Thankful!

Wow.  I am just blown away by the wonderful support I have received for my writing.  Especially with last week’s blog. If I had to compare writing and publishing publicly to something on the physical plane it would be this. Suddenly you are caught naked in the middle of the road, completely exposed and vulnerable to the rain, wind, and sun. It’s terrifying, but you can't just stand there for the entire world to see can you? But then, as you become accustomed, you realize how good the rain and wind feels cooling your skin start to notice how the sun gently warms you. You begin to feel  liberated and free, and that is a thrilling feeling. That’s what it’s like. Terrifying because you are exposed and exhilarating because you are uninhibited.

I have never had any formal training for writing; I did take a few literature courses in a community college mostly from pure love of the written word. What I do know is writing, as a form of self expression is not only natural and therapeutic for me, it’s almost a need. I have been writing for many years and I have my ancestors to thank for the example. My great grandfather wrote, my grandfather wrote, and my mother mother writes. I can remember laying down in bed at night and hearing my mother tap tap tapping on her Brother  typewriter my grandpa sent her because we had no electricity. This was high tech for her compared to the pen and paper she had been using for so many years. I loved that sound and understood even then that it was something important for her.

So thank you Great Grandfather for your influence in my life and your collection of Louis L'Amour books I still treasure.

Thank you Grandfather, for your encouragement and example of writing for the love of writing. And  for keeping our history for us.

And thank you Mom, for the years of support and for loving me and encouraging me even when some of my words must have been painful for you to read.

And finally, thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to read even one of my ramblings, the many of you who stopped and made a thoughtful comment, shared my writings with others, and encouraged me to keep going. It means more than you know.