Death and Birth

How much my life has changed since I last posted on this blog. I was looking forward to spending "Happy Hour" with my husband Harvey, daughter Betty and friends. And now Harvey is gone.

Life is not the same. I look the same. I walk the same. I talk the same. But I am not the same. It has been seven months since he passed away and still every day reveals a new side of grief.

Death. It is a different world when you lose your spouse - your best friend. So many stages of grief. There is such a strong longing to share with others who are coping with a similar loss. What are your stages? Do you want to share?

And yet there is a new Birth in my life. My new children's book, The Peanut Butter Birthday Party is in the stages of being born next summer. A different kind of book than my comical book, The Perils of the Peanut Butter Kid. A more serious story that will help raise money for "Kids Rock Cancer" and hopefully for other non-profits. Some parts of life do some how go on.

Death and Birth. They are coming together. Both seem to epitomize this journey of life.

Another lovely Friday night Happy Hour with people I love. Harv, Betty, Marisol, Bill and Vivian. Happy is the people you're spending your hours with - happy isn't what you're having to drink.

If you read my facebook sayings today you caught my first posted photo of my dog. He loved sleeping on my husband's head. This photo was taken when he was a little pup.

Now - just think - he's grown-up enough to be my title character, "The Peanut Butter Dog" in my upcoming book. Finally, we're getting much closer to publication and lots of unexpected tricks.

We've always given our dogs their pills rolled up in spoonfuls of PNB. It has never failed to work. Try it, your dog will like it

I already know my characters from "The Perils of the Peanut Butter Kid" but now I am getting to know them through the eyes and mind of their family dog.

Funny things happen. Of course, they all seem so much bigger to me.

Do you other writers feel the same about the grown-ups who people your books?

Perils of the Peanut Butter Dog & Press Club at The Gatesworth

Another crispy cold day in St. Louis. A good day to get some writing done. Plan to work on paging my book, "The Perils of the Peanut Butter Dog and deciding where to place my illustrations. In my previous book, "Perils of the Peanut Butter Kid" my designer did this for me. So it's an exciting adventure to learn how to do something new.

I believe I will be publishing through Amazon's Create Space and hope the book will be out in 3-4 months. It is a sequel to Peanut Butter Kid. Same family. Same big peanut butter jar. But now Pappy the dog is the main character.

I'll keep you up-to-date.

I am having so much fun working with The Gatesworth's amazing Kathy Davis. Planning monthly programs featuring members of The Press Club of
Metropolitan St. Louis.

Claire Applewhite, a local mystery writer spoke at our first program. I predict a starry future for Claire. She has written 6 books that scream out to become a TV series. She writes music, too, Sorry if you missed her.

Next month, on Thursday evening, February 21 we will be celebrating Black History Month. Barbara Washington from Matthews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club will lead the program. Mark your calendar. More about this program later. ALL

I feel the flu coming on.

Like all of you I don't have time for it. My husband is trying to adjust to the loss of his roommate and friend. Sometimes you just can't be sick.

Hopefully a good night's sleep will perform it's miracles.

We are all trying to adjust to the sudden death of our friend. He has been my husband's roommate for 11 months at Extended Care.

Though the unexpected aspect is so difficult for those of us left behind, we are grateful for the ease with which he passed between worlds. He didn't suffer. He never lost the quality of his life. May all of us be so lucky as to take a nap and just not awaken.

Death can often be so brutal. His death left him with the dignity he displayed throughout his life. And that in itself is beautiful.