Bring On Lemons

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/902432461/tell-em-new-book-by-liysa-callsen Below is my book review of Tell 'Em by Liysa Callsen - enjoy! If you can help fund the project, there is a link at the top and bottom of the article - donations of any amount are accepted and I know Liysa will appreciate them! Tell'em by Liysa Callsen is a soulful sharing of one woman's journey in finding herself and her purpose. Callsen pours her soul out to her readers, sharing both triumphs and tribulations. Tell'em is entertaining at times, but at others you just want to grab Liysa and hug her because the imagery is so strong. You feel the pain of the child who is being teased, the child who wants so badly to belong and has no one to turn to because her instinct is to protect the family she loves. She is victim and hero and it's her turn to tell her story! Tell'em brings to light a world most of us have not had the pleasure to experience - the Deaf world. Callsen entert...

What's on my mind...is the incredible moral strength one must have to be a parent of a special needs child.  What my mind cannot even comprehend is the faith that a parent must have to be a parent of a terminal child. I remember being told that my first child had a rare condition (a defect if you will) that would have been fatal just a few years earlier. I remember the fear, anger, rage, love, and loneliness that flowed through my being during that early ultrasound. I recall with great clarity the discussions about options, procedures, doctors, outcomes, facilities, and mortality rates. I cannot imagine what it feels like to hear the words 'terminal' and/or 'fatal' in reference to your child. I think about it and my stomach physically hurts, my legs long to run far and fast, and tears well up in my eyes. My throat tenses and I know if I spoke the sounds would be guttural and unrecognizable. How do you hold things together when you can see the sign so clearly...

I wanted to write today (I've been so busy and it's like going to the gym - I miss it so), so I went to a creative writing website and was given the following prompt: "Back to square one..." so here goes: "Seriously?" Emma hollered as Jake drove away in their Chrysler Town and Country minivan. He had just broken the news about he and Claire. Emma was furious, not to mention too young to be a grandmother. After all, she still fit into her her size eight riding pants and the few grey hairs she had were artfully hidden with expensive highlights. She had been a teenager when Jake was born, and she wanted more for her son. It wasn't that many years ago that she and Eddie had been talking about having another baby of their own, and now Jake was headed to school and she was left to explain things to her husband. Emma picked up the flour sack towel she had thrown recklessly on the ground. She headed inside with a sigh. Middle of the night feedings, dirty di...

The days go by too quickly. It's hard to believe how much of my 'to do' list doesn't get done. Some days it's hard to believe everything that has transpired - at times I feel defeated and sometimes I amazing myself with my strength. For the last few weeks, as the sun goes down, only one song comes to mind. These lyrics are amazing, and Diana Krall's performance is even more amazing. If you have a chance, she will be performing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 16th at 6pm at the Riverside BallRoom. To learn more about Diana, visit her site:  http://www.dianakrall.com/news.aspx And now for those touching lyrics that ring oh so true and sometimes bring a tear to my eye: Narrow daylight entered my room shining hours were brief winter is over summer is near are we stronger than we believe I walked through halls of reputation among the infamous too as the camera clings to the common thread beyond all vanity into a gaze to shoot you through ...