I have always believed in the symbolism of ‘The Light’ with my faith. In my research to validate my viewpoint, I’ve found in the Bible multiple references to ‘The Light’ or ‘The Light of the World.’ The first chapter and first verses of Geneses are the initial sources.
“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was the morning of the first day.”
Biblical scholars have varied interpretations of these five verses. I understand that the usage here of ‘The Light’ and its opposition to ‘The Darkness’ is symbolic of good and evil. Since God created the light, perhaps it means the ‘Spirit of God.’
Psalms 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear.
Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”
Do we understand love and grief, and how might they be linked? Both emotions are all-consuming and seize us when we are least expecting. There are many types of love. but I’m talking about the shared love between two adults in a committed relationship. During my life, I have twice experienced love and grief.
There are hundreds of definitions of love, and not all apply to our individual phycological experience. I couldn’t find the source, but someone stated, “True love is a selfless act.” It’s when you continually put your significant other at the center of your existence.
The Songs of Solomon in the Old Testament of the Bible gave me another perception of what love is.
I’ve allowed my blog website to go stale during the last three years. I found no desire or comfort by keeping it current. I quit following all those individual bloggers that inspired me, and I aspired to be one of them. I didn’t delete the links to my favorite writers, but their connections to me were lost in my absence.
Perhaps I should feel ashamed, but I’m not. Individuals who know me might say the absenteeism was justifiable. It doesn’t matter. I often wanted to return to what previously had been motivating and therapeutic. With any of my attempts, all I found was the blank screen. It’s an experience most writers have.
Although I abandoned my blog site, I continued writing. When I first joined the writing group, they assisted me in rewriting my first book, One Month, Twenty Days, and a Wake-Up. I released the second edition in July 2020. Currently, I’m working on my first attempt at writing fiction. Please watch for further discussion and announcements on its release.
I thought my desire for the world of blogging would return once my mourning ended. But my sadness hasn’t ended. What I’ve learned, there is no end to our grief. We don’t stop loving those we have lost, so why would we stop grieving for them. We don’t.
Christmas of 2018, I introduced a guest writer, Forest Riggs, with his Christmas short story.Forest isn’t a novice writer like myself, but a skilled writer who has written for several Texas magazines and newspapers in and around the Houston, Texas area. Recently, Forest released his new book Galveston – Memories & Related Stories. The book, published by Outskirts Press, is available on Amazon as a paperback or ebook. You also may purchase a copy through Barnes and Nobles, Ingram, Abe Books, eBay, and several local books stores in the Galveston and Houston area.
Here is a quote from the manuscript:
“The sand-covered oasis in the Gulf of Mexico represents an almost mythical and magical place, where man, nature, and Providence have come to the crossroads many times since its earliest beginnings.”
My morning routine as I eat breakfast often includes watching Joe Scarborough, Morning Joe, on MSNBC. I’m not a fan of Joe, but his news program is revealing and informative. I find Joe long-winded, and he takes too long to make his point or allow his guest to respond. Frequently, Mika Brzezinski offsets him when he goes overboard. Their coverage of the national news is timely, and their interviews are efficient in understanding the topic.
This morning’s discussion became heated when the subject turned to Facebook and Twitter when Mika and Joe explained, “…they see Facebook and Twitter as ‘publishers,’ and such, they want the social media platforms to be held accountable by the same laws as news organization…”
They feel both social media platforms were negligent in monitoring and eliminating “misinformation,” and “disinformation.” Mika’s rant continued saying, “Perhaps there wouldn’t be people dead. Perhaps there wouldn’t be people following false scientific information about the coronavirus. Perhaps there wouldn’t have been some sort of insurrection at the Capitol that was promulgated all over your sites. Perhaps there wouldn’t have been so much hatred and disinformation. You have shown that it drops just by some random act that you decided to take at the last minute…”
Over the last week, I’ve fought the typical holiday blues. I recall the previous year, my first Christmas without my late husband. I’m dreading the upcoming holidays, knowing it will be a repeat of the previous. Compound the anxiety to include our fighting of the Covid pandemic, and to be safe, we need to shelter-in-place.
It would be so easy to succumb to depression. I very well could, and some would say I would have justification. Perhaps, but when I watch the news or look on the internet, I witness thousands of families suffering this year because of losing a family member or close friend to the Covid. Even as devastating this pandemic has been throughout the world, I can find a ray of hope and optimism that we can and will get through it together. I will do my part by staying home. I will thank God the virus has affected none of my family and friends. I will also pray for those that are victims.
I also remember many previous adverse holidays I have experienced. One of those Christmas came to mind, and I will share it with this post. The following I extracted from my book, One Month, Twenty Days, and a Wake-Up. After reading it, please leave me your comments. Please tell me how you are coping with the holiday blues.
I found this post from someone I recently started following. We hear similar messages, but do we ever listen. This one comes with a great slogan, one that should pop into our head every time we hear the bigotry and partisanship that is so prevalent today.
Sherry Meyer is a writer I follow, and she posted a piece that affirms how I have been feeling lately. Even when I have more than enough to occupy my day, I find means of avoiding my priorities. At the end of the day, I reprimand myself for my procrastination. I’m constantly fighting the loneliness for human contact. I have days my depression is elevated to the point I all but vegetate. While daily, I’m bombarded with negative narratives from TV and social media, it is hard to keep a positive attitude.
After reading Sherry’s post, I don’t feel so alone with my feelings. I believe if you take a minute to read it, you too may identify with her. It put a different light on our plight during this pandemic. Thank you, Sherry, for sharing your viewpoint.
I’m proud to announce that my 2nd Edition of One Month, 20 Days, and a Wake Up is now available on Amazon. I released it simultaneously in eBook and paperback format. I followed KDP’s recommendation of publishing it as a new book. Their advice, if the book has significantly changed, don’t update the older version, but release it separately.
My question now is, do the two books link somehow? The title didn’t change, just the cover and a good portion of the storyline. What is also obviously updated, the quality of the writing. What I will eventually do is delete the original book. But I don’t want to lose the complimentary reviews. I need to find out how you can move the reviews to the recent release.
The process of the rewrite began in April 2019. A friend invited me to go to the writer’s critique group he attended. They met twice monthly and asked their members to bring in original work to read and reviewed by the group. When I told them I had self-published three books, they invited me to return. My reply, “If you will help me rewrite my book on Vietnam, I will.”
Now, after fifteen months of hard work, I’m thrilled I have completed the project. Included in this post is the final version of the book blurb and the acknowledgment section from the book.
I am one step closer now in releasing the 2nd edition of One Month, 20 Days, and a Wake Up.If you’re a writer, you know the editing, and we never complete the changes. We’re never satisfied, but we have to stop at some point, or we would never publish or post our writing
Since I’m self-publishing this book, I’m required to format the manuscript for eBook and paperback formats. Each has its unique nuances. If the ultimate product has presentation errors, it is just as bad as being poorly written. I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice to state; it is a painstaking and timely process.
I thought it might entertain you to share another section of the book. Instead of me copying a part and you reading it, I recorded it in hopes it might grab your attention. This is my first attempt at dabbling with a different medium.
I selected the introduction this time because it sets the temperament of the manuscript. I didn’t write this book to make any political statement, although I believe I did for the Vietnam Veteran. I wrote it to share a portion of my life that influenced and changed me. I wanted the reader to have an insight from my viewpoint into what it meant to be a PJ. I wanted people to know the sacrifices and risks my fellow PJs did to rescue and save lives. I wanted you to know that we risked all to fulfill our motto: “We do these things so that others may live.”
Sherry Meyer is a writer I follow, and she posted a piece that affirms how I have been feeling lately. Even when I have more than enough to occupy my day, I find means of avoiding my priorities. At the end of the day, I reprimand myself for my procrastination. I’m constantly fighting the loneliness for human contact. I have days my depression is elevated to the point I all but vegetate. While daily, I’m bombarded with negative narratives from TV and social media, it is hard to keep a positive attitude.
