What I Look Forward to As I Age ... by Delsora Lowe

It’s finally September! My favorite time of the year is fall, despite the fact that soon cold weather will descend and with it snow and ice and… Well, you get the picture. I’d much rather enjoy warm sunny days that cool off at night.

I’d rather enjoy colorful leaves and fall flowers and harvesting vegetables and picking apples.

And, my birthday is in the fall, reminding me what one year older can bring. I remember teen years when I couldn’t wait to go away to college, not realizing how fast time flies, the older you get.

I remember summers, when I juggled several jobs while raising kids. I couldn’t wait for autumn to arrive so the kids, now old enough, would be back in school all day, so I wasn’t running from job to nursery school to pick up kids, dropping them at the sitter and back to job number two.

Now, I look back and realize how much I missed as my children grew up way too fast. But now I have grandchildren who are doing the same. One is looking at colleges. The other two sophomores in high school. All busy falling into young love, working hard at studies, and excelling at various sports teams. Of course, they are excelling. They are MY grandsons.

Oldest Grandson - now 17 - My Dad's 90th Birthday - 2009

It seems like yesterday, they were lying on the floor, playing with tiny cars and making zoom, zoom, zoom sounds, learning to count to one-hundred, and excited when they got to nibble on favorite snacks—my youngest grandson loving chunks of cucumber and olives with the holes where the pits were. He would put an olive on each fingertip and methodically eat each olive, one by one. Or the special events like coloring Easter eggs at Grammy’s table. Now they are self-sufficient.

To me, those memories of my own days in high school and college seem so far away, yet just like yesterday.

So, what do I look forward to as I age?

Top of the list? Not feeling as though I am aging. Also…keeping busy, communicating with others, not isolating, learning new things.

This is where writing comes in, as I can accomplish all of the above through writing.

Learning and Hanging with Writer Friends Through Zoom

I belong to four virtual writing groups in Maine, Rhode Island, New England, and New Jersey. Each group of romance writers meets monthly. It used to be in person. Now it is through ZOOM. The cons, I miss seeing my writer friends in person, but there are times in a year, when we meet up at writing conferences. The pros are without ZOOM, I would only see my writer friends once a year at the aforementioned conferences. Now, I see them and hear their voices and have actual conversations monthly. Sure, we don’t get to hug each other or gather around a table and enjoy a cocktail and chatter. There is nothing that compares to face-to-face.

A few years ago, after retiring, I joined a local organization that has programming for both teens and those of us over 55. The organization has a group named Write on Writers. We have anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five who attend weekly. Each of us writes a 5-minute or less piece, whether fiction, non-fiction, or verse of some sort. We then read aloud our work at each session. And we can submit our work to appear in the monthly organization newsletter that gets distributed around town.

The fun of this group is that I get to try different types of writing, than my normal romance novel writing. And every now and then, I will write a 5-minute romance story and submit for publication
. But I can also read those at my local group. And now, I have over sixty 5-minute romances I have written since 2010. Those I am editing and expanding to collect into a short romance anthology...SOMEDAY!

So, what do I look forward to as I age. Meeting weekly with my writing group. Continuing to write both short stories and longer works to release as books, hanging with my grandchildren and trying to figure out a way to stop their growth and aging so I can keep them close forever.

Okay – if anyone has ideas on how to do just that, let me know. Because, if they don’t age, neither will I!

Oh, as you can see, in spite of the slowing down and the need to nap I’m also trying to figure out how I can live forever, because right now, I’m having a ton of fun with this aging business.

No matter our age, we all continue to age on a daily basis. What words of wisdom can you impart when you think about what you have learned over a lifetime?

Amazon (also in print)

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/

Books2Read   books2read.com/u/mglVqK

 

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in late 2024 or early 2025.

 

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe 
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/ 

Photo Credits:
Delsora Lowe

Where Did All the Meaning Go? How Halloween Lost Its Roots by Heather Michet

Once upon a time not that long ago, the end of October brought celebrations of gratitude, reverence and honoring: the harvest was in, plants and planets that sustained life were thanked, and people readied themselves for the coming darkness and quiet of winter while acknowledging the dead and their part in the natural order of things.

 Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Now this time of year in the US means more plastic junk, too much sugar, ghoulish décor and wacky outfits.

How Did We Get Here?

What began as a ceremonial, earth-based, spiritual time with bonfires, harvest foods, and communing with the dead, has become a ghoulish, commercialized observance.

Here’s what happened (in a very simplified form):

• Ancient Celts celebrated the end of summer, the harvest, and the threshold between light (summer) and dark (winter) with their Samhain fire festival.  Happening over 3 days - October 31st–Nov 2nd – spirits of the dead were believed to be more visible and approachable during this liminal time.

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• Catholic popes attempted to “Christianize” Samhain.  This was done in an attempt to spread their religion and wipe out pagan traditions. Nov. 1^st became All Saints Day, aka All Hallows Day, making October 31^st All Hallows Eve.  Nov. 2^nd became All Souls Day. Note that the word pagan comes from the Latin ‘paganus’ which means villager or rustic, ie. a country dweller.  The Church moved the meaning to heathen.

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• Romans had their own fall festival which included honoring Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. There’s where our bobbing for apples at Halloween parties came from!

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• Irish immigrants in mid-19th century left the potato famine to come to the US, bringing many of the familiar Halloween traditions that we see today, including Jack-o-lanterns.  The early carvings, however, were out of beets, turnips and potatoes.

From Bonfires to Billions

Trick or Treating was popularized in the States in the 1950’s, beginning the rise to the celebration’s big revenue producer that it is today: More than 179 million people celebrate Halloween in the US, spending $10.6 BILLION.  Yes, billion with a B.

Photo by Lucas Ludwig on Unsplash

What Happened to Remembering the Dead?

By disrespecting our dead and death itself with our Halloween traditions, we have fueled our fear of death.  With the dead portrayed as gruesome, gory monsters and zombies, who wouldn't be scared of talking about death and dying?

In her wonderful book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, Katherine May states it perfectly: 

“Our contemporary celebrations forget the dead altogether…We are, after all, a society that has done all it can to erase death…the idea that we might be intimate with death is now some kind of a gothic joke.  Today’s Halloween simply reflects what we secretly think – that death is a surrender to decay that makes us monsters.”

Who Wouldn’t Be Afraid of Death?

I feel that in disrespecting our dead - and death itself - with our Halloween traditions, has fueled our fear of death.  With the dead portrayed as gruesome, gory monsters and zombies, who wouldn’t be scared of talking about death and dying?

Photo © Heather Michet

Mexico Saves the Day

Thankfully, one culture’s practice of celebrating and honoring the dead is thriving: Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos.  It is colorful, respectful, bright and meaning-filled, taking place on November 1st and 2nd.

I love this holiday!

Photo © Heather Michet

The best way to learn more about this festival is to attend a celebration in your community.  

If that’s not an option, watch the film Coco, one of my absolute favorite movies.  The story portrays the practices and meaning of this holiday beautifully. 

You can also read about the rituals I include at this time of year here.

You Can Be a Meaning Maker

Talk with your children, grandchildren and other adults about the true meaning behind Halloween.

It will make a difference in their lives and in our world.

Heather Michet is an impassioned healing artist, educator and Ceremonial Songstress who weaves lyrical, a cappella vocals throughout a wide array of ceremonies in a myriad of settings.  From weddings in the woods, graveside memorials, and ashes scatterings at the shore, her Celtic style voice embraces the heart and stirs the spirit of all who gather honoring life events.  You can connect with Heather and her work in any (or all!) of these ways:

• Learn about her wellness tools (including Fresh Air Fare) and services rooted in nature at Iris Healing Arts

• Listen to her music on YouTube 

• Read about her Ceremonial Songstress work at Purple Crow Sings

• Facebook – Heather Facebook – Purple Crow Sings   Facebook – Iris Healing Arts

• Instagram - @heathermichet

Abundance at Harvest Festival Time

When I was a kid we spent many of our school holidays on a farm in rural Lincolnshine (UK). After a busy summer helping my grandparents harvest the crops, I couldn't wait for the next school holiday so I could return for The Harvest Festival. This important annual festival is tied to the seasons, and dates back to the pagan times in Britain.

Once the last of the crops has been harvested, farming communities give thanks for the bounty of crops and food from the land, and attend a harvest festival at the local church to celebrate a successful growing season. 

It's typically celebrated on the Sunday nearest the harvest moon, and occurs close to the autumn equinox at the end of September or beginning of October. It's the closest festival to the US Thanksgiving, but has many of the same elements.

Traditionally the last sheath of the harvest was used to make a symbolic corn dolly that was created to ensure the continuation of the good crop the following year. The Saxons (5th to the 11th centuries) believed that this last sheath contained the Corn Spirit, and they would harvest around it until it was the last one standing, and it would be dried and woven into a dolly.

Different rural areas around the country would weave different symbols out of the corn, and this tradition continues to this day. 

Corn Dolly Ear-rings

I still have the pair of corn dolly ear-rings I received as a teenager from my grandmother. I don't think I've ever worn them, but I love the idea of traditional crafts commemorating beliefs from earlier generations, and the magical idea that one of mother nature's spirits was trapped inside.

We Plough the Fields

One hymn that is always sung around Harvest Time is We Plough the Fields and Scatter. It brings back such wonderful childhood memories of this time of year, and reminds me of my Mum. I used it as a basis for one of my poems that honours her battle with Alzheimer's during the time she was losing her ability to speak.

We plough the fields as wordsmiths scatter letters on the land.

You hope to grow a sentence up that isn’t weak or bland.

Watering your Ps and Qs coaxing them to sprout.

Grow gentle words to whisper or raise your voice to shout.

The barren earth dry in the sun a runway for the birds.

They peck at all the seedlings that never will be heard.

If they fly away up high and soar upon their wing,

We’ll never hear the song they stole or words you failed to sing.

About Jay Artale

Jay Artale abandoned her corporate career to become a digital nomad and full-time writer. She’s an avid blogger, podcaster, and nonfiction author helping travel writers and travel bloggers achieve their self-publishing goals. She shares tips, advice, and inspiration to writers with an independent spirit at her website Birds of a Feather Press, and documents her travels and artistic endeavours at her blog Roving Jay. Follow her on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter.

Jay is the author of A Turbulent Mind: A Poetry Collection of a Mother's Journey with Alzheimer's.

A Sweet Graveyard

October is here, Halloween’s around the corner and Thanksgiving’s just down the road.   Where has this year gone?

My husband's 7 pumpkins will soon adorn our front steps.  The Harvest wreath is on the front door, and my witch sign is hanging on the wall.

It’s the season of witches and goblins and graveyards.  Screen savers with pumpkins, bats and scary forests that emit spooky sounds are on my computer.  I’m getting in the Halloween spirit!

Last week I met with some writer friends for coffee and I made a Graveyard cake to take along.

Since October starts the season of sweets, goodies and baking, I thought I’d do something a little different this year for the October blog and give you all an easy recipe that is always a big hit at parties.

I found this recipe on the internet while searching for Halloween desserts that were different from the norm.
(Please answer the question at the end for a chance to win a Halloween surprise!!)

Yours truly has changed the recipe a bit.  Always short on time, I use a box cake instead of the chocolate cake recipe.

Graveyard Cake:

Cake Ingredients:

1 chocolate box cake
Bake in a 13 x 9 inch pan according to directions
Cool for one hour

Topping Ingredients: 

1 (16 oz) chocolate frosting
1 tube of black icing (make sure it has a narrow tip for writing, I couldn’t find one for this cake and had to use toothpicks for writing)

½  (9 oz) box chocolate wafer cookies
1 (16 oz) bag Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies
1 (7.25) bag Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
Candy rocks, optional

Finely crush wafer cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or use a food processor.  Icing cake and sprinkle wafer cookies over it.

Score top of cake into 12 equal grave plots

Pipe with your black icing “RIP”, “1692”, “Poisoned”,  “Salem”, “Dr. Jekylll”, and any others scary words you want to.  You can draw skull and cross bones, aliens etc. on your Milano cookie tombstones.

Cut a slit in each grave plot to insert a Milano or Chessman cookie for the gravestones.  Sprinkle candy rocks around if desired.

ENJOY!!!

QUESTIONS: 

What have you done this year that was totally out of your comfort zone?

Taking a Chance in life can create change, which can be unexpected and a good thing!!!