Thank you so much for the lovely welcome letter, Samantha! I am learning so much from She Writes - I have been writing frantically just lately so I haven't posted much, but I'm hoping to get more involved in the discussions soon. Great to meet you.

Cody

Samantha, thanks much or the welcome to the group.  I appreciate the sense of difficulty in writing about abuse of any kind, but the invisible scars left by verbal and emotional abuse are especially painful and no one else sees the damage done and the scars left behind.  I've not yet determined how to treat that concept, but think it will be an interesting time in my writing experience.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog.  I will do the introduction piece in the group and attempt to become an active participant there.

Thanks so much for your welcome and your kind words. Thanks to for reading my blog post!  I am currently working on a novel, and I'm about halfway done with the first draft.  This has been a huge fun process.  I'm really enjoying myself.  I write whenever I get the chance between my full time job teaching, coaching Speech & Debate, and running after my two teenage children.  I also try to post at least twice a week on my blog.

Amy

Thanks for your welcome.

Samantha I appreciate your generous welcome.  I began writing pre-40, mostly newpaper articles, grant proposals and training curriculum. Every now and then I would write a poem "in the moment."  I got serious about writing last year in my late 60's when I experienced the nine-month illness and death of my adult daughter. Writing became a friend and helped me to find peace and possibilities.  Within the last year, I crafted over 50 poems that are multi-focused: early childhood, emigration to New York City from the Virgin Islands, adult experiences and observation, and whimsical happenings.  

I was invited to join two writers' workshops, one in Pasadena and the other in Los Angeles--invaluable-- relishing how to accept and give critiques as a way to become part of this new and exciting world.  My goal is to publish my first book of poetry within the next year. I am in the rewrite and tweaking phase of my writing journey.  At the same time, I continue to write new poems as they come and move me into action.  Networking within the writers' milieu is another adventure. I contacted friends and acquaintances who are published.  I am liking the climb and gymnatics required to "up" my learning curve. I adopted the three P's: patience, peristence, and publish as my guide.  Even more important, I consciously continue to have fun, enjoy the research, love the dictionary and thesaurus, as the words spill out on the page and create memorable images. 

All of this, of course, includes juggling my life in the States and in Mexico, consulting work, volunteering, staying connected with family, friends and keeping up with my husband and pooch.  It is not easy, but the rewards are worthy.  This is the right time for the right reasons.

Hi Samantha and Ladies.

While I was shamelessly self-promoting my new blog, I've had to move the blog's permanent home. I'd love it if you would all stop in here for a visit. I've even learned a new way to bring in some Polling fun.

http://theartoftoadkissing.wordpress.com/

PS. I really like the Wordpress Blog Platform

Always good making friends :) Pleasure to meet you.

Hi Samantha!

Thanks for the welcome, I will get over and get myself introduced. I followed you on Twitter, too, so maybe I'll see you there!

:D

Hi Samantha,

Yes, this summer in AZ was brutal!  I am very sorry to hear about your husband and I will keep you all in my prayers.  I have been to Tucson a few times. I will look forward to meeting you some time!

Susan

Thanks, Samantha, for the warm welcome. And thanks so very much for visiting my blog. I'm thrilled that you found a nugget. This is such a great idea for a group - I've started writing again just recently and was hoping that someone would connect with what I had to say.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Heidi

Hi Samantha,

Great idea for a group, and thanks for the welcome message. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and exchanging ideas about how to fit writing into the other commitments we all have in our shared lifestage - work, kids, etc. 

Hi, Samantha, 

Well, I started a comment for you, hit some nutty part of my laptop and lost everything while I sat here staring all of a sudden at a picture of Lemon Cream Cupcakes.  So then I was frustrated AND hungry.  Sigh.  That's what I get for writing while I'm holding the laptop on my . . . lap.  Some kind of irony there. 

Anyway, I'm trying to find my way around this amazing website and need to just sit here and explore all the tabs and directions.  I just saw your comments tonight, so I apologize for not writing back sooner.  I drive through Oracle Junction frequently to visit a friend who lives in Tucson.  That route is the back way from my part of the boonies to her part of civilization.  But I'm with you, I think - I never meant to live in the desert again.  I really would like to be in the mountains, but we came to where the job was. 

 I'm so sorry you and your husband are suffering in the maze of healthcare, especially when you're already dealing with such a stressful situation as his cancer.  I promise to pray for you both. 

 I love writing.  It's a recent love affair but it's becoming more and more of a passion.  As you probably could see from my blog, my thoughts and writings run a pretty full gamut.  I enjoy pursuing humorous ideas to see where they take me (I was laughing so hard when I found that photo of the militant groundhog that I could barely breathe).  But I also dive pretty deep into my convictions sometimes and am practicing being transparent with those posts.  It feels a little vulnerable to let my feelings and opinions hang out there, but that's the therapy of writing, I think. 

 As you can tell, I've become very passionate about the inexcusable abuses by the TSA in our airports recently.  I've been researching the topic for almost a year and am really frustrated by the lack of interest I find in most people.  While I am infuriated by the physical intrusions people are forced to allow if they want to fly, I am more worried about the numerous violations of our constitutional rights during these "security checks", because if these rights fall so easiy, what hope do we have for the defense of all the others?  That, I am so afraid, will be the fallout of our society and the "frog in boiling water" scenario.  I'm finally in a season of life, now that my children are grown, that I can take the baton from those who have spoken out for our freedoms while I raised my family, and do my part now while my children are busy raising their kids.  I don't know if this government will chastise its citizens while they exercise their first amendment rights to free speech.  But I don't want my children or grandchildren to confront me some day in a post-free society and accuse me with the question, "Why didn't you do something when you could?"  So, I'm expressing my opinions wherever I can.  It's kind of a difficult conflict for me.  My husband's position is Homeland Security for the fire department he works for, so his perspective on security differs from mine sometimes.  Makes for some interesting conversations, though. 

I've already been so encouraged by the members of this site and I've only been a member for five days!  I look forward to getting familiar with this website and getting to know the wonderful members I see here.

Thank you so much for your wonderful note. I look forward to talking with you again!

Eula