Most people close to me know that I long for the chance to break into the world of kid lit - specifically, that I want to write for middle graders and young adults. I belong to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), which automatically grants me membership in the Michigan chapter, informally known as MichKidson the listserv.

In all their gracious wisdom, the Writers of the Bylaws determined that you did not have to be published in this genre to join, and this affords me the chance to learn from my peers, and those who have already travelled the path my feet itch to tread. In honor of what it takes to succeed in this capricious industry in the ebb and flow of a dicey economy, words of wisdom from our 30th president, Calvin Coolidge:

Press On…

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not;

nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not;

unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not;

the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

As my great Aunt A used to say, you have to “keep on keepin’ on.” And I intend to.

It is good that men should think;
but it is indispensible that men should love.
                                           –Bernard Iddings Bell

That girl of mine - what a treasure she is! I love the way she and I are growing together as mother and daughter, and as friends.

The only thing I do consistently these days is obey the reminders on my Outlook, and today’s said “Update what are you reading page“. Hmmmm….

I need to make some additions! Like, “Work on novel” every day. Or more realistically, “Clean up your messy, messy house”.

But oh, how dull… maybe I should set myself up for success, with something like “Google random things that hold a temporary fascination” or “Read other people’s blogs”.

Enough of this - time to “go shopping for Lex’s b-day”.

I have to take a deep breath and run like crazy on Fridays, and that has always been so. No matter how I try to keep the day sane, it gets away from me week after week, spinning down into a whirlwind of over-commitments and dropped balls plinking at my feet.

Today I volunteered for a couple of hours at Amberly Elementary’sfund raiser, the Tiger Trek. This a new event at Amberly (and I would know - I’ve had a kid at Amberly almost constantly since 1997). In a nutshell, the kids all do a walk/run-a-thon, and solicit pledges from friends and family for either a lump sum or per lap amount. In my vast experience with school fundraisers, this is a clear winner - I don’t have to buy things I don’t really want, and it promotes fitness, and involves very little overhead for the school.

Because I worked this morning, I was compelled to ditch my regular Friday afternoon gig in computer lab, and that gives me twinges of mommy-guilt. But not too many - Mommy is best off with her butt in the chair right now, typing away madly.

I want to hide at Hogwarts today. When I am stressed and fretting, I go find Harry. When my oldest daughter left for college, for example, I re-read the entire series in a two-week span.

Woke up at 4:00 a.m., which seems to be my fret time. I was too tired to get up and try to accomplish something, but could NOT shut off my head. And today it is all I can do to keep from snatching up Harry to disappear for a few blissful hours into someone else’s world.

What a week.

The only thing I have had time to post this week is the update to the “What are you reading?” page, and God knows I sure did not have time to READ.

And because it has been one of THOSE weeks, a quote:

I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle.
I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.
                                                                            –Mother Theresa

Well, OF COURSE, it would snow!

Yes, that is my little freecycle tree down. I had a pretty good idea it would not survive the winter, and it didn’t.

Despite the fact that now I can add “worry that late snow killed all my perennials” to my fret list, it is just incredibly beautiful, isn’t it? I am a Michigan girl to the bone.

I had to leave it to know how much I loved it, but that is a story for another day.

As I write this, my oldest son and his best buddies are in the air, somewhere over Nebraska. Here they are at the football banquet last fall (thank you so much for the picture, Cheri!). All biases aside, they are all some of the finest young men I have been privledged to know.

I am nervous as a cat when any of my loved ones fly, but this is the first time Cody has flown without one of his parents, and of course that makes it even MORE dangerous… because we would certainly be able to scoop him up and keep him safe if something went wrong…

OK, so the days of scooping that boy up are long, long past. Another milestone, another step away from my sheltering arms. Oh, he would cringe if he ever read that! I’ve been sending fervent prayers winging after them all morning, and will do so even after they land, I’m sure. They will be snowboarding in Colorado, and God willing they will have the time of their lives, and good memories to laugh about as they grow old together.

So, Lord? Watch out for my boys - Josh, and Jacob, and Corey, and Alex, and Cody Brennan. Keep them safe for me until they are back under my watch.