Tag: amwriting (Page 3 of 6)

Love is Love versus Love is Loving in Truth

June 25, 2021 / Chiara

Love is love, but love is better when you love in truth.

I’ve made some observations lately on Love is Love. It’s made me think about things in a new perspective and I’d like to share those insights because it’s all I’ve seen on social media, T-shirts, mugs, mouse pads, temporary Facebook profiles, etc.

Love is…

But…

Dictionary.com defines Love as:

Noun

A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
Sexual passion or desire.

In my humble opinion, love is baggage.

You know why? Because humans love in different ways…and sometimes to get our way. Just look at the dictionary’s description: passionate affection, personal attachment, sexual passion, etc. These are biased reactions.

“If you loved me, than you would (fill in the blank)…”
“Please, please…do it for me.” You show them your puppy eyes. “I love you…”
“Do you know how much I love you?”
“Do you know the sacrifices I’ve had to make because of you?”

And the list can go on, can’t it?

We love the addicts because we think we can change them,
We love abusers because we’re afraid and believe what they’re doing is really okay,
We love to please people because we want to fit in even if don’t agree,
We love things more than people,
We love our phones more than people,
We love our pets more than our family members,
We love food,
We love the wrong things because we were never taught about real love,
Some don’t even know love because of their culture/religion,
Some have never experienced love and what it feels like, and live their life in an apathetic state.

The word “Love” is overused. Love has been overrated. The use of love has lost its luster. Love should be… Loving one another in truth because love is loving in truth.

Loving in “truth” to:

Love our best friend to tell her/him that what they are doing is wrong,
Love our spouse to tell him/her that they are hurting themselves, you, or others,
Love ourselves and accepting who we are because that is how God made you,
Love each other regardless of the color of one’s skin, gender, or political affiliation.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 puts it all in perspective for me. It is one of the most famous scriptures in the Bible for wedding ceremonies, but in reality, this is our greatest gift to one another.

I’ve attempted to break it down using my mortal mind, that is, how I’m interpreting this scripture passage. (I invite you to meditate on this on your own.)

¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

(You can be the most successful person, but if it’s all fake and you don’t mean what you say, you’re really dead inside. )

²And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

(You can be the best scientist, doctor, police officer and know how to solve problems and crimes, and come up with remedies for diseases, but go about your life without passion, care, or regard for humanity, then you’re just going through the motions.)

³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

(These are the church-goers, religious types, and elites who only show up for presence and posterity, and not worship. Then when Monday comes around, they’re back to sinning.)

⁴Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

(A true Jesus follower will be persecuted and mocked all their life because they refuse to confirm to worldly things. They are not jealous and pompous, and will rejoice in another’s blessings, and put others first.)

⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

(A believer of the Lord will be humble. Will not boast upon themselves, and is not easily angered. He/she will always believe in the goodness of others. )

⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

(A believer cannot rejoice in the evils of the world, even if they’ve become isolated or ostracized from society, they are willing to make that sacrifice, and not deter from living righteously in the eyes of the Lord. They are also hopeful that bad circumstances can change for the better, giving all the glory to God.)

⁸Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

(All these things of this world will pass. Love can change a heart. Love endures forever.)

⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

(We can plan all things on our own, but God’s plans are better and sometimes He will put us in situations to bear our cross and lean on Him for help.)

¹¹When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

(Reading the Bible is a growing process. What you learned when you were a child can change when you become an adult. At some point, we have to grow up and take responsibility for our learning. And one of the main learnings that has remained constant in understanding God, is that He loves us. We need to believe that with all our heart. We learn about ourselves by loving others.)

¹³And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

(It’s a simple act of faith and hope to learn to love one another. We must love in the truth of loving others.)

When you love in the most purest and truest form you know how and you love in truth, love always wins.

What do you think?

References:

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/love

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%2013&version=NKJV

The Drink or the Pen?

December 3, 2020 / Chiara

Are you a writer because you drink? Or, are you a drinker because you write? Do these two sentences say the same thing, or are they different? Hmmm… Now that is the question.

I found this book at my local library and perused the contents. It is very interesting and has great drink recipes from famous authors, poets, and playwrights on what they drank while perfecting their profession. Check it out…

I consider myself a decent cook, but I can’t bake for nothing. My chocolate chip cookies come out like communion wafers, my muffins come out like ballooned portabella mushrooms, and any boxed cake I try to bake, turns out like runny glue, if of course there is such a thing as runny glue.

But, experimenting with alcohol recipes, well, now were talking. No, I’m not an alcoholic, but being Italian, I grew up drinking wine during meal time. And, I often helped my dad and uncle make homemade wine every October. It was hard work pressing the grapes into juice in our “spotless” garage. Spotless you ask? Of course! You can’t make wine in a dirty and cluttered garage. We had to wash the cement floor with soap and water prior to setting up our tools and machine to squeeze the grapes. There’s no fooling around in our house when it came to winemaking.

Our family wine-making days are over, my father is too old. I do miss the good ol’ days that’s for sure. But now, there are so many different ways of making wine. I’ve included a few links below if you’re curious.

How to Make Homemade Wine: 13 Steps (with Pictures) – wikiHow

Winemaking – Wikipedia

Homemade Italian Wine – How to make wine at home from grapes without yeast and sugar – Bing video

Homemade Italian Wine – YouTube

As I’ve gotten older, my tastes have matured. I still love wine for dinner, but I also enjoy whiskeys and bourbons.

All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.

So, what’s the difference between the two? Find out for yourself:

Bourbon vs. Whiskey: What’s the Difference? | Taste of Home

What’s the Difference Between Bourbon and Whiskey? | Southern Living

The difference between rye, bourbon, and scotch – Bing video

Is there a correlation between libations and writing? In my humble opinion, no. It seems that writers have been associated with drinking alcohol for centuries. In fact, Ernest Hemingway said it best…

I don’t need alcohol to write. In fact, I prefer water. There are days or nights while editing that I might have a cocktail to help ease the tension of correcting my writing. I’ve only been in a euphoric zone of writing on a few occasions, and that’s hard to do. What is “euphoric zone”? It’s my made up term for when you have those crazy, haunting ideas swelling your brain, and then you’re trying to write those thoughts down as fast as you can without losing it. It’s a glorious feeling when it has happened; I’m so immersed into what I’m writing that I can’t stop. Its’ heart beating and exhilarating—that’s Euphoric Zone.

My advice to you for when ideas hit so strong, is to park your butt in a seat and write, type, or dictate. Otherwise, the ideas will disappear.

As for making drinks, I’ve seem to have perfected the “Art of Making Limoncello”. At least that’s what my family and friends tell me. It’s an Italian liquor made from lemon zest; a drink served before or after a meal to aid in digestion. I’ve been making it for years and even documented the process. Click below for my three-part Limoncello-making series.

Part 1: A Writer’s Adventure to Making Homemade Limoncello

Part 2: The Mid-Process Peek. A Writer’s Adventure to Making Homemade Limoncello

Part 3: Reaping What You Sow. A Writer’s Adventure to Making Homemade Limoncello

Here are a few other links to making Limoncello:

What Is Limoncello and How Is It Made? | MyRecipes

What Is Limoncello & How To Drink Italian Limoncello (bespokeunit.com)

So, I may not have the gift of baking, but I can surely make you a drink.

Until next time friends, cheers! Be responsible.

The Company That We Keep

June 3, 2020 / Chiara

When a strawberry speaks, be sure to listen.

Most of my life I’ve been told to choose my friends wisely, don’t get in with the wrong crowd, keep my friends close but my enemies closer, etc.

As a parent with two elementary-aged daughters, I find myself saying those exact things to my children. The vulnerability and desire to “fit-in” and “stand out” with peers weigh heavy on both of my pre-teens’ minds. They just want to have friends and be known.

Too many times though, that nativity can get someone in trouble if the obsession “to be someone known” overpowers their rationality. And then what do we have? Peer-pressure to perform or do something that can have negative consequences.

As of late, no matter how many times I’ve tried to explain to my girls on choosing their friends carefully, they still don’t understand. Until… a trip to the grocery store changed all that, and one type of fruit to tell it like it is.

Most fruits are packaged today, berries, raspberries, grapes, etc. One of our favorites is strawberries. My daughters love them dipped in Nutella, cut up small pieces and sprinkled over pancakes or waffles, and even on ice cream with whip cream.

It took inspecting packages of strawberries as a teaching moment opportunity for my kids. There they were, neatly stacked packages and packages of strawberries. First, I perused the rows and then eye-balled them from the back row, working my way to the front row, picking up the boxes peering closely and turning them over. My girls looked over my shoulder in impatience and curiosity (they don’t like grocery shopping because I take too long), wondering why I was scrutinizing each package. Finding the right words, it hit me.

Picking up one particular package, I said, “Let’s say this package of strawberries are representative of your friends.”

My older child rolled her eyes. “Really, Mom, another story?” Yep! It’s gonna be a good one, baby. I can feel it.

“Yes, now listen. Everything is going great with your friends, and everyone is getting along until something changes that dynamic of your group. Maybe someone gets jealous of your friend, maybe one friend doesn’t like your other friend, and then the fighting starts, who knows right, and there are so many variables that can break up friendships. Or maybe someone from another group suddenly joins your group and that leads to the spoilage of your current relationships.”

My younger daughter’s jaw dropped. No comments, good. I’ll continue.

“One rotten and moldy strawberry in a package can ruin the rest of the strawberries, and so can one person ruin relationships. Always be careful in the company of whom you associate with. You understand?”

My eldest nodded, but then asked, “I have friends of different cultures is that bad?”

I knew what she meant. We live in a diverse community and choosing wisely didn’t mean only picking a certain set of friends or sticking with one racial group. It was more than that.

I held up a package. “No. Not at all. Look closely, honey. Each strawberry in this package is different. Different shapes, different sizes, and different colors. Some are darker and some are lighter. That is all fine. You want a good mix, but not have any moldy ones because then they’ll all get mushy really fast. The same applies to friends. Having different friends helps you to grow as a person, but when they want you to do things you aren’t comfortable doing or pressure you to go against your beliefs, morals, and values, then that can make things go rotten and terrible. You get me now?”

One smiled. One smirked.

“Now, let’s pick a good package of strawberries.”

And that’s how I explained to my children how to pick decent friends.

THE END

The Love of Dialogue – My Favorite Lines

May 1, 2019 / Chiara

Through my years of story writing, I’ve become more and more comfortable with crafting dialogue. Some will say that…The number-one purpose of dialogue is to heighten the emotional stakes and increase the conflict and tension. I can agree with that statement, but I also believe it helps the reader imagine what the characters look like as they express their emotions.

Let’s define Dialogue:

noun

conversation between two or more persons.
the conversation between characters in a novel, drama, etc.
an exchange of ideas or opinions on a particular issue, especially a political or religious issue, with a view to reaching an amicable agreement or settlement.

I have many favorite dialogue lines in all three of my tales. Too many to count or list here. I will tell you though, that while writing them, I tried to make sure to capture the theatrical moments of the character’s actions. And, the many times as I had to edit and re-edit the dialogues, I too experienced the same emotions I set out to convey.

If I had to pick just “one” dialogue quote in each novel, these are what they’d be:

Love’s Perfect Surrender:

Pointing a finger to his face, she blurted, “I’ve been a damn good wife to you. You didn’t want to adopt, and I obliged because I loved you. We lost a son, and then we had beautiful Isabella, and she’s gone too. You and I have carried a lot of crosses during our marriage. I don’t want to grow old and be by ourselves. I already had that void with my brother not being around. Everything that I have ever loved is dead. That’s my truth. A piece of me is with Devon and Isabella. I wanted more children, but they never came. We are given this gift… This opportunity to provide a home for these three kids, for my brother, and all you are thinking about is yourself. You’re a real ass.” (Chapter 62. Page 256.)

Petrella, the Gillian Princess:

Shaking her head, Petrella demanded. “What’s happened to you? I miss the father you used to be. You are not the same, but I am still that girl—your faithful daughter.” (Part I: Deceptive Renewal. Page 24.)

A Tribute to Tulipia:

He cleared his throat, “You have all erred by treating Tulipia harshly. She was willing to sacrifice her life so that you can have yours. She is to be respected and preserved.” (Page 6)

In the end, it is not what I say which are my favorite dialogue lines, but YOU, the reader, who journeys with the characters. Drop me a note and let me know what your favorite dialogue parts were for each book. I would love to hear your responses.

Until next time…

References:

http://theeditorsblog.net/2011/02/11/dialogue-the-speech-of-fiction/

How To Write Dialogue In Fiction

Dialogue in fiction: Part II – The essentials

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/dialogue

Writing – A Marriage between You and the Screen

April 16, 2019 / Chiara

It takes many drafts to make one beautiful, messy masterpiece.

Writing and authoring novels is like dating to get married. It’s a big commitment. A casual affair won’t work for the writer. Sure, some of you have tried writing, but dabbling in it is not the same as being dedicated and writing for a living.

Terrible drafts unlike awful dates can be massaged and salvaged. Think of all the copies stuffed in some drawer never to be looked at again. It’s doubt that is the killer. Or, maybe you are just a poor writer. It’s okay if this endeavor is not your thing, or what you expected it to be.

Expected? A simple word that holds a lot of weight, so much that a paper towel couldn’t absorb this amount of liquid.

Let’s define expectation…

Expectation:

noun

The act or the state of expecting: to wait in expectation.

The act or state of looking forward or anticipating.

An expectant mental attitude: a high pitch of expectation.

Something expected; a thing looked forward to.

Often expectations: a prospect of future good or profit: to have great expectations.

The degree of probability that something will occur: There is little expectation that he will come.

Most young girls dream of that perfect wedding. A handsome prince that will sweep them off their feet and together, they will live happily ever after. Ah, let me be blunt, I think today’s women and men have realized those days are slim. Chivalry in both genders are depleting. We are too preoccupied and self-absorbed. Screen-time has replaced face-time. Even the age for marriage has gone up. The average age is now 27 years old for women, and 29 years old for men.

With that being said, most people after a certain age choose not to marry. Why? Too much work, set in their ways, they can do everything themselves, and are financially stable. Why take the plunge of marriage when in the U.S. alone, the statistic of divorce is 40-50% for every one marriage.

Some folks I’ve spoken with have said they’d like to write a book. Great, go for it. Wait till they realize how difficult it is. One doesn’t just sit at a computer and type away, and BOOM, you’ve written a book. Yes, that’s how it starts, but you have to keep writing and rewriting until there is a semblance of a storyline. There are rules, such as grammar and punctuation. I’m not talking about emoji’s or abbreviated words. I’m talking about real sentences with commas and periods, and structure, as in a story having a beginning, middle, and end.

The initial draft of a story can be compared to a first date, often awkward. I’ve also heard from some writers that their early manuscripts are some of their best works. Best, as in original, emotional, descriptive, and carefree. Why? Because it’s the very first draft, the first impression, and why not make it your best?

But, that first (draft or date), can be improved. To do so, you have to be willing to share and be open, or else how do you know to continue on?

If a first draft is your FIRST date, what is marriage? Marriage is the countless rough copies/versions of the same story. I can confirm that statement. It took me nine years and 27 versions of “Love’s Perfect Surrender” before the final copy of the story. It took me a year and a half and fourteen versions of “Petrella the Gillian Princess,” and six months and seven versions of “A Tribute to Tulipia”.

I know what you’re thinking. Your drafts keep going down in numbers. True. If you practice writing long enough, you will make progress, but, Petrella, the Gillian Princess and A Tribute to Tulipia were much shorter in book length, and that makes a difference.

I’m currently working on a novel, “Make it Right; Make it Matter”. It has taken me roughly twelve years to write it with 34 versions to date. Eh, who’s counting? I keep tweaking and tweaking because I know it’s not quite finished, yet. Why do all that work? Because it is my “sophomore” full-length novel, and I sincerely believe in the tale so much, I want to make sure it’s done as best as it can be.

Back to marriage. In long-term relationships, people change, and if you believe in the “us” then you will understand that those changes affect the ebb and flow of a union. However, if you are open to growth, are sincere, and devoted, those changes and differences can be overcome. It takes many drafts to make one beautiful, messy masterpiece.

For the first time writer, or the writer who has been at it for years, and this is your TRUE desire, stay the course. Some days and years, the writing will be euphoric and will flow out of you like water from a garden hose. Other times, writer’s block kicks in and that flowing hose, well, it will get rock sediments in there. That is marriage. Keeping the “I do” at the forefront of your relationships and continuing to pour love into each other even if there are pebbles along the way.

Remember to love those days, these days, and all the days because seasons of setbacks can often lead to seasons of soaring.

I’m going to leave you with something. In writing and relationships, you’re going to have to:

Just like marriage vows, writers need a vow too. Make a copy of this and post it on a wall in front of your work space. Let it be a reminder to commit in your writing endeavor.

I_________(your name) take thee pen and paper (or, keyboard and computer) to use as my imagination tools for writing each and every day. I promise to trust the process and persevere no matter what.

Until next time…

References

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/expectation

https://bestlifeonline.com/average-marriage-age-united-states/

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships/a19567270/average-age-of-marriage/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reasons-not-to-get-married_n_5274911

https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-some-people-get-married-or-decide-never-to-marry

https://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/

https://www.divorcemag.com/articles/us-divorce-statistics-and-divorce-rate-2000-2017/

https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-the-first-draft-of-any-novel-is-always-shit-and-bad

https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/fruitless-first-draft-struggles

https://lithub.com/7-methods-for-writing-your-first-draft/

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/perfect-first-draft/

https://medium.com/startup-grind/why-you-should-not-write-a-book-c34d260d4550

https://wordskies.wordpress.com/2015/07/05/everyone-wants-to-write-a-book/

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/28/opinion/think-you-have-a-book-in-you-think-again.html

The Fascination with Curious George

April 3, 2019 / Chiara

Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.

~~Arnold Edinborough

Yesterday, I watched Curious George’s “Swing into Spring” TV special with my eight-year-old daughter. We’ve seen the special plenty of times before, and always found it hilarious.

If you don’t know about the show, here’s a quick synopsis: The Man with the Yellow Hat is sure that George has spring fever, and so he takes him to the park to experience all the wonders of spring. George is so excited about spring that he wants his dog friend Hundley, to have spring fever too, but Hundley and the Doorman are busy trying to win the Mayor’s spring cleaning prize. When a broken water pipe floods the building, Hundley has to stay with George in the country, and he tries to make sure Hundley enjoys spring.

As we giggled at George’s silliness, I got to thinking about this little monkey and why I liked him so much. He’s very cute, but the Curious George shows are about a mischievous monkey on sordid adventures and comical mishaps that The Man with the Yellow Hat has to rescue him from or fix the situation—all the time. If that was my monkey, boy, oh boy, he would be in trouble and put in a very long time out.

What’s unusual is that a human has a monkey for a pet. Sure, people have had alligators, pigs, and dangerous snakes as pets, so what if a cartoon character is raising a monkey? At this I say, build him/her a zoo and keep those animals in their own habitats. The Man with the Yellow Hat lives in a New York City apartment of all places, and a country home near a lake called Lake Wanasinklake, but he still has living quarters meant for man, not animal.

Okay, I’m getting too literal. I must remember that we are talking about a cartoon.

Watching many of the Curious George’s shows I found that the spirited monkey has many interesting and entertaining ventures. He is constantly befriending strangers, is able to communicate with people who don’t speak English, talks to a dog named Hundley, who is a “dog doorman,” has a cool best friend named Bill, who teaches him about fishing and ghost stories, chases a squirrel named Jumpy Squirrel, and little George is so smart that he can hang with the professors at the museum where The Man with the Yellow Hat works.

Up until ten years ago, I never watched one episode or read any of the books by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey. I had no reason to. However, thankfully that changed, and in the last decade I’ve binged on so many of the Curious George television shows, admiring the unfettered monkey and all his crazy escapades. I’ll admit there is something beautiful in seeing the vulnerability and inquisitiveness of a character whose joy comes from discovering new things.

Yes, we all know little George got himself in lots of trouble. How about when he flooded the country home with water, or changed up the soup ingredients because he couldn’t find the vegetables The Man with the Yellow Hat had written down for him, or when George went up in a rocket and becomes the world’s first monkey to go into space. In those episodes and others, his pet owner always accepted George’s curiosity without being harsh or mean-spirited.

And, speaking of The Man with the Yellow Hat, how many of you know his name? He has remained nameless, only recognizable by his BIG YELLOW HAT. I did some research and discovered his name was actually Ted Shackleford. I liked him too, his unruffled demeanor, and his ability to explain things in an understanding way.

Having considered all this, my interest was piqued on the authors of Curious George—a husband and wife team named H.A. Rey and Margret Rey.

It turns out the couple were German-born Jews who fled Paris, France just before Germany took over the country in 1940. With two home-made bicycles, a few belongings, and a manuscript about an inquisitive monkey, they escaped to Lisbon, Portugal where they got on a ship, and eventually crossed over to the United States.

Did you know that the monkey’s original name was Fifi? The first book written by the Reys was titled: “Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys” and it was published in France in 1939. In 1941, when the Reys went to publish their book through Houghton Mifflin on a story about a monkey…the publisher thought “Fifi” was an odd name for a male monkey, later changing it to Curious George.

Did you also know that Mr. and Mrs. Rey’s first American published book was simply titled: “Curious George,” a story about a man (The Man with the Yellow Hat) who traveled to Africa to capture a monkey and bring him to a zoo in New York City? PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) would be all over this story if this happened in real life.

If this hasn’t gotten you curious yet, how about this…Watching the Curious George TV shows and reading the books help children ages 4-7 increase their math and science skills? Read more about it here.

Seven original Curious George titles were written by the Reys, plus the “Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys” book. See the list here. Their books have sold over 25 million copies worldwide.

In the early 1980s the books were turned into a television series so a wider audience could enjoy them. A new Curious George series debuted on September 4th 2006 on PBS Kids as part of the PBS Kids Preschool Block. Although Curious George ended its original run on April 1st., 2015, the series still airs on PBS Kids through reruns.

With the exception of the “Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys” book, I’ve read all seven of the tales and don’t have any favorites because I truly love them all. Click here for the list of books.

However, I do have many favorite TV episodes. Check them out below:

A Halloween Boo Fest

A Very Monkey Christmas

No Knowing Gnocchi with Chef Pisghetti

Auctioneer George

Curious George Sounds Off

School of Dance

Windmill Monkey

Meet the New Neighbors

Well done, George

Something New Under the Sun

The Perfect Carrot

Old McGeorgie had a Farm

The Magic Garden

Up, Up, and Away

For a complete list of all the TV episodes, click here.

I’ll never grow old watching the Curious George shows. I think it is safe to say that my daughter will agree. We bond, laugh at George’s pranks, and relax for family time. I think the two biggest takeaways/ lessons from Curious George are never to rush and judge, and to always forgive—important traits we need to work on in today’s world.

To read more about the Mr. and Mrs. Rey, check out this treasure: “The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey”

Until next time…Be curious.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curious_George#”Original_Adventures”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curious_George_(book)

http://www.curiousgeorge.com/

https://www.kidsbookseries.com/curious-george-original-adventures/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Curious_George_episodes

http://www.tv.com/shows/curious-george/

https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/curious-george-learns-about-brand-recognition

https://www.kelseymedeiros.com/braking-down/the-curious-case-of-curious-george

https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/10rzyr/a_unifying_theory_of_curious_george_with_an/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm09dAsynAs

https://therealworldwilmington.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/the-awful-truth-about-curious-george/

http://thefederalist.com/2017/01/02/story-curious-georges-great-escape-nazis/

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/13/books/how-curious-george-escaped-the-nazis.html

What do tweezers and an inspired writing distraction have to do with each other?

October 17, 2018 / Chiara

I’m often asked where I get ideas for my blogs. Honestly, it is the everyday, mundane occurrences. I welcome the “inspired distraction.” Helps me to be creative.

Today, unbeknownst to myself, I was inspired to write this post because of an interesting incident.

I was at a stop light in the left-turn lane. It was late afternoon, and I was en-route to the grocery stores and my two daughters were with me in the backseat. I was tired, and the ticking sound of the left-turn signal was soothing and hypnotizing when suddenly, my youngest daughter asked me to clarify something. It went like this…

“Momma, what is that lady doing in the car?”

“What lady?” I didn’t want to take my eyes off the road because any moment the light would turn green.

She pointed. “There, next to our car?”

In a car on the right of us, was a woman staring intently into her visor mirror.

My eyes bugged out at what I saw.

Calmly, and without inciting any emotion, I replied. “Well, it looks like she’s plucking hairs from her chin.”

“Eww…!” Was the unison response from the girls.

The light turned green and we inched forward. As the disgusted grumblings continued, I couldn’t help but feel different. In fact, just before I drove off, I noticed that the woman had a booster chair and a baby car seat, both empty. As we turned, the woman sped past us.

I drove and found myself thinking that her beauty regimen was ingenious.

Ingenious? Yes.

Hear me out. You have the visor mirror really close to you (I mean really, what’s it there for?), you don’t need much time to locate and extract those yucky facial hairs, and you can do it anywhere. Even at a stoplight. Better than texting. Plus, you are safely inside a vehicle with the doors locked so no one can bother you.

You can argue and say, why do it on a busy street where people can see you do this private chore? And to this, I say, who cares!

Everyone these days is in a hurry heading somewhere and will forget what they saw…usually. Except me who thinks it was a brilliant move and my daughters who are grossed out.

I’m not suggesting that we should dress, shave, and groom ourselves in our cars. What I’m getting at is that this woman found a moment to use her time efficiently because she may have too much on her plate to think of herself and do these womanly duties. She may have a full or part-time job and juggle motherhood. Even ladies without children can relate: the climb up the career ladder is just as difficult.

So, kudos to the woman plucking her facial hairs. You look like you utilize your time efficiently.

Still, I have a few things to say…

Slow down. Take time for you. Don’t cram everything in one sitting. Your children will appreciate you regardless. Your spouse may have other thoughts, but that’s not my problem. Whatever you do, take the time for YOU.

And if nobody has told you lately…YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.

Oh, one more thing…Thank you for today’s writing distraction. (Wink)

The Back Story for “A Tribute to Tulipia”

August 28, 2018 / Chiara

Be the model that propels our kids to be strong, courageous, kind, and never back down on their morals and beliefs. We have one chance in life. Let’s all be Tulips in the wild brush.

#BeATulip

It started with a picture, a picture of a tulip standing tall and confident surrounded by tangled brush and shrubbery. The greenery in the background accenting its beautiful pink petals caught my eye while on a hike with my daughters. The sun poking through the trees cast a glow of holiness about her that no camera could ever capture. She reminded me of a female, I named her Tulipia.

It had been a tough season of bullying incidents at school for both my girls, so I tried instructing my children about standing up for what’s right as well as doing the right thing for others. This sudden inspiration was God’s gift of another means of explanation. And so a story began to stir in my mind, one that cannot be ignored. I knew I had to write this down.

A tale that was supposed to be a little school project turned out to be so much more. This reading gem can be enjoyed by kids and grownups alike. A Tribute to Tulipia is a feel-good story about a tulip and her family who live in an oasis surrounded by tangled vines, brush, and shrubs. Bullied and picked on, the reader journeys with the alienated family who never backed down in their fight to unify a changing forest. It is a great lesson and reminder on what it takes to be a true friend, what sacrifice means to lay down one’s life in order to save another, and to always, always do the right thing no matter what.

As a writer, I never set out to write words with symbolic meaning. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. The more I thought about this story, the more I’ve realized just how important it was to share it with my kids. I hope you’ll do the same.

Don’t ever be afraid to be a Tulip!

#BeATulip

For the FREE sample story in PDF format, click here.

Ebook available via Amazon and Smashwords.

Paperback below is available via Amazon.

ALERT***ALERT***

For each A Tribute to Tulipia paperback purchased, I will donate a portion of the proceeds to Stand for the Silent, an anti-bullying organization that travels to schools to address the issue of bullying with an engaging, factual, and emotional methodology. Their mission is to inform students and staff about bullying awareness along with the real devastation it causes. Let’s keep the “I AM SOMEBODY” Stand for the Silent © program alive. For more information, please check out: https://standforthesilent.org/.

Buy your copy NOW! Don’t wait! Help stop bullying. #BeATulip. Go to Amazon.

The Vacation Bible School Experience

August 13, 2018 / Chiara

Though summer doesn’t officially end until September 23^rd, for our family and community, school is just a few days away.

It’s been a fruitful summer. One filled with many exciting family events. I took a sabbatical from the obsessive editing and rewriting I did during the spring on my third and upcoming novel, Make it right; Make it Matter. I hired a couple of beta reviewers who did a phenomenal job of identifying some loopholes which I will fix when my girls go back to school.

For the last three years, my girls have attended Vacation Bible School at our church. It’s one week at the end of June where kids ages 4-12 participate in various stations that teach about Jesus and scriptures from the bible using games, songs, and crafts. Every year is a different theme.

My children love going to Vacation Bible School. They know a lot of the volunteers, do a ton of activities for a few hours, and I get some “me time”.

However, God had a plan for me and for a while I ignored it. Let me elaborate…

In the spring there were a number of emails that came across my inbox from our Children’s Ministry Director asking for help on certain stations that are part of the Vacation Bible School curriculum. One of them was Bible Drama in which an adult volunteer works with kids from our Youth Ministry to put on skits related to each day’s scripture. It requires set design, costume design, facilitating the script—speaking about each scripture as it relates to our lives, assigning roles from the scripts, and making sure my youth volunteers are present each day for the week.

I deleted a number of emails related to the pleas. I registered my kids and I was good. This year’s theme was Shipwrecked: Rescued By Jesus. I found the website, listened to the music, and talked to my daughters about attending. They were excited. Then, one night, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned for hours. I felt this tug to take over Bible Drama. In the morning, I shrugged it off until I saw an email sent directly to me from the Director. It was May and she was pleading for my participation.

“Crap. I can’t.” I thought.

My background is instructional design and for a number of years I also did stand up training. Even so, being an author, sometimes you are asked to speak publicly about your books and experiences to reader groups. I’ll be honest; public speaking often gives me anxiety. I’d rather be sitting at a desk where I can type words on a blank screen, and use the backspace key to erase something that doesn’t always sound right. It’s my comfort zone.

God responded with “Yes, you will.”

Guilt and fear consumed me. I didn’t want to disobey God or turn my back on the church, even if I was really scared to do it. I slept on it that night and I didn’t toss and turn. Instead, a calm peace came over me, and when I awoke, I had a plan of how to accomplish this role. If this is what God wanted me to do, I had to take a chance.

So, I set out to work with the Director. I read through the scripts, modified and enhanced content where I could, researched scripture, communicated with my new recruits and made copies of the materials needed to make this one special week—super special. Most of all, I prayed to God to give me the wisdom to impact all the children attending the session, as well as my six “tween-aged” kids who were going to help me.

For each day, we had a scripture bible point and a story or two to help the children understand the message. This is what I learned:

Day 1: When you’re lonely…Jesus rescues!

Bible Story: Jesus tells parables about lost things. (Luke 15)

Parable of the Lost Coin

Parable of the Lost Sheep

Parable of the Prodigal Son

Day 2: When you worry…Jesus rescues!

Bible Story: Martha worries and complains. (Luke 10:38-42)

Day 3: When you struggle…Jesus rescues!

Bible Story: Jesus’ friends try to rescue him in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Luke 22:39-54, Mathew 26: 36-56)

Day 4: When you do wrong…Jesus rescues!

Bible Story: Jesus welcomes a criminal before dying and coming back to life. (Luke 23:26, 24:12)

Day 5: When you’re powerless…Jesus rescues!

Bible Story: Peter and John heal a lame man in Jesus’ name. (Acts 3:1-26)

It was a jammed packed week and I went home exhausted every day. Most of all, I came away filled with happy emotion, energized for God’s Word, and the kids: the participants and my helpers gave me purpose. God knew as He always does that this is where I was supposed to be.

With school starting very, very, soon, and anxiety and nervousness running high in our home, God has tapped me again. To send my kids off with this powerful reminder that no matter what…Jesus Rescues!

The Randomness of Human Interaction

July 23, 2018 / Chiara

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re supposed to be at a certain place, but never know the reason why?

I can honestly say I’ve had many of those experiences. This latest random episode has mystified me a bit. Let me share…

A few months ago, my husband and I had an opportunity for a date night. There’s a local band that’s been around for many years. We’ve seen them at outdoor festivals and venues. This time, they were playing at a pub not too far from our house and my in-laws were happy to babysit.

The bar was crowded, as it wasn’t just us who knew about this band. We got a couple of drinks and slithered our way to a corner where the lights and sound control display was set up. Hugging the wall, we waited as the band came onto the stage. When the lights went dark, everyone went nuts. The flashing lights and loud drum beats made my heart nervous. Still, we were okay just in front of a short wall that separated the “standing room only” from the “reserved VIP” section.

Balancing my purse, I placed my drink on top of the ledge. A couple was seated at a table with bar stools with their backs to the erected wall.

The man looked over his shoulder and smiled, and I apologized for putting my drink behind him. He said it was okay, and we continued listening to the music. After some time, the man turned again and started chatting with my husband. Next thing I knew, the man invited us to sit with them at their table.

Two steps up and the whole bar perspective changed. Higher than the standing room only patrons, it made a world of difference as I didn’t have to crane my neck to see the band.

The woman with the man introduced herself as his girlfriend. The man commented that he felt he should ask us to join them. We were grateful none-the-less, and my guy offered to buy them drinks.

Almost two and a half hours later, we were still there, enjoying this friendly couple’s gracious gesture, as well as sharing in some “grown-up” conversation about kids, life, friendship, and the band. Time had flown.

It was time for us to go. After countless thank yous and a friend request acceptance on Facebook, we got up to leave. The man was thankful for the time together. He hugged my husband and me. They were genuine hugs. Warm hugs from a down to earth kind of guy and his smiley girlfriend. It had been a good night. We bid goodbye and left.

Since March, I’ve seen several posts on the couple. Many pictures of happy faces and affectionate words to one another. I’ve even “Liked” a few posts.

A few weeks ago, I came across something that said that the man had died. I was shocked. I had just seen a picture of them together a few days before. Not a lot was disclosed on the cause of death, but it still felt like it wasn’t real. The man and woman had even gotten engaged recently.

Since his death and hundreds of photos posted later, I can see why there were so many pictures of him. His smile was contagious, his eyes friendly, and he was like a big bear with a happy demeanor.

My heart ached. I had only met this man and his girlfriend once and talked to them for a short time. By some strange higher intervention, something connected us together.

I can’t stop thinking of him. How did God take this man away so soon? He wasn’t old, maybe late 40s early 50s. How come we were chosen to sit with them that night at the bar? He lifted our spirits.

They had a service for him the other day. We didn’t go. I guess I’d feel funny going as if I’m invading their space. I sent our condolences online and I did the next best thing. I prayed. I prayed for his fiancé and family.

I’ve been around deaths of close loved ones, but not a random person. And because of this, I’ve been consumed with his passing. Every picture shows a joyous man who made everyone around him feel alive. I know my husband and I felt his presence.

Was it meant to meet these people? What can I learn from all this?

I guess the best answer is to really appreciate those random folks you meet along your road of life. You may never know someone really well, but I believe you can’t forget how they made you feel.