Retiring one more time

STORIES

BOOKS . . . BOOKS . . . HARD AND SOFT . . . SCRIBBLERS

IMAGINATION . . . WRITERS . . . WORDS AND MORE WORDS . . . PASSION . . . TEARS . . .

FRUSTRATION . . . SHORT STORIES . . . HORROR STORIES . . . ROMANCE . . . FICTION . . .

NON FICTION . . . POETRY . . . AAH !!! THE LOVE OF THE WRITTEN WORD AND THE

WONDERFUL AUTHORS WHO WRITE THEM.

Four short years ago Mary Evanich and I were riding up to Gold Beach every Friday to take part in the Writer's Group. We met new people, were accepted, heard new and different stories and learned to love the differences in each of the individuals who participated in the weekly readings. All talented folks. All friendly and easy to be with. The weather changed from warm and lovely to cold and ugly. The roads were torn up and the twenty seven miles began to feel like a thousand. Mary and I decided, once the price of car gasolene went sky high, it was time to make a change. Brookings should have a Writer's Group. Well, it had one . . . a closed one. . . so, what to do . . . create one of our very own. Mary and I went to see Suzanne, the director of the library, and she was gracious and invited us to choose a day for our meeting and allowed us to use the small room in the library. This was December 23, 2005 and we advertised in the newspaper and two brave people showed up. Shirley Hyatt and a young man with one arm who did not write but wanted to be a part of the new writing group.

Mary was killed in an automobile accident in February, 2006 and I had to make a decision to either close our new writer's group or take on the leadership. I decided to give it a try knowing I was not a strong leader, nor did I have the experience, but I did have the heart and will to try and pull together a group of writers who loved to write as much as I did. We did fine, sometimes with eight members, sometimes with only three in attendance. It seesawed to twelve, back down to six, up to eight and down to two or three. BUT, each meeting was meaningful and each meeting brought about not only listening to wonderful creative writing but critiques that help the writer to improve and grow and learn.

I am very proud of my group. I will miss them but will keep an open door policy in case they decide to stop by for a cup of coffee and a cookie. I will stop by and see how they are doing just to see and hear the current flow and get a hug or two. I am hoping for a First Edition, autographed be it "Diggs" or "Lola", Family Geneology, Grandfather Tales or even a Tall Tale, or another trip to Spain, an English mystery, or a Fantasy. They are all in the works.

I have met some wonderful loving people and I am proud of them . . . and me. We have all agreed that we have been good for each other. Amen to that.