Family Strength

 For those looking for a story, I thought of one the other day and don't think it has been shared here before. 

I would say I was in the 7th grade and I had this great English teacher Mrs. Klickyn I know I am spelling her name wrong and will look it up and correct it once the sun comes up. LOL. She was one of the best teachers I ever had. Anyway, we had to write a story about learning a lesson. I went home and was telling my parents and my dad who wasn't usually the first to help with homework said he knew a story I could write. As he told the story and I listened I didn't recall the incident that he was talking about but I have told the story so many times since I can see it happen in my head as I tell it.

My father told me that he and I were walking along a sidewalk, I was small maybe 2 years old. As we walked I tripped and fell and my father stood by me waiting for me to get up. These two ladies walking in the opposite direction approached and said to him, aren't you going to help her. My father responded I will not always be here to pick her up but I will be here to make sure she gets up on her own. 

That is it. That is the story and the lesson. Short and concise. Dad as a rule didn't pick us up when we fell or fell short of anything. He was there if we needed him but for the most part, he just stood by for us to be strong enough to get up on our own. 

Some might think this a sad story of a father not sweeping up his little girl and comforting her. But at my age now and maybe even back then I know I am stronger because of that very reason. My father passed away in 2021 as I stood in the church with my brother and sisters and all our friends and family this story came to mind. Dad had stood by us long enough for us to be strong enough to stand on our own. 

I didn't know the last time I saw him it would be the very last. I thought we would meet a few months later for our birthdays, but that was not what fate had in store. So for those that don't know my father passed away in Anchorage, Alaska in the hospital not from Covid but from complications due to having it. 

When I fall or falter and get back up I know it is because of the way we were raised that I am the person I am and I will get back up. 

Dawn of The Pandemic release

 So, it has been a while since I wrote anything here. Since the last time, I have written a book, Dawn of The Pandemic. The ebook was released earlier this month. I am still working on getting the formatting right for the print book. 

Here is the cover. It is available on Amazon. I am trying to figure out all the ins and outs of being a writer, publisher and chief cook and bottle washer. Makes me spread kinda thin.

The book is about my Pandemic experience. I walked each morning to see the colors of the sky and for a few minutes each day to get out of the house and out of my head. I also wrote what was going on with the Pandemic outside of our house, statistics and how relative it was to me. As I say on the back cover while I was marking time I didn't realize time would never be the same. 

I am working on a couple other projects now, a history book and the history is told by some of the oldest trees. And another memoir type about growing up on Clearwater Beach. I have about 7 chapters of that written. Whenever a story comes to me I write it down. 

Enjoy Dawn of The Pandemic.