Two Steps Forward, Three Back

Every year Christmas season seems to come earlier. Before Halloween decorations are down the Christmas lights are going up, and the shopping frenzy begins. 

Tis' the season to be merry with Christmas lights, music, and decorations filling the stores, crowds of people materialize from nowhere and everywhere. The hours of the day are suddenly crammed with to-do-list so full it makes my head spin. 

I wonder how I ever managed to work a full time job, raise a family and still finish the things on my list. Hats off to young mothers everywhere. Maybe it's my age, who knows, but for whatever reason, my list keeps growing. It feels as if I'm taking two steps forward and three steps back. 

All I can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other; I'll eventually accomplish what I set out to do.  For now, I intend to relax, enjoy a bit of this Christmas spirit, and my family. There's sure to be a few stories I can glean from this crew!

Saturday Evening Post

Okay, perhaps I should call this the Saturday Evening Post, but I have a good excuse. I have been gone all day; hell, I don't think I've stopped all weekend. I should get a medal for starting a new blog on Thanksgiving weekend! I don't usually get out on Black Friday either, but my daughter was home from Washington, so what can I say... It was a long day. Mission accomplished.

After a wonderful day with family, feasting till our bellies ached, I spent a fun-filled afternoon playing in our family's annual Thanksgiving corn-hole tournament. It has been a busy and productive weekend,  and I am happy to report I can now check a few items off my to-do-list.

1.  Thanksgiving dinner (no drama) - check!
2.  Safe arrival of daughter - check!
3.  Successful corn-hole tournament - check!
4.  Completed my Christmas shopping - check! 
5.  Finished my critiques - check!
6.  Morning Posts - check!

My list is still long but I'm getting there. How about yours? Do you use a list to help you stay focused? Leave me a comment or reply. Tell me what keeps you focused.

Being Grateful

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Today I will spend cleaning and baking and reflecting on the things, I am most grateful. The dictionary defines being Grateful as a feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness; being thankful. Voices of gratitude are louder this time of a year, wouldn't it be nice to hear them all year long. There used to be a time when we did.

Recently, while antique shopping I came across a book, Etiquette Up To Date  by Cornelius (Mrs) Beeckman, 1938. I bought the book out of  sheer curiosity and was amazed at the author's insight, the difference in decorum, manners, and how much we're missing today by not teaching gratitude, graciousness, and thoughtfulness. Here are just a few of the pearls of wisdom from Mrs. Beeckman's book:

 “Being gracious, being thoughtful, being kind, having a decent regard for the other fellow: this is etiquette- call it good manners, courtesy, common sense, decency, or what you will – "

"People will like you better, and you will like yourself better if you graciously say "Please" and "Thank you" and "I beg your pardon," and " How kind of you to say that" and "You were very good to do that for me" and other illuminated phrases that show you do not live in a world bounded on all sides by yourself."

Sometimes I think we forget how the things we want or do  impact other people. It's good to be reminded the world does not revolve around us. 

Thanksgiving night as you head off into the Black Friday abyss, and elbow your way through Christmas crowds, remember Mrs. Beeckman and her call for decency and graciousness. Be an example to those around you and to your kids. She said, "Parents are the standard bearers for the child," and I have to agree.                                                    

The holiday season is a busy time of baking, stuffing our faces, enjoying family, friends and Christmas shopping. For some it will be thrilling and fun, while others may find it overwhelming, dysfunctional, and stressful. Whichever it turns out for you, be gracious in spirit, thankful, show appreciation and gratitude for God's blessings. Here are some of the many things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving:

1. Family

2. Friends

3. Bountiful food

4. A Roof over our heads and a warm bed to fall into after stuffing ourselves and shopping

5. Money to shop

6. The freedom to do these things

7. Faith

8. Pets

9. Health that is improving

10. Laughter

11. The ability to read

12. The ability to write

13. My readers

Comment and add your list of things to which you are grateful.

And, as we sit down with our families this Thanksgiving and express our gratitude, don't forget those who are less fortunate. Say a prayer for the hungry, the poor, those under persecution in Israel and the American citizens whose lives were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Donate to the American Red Cross to help with their recovery.

To each one of you may you and your family be blessed and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

No time Like the Present

These past few months have been eventful for me and, as a result, my writing has taken a back seat.
But, things are settling down, and I am ready to find my way back to a routine that will nurture my writing.

I didn't take a complete hiatus from the keyboard. I managed to write a few short stories, read a couple of books, and keep up with a number of my favorite blogs, among them, The Daily Creative Writer,  one of the most interesting and inspirational blogs I have found. The author, Elizabeth Cutright writes often about the importance of daily writing, even during the most hectic of times. She calls these daily musings,  morning pages. The more I read, the better I liked the idea.

To say this has been a hectic time for me and my family is putting it mildly and now that we're heading into the holiday season, things aren't going to be slowing down for a while. I knew if I continued to let circumstances dictate my writing time, I may never get it back.  It was time to make a decision, to get back on a schedule, to engage my muse, and make writing as routine as eating and breathing. As the saying goes, "There is no time like the present." This is my attempt.

Welcome, to Sheila's Morning Pages. I don't promise great words of wisdom or insight on these morning pages, just that I'll be here sharing and writing. Something. Anything. It is a start.  It may be a prompt, a nugget of news,  a diagram for grammar, gossip or an opinion piece.  I hope you will stay tuned. In the meantime, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday with your family and loved ones. I intend to, but each morning bright and early, I will start my day with morning pages and see where it takes me.