Letters to the Moon....

What a whirlwind the last month has been. I never thought publishing a book would change my life. Well, let me clarify that thought-I never thought how publishing a book would change my life. My life will never be the same. The world will never be the same. Of course, my day to day life has not changed. I still get up in the morning, feed the cats, go to work, come home, feed the cats, watch some television or a movie, and go to bed. I have not quit my day job. I have not purchased my home overlooking the ocean in Malibu just yet. Nothing has changed in my daily life. Yet I am changed forever. It is a true sense of accomplishment to reach your goal, to make your dream come true. There is nothing that compares to that feeling. The only time I have felt anything similar was when I graduated college. My mother told me,                   “You earned this. No one can take this away from you.” That is exactly how I feel about publ...

Dreams are a wonderful thing. They do not always come true. Yet, sometimes, they do. As I began to write poetry and share it with the world, I had the dream of becoming a published author. I did not know how to begin, or what steps to take. Thankfully I had a conversation with a patron in my local library, a patron who is a writer and self-published author. He told me that yes it is possible, and that he in fact had done it.  That gave me the inspiration to publish my writing. While I had the desire to be a published author, I did not know how to get started. I had heard stories of writers sending samples of their work to publishing companies, only to be continually rejected. That prospect did not appeal to me.  I continued to do research, to weigh the pros and cons of each option, to self-publish or not. I found that, when signing with a publishing company, the company would take 20% or more of the profit off the top. Stores and distribution outlets would take anot...

The following is a letter to a friend I have lost, a friend who lives in the moon. Dear Sally,             Hello my dear friend. How are you? How are things in the moon? I hope my friend Luna is taking care of you. I hope you and she are well.             I have been thinking about you so much lately. We just passed the anniversary of your leaving us. I cannot believe it was four years ago. Many moments it feels like you left us yesterday.             I know I have not written you in so long. Please forgive me. I feel like writing to you would be to bother you. I know you are in heaven with the Lord and probably love where you are. I feel like I should not write you and talk about Earthly things. I ask that you forgive me this selfish indulgence writing you this letter.       ...

A lot has changed in my state in a week. Last week I wrote about the new law in Indiana, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, (often referred to as RFRA)..... http://letrasalaluna.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-state-of-things.html After I wrote about my feelings on the new bill, other opponents to the law displayed their anger. Boycott Indiana was a trending hashtag on Twitter. Heads of corporations, law makers, and celebrities voiced their disdain for the new law… http://www.glaad.org/blog/ashton-kutcher-miley-cyrus-ellen-degeneres-and-more-celebs-speak-out-against-indianas-anti-lgbt Of course, it did not help when the Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, went on national television to defend the new law. The host of the show, George Stephanopolous, asked Governor Pence if the new bill would enable discrimination against members of the LGBT community. The Governor refused to answer the question. Eight times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-9vsSi9RkY&feature=playe...

The wheels of progress move so slowly some days. The wheels have begun to go in reverse today. Last year my state, Indiana, won the battle for same-sex marriage. It was a battle that was hard won and hard fought. The Indiana governor fought the vote in court. The case for same-sex marriage eventually went all the way to Supreme Court of the United States of America. The Supreme Court of the United States of American ruled that banning someone from getting married is discriminatory. This meant that same-sex marriage was now legal in Indiana. That was a glorious day in Indiana history, in the history of the nation. . As I have written here, I am an ally to the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender community (also known as LGBT.) Last year I marched as a part of a group of employees from my library system in the Indianapolis Gay Pride Parade…. http://letrasalaluna.blogspot.com/2014/06/pride.html I am an ally, an advocate for equality and civil rights for people of all colors...

I had a visit from my muse last night. The muse of poetry, Calliope. This is not the first time Calliope has visited me…. http://letrasalaluna.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-lesson-in-patience.html http://letrasalaluna.blogspot.com/2014/03/gifts.html Calliope met me as she always does, in the land of nod. She whispered words in my ear as I lay in bed. Glorious words, in dulcet tones. As Calliope whispered her words to me my brain transcribed them, writing them in cursive script, in jet black ink, on crisp white pages of thought. I remember three distinct, different poems being read to me, different topics, and different subjects. Some of the poems were in rhyming couplets, some in prose. Of course, in truth, I do not know if my subconscious mind created those words and recited them to me, or if I really do have a muse that gives me inspiration. Do the poems come from Calliope? Should she take the credit for what I physically write? It is an interesting p...

I have a new philosophy. At first blush, I am not one to believe in philosophies. However, I believe in learning lessons from all that life hands us. I search for words in life lessons: “When you know better, you do better.”-Maya Angelou “I love the person I’ve become, because I fought to become her.”-Kaci Diane “Never put the keys to your happiness in someone else’s pocket.”-unknown “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”-Dalai Lama While I search for meanings in the things I experience in life, and words to help me in times of need, I am not usually a person who is prone to looking for-or using-philosophies. Perhaps the philosophies come to me in the guise of thought. Perhaps thoughts are philosophies. My new philosophy is simple and yet amazingly complex at the same time…. “Come what may."   Over the last month I have found myself saying this phrase several times. The first time I remember recently saying the phrase was when I was ...