Jane - thank you for this it makes me really happy and to know you remember my Christmas post. I write but don't have anyone to share it with. My BF is not really into that type of stuff. It makes me happy when I can share it with you all here. I was working with a publisher to have my work published (self publishing). Paid a few thousand dollars, signed a contract and then they got shut down. They published all over the world and it happened that their home office is right here where I live. The city shut them down for not paying taxes. It had always been my goal to get my stuff published. I wanted to do it for my family, especially my grandfather. At least he did get to see a copy of it prior to going to the publisher. That made me feel a little bit better. Apparently my grandmother used to write. And my grandfather was just telling my sister the other day that he has no idea what he is going to do with all of my grandmothers poems. My sister mentioned sending them to me. I would love that! And what I plan on doing it to gather them all up and have them printed by a place that prints books like the recipe books people can put together. And I want to give one to all the kids and grand kids and great grand kids. I want to share her work with everyone.

Writing I think is what saved my life. It is how I cooped with things. If all that pain and hurt was on paper it no longer felt like it was inside of me.

And when I write about things like the Christmas scene and the flame I love it because now when I reread them I am right back there in that wonderful moment. I remember exactly how I felt at that very moment.

Kari