New Life

I have not been able to write lately. I’ve shown up and made an earnest effort.  I was able to write and post a blog article, so I must give myself credit for that. Especially since I have had many distractions over the past few weeks. I’ve been, as a mentor once described, “lifed”.

For one thing I have been preparing for Easter. In the Episcopal tradition, we commonly have services on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Holy Week. They are my favorite services of the year as they provide a way of experiencing the intense emotions of Jesus’ death and Resurrection instead of simply hearing about what happened.

While I won’t be leading the services this year, I have been invited to take part in the services hosted by a church nearby. I am most grateful to this loving community for welcoming me into their midst at this special time.

Ken and I always prepare a special Easter dinner of fresh ham with citrus rum glaze, potatoes au gratin and coconut cream pie. That means shopping and prep work, of course, and attention to organizing.

We prepared this feast a week early, which felt strange, but it also meant we didn’t have to cook once we got home from church. Everything turned out great and we enjoyed the delicious food thoroughly.

The reason for that is that I am getting ready to go on a three-week trip to Ireland and the UK. I am so excited! My brother and I have been planning this adventure for several months and it seems unreal that the day of our departure is so very near.

Our aim is to explore areas where our ancestors are from. My father’s side of the family, coming from near Wrexham in Wales and Plymouth in England, is very well documented and we have been in touch with local archivists and churches where we will be able to see records of our family lineage. Ken's family also hails from Breconshire, Wales and our plan is to spend some time in that area.

My mother’s side of the family comes mostly from Ireland, and we don’t know much about them. Records are scarce, for one thing. The other thing is there seems to be some intrigue around my grandmother’s ancestors.

My grandfather’s ancestors could hail back to an ancient clan of poets. In Celtic, my mother’s maiden name means “Sons of the Hounds of Meath” who were bards. The possibility of my being descended from bards is quite exciting, I think, but the information I might find will probably be found in local pubs and tea shops rather than libraries and archives.

Regardless, this trip will be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that I hope will give me new inspiration for my novel. Sometimes as writers we need to shake things up a bit and get out of our normal routine and have new experiences. I am looking forward to this precious opportunity.

I also hope that seeing new places and meeting new people will give me some much-needed perspective on life in general. Believe it or not, it has been nearly a year since my retirement.

I’ve had the chance to do much healing, to try new things. I’ve discovered how important writing is to me and how much I love being able to have time and energy to devote to it. I am thankful to be part of a supportive, inspiring online writing community that has become important to me. All of this has been very good.

I no longer want to hold back, to keep writing on a shelf and taking it down every so often. How can I commit more fully to what I feel is a genuine call to be a writer. My hope and prayer is that exploring my ancestry and being in places known for being inspiring might give me some incentive and a better sense of direction.

No matter what, I will come home changed some way or other. I’m ready. It’s the season of new life, after all, and the time couldn’t be more right!