Writing...

I am a person who never liked writing much, but has always kept a diary or journal.  Now, I find myself NEEDING to write.   It’s a wonderful release.  I write personal things, about my family,  spiritual life, our garden and how we are growing...

I ♥ to read my old journal entries.  I take my journals on trips, too...from a couple years ago (I also draw a lot, I do not like lined books, but one with completely blank pages, just so I can draw & write).  I'm first an artist, I love to draw, but find that art is truly visible in writing down beautiful words, too, and in baking, in photography & watching things grow. 

After last week's adventure to meet one of my favorite fictional authors, I've been thinking a lot about the difference of fictional writing and non-fictional writing (which is mostly what I do), I really enjoy writing and documenting my life.  And a friend of mine, Jenny, just blogged about a book she is writing, which inspired me to blog about writing!  One of my favorite books is The Diary of Anne Frank.  My intention as I write is that it is not only therapeutic for me, but also something to pass on to my daughters and grandchildren one day, that they may read of our life together, the happiness and sadness.
I've been helping my dad write his memoirs.  I need to sit down with him on a regular basis and do this, but with Parkinson's disease, there are often bad days, where you just don't want to do much of anything.  Or you can't do anything.  God help him.  That is a portrait I drew of my dad in 1996.
Dad's dad (my grandfather is now 90) has written a few short memoirs, of his time in the Navy and sketched a picture of the view of Mt. Fuji from the top of his ship.  My grandfather's dad (my great-grandfather, who passed away when he was 101 years old, I keenly remember his 100th birthday party, I had a broken arm from a skiing accident and there were LOTs of people there) also write his life and all of his children and grandchildren and even great-grand children, like me, have a copy of his book:

Our Father

Dad and me just 2 weeks ago ♥ 

We say this prayer every day before we eat lunch:

Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we forgive our debtors,

and lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from the evil one.

God is the Father of all...and we have our earthly fathers. Yesterday we got to spend a little time with my dad and with Rob's dad.  And of course, Hannah and Olivia spent time with my dear husband, their dad, Rob.  A little basketball...

 

In the shade of a maple tree...

39th birthday

 

It's my husband's birthday today...next year he will be 40!  We went to visit with his parents yesterday...his mom made a pork roast, rolls, green beans, etc.  I made him a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.  

Rob brought his mandolin and played it...  His dad and he chopped off a branch from the tree that was hanging over the front door.  

Then, we looked a lots of photo albums...great old pictures!

That's Robert (Rob's grandfather who passed away 5 years ago, I posted pictures a few weeks ago of our visit to the cemetary here he is buried) on his 1965 Harley Sportster.

  

 Below are a few photos of Bob (Rob's dad) when he was a little boy...

I wish I had copies to show you Rob when he was very little, with his dog, Moochie, when he was about 10 years old.  Lots of pictures of him on the school track team...8th grade, he was the fastest kid, and then he hurt his knee and had to have surgery (still has a 10 inch scar on his knee).  Rob in his boy scout uniform.  Picture of him with his brothers and sisters, and his grandparents...  My favorite one was his kindergarten picture, wearing a cream colored corduroy little suit and the big thick round tortoise shell glasses!  He started wearing glasses at 2 years old, because he was born 3 weeks early and his lungs weren't developed, the doctors gave him oxygen in an incubator, but TOO much and it damaged his eyes.  Thankfully, his lungs did develop correctly, though and he is overall a healthy guy now and we're celebrating his 39th birthday!  ♥