I participate in an e-circle with several other women through Story Circle Network and this was the writing prompt for December. I would recommend it to anyone as a chance to think back on happy times in your life. I could write a blog post (or several) on pretty much any of these items. I have on several already, but this may also serve as a jumping off point in future when I need a writing prompt.
These are in no particular order and this is by no means a complete list. I will post this and immediately think of ten more things I should have added. This is simply the best I could do so I could post for my e-circle.
Try this prompt. It will make you smile at the happy events in your life.
Here I go:
1) Having all three of my babies at home with a midwife, my best friend, Patrica, and Ray.
2) Being awarded the Crucis Cross at Camp Crucis (Episcopal church camp) when I was 12 after having spent that camp session with my brother George.
3) Marrying Ray Beaty.
4) Traveling in Europe alone for a month when I was 19 after spending time with brothers Sam and John in Italy.
5) Living and working in Italy for a year when I was 22 – 23 and spending time with my brother John.
6) Riding my big red tricycle up and down the sidewalk on East 9th Street.
7) Snuggling with my mom in bed, reading.
8) Riding with my dad in the pickup to feed the cows.
9) Falling in love for the first time with my high school sweetheart.
10) Being a member of a Sweepstakes band in high school.
11) Winning a slot as a twirler as a senior in high school and being part of a twirling trio that went all the way to State and won all 1s.
12) Sneaking out with my girlfriends in high school and riding around town in my VW.
13) Pouring out my heart to my beloved Lorene, our housekeeper and my extra mother.
14) Being part of the “Free Curriculum” program at the University of Utah and designing my own college curriculum.
15) Discovering the joys of hiking and camping with my sister Leslie and her family while in college in Utah.
16) Working as a psychotherapist on a psych unit and at a community mental health center.
17) Moving to Los Angeles and being near my brother Jim through his dying process.
18) Vacationing in Paris with Ray.
19) Singing hymns at church on the back row with my friends at Holy Trinity, Bonham.
20) Singing with the St. Thomas the Apostle choir.
21) Singing with the Los Angeles Camarata at Carnegie Hall.
22) Being honored at Carnegie Hall as a writing teacher through the Alliance of Artists and Writers.
23) Writing over 50 memoir pieces for Nerdnosh and reconnecting with old friends from my hometown.
24) Having several of my memoir pieces and short stories published in literary journals.
25) Having one of my short stories nominated for a Pushcart Prize (the best of the small presses)
26) Being a member of John Rechy’s weekly Masterclass in writing.
27) Finishing several drafts of my memoir and getting a positive response at the Maui Writing Conference.
28) Talking with my mother.
29) Running the PTA parent education program for the Beverly Hills School District and receiving the highest award in PTA for running those parenting programs.
30) Starting my 20 Minutes a Day blog back in 2012 with the current number of blog posts equaling 2019 with almost 200,000 hits.
31) Spending time at our orange grove in Ojai.
32) Watching my daughters graduate from USC and UCLA.
33) Seeing Sarah graduate from medical school and her residency program.
34) Seeing Liz graduate from law school.
35) Seeing Rachael get a full-ride for one year of law school.
36) Watching my granddaughter Luna born.
37) Seeing baby Nico immediately after Sarah’s c-section.
38) Watching Sarah and Gregorio marry at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood.
39) Serving as Rector’s Warden, on the Vestry and as an acolyte at St. Thomas the Apostle, Hollywood.
40) Visiting/laughing with close family and friends
41) Cooking breakfast for the homeless
42) Selling antique decor to the Chili’s chain
43) Buying and selling antiques at Canton, Dallas Fair Park and Brimfield, Mass.
44) Becoming part of Story Circle Network.
45) Presenting workshops at the Story Circle Network national writing conferences
46) Becoming the online writing classes coordinator for Story Circle Network.
47) Working with my writing students to win regional and national writing awards through the Scholastic Artists and Writers Contest.
48) Working with my high school and graduate students on essays to help them get into their first choice colleges and graduate schools.
49) Being part of three Victorian house restorations headed by Ray and getting to enjoy those beautiful homes.
50) Celebrating 37 years of marriage with a man who is my best friend.
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