Letters to the Moon....

Hello friends and family, I hope this missive finds you well. Here we are at the end of the year. I’m glad to see the year come to an end. It’s been a roller coaster year for me, complete with exciting highs and stomach-churning lows. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights:   The first low of the year was my front door being destroyed by teenage girls in my building. (Long story-about 3 years long.) Thankfully the replacement was covered by my insurance as a vandalism claim. It was approved in March, and the door was installed in June. Finally! :)   In August there was a high point to the year: a trip to visit with my parents in Maryland! It was a great time visiting with them and seeing their new senior living community. It’s a very nice place, and they have everything they need right in their community, which I’m grateful for. :)   In September, another high point: I published my tenth book! “Moons of the Year” is a two-part special edition collection of writing from the year

  Overwhelm : Verb. Definition: to upset, to overthrow; to cover completely or submerge; to overcome by superior force or numbers, or overpower in thought or feeling Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwhelm I Once upon a time, in October 2023, I had a week of vacation from work. I took that time to sort through my belongings, purge anything I didn’t need, adding it to my donate pile. I also went to my local store where everything costs $1.00. I found several storage solutions to organize my space and simplify my storage needs.   While I on vacation, I took the time to catch up on some laundry. I have a new washing machine and been in the process of washing everything I own. Okay, I don’t think it was every piece of clothing I own. However, I did wash all the towels, sheets, blankets, and linens in my collection.   I was trying out the new washing machine, and a new brand of detergent. As my skin is uber sensitive, I was using the

While June is known as Pride month, October is LGBTQ+ History month. So much has happened this year it makes it one for the history books, for all of the wrong reasons. I began writing this piece in April, hoping to share it in May, as that is National Mental Health Awareness Month. I continued writing this piece through the month of May, hoping to share it in June, as that is Pride month in the U.S. I meant to post this in October, which is LGBTQ+ History Month. But, life had other plans for me for the month of October. I’ll speak on that another time. For now, it's time to discuss the current state of emergency. * Stonewall The first Pride came in the form of a rebellion at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in 1969. The rebellion lasted for 6 days, in which members of the queer community fought the New York police. The next year, the Christopher Street Liberation Day march was held in New York City. The gay and trans folks that marched that day risked their lives to do so; at