Daddy Long Legs

my favorite book as a young pre-teen girl
hiding underneath the bushes at the side of the house glued to the next page to find out what happens next

We're Traveling our Favorite Highway 101

I can't decide which excites me more...the Redwood forests or the ocean beaches and scenery that leaves me breathless regardless how many times I've seen it. Cephas and I have spent most of this winter driving up and down the California coast Highway 101. It is one of our favorite places and we can't seem to draw away from it this winter. With a trip to Los Angeles starting we want to enjoy every minute of this journey before we leave the magnificent scenery behind.

Last night we drove up to Oregon just across the line to a town called Brookings. We helped out a gospel mission in 2001 for a couple months. That's when we discovered the most majestic beaches and ocean views so we wanted to take some time to soak in the beauty before we go south. A major storm moved through last night so we parked on a little higher ground at a rest area one mile out of the city of Brookings. The ocean was two city blocks down the hill from where we parked. The wind roared all night and all day competing with the thundering ocean waves. We stayed at the rest area all day till about 6 pm waiting for the wind and the rain to calm down before we drove away. It was a very reflective experience. I'm grateful to have escaped some of the storm damage that wreaked havoc around the country and across the state. Thank God for showing us a safe haven.


The Midnight Writer

Helen Keller inspired me to Believe in Miracles

When I was about 11, I first saw the movie about Helen Keller's life. It changed me in so many ways and had such an impact on my heart that I never forgot this inspiring woman or the movie. Later, I read the book and had to read it again. It was riveting, heart wrenching, inspiring and motivated me to seek understanding about people who overcome tumultuous obstacles in their lives. I felt a need to be like Helen Keller. That was a little perplexing to me at first because I was not blind, deaf or dumb like Helen. But I had some emotional and physical handicaps that I thought would limit me in life. It was only later that I learned those obstacles were opportunities that would help mold me into the person I was destined to become.

Thank you Helen Keller for living such an inspired life. Your work with braille and sign language has helped so many people. For those who do not know about Helen Keller's life and accomplishments, I suggest that you research her name on the internet. Find a book at Barnes & Noble or Amazon and read it carefully and with great introspection. Then read it again while you ponder your life and consider how Helen Keller could help you overcome the obstacles in your life and exceed all your expectations in becoming the best person that you can be. If you haven't watched the movie, I especially recommend that you rent it and watch it with a box of tissues. You will need them because Helen will make you laugh, cry and stir some anger and frustration while she struggles to understand life.

Most of all, I hope this woman's life will inspire and encourage you to be more empathetic towards others every day in all your interactions with people. If we follow Helen Keller's admonition, this world would be a better place. Pass this information on to someone that you love so it might inspire them as well.

There is a Helen Keller Institute for the deaf, dumb and blind that has helped thousands born with these limitations. My own cousin Donnie spent several years learning to speak and sign. He had several operations to give him some audible capability and with the assistance of an implant Donnie could hear sounds for the first time at age 15. He learned to speak later as well and became quite a comedian. Thank you Helen Keller for all of us. Your life came close to home.

The Midnight Writer

Grandpap sang with an Angel's Voice

I Long to see my Family Reunited

My dear mother spent her lifetime building relationships and cementing the bonds among our immediate family members. She extended these efforts to bring the family closer to our entire nuclear family unto generations deep and wide. Every major family event was shared by smaller groups or larger family group gatherings. Emotional and physical bonds strengthened the family due to this tribal life style. Reunions were a life style rather than a special event. Weddings, births and deaths were various types of life celebrations that involved the extended nuclear family.

If someone in the family was having a baby, my parents, my siblings and I went out of our way to notify every relative we could remember. We made checklists to make sure we wouldn't miss any one then we took turns making the phone calls or sending the cards and letters. It was an all encompassing family experience that embedded a sharing desire deep within me.

I long for that today because with my parents and grand-parents, it has virtually gone to the spirit world with them. I want to encourage my family to come together again so our children and grand children will have those family ties and strong bonds that molded us into the tribal culture we were in those days.

Our spiritual and social growth as a family gave us the strengths in moral character to become loving people in society as a whole. We cared so we contributed to life around us in our communities. We gave of our time, our love, our energy and our money. We taught our neighbors to care about one another. It was/is a powerful life force that motivated me to have joy, to feel love, to process grief and pain and to heal over insurmountable odds. I am on a quest to return to that place in the heart, for my family and my world.

Once a month, I will post an update on our progress uniting as a family. Meet me here in April when spring is in full swing and see what family ties are strengthened, which family connections are made new and how many family events we have planned. This will be an exciting adventure. I'll call this monthly feature, Suzanne's Desire to Unite Her Family. That is my mother and her dying wish was that our family would get close again and stay together like when she was a young mother. This is for you Mom. I love you.

The Midnight Writer

If you had a Secret, Would you tell Dear Diary?

This is a question that has plaqued journalists who keep a secret diary for millenia. If someone lays eyes upon the words that reveal such a guarded secret then it's not a secret anymore. This is a dilemma that has many diary keepers torn between revealing the rivoting truth of their daily lives to the unforgiving written pages.

Hints of Fall Entice me to the Apple Festivals and Hayrides of my Youth

It's only September, but fall is certainly in the air. The mornings feel crisp to my awakening bones when I rise and I long to wear that fluffy robe and slippers that feel so cozy and warm. The days are getting shorter which means night is upon me sooner in the evening.

I know, you're wondering what the Christmas photo has to do with apple festivals and hay rides in the fall, right? It's simple really. Once the apple festivals are over Halloween has come  and gone, Thanksgiving rolls in quickly just in time for all those leftover apples and pumpkins from the garden. Can you smell the pies baking?

Before you know it, Christmas is in full countdown and you only have twelve days left to shop. I say start right now! Don't get caught unprepared yet again. Carry a small notebook in your pocket every where you go...don't forget the pen. While you're enjoying the hot apple cider by the fire you can jot down some of those great gift ideas that come to mind. You might want to start with listing all the names on your gift list so you don't forget any one. My family is so large now that I have to leave reminders for names.

Apples make great gifts so attend some apple harvest festivals for a great time and yummy food. Buy some extra souveneirs and wrap them up when you get home. An event like a harvest fest offers a wonderful opportunity to shop for unique gifts that you won't find in the usual department stores. My personal favorite is apple butter and all the cute fixings you can buy to serve it.

My daughter runs an apple theme in her kitchen. Everything is apples down to the curtains. This year she gave me some items to start my collection, so I'll be looking for accents to round out the look in my kitchen this year. Serving trays come in all sizes and match any decor. You can buy cute or elegant liners for them, matching napkins and little saucers to serve home baked bread with apple butter or muffins and apple butter. Now you need a few baking items to keep the gift theme fresh. Baking pans, rolling pins, serving dishes and some cups designed just for that hot apple cider. Don't forget the cinnamon sticks!

You have the idea. It's going to be a wonderful holiday season so I'll keep reminding you to get busy shopping. I'll give you some more gift ideas on the next visit. Till then, brush up on your ghost stories. They are an old tradition where I grew up and mandatory at the end of all hayrides. Just remember to tell them after dark around the campfire.

The Midnight Writer

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