Merry Christmas to all

With Christmas but a few days away, I want to send my wishes that your Christmas will be filled with love and peace. Our condo is decorated simply this year and while many of our decorations are from our early years together, we do have some more recent arrivals. My favorite is is a  humble little tree sent to us by our oldest daughter, Ginger. When we were here for our first Christmas, she asked me if we would have a tree. I said, "No." That just didn't sit well with her. And so, a few days later, our tree arrived. It fits in quite nicely with all the "old" decorations we've accumulated over the years.

Over the years, we've all kinds of trees---tall spindly ones, short chubby ones. Will always went out and picked out the tree. Often, one or more of our daughters would go with him. Whoever braved the cold to do so always would claim "their tree was the best ever." We'd all gather around and decorate together, at least until they grew far into their teens. I confess my favorite part was tinsel, something that we don't see nowadays. Not sure why. Will would repeat his directions every year: "drape the tinsel, don't throw it or drop it on the branches."

Looking back on my childhood, I am amazed about how my parents created the magical feel they did especially knowing how stretched their budget was after WWII. When we went to bed at night as little children, there was no sign of Christmas. We believed Santa brought everything on his sleigh.

In the morning, we'd awaken to a tree centered on a large platform. Trains chugged around it. Our gifts snuggled at one end and our stockings were stuffed with candy, always a tangerine, and sometimes a bit of coal, too. Often our stocking held a note that led us to another part of the house where we'd find ice skates, a new sled, and once, for my sister, a bicycle.

My dad sometimes fell asleep in his chair while my mother made our Christmas dinner. Now I know why! For some reason, I never shared my appreciation with them. I wish I could now. Somehow, though, I think they know...

When Once is Enough: One-book Authors

If you’re like me, you’re hesitant to read Harper Lee’s second book, Go Set a Watchman. From what I’ve read about this much hyped book, the reader will leave with a tarnished view of the beloved character, Atticus Finch.

The discovery of this book so many years after To Kill a Mocking bird raised my curiosity about other one book authors, especially those whose one tome has become an iconic classic. I read a lot, but there's a limited number of books that continue to resonate with me, even after many years. I was surprised to find how many of my lifelong remembered reads were by one--book authors. These books influenced my life and affected my thinking immeasurably. 

Here’s my top five: 

                          

1.  Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Born in 1820 to a devoutly Quaker family, Sewell 

was influenced by her mother who wrote children’s 

books. Following a childhood accident, she traveled mostly by horse drawn carriages and developed a deep love and concern for horses. Unlike her mother, she didn’t write for children but rather to influence those who cared for horses. I read the book when I was twelve and never viewed animals without thinking about how they should be treated.

2.  Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

This classic needs no introduction! Is there anyone reading this post who hasn’t read this book or seen the movie? The classic lines throughout this masterpiece are still quoted today. The author was recognized in 1957 when she received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Like Harper Lee, she avoided the limelight, but unlike Lee, she died at the young age of 49. I read this book in my teens and it made me realize how much war affects so many individuals, no matter what their beliefs.

3.  An Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

This was another book that really affected my thinking in my teen years. In his book, published in 1952, he spoke to race in a way never done before. Consider these words by Ellison: “I am an invisible man…I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, simply because people refuse to see me.”

4.  Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Although this was his only book, Salinger wrote nearly two dozen short stories in many publications, including The New Yorker. Holden Caulfield, the main character, illustrates the importance of living an authentic life. I read this as a young adult and it helped reaffirm my own beliefs in following my own direction rather than to “go along to get along.”

5.  Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

 While this author is best remembered for his poetry, his novel, published in 1957, demonstrates the courage it can take to express your views even in fiction. Pasternak had to smuggle his manuscript out of Russia to be published abroad. In my early twenties, his story and what it took to publish it, served as inspiration to me in my early writings.

I’m still unsure whether I will read Harper Lee’s recently published work, Go Set a Watchman, because the characters within what seemed destined to be her one memorable work, speak so much to me. Perhaps, I will consider her the sixth of my one-book authors instead…

To learn more about one-book authors of these and other much loved books, visit Goodreads for a list of 100 well known titles.

       

A Little Help From Our Friends

My last entry was an easy one: a simple holiday reflection of Christmases Past. Somehow, after that, I just couldn’t bring myself to write another posting. My problem wasn’t only with my blog, but other writings as well. While I continued to write the mystery novel I’d already begun, it was a painful process to eke out enough pages to meet my writers’ group deadline twice a month.

I tried prompts, wrote a few drafts but only half-heartedly. Then, I read a friend’s blog. She apparently was having the same problem as I was. Her most recent posting, “First Step Taken,” on her blog, Musings, speaks to the solution. She illustrates so well what it’s like to want to write yet not feel able to do so.

And so now I’m feeling it’s time to hit the keyboard again. Seeing someone I know well experience and conquer writer’s block inspires me so much more than reading similar advice from those I don’t know, though all are well-meaning “experts” and seasoned writers.

Being part of a writing community is such an important support system. If you are a writer or aspire to write, whether fiction or nonfiction, find other folks who also yearn to do so. While friends and family can be encouraging, sharing your work and yes, your anxieties about writing with those who also experience them, helps the most.

So, thank you, Lois, for your wonderful words. Reading your posting helps a lot. I, too, will take the pledge to “not not write.” I look forward to seeing your next month’s posting and pledge mine will follow close behind!