of you who log into this blog each day expecting some new post from me.   Bear with me, my faithful readers, I’ll get my words back.

For now, on this 21^st page in Chapter 6 of Opportunity, my deck and the coolness of the evening after a warm summer day are calling out enticing me. 

My softly cushioned patio chair whispers, “Come hither.  Come rest and bask in the quietness of a country evening.  Inhale the scent of freshly mowed grass and savory strawberries, plucked from the garden.  Listen to the birds warbling their sing-song melodies.  Feel the gentle breeze as it ruffles your hair.  Gaze westward and witness another spectacular sunset.   Evenings like this won’t last for long.  Maybe tomorrow you will find your words.”

©2011 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com

Not your typical day

It starts as a typical day off work.

Crawl out of bed.  Perform usual morning tasks which include looking out the window to find a dreary, rainy and chilly day greeting you.

Gather up laundry.  Eat breakfast enjoying that first hot, soothing cup of tea.

Tell husband about the crazy dreams you had.  Laugh out loud at his reaction.

Throw first load of laundry in the washing machine.  Think about what household chores need to be accomplished.  Decide they can wait and power up the laptop.  Log into Facebook.   Read updates on your friends and relatives near and far.

Decide to check blog and perhaps write a short post for today.   Click on WordPress.  Stare at WordPress home page.   Blink.  Stare again at home page.  Blink… blink… blink.

Gasp out loud.  Mind begins rapid-fire monologue.  What?!?!  Is that real?  Do you honestly see what you think you see?  Could it be?

On the Freshly Pressed home page for www.wordpress.com there sits a picture that looks exactly like the one you used in yesterday’s post.  Blink again.

The upper-right corner of the page boasts the freshly pressed post entitled,  “When nature shows no mercy” by Mama’s Empty Nest.  That’s you!!  Sit back in your chair and let the shock sink in.

Blink again and again.  Stare intently at your computer screen to make sure your eyes are not playing tricks on you.   Nope, still there.  You’ve just been freshly pressed for all WordPress bloggers to see!

Yell at husband to come look as you incredulously explain, “I think I’ve been freshly pressed.”  He grins at you and says, “Wow!  That’s great!”   You grin back and stare again at the screen with him.  Shock.  Total shock.

Hubby grabs your cell phone and texts your three adult children: “Your Mom has made the big time on WordPress!  Her blog from yesterday was posted on freshly pressed on the front page.  This made her day.  You should take a look and congratulate her.  Love, Dad.”

You finally come out of your shock stupor to actually log into your blog.  And there you see proof that it’s true.  Your site stats have soared to heights never seen before.   Fellow bloggers are leaving comments for you.  In the blogging world, it’s an exciting day.

Friends write congratulations on your Facebook wall.  Your children respond with messages and phone calls.  They’re proud of their mama.  They tell you again what an awesome writer you are.  (Of course they believe that, they’re your offspring!)

Oldest daughter tells you “Mom, you’re going to be a famous blogger!”

And your reply is “Ha! Only for one day!”

And that’s the truth.  When the fervor dies down,  the site stats will return to the normal range.  Your 15 minutes of fame will be over.

For what it’s worth, you’re relishing the ride on these last few pages in Chapter 4 of your book called Opportunity.   But more than that, you hope and pray lives were touched by what you write, which always comes from God placing thoughts in both your heart and mind.

Thank you WordPress and all you fellow bloggers and readers out there.   Thanks to you, it’s been a thrilling roller coaster of a ride!

©2011 mamasemptynest.wordpress.com