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Review of The Austrian: A War Criminal’s Story (Book 1) by Ellie Midwood
The title of this book alone is a hook, at least for me. World War II is, after all, one of the most important events in recent history, filled with some of the greatest atrocities ever committed against our fellow humans. It’s easy to root for those who were persecuted and the Allies who ended…
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Facing Loss and Embracing New Possibilities
Loss. It’s a word we don’t want to hear, let alone experience. Yet we all experience it. We all know loss, not just of it. Some of us have known it on a first name basis for too many years. If we’re lucky, some of us know it only as an acquaintance for brief periods…
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Saying Goodbye to Toxic Friendships
We all do it. We eat the chocolate cake because it just tastes so damn good. And then some of us hate ourselves in the morning for the indulgence, and we wonder why (WHY?) we ate it in the first place, knowing it’s choke full of bad stuff–fat, sugar, calories. Like that chocolate cake, we…
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Small Group Friendships
If the title of this blog reminds you of cliques from when you were in school, stop right there. While I can feel that vibe, this is about the opposite. This, my friends, is a blog not just about friendship but about small group friendships. What do I mean by that? My definition of small…
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Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
Ugh, do I have to wake up? Waking up is vastly overrated. The pillows, the blankets, the soft curve of the mattress against my body, these are calling my name, beckoning me like a lullaby. But if I’m honest with myself, I’m lucky today. I actually didn’t wake before my alarm on my phone. My…
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“As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on – in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were…
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The Benefits of Joining a Writers Group
There it was for probably the hundredth time on the sign outside my local library: writers group, meeting 8/18 2-4:00 PM. Okay, maybe not the hundredth time, but how many times did I drive past the library, which is about two point five miles from my house, and see that group advertised and not do…
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Poetry Tuesday – A Little Lost…
Sometimes I feel, As we age, As our edges wear ragged, We sharpen and do more hurt, Rather than dull the blade And even put the sword away. I am left wondering If we ever learn To choose kindness over cruelty, Compassion over judgment, Truth over lies. But the record spins, Round and round, The…
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Character Friday – Meet Hannah Rechthart Grunner
Hello there, I’m Hannah Rechthart Grunner. Someone thought it would be a good idea for me to write down a bit about myself, so here it is. I don’t know how exciting my life has been, but it’s been a good life, ups and downs and all. I was born on April 12, 1912 to…
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Character Friday – Meet Tristan Blake
My name is Tristan Blake, and I can’t believe I’m writing this down. I may be a writer, but if you really want to know the intimate details of my sad life, I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere. Why? That’s a long story. First, I’ll just say that I’m 35 years old, quite tall,…