Hello all,

I am posting the link to a few things I was going to share...My experience of 'life in a small town' and also the poem being published in the Nov. edition of Wisdom Crieth Without.

Park Street in July.I stayed with My Grandma one summer when I was 15. That is my experience of 'small town life'. *Crash, mentioned in the poem got married a few years ago and resides in Elmira:)

This is the poem in the magazine. They told me I would get a complimentary copy and ten dollars!

Time's Swift Ride...a sonnet

Story Sparker...(Homework for June) by Janet

*Story Sparker

How many times did she need to say it? Suppressing the urge to scream at the man, Kelly tossed her auburn hair back and bit the bullet.
“Thank you for doing this.”
Her pasted on smile did not match the ache in her heart. It had been three years. Three years spent faking; pretending; lying. She felt as if her head would explode.

Her forced gratitude as he lay aside the tea towel did not distract him from his cause.

‘No amount of planning can prepare you for the real deal.’ She suddenly recalled her co-worker’s words the week before her wedding. Words she could not grasp at the moment, but three years later, fully understood.

His unflinching glare devoured her attempt at a cool composure. Ignoring her feigned gratitude he repeated the question, “Do you love me? Say it. Go ahead and repeat what you said!”

Her hands shook as she twisted the dish cloth and wiped the counter for the fifth time, trying to steady her voice. “I simply said, yes, I love you, but I don’t like you…anymore”.

There! She had said it. Her words hit hard, like a hammer driving in the reality of hopeless despair.

The silence hung between them, an invisible wall fortified by years of tears, tempers and torment.

How does one begin again? Words cannot be unspoken and years cannot be undone. The ticking clock offered no counsel. The sun fell in golden bars across the wooden kitchen floor where they stood miles apart.

Never in a million years had she dreamed that it would be like this. Never, in her wildest dreams had she fathomed the depths that bitterness and resentment could fill. She studied the face that once she had memorized in crazy fantasies and now approached with uncertainty and…fear?

Home… the word played on her tongue and she rolled it in her cheek trying to feel it; home…the word that should suggest heaven conjured confusing suggestions of hell.

Her eyes wandered to the framed needlework above the door, lovingly stitched by a starry-eyed teenage dreamer ‘Home, sweet home’.

Tears fell, in golden shatters on the sun-patched floor…

Story Sparker homework.

How many times did she need to say it? Suppressing the urge to scream at the foolish man, Kelly tossed her auburn hair back and bit the bullet. "Thank you for doing this."
Her pasted on smile did not match the ache in her heart. It had been three years. Three years spent faking; pretending ; lying. She felt as if her head would explode.
     Just because he had given her a gift, like so many times before; did not make the past go away. How could her father not see that his actions had repercussions that would affect his whole family for years to come? Even worse was the guilt she felt in keeping his secret. It made Kelly feel like she also was betraying the very people who trusted and loved her.
    Her father was sitting in his chair watching TV, a glass of whiskey in his hand. She looked at him and for the first time saw not her father but a cruel and vindictive man.  Kelly decided she needed to leave the room to try to come to terms with the rage that was slowly building inside her skull. A walk in the garden might help clear her thoughts. "What to do next? If I tell the truth what would be gained? What would be lost?"
    As she paced the garden paths she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "I'm just so angry, how could he make me do this? Why did he make me do this? How could this man that supposedly loved me put me through this for all these years? So many questions...
    She sat down on one the wicker chairs across from the pool, scared and also strangely calmed by the realization of who her father really was. She took a look around at the huge estate and all the many things that her fathers indiscretions had bought. Kelly thought about how this secret was slowly destroying her. "I have been bought just like the chair I am sitting in." She needed to do something. Her life had to change. She would take the chance and let the truth be known. It was the only way to save what was left of her sanity. Walking to her car and picking up her cell phone she made the call...

Thingamajigs and More Great Grammar Tips

For anyone who missed Writers Unite this past Friday, here is the agenda and an overview of what you missed. Who knew nouns could be so exciting?

Agenda                Writers Unite   

February 3rd, 2012

1.                 Welcome & Prayer

2.                 Get snacks, etc. Thank you Rosemary – snacks

3.                 Introduce any new members (sign clipboard) and outline what we do

4.                 Collection ($2) and update – treasurer’s report

5.                 Anyone had anything published or pending publication since last month?

6.                 Computer/blogging - Amanda - worksheets. Logo?

7.                 Homework sharing ( - bring a piece of work [WIP] along with the following: Working Title; audience; where you are submitting with details about the publisher/editor or periodical OR an idea of where you would like to submit. You have to tell us why it fits this particular market or publisher. This can be poetry, a chapter or portion of a chapter from a novel, an article, a short story, devotion, photograph with appropriate caption or story; song [must be played/sung after reading!] 

8.                 We will wait until next meeting to talk about INSCRIBE and other writing organizations

9.                  Grammatically speaking -  Round 2 (below) 8 Parts of Speech – focus on Nouns!

10.            CD presentation. Commando Reconstructing of Non-Fiction Manuscripts – Don Bastien (No time)

11.            Next meeting date?  _13th - April ? NOT Good Friday_____________

12.            Snacks?         Amanda - April

Eight Parts of Speech

1. Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.

2. Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns.

3. Verbs are words that show an action or a state of being.

4. Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns.

5. Adverbs are words that describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

6. Prepositions are words that describe the relationship between a noun or pronoun and some other word or element in the rest of the sentence.

7. Conjunctions are words that join two or more words, phrases, or clauses.

8. Interjections are words that show emotion

Noun Notes!

What Is a Noun?

Everything You Wanted to Know

Look around you.

Everything that you see, you can name.

What do you see? A computer, the living room, Amanda, Bev, desk, chair, keys, etc

Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas.

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Types of Noun

COMMON:

These name general, nonspecific people, places, things, or ideas. They start with a lowercase letter unless they begin a sentence.

For example: writer, city, class, religion, book, shoe

PROPER: These name specific people, places, things, or ideas. They always start with a capital letter.

For example: Victor Hugo, Paris, Disneyland, Christianity, Janet Martin,

ABSTRACT: These are the opposite of concrete. They name something that you cannot perceive with your five senses - something that does not physically exist.

For example: happiness, freedom, Christianity

CONCRETE: These name something that you can perceive with your five senses - something that physically exists.

For example: cat, chocolate, Martha

COUNTABLE: Yep. You guessed it. These can be counted, and they use both the singular and the plural forms. Anything that you can make plural is a countable noun.

For example: clock/clocks, David/Davids, poem/poems

UNCOUNTABLE: These cannot be counted. Since they cannot be counted, they only use the singular form. For example: milk, rice, water

*Note that you would never ask for milks, rices, or waters!

COMPOUND: These are made up of two or more smaller words.

For example: tablecloth, haircut, applesauce, baseball

COLLECTIVE: These are singular nouns that refer to a group of things as one whole.

For example: class, audience, family

SINGULAR: These refer to one person, place, thing, or idea.

For example: box, face, road, ball

PLURAL: These refer to more than one person, place, thing, or idea. They generally end in with an s.

For example: boxes, faces, roads, balls

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NOUN 'Jobs'

Out of all eight of the parts of speech, the noun performs the most jobs in a sentence.

SUBJECT: whom or what the sentence is about

e.g. Mary kicked the ball.

DIRECT OBJECT: - receives the action of the verb

e.g. Mary kicked the ball.

INDIRECT OBJECT:- receives the direct object

e.g. Mary kicked Jimmy the ball.

OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION: the noun or pronoun after a preposition

e.g. Mary kicked the ball at Jimmy.

PREDICATE NOMINATIVE: renames the subject, always after a linking verb

e.g. Mary is a soccer player.

OBJECT COMPLEMENT: completes the direct object

e.g. They named the baby Becky.

Tinsel Revelation ~ BY HEATHER CLEMMER

As I hung our children’s home made Christmas ornaments on our freshly cut tree, stories in the media and Facebook comments blinked in and out of my mind like our tree lights.  Do I truly believe others are taking away my Christmas?  Are they taking away Jesus?  Does it matter if my Christmas tree is called a Christmas tree or holiday tree?  People’s anger and negative comments hurt my heart more, WHY?
It hit me hard one day before Christmas while I worked.  As I finished folding a report and slid it into the envelope a mother and her son just finishing their appointment grabbed their coats off the metal coat stand.  I wheeled my chair to a clearing where I could see the little boy and mom and said, “You are welcome to grab one little gift off the Christmas tree.  There is a company each year that donates gifts for the children.”  The mom replied, “We are Jehovah witness and don’t believe in Christmas but thank you so much.” And off they went.

This little boy didn’t take a gift.  Christmas is about giving.  Giving what?  Due to the nature of where I worked what did it mean to that company that EACH child got a gift?  Does it matter he didn’t get a gift?  To my heart it did matter because to me Christmas is about giving to everyone in all circumstances.  Right?  That is what Jesus did and last time I checked I am following Him not a tradition of a tree.  My heart started pumping excitedly as I walked back to where co-workers were and asked, “Is it ok if I take some of the little gifts and put them in a different pile away from the tree?” I then explained about the little boy.  “No the gifts are for the tree, for Christmas and that is their choice they don’t take one,” unfortunately sums up the response I tried to allow to rip through my ears and block from my heart.

So let me ask, as Christians we so badly need our “Christmas” tree and how dare someone tell us not to call it that, are they really taking CHRISTmas? Are we so angry that that little boy couldn’t have been giving a gift just because it was for a special child and he needs to feel loved at a special time for us?  The revelation hit!  The prickly stump can be called a Holiday tree or a Christmas tree.  I could have one or not have one.  My house will have Jesus at Christmas; no one can ever take that away, no one. So let them take away the name of the tree I will actually even let them take the tree.

As they pack up my tree I cry as visibly in its place is the cross.  A child like moment after where I laugh and say, “Na Na Na boo boo you can take the tree because it doesn’t take Christmas.”  Under that cross are gifts that are mine and even the gift to still love those who don’t celebrate Jesus.  Picking up the pine needles and tinsel left behind I put the pieces to the cross and pray, “Thank you papa that as people take away our tree you were there, you are there, you will always be there.  I see even more now Lord Christmas is not about a tree or worldly traditions. Also Father thanks that now we don’t have to worry about getting rid of a tree. AMEN”

Amazing Grace

From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.  For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.         John 1: 16-17

            I thought librarians were kind, bespectacled people; quiet and demure, always ready to toss in an extra day or two of grace for those forgetful souls who neglect to check the due dates on their borrowed books. 

            Last week I came close to being photographed and fingerprinted.  I got off lightly with a reprimand, public humiliation and a psychological tarring and feathering instead.  I had one overdue book.  Well…there may have been one or two unpaid fines showing up on the computer, too.  But did she have to be so loud?

I had finally made the effort to venture out to return two bags of well-read books.  Once I arrived at the library turnstile, I slid the pile of books into the ‘return here’ slot and made my merry way into the library in search of more reading material.   

              The librarian smiled as I plopped my new books on the counter.   She tried to zap my library card with her technologically correct magic wand.  Nothing. Her computer jammed.  Her smile slipped away.  She eyed me suspiciously and in a megaphone-like voice said, “Your library card privileges have been suspended.  Come over to the other side of the desk.”

            “Uh…” I glanced around feeling a multitude of eyes upon me as I meekly followed the sergeant-major librarian to the guilty section.

            Beads of perspiration formed on my forehead.  “Why…uh…can’t I use my…uh…library card?”  I smiled a sickly grin.  “Just a minute!” she hollered.  “I’ll check on this computer to see what the problem is.  Aha!” she cried, managing to attract everyone in earshot.  “You owe us money.  You have an overdue book out.”  She continued to speak in shrill tones.  I suddenly recalled a notification I received earlier that week.  “Dr. Seuss!” she screamed.  “You have a Dr. Seuss book out.”  I felt a fool.  I wanted to scream out, “It was a biography of Dr. Seuss - not Green Eggs and Ham!” to all the now tuned-in patrons who were pretending to browse amid the nearby books.

“It’s in the book depository,” I whimpered.  “Wait here!  I’ll check,” she ordered.  I saluted and stood to attention.  Moments later she returned clutching the delinquent book.  “You owe us sixteen dollars and forty-five cents!”  “Sixteen dollars and forty-five cents?”  I gasped, feeling a little like green eggs and ham, myself.  I thought it a bit of a stiff fine for one overdue book.  “The computer is showing fines dating back to last November and December,” she wiggled her finger at the flashing screen  “Oh…uh…yes…well, okay…I remember now.”

My face was crimson and my salivary glands felt paralyzed.  “Would you like me to pay?”   The sergeant major only raised her eyebrows and punched a few computer keys.  “Will you take a check?”  I inquired, fumbling through coins and coupons.  “Yes!  We’ll take a check.  Your fines amount to sixteen dollars and forty-five cents,” she repeated once more with emphasis.

            I gave her my check and, without uttering a word, she signed out my new reading material.  I thanked her and she dismissed me. 

Slump-shouldered, I trudged my guilt-ridden body to the car and thought about the grace of God.  Thank goodness His grace comes without strings.

  When I trudge my guilt-ridden body to fall at the foot of the cross, no computer print out of blunders stops God from loving me. When He showers me with blessings I know I am far from deserving, yet He continues to show mercy.

My patient Lord tells me I am His own (Romans 8:16) and he longs for me to be with him in paradise (2 Peter 3:9).   I am comforted knowing that his gift of grace is real and it is for little ol’ unworthy me!  Now that is amazing!