Morning Pages

Sheila’s Morning Pages: A laugh a Day..

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Flicker

You don’t stop laughing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop laughing.”  Michael Pritchard

Okay, I admit this is not mine; I can’t take credit for it. This little gem, as the rumor goes, has been making the Internet rounds, but based on the last six months around our house my husband and I could relate. We enjoyed the best belly laugh we’ve had in a long time. It felt good. Laughing together gave us a moment we shared the rest of the day.  So laugh away. Laughter is indeed good for the soul.

A Senior Moment

The tale is about a woman’s senior moment at the office and the search for her car keys.

The keys were nowhere to be found in the office, so she figured she must have left them in the car. She headed for the parking lot, thinking about the many times her husband had scolded her for leaving the keys in the ignition. As she reached the parking lot, it was empty.

She immediately called the police to report her car stolen. Then she made the most difficult call. “Honey, she said when her hubby answered. “I left my keys in the car, and it’s been stolen.”

“Are you kidding me? I dropped you off at the office,” he said. Embarrassed she said, “Well, will you come and get me?”

He retorted, “I will as soon as I convince this cop I didn’t steal your car.”

Spartanburg Herald-Journal

You can’t deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants. – Stephen King

 

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Intuition

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

I can’t believe Christmas is here. The week has flown by with last-minute preparations for family, and as the year winds down, I’m contemplating the direction I want my writing to go for next year.  As, of now, I’m now sure which direction I plan to go, but I’ll share more later. In the meantime, I along with the rest of you will be taking a few days off to be with family and friends to enjoy this sacred holiday.

But, before I go, I’d like to pass on a great article, I read this week, The Moo of Intuition.

The article was written by one of my friends Nan Lundeen, author of The Pantyhose Declarations. Nan teaches The Moo of Writing Workshop, and you can find her columns in Female First.

This week she wrote about listening to your intuition,  and the role it plays in our creativity. For me, listening to intuition goes hand in hand with authenticity, especially in writing, staying in tuned to both is the key. I highly recommend Nan’s article.

You can find her book, The Pantyhose Declarations  at Amazon, and it’s on sale now for those of you who may still be looking for last-minute gifts.

Merry Christmas and God Bless

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WHY?

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

prayingThere is less Christmas joy in the air, this week. The merry season is forever tainted. Our nation is still reeling from the tragedy that unfolded, two days ago, in Newton Connecticut. We can’t wrap our heads around the insanity of such an act against innocent children. That it happened so close to Christmas, a time families cherish with their children, only adds to the horror. And, we are all left asking “Why?”

The truth is, there is no “why.” There is no “one” explanation for why bad things happen to good people. I wish there were, and then we could stop it, eradicate it.

These parent’s will be grieving for a long time. They have every right to scream to the Heavens,  “Why?” I can only imagine their grief and pain. I pray for them every night.

But, the politicians and lobbyists shouldn’t try to answer that question for these families by promoting their own agenda’s. They should leave them alone.

There may come a time when one or more of the families choose to take up a cause in the name of their child, but that should be, must be, their choice, not a choice driven by the media or politics.

This is not about gun control, violence in Hollywood, the music industry and their influence, or how inept our nation is at helping the mentally ill. These issues are important and worth discussing, but NOT NOW.

This is about 26 innocent victims, 20 of them children killed less than two weeks before Christmas. For those families and surviving siblings, Christmas will never be the same. For journalists and politicians  to exploit these grieving families to further their own agendas, is but another tragedy.

It is up to us, society, and to those close to the families to help them as best we can by offering our prayers, words of comfort, and help protect them from opportunistic journalists and politicians. Tell them to let these families grieve in peace.

To the families of Newton Connecticut, you are in my prayers.

 

Christmas Magic

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 6 Comments

English: Santa Claus with a little girl Espera...

Christmas is just around the corner, and we adults are hustling and bustling, to buy the perfect gift for everyone on our list. By now we’d received all kinds of hints and a few suggestions (lists, to make our shopping experience easier).

Christmas is for the little ones, but my children are adults now with families of their own, and on Christmas morning, my husband and I will wake up in an empty old house. I’m sure Christmas morning will be lovely, but the sound and excitement of little ones is but an echo. As a result, the season has lost a little of its magic.

Months of commercialization sap the life out of Christmas spirit and crowds of shoppers which grow every year, are overwhelming. By the time, my family arrives on Christmas Eve, I’m worn out from shopping, wrapping presents, decorating and baking. I’m just ready for the New Year to begin.

In an instant a precious grandchild can bring the magic back, and remind us all of the true spirit of Christmas.

It isn’t about the most expensive or trendy gift but a gift from the heart. My seven-year-old granddaughter’s school sponsored a Santa Shoppe for students where each child would have the opportunity to purchase Christmas presents for their parents, and friends; the prices ranged from $1-$5.

Included on my granddaughter’s Christmas list was her daddy, a construction worker. She spotted the perfect gift the minute  she walked into Santa’s Shoppe.

Her daddy often received calls after hours, and on more than one occasion, she watched him  go out to his van at night. Unable to see well enough to unlock the door to his van, he always came back, grumbling  in search of a flashlight.

What did my seven year-old granddaughter buy her daddy for Christmas?

A keychain flashlight. 

Her thoughtfulness brought him to tears.  How do I know? She couldn’t wait to give it to him. 

Often the small things that make the biggest differences in our lives. This is the spirit of Christmas. The magic is back.

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A Kernel of Magic (onthehomefrontandbeyond.wordpress.com)
“Share With The Children “ (christmasblessings.wordpress.com)
Christmas Across America: A Small White Envelope (Watery Eyes Alert) (lower48plus2.wordpress.com)
Giving From the Heart for the Holidays (mystiblu.wordpress.com)
Christmas Spirit (ashleychristie.wordpress.com)