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Losing My Religion
I didn’t attend church regularly while growing up, although I lived in the “Bible Belt” (and still do). I remember going to churches for weddings, as a guest of my friends on occasion, and with my Meema (my dad’s mother) when I would spend some Saturday nights with her but was never officially a member of any church until I was an adult. It’s not knocking my parents in any way; church was just not something we did. We were not a family that prayed before bed or said grace before meals. During holidays, other family members would say grace, and I would bow my head and pray along with…
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Rest in Peace, Queen of Suspense
One of my favorite authors died on Friday, January 31, 2020. “Queen of Suspense” author, Mary Higgins Clark, lived to the remarkable age of 92. I discovered Clark’s books as a young teenager. My mom, aunt, and I would often frequent the Goodwill store in Benton, Arkansas. We all enjoyed the search for a good bargain and liked supporting a program that offers job training and other skills for people trying to make a living for themselves and their families. Plus, the savings on products helped our own family and is a great way to teach kids about recycling. I am still a frequent Goodwill and thrift store shopper today.…
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The Life and Times of a Not-Starving, Starving Artist
Only a certain number of artists are significantly wealthy, and I am definitely not one of them. When I refer to “artists” I mean people who produce art in the visual realm, in music, in performances, and with the written word, of course. My strengths primarily lie in the written word, but I like to dabble in visual art as well. While I’ve sold my words, I have never sold any of my visual art, though I have given projects as gifts. I’ve never offered it for sale. I imagine the results of doing so would be very similar to my venture out into the publishing world—supplemented by my day…
