“I’m going to Lake Tahoe with some friends.”
All around me people were talking about their last vacation of the summer: Camping, Disneyland, Las Vegas. Typically we head out for one last hurrah to Tahoe. By now the water is warm, the days are lazy, and the house needs a thorough reorganizing after the many guests of the summer. This year, though, we have planned a much more exciting trip. We are going to go to New York City and Boston. I say exciting for multiple reasons. First, my daughter finally gets to go to the Met and see the Egyptian exhibit there. It will definitely be the highlight of the trip for her; only rivaled by her visit to the American Girl Doll Store. For me, though, the excitement happens when I get to Boston. As many of you know, for the last eight months I have been on a campaign to learn to kick a field goal like my hero, Ryan, in UNTANGLING THE KNOT. Ryan’s character is a (fictional) field goal kicker for the Patriots, something that has impressed his fiancée, Mandy. When I created Ryan’s vocation I needed to come up with a job where he was able to shut out emotion in a very unique way. Now that I have been trying to kick a field goal for a while my hunch about this skill has been proven out. Ryan talent is directly related to his ability to shut down his emotions around the death of his wife two years earlier. But, what might work on the football field is tragic when applied to such important feelings. This is especially true with how he handles the grief his children are feeling. The lovely part of UNTANGLING THE KNOT is about how the wedding planner at the church, Gabriella, helps the kids and Ryan learn to express their grief. So, what has all of this got to do with my kicking field goals and being excited to visit Boston? While researching children’s grief for the book, I learned of Comfort Zone, an organization which runs grief camps for kids who have lost a loved one. With their help I plan to create a fundraiser based on kicking field goals. We are still brainstorming what this will be, (and seeking support from professional football players, so if you know any…) but my goal is to build awareness of their work through my writing and my kicking. And, it just turns out that Comfort Zone MA is holding their camp on Cape Cod the weekend we are in Boston. I have been invited to attend as a guest and am awed at this amazing opportunity. My family and I have also been invited to take a tour of the Patriot’s Stadium… so I hope to be able to further their cause while I am there. Please wish me luck, send ideas for the fundraiser, and sign up for feeds of my Video Blog: Learning to Kick a Field Goal- here. I hope you have a wonderful final summer trip… wherever your journey might take you. Deanne
0 Comments
“Do you have the lunch boxes with the thermos inside?”
It may have been a joke- I mean, we were at Office Depot, not Target- and I wouldn’t have blamed the mom who said it since I was tempted to make up something ridiculous after asking the clerk for dayplanners and getting in response a funny, somewhat panicked look. And of course, it was worth a try. I imagine she was hoping to cut out one more stop. Plus, she was probably kicking herself for not going to Target in the first place. Still… a lunchbox? It is that time of year again. Back to School ads are everywhere. Stores have fall clothes on their racks (even though it is still in the 80s where I live). Kids are talking about locker decorations and fall sports. But I have tried to put off the craze as long as possible. This summer has flown by- filled with a little bit of vacation, some amazing camps (for my daughter, not me:>), and lots of hanging out together. And, while this last part hasn’t always been the romantic visions I carry with me as I go into summer vacation (“Moooooom, I’m bored.”) I have still have enjoyed my time getting to know the girl who rocks out in a band now and finds creative ways to convince me to set up a playdate for her (“It would give you more time to do your writing.”) But all great things must come to an end… and so I am preparing myself for the fall. School supplies? Check. Back to school outfit? Check. Practicing multiplication and division. Double check (“Summer’s not even over yet, Mom.”) And, while physically we might be ready, emotionally we are staving off what we call, the Sunday blues. We have one more trip planned (which I will tell you all about on Thursday…. So check back, it is going to be very cool, and related to my last book, Untangling the Knot.) And while we are excited to go away, underneath it is that niggling feeling that all of this will soon be over and a surprising desire to begin to hunker down and make apple spice cake and stew. So, perhaps that mom was also trying to get her head around fall, focusing on the homey, comforting aspects of shorter days and crock-pot suppers, and picturing where she would put the leftovers for lunch the next day. Are you ready for fall? What is your favorite part of back-to-school? I love, love, love my apple cake (too bad I am on a strict diet:>( Good news, though, Lucia, my character from Molto Mayhem, isn't and she has posted my recipe in her section of my website. Check it out and let me know what you think! I love to get your comments. Cheers, Deanne |
Subscribe to my blog:
About Me...Deanne WilstedLink here to Betting Jessica on Amazon.com Archives
June 2020
Categories
All
|