Take Not For Granted What You Have by Grace Augustine #OurAuthorGang

 Happy March, everyone!

Clover photo courtesy of crestmedia

St. Patrick's day is only a few away! Whether you wear green or orange, or drink beer, rum or whiskey...may the leprechauns bring you the luck of the Irish and may you enjoy the day.  I know this paragraph may not go with the heading, but it will all tie together with patience.

I want you to pretend you are a high school graduate...free from school books, soon to be free from parents if you attend college. You have no fear! The summer is filled with carefree days of dragging main (small town antics), stopping at the local drive through for a soda or ice cream, gathering at the park, going to movies, going dancing. 

Autumn comes and you pack your things. With a tear in your eye you set off on your new journey...college...where for the next 4 years you will be held captive to more school work, parties, drinking, and doing things you've probably never experienced. 

You suddenly realize that you had it pretty good at home, despite the rules, the chores, the parental thumbscrews. Peanut butter sandwiches and Ramen become your daily food choices and you walk most everywhere you need to go. You really put all you have into your college major, hoping for good grades, and a good job when you graduate.

Now, you are in your mid 20's...probably with a significant person, probably working a fast food job waiting for that big one to land in your lap. You approach life cautiously, yet you still have that no fear mentality. You're still ready to take on the world.

As 30 approaches, you decide marriage and children should happen, not because you want it...or maybe you do, after all...but because all of your friends are doing it and you don't want to be left out. Then it hits...something you never dreamed of, something you didn't plan on...something now that turns your life upside down.

The tragic loss of a parent, a sibling, leaves you numb and wondering what will happen next. This causes you to hurry your life even more...gotta get married now, gotta have kids now, gotta have that house...gotta have, gotta have, gotta have...and before you know it, you are in the middle of married life, children, mortgages, financial distresses that you have no way of digging free from...especially college loans.

You try keeping it all together, and you are failing, miserably. You have no time for anything...no time for friends, no time for family, no time to nurture yourself. You notice at the age of 40 as your children are growing how much time has passed and just how much you've missed because of the essential every day needs that got in the way of the ability to breathe.

At 18, you had the security of your parents and friends and other family members who truly loved YOU and cared for you. As you matured into that married person, you brought children into the world, a part of you, and taught them all the good stuff that you could so they could function on their own...just as you did. You valued your parents, but did you? Did you really take the time to get to know their favorite flavor of ice cream? Their favorite passion? How much they gave up for YOU?  Now, the children are gone. Hopefully, you are still with your spouse, and if you aren't, you've adapted to single life. Hopefully, your health is good. Hopefully you can still walk, run, take out the trash, clean your apartment, and have a social life.  

We have more in front of us daily that we don't see than should ever happen. We so need to open our eyes, notice the small stuff and really cherish it before it becomes only memories we can no longer do.  How does this tie in with shamrocks, you ask? Think for a moment of that photograph. What strikes you about it? What do you notice about it? Or, did you notice anything? What about the vibrant color? the clean fragrant air? the quiet surrounding you as you stand looking at that vibrant green, smelling that clean air?

March is National MS Awareness month. Aha, you say...now I'm beginning to understand...yay you!  MS is an autoimmune disorder. The person's body attacks itself, leaving nerve endings exposed and spinal cord and brain lesions that prevent complete communication from your brain to the other parts of the body.

I have MS. I was diagnosed in 2003. Over the past 15 yrs. I've lost so much, but have gained so much more by paying attention to everything around me.  I challenge you to do the same.  Take nothing for granted, for you know not what the next moment will bring.  Love your life, your friends, and your family and stop being afraid to tell them that. Tell them how you feel while you can still enjoy their company. Drop what you are doing...housework, playing on the computer, etc. None of that means anything when relationships are at hand.  Take time to cherish the moments of quiet, of love, of laughter, of joy, sorrow and tears. Allow yourself to feel these moments before they no longer matter.

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All photos used are property of the writer unless otherwise specified.

Biological, Chosen, or Fantasy #OurAuthorGang

by Grace Augustine

I dare to wager a bet...at some point in your life you have longed for a family other than your own.  I think we all do that. My parents, in the above photo, were older parents. I was their only child. My father, a Filipino, died when I was 9 years old. My Mother died when I was 30. Tomorrow would have been her 100th birthday. 

I didn't know either set of grandparents. I think that was due to age and location more than anything.  My maternal grandparents lived in Missouri and paternal grandparents, from the Philippines, died long before I was born.

There was no one to grow up with. Don't get me wrong, I had neighborhood kids I ran around with, but there was no one to grow up with in my home. Today, my biological family is comprised of my two sons and beautiful feline, Bou. Since I have no cousins, no aunts, uncles...no one...I've chosen my family. I have chosen sisters and brothers all over the world that are either real, in person friends chosen as family, or online internet never-met family.

photo created by photofunia

When I penned The Acorn Hills Series, I based it on a close-knit group of friends who experienced life together. They grew up going to sporting events, catching each other's tears, and laughing and rejoicing at each other's accomplishments--much the same as a real family would.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7QFRUK/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

Whether you have a fabulous biological family, a family you've chosen through friendship, or a fantasy family that you'd like to someday have, I hope you make memories together that all will remember and maybe one day write stories about.

Thanksgiving Remembrances #OurAuthorGang

by Grace Augustine, Author

(photo courtesy of freecreatives.com)

Today, preparations begin for the feast of all feasts in America on Thursday... Thanksgiving. I'm sure you have your turkey thawing, your cranberry sauce made, as well as several other delectable desserts. The foods that have become tradition in your households will grace your tables as you gather with family and friends. Or, maybe you go out to eat at one of many Thanksgiving buffets in your community. Or, maybe your place of worship hosts community meals.

In years past, my table has held as many as 20 and as few as 1. It was laden with turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, fresh cranberry relish, and of course fresh coffee and pumpkin pie with a spritz of whipped cream. In more recent years, I've gone the non-traditional route and served ham balls and scalloped potatoes with a tossed salad.

(photo courtesy of Pinterest)

Whatever you choose to eat or do on this day, please remember to give thanks for the incredible gifts you are given...that can be a loving family, a warm house, food to eat, the chance to rest alone, visit with others, or volunteer at a shelter serving a meal. We often forget to take a moment and be thankful. It is with a heart of gratitude that our attitudes change.  From my little family to yours, may your turkey be juicy, may you toast to many new blessings, and may your Thanksgiving be filled with much love.

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Acorn Hills is getting ready for the annual holiday parade and the group of friends you've come to know and love is preparing a holiday get together at The Art Galleria. Join your favorites...Richard, Jillian, Denise, David, Jordan, and Ginger as they enjoy the festivities of the season. New characters, Brad Davidson and Eve Braden, have some surprises of their own, including a community hide and seek for shopper dollars. (The Acorn Hills series is for mature readers 18 yrs and older)

Here's an excerpt from Holiday Hide & Seek:

  "Brad Davidson held the door open with his foot as he maneuvered the dolly with the boxes on it inside The Acorn Hills Chronicle. Two women, at different desks, were typing furiously and the almost too loud Christmas music hit his ears immediately.

   "Where do you want these?" Brad asked loudly, directing his words to the woman at the first desk.

   "Let me ask Eve."

   The woman picked up the phone and pushed a couple buttons. Soon she was asking the editor of the newspaper about the delivery and where it was to go. Before the woman placed the receiver back on its cradle, Eve appeared, confidently walking toward the front counter where Brad stood.

  "Hiya, Handsome," Eve teased, flashing a flirty smile.

   "Miss Braden," Brad nodded. "I have seven boxes today. Where would you like them stacked?"

   "Do you mind taking them directly to the print room?" Eve asked.

   Brad made his way to the back room with the dolly stacked with boxes. His heart was beating a bit faster than he liked, but it seemed to do that whenever he spoke to this woman.

   Eve was beautiful. Her blonde hair was cut in a cute, sassy style that suited her. Her clothing accentuated her petite figure. Today she wore a forest green sweater dress that was belted at the waist. Her earrings and bangle bracelets matched the large link gold choker that encircled her neck. The stacked-heel black suede boots hit her mid-calf and completed her professional look.

   Brad hadn't seen anyone in his travels that compared to her. She was always smiling, always had a smart-ass comment, and always seemed to flirt with him. Brad smiled.

   Maybe I'll just have to start flirting back."