Lost Lives, But Not Lost Hope

Today's blog piece will be a bit different.  I debated about putting it out here, but think it may resonate with others and let them know they are not alone.  This is a piece I wrote in the very early hours of Sept. 6th, following my brother-in-law's death on Sept. 1st, 2014.  It is very personal and I hope you will treat it as such.  If you have any questions concerning my faith, send me and e-mail, I would be happy to respond.

Lost Lives, But Not Lost Hope

By PR Henriksen

It's the very early am of a week we'd hoped never to live through again- the death of a loved one.  Worse it's the second time for me, and the third or more for my sister's family, of being touched by suicide. Unlike the old MASH theme song, we've learned the hard way that suicide isn't painless for those who have been left behind without answers, or for those who have left.

Moments

Moto-Monday & Writing Wednesday meet in the middle this week.

September was a crazy month (times ten thousand this year!) but it is October now and literally and figuratively a great time to turn over a new leaf. :D  We had a funeral (my brother-in-law; Wood Badge Scout Leader Training for half of it; a niece heading out to the MTC in Utah; a hasty, but lovely visit to Chicago, the seasonal flu/cold from hell (still trying to finish it off), and dozens of other crazy things that don't really bear much mentioning - other than WOW!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and basically a picture captures a moment in time, space, and life.  It is easily worth a thousand words as well.  So, let's spend a few words talking about it.

Me (Penny), My littlest brother-Brad, my Dad, and my sister-in-law, Lisa

Foster Fluff - Momma's Girls #53

Flash Fiction Friday

Sometimes in Life you just need to capture what is unfolding. That is one of the reasons I started doing the comics. And sometimes you just need puppies, because they make the world a better place. Either way, story is often in the eye of the beholder. Have a great weekend!

In what ways have you experimented with telling story?

Note to Self

Photo of my 2014 Sherlock Calendar - August

Flash Fiction Friday:  Note to Self (250 words)

By PR Henriksen

Ten pounds of fluffy, faithful love exploded into a riot of Biblical furry fury for the couple of minutes it took them. Her war cries still echoed in my ears, becoming a deep, pulsing throb.

Note to self- Next time, lock the bathroom door!

Rivulets of bubbles ran down my naked body, popping and fading into nothingness, including a lack of wet or cold.  The cavalry was late.  Their recent cutbacks must have included clocks.  I tried to wiggle my toes, but they didn’t do much. 

Bad guys have no boundaries or sense of propriety.  Channel five said the temperature was only eight degrees this morning.  Why’d they crack the window?  They also stole my computer and went anti-Martha Stewart all over my bedroom and bathroom in the process. Bastards! I’d spent my day off prettying things up.

Note to self- Next time, keep handgun on hand, even in the bathroom!

The rhythmic thumping continued to slow as I went for Mindy.  Her soulful chocolate eyes were clouding over, as snowflakes settled lightly upon her, soon to be pink, white fur.  My fault. Pink-colored water flowed over the side of the tub, following the path of my reaching arm, which was four inches too short. I could almost touch her. The pounding in my head and chest faded, as the pitter-patter of combat-booted feet tromped in.  Two drops of wet slid down my face.

Oh, how I hated pink. Note to self- Next time bleed a more fashionable color!

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No particular prompt for next week.  Let's pants it and see what happens!

Fishbowls and Freedoms

From the MorgueFile

Moto-Monday:  Fishbowls and Freedoms

A fish-eye lens can add an interesting perspective to an object. It usually warps it a bit past reality, but shows an expanse and breadth of scope you wouldn't have gotten in another way. Funny, it seems to work just the opposite "out" in the "real" world.

When I'm riding for hours a day and maybe even for many days in a row, part of my mind does a lot of wandering and thinking, asking strange questions and wondering about different things. (Ok, I sing in my head sometimes too, but that's another discussion.)

Moto-MONDAY..... Ahhhh, Monday's

Ok, this pretty much sums up my weekend and day today.... At least as far as motorcycle riding goes (I did get a new foster yorkie-girl that really needed a safe, loving place to crash for a while).

I fell badly last Wednesday, and sprained most of the right side of my body. So, I've spent quality time with ice-packs and a lounge chair. That means that for two of the best riding days last week, I didn't get a ride. And today, along rest of this week, is to be filled (buckets brimming) with rain and thundershowers. 

Momma's Girls Gone Wild!

Flash Fiction Friday - Momma's Girls Gone Wild!

Ok, I did get a story written, using the actual prompt I listed last week. But alas, with getting hurt, I haven't had sufficient time to polish it.

So, I am going to double the ante.  I will post the story next week, plus a follow-up comic for the Momma's Girl Expose, by Miss Pepper. 

This also gives you time to explore and finish any thoughts you've had on this prompt. Even a 6 word or 2 sentence story would be awesome if you'll share. You can share this week or next.  (Mine is looking closer to the 1000 word mark right now.)

Until then, keep your wild ideas flowing through your fingers and have a great weekend! 

Is There Such a Thing as a Perpetual Creative Well?

Dogs are so smart!

This week Writing Wednesday has become Thoughtful Thursday (due to internet connectivity issues and being klutzy enough to sprain the right side of my body while attempting to hike with Momma’s Girls).

Is there such a thing as a perpetual creative well?

We talk craft on Wednesdays, but I'm still a rookie. So it's mostly my own experience and a lot of thinking, practice, and study. Yes, I still study the craft. I want to be a pro, and pros always stay on top of their craft. I think the right and best answers can be different for each one of us. I've also found that different methods and techniques work at different times and with different projects but those can change as well. This brings me to the well. Now, I'm thinking creative well right here, but wishing well might be just as good for writers.

Fear Pt 3: How Knowing Fear Better Informs Your Writing

(Quick note: This article is longish and well very Fearful - so I decided to break it up and make it a bit happier with some Star Trek memes from the icanhascheezburger conglomerations site. The Enterprise pic has notes on it! Cheers!)

We’ve discussed (over a couple of blogs now) a bit about fear in puppies, but how about in people? Can people go to a place where logic and reason don’t hold sway for them either?  They always talk about animals (and people are animals) having a fight or flight response.
I’m going to give you a list of F-in’ fear options.You will find that many of these “F” words overlap in each other’s territory.Fear is like that, insidious.It can cause reactions and repercussions in your characters and their worlds and stories throughout all time.Sometimes it is in little ways (a tick, a memory, a simple reaction) or sometimes in big ways (life/death altering choices). Think about Indiana Jones’ reaction to snakes, or someone like Castle’s Kate Beckett who’s a cop because her mom was an unsolved murder.Regardless, a character’s fears and history with fear will inform the audience A LOT about your character and it should inform you a lot about their story. 

Fear Part 1 - Puppy Mill Pups

 I've been contemplating fear this week (ok, for more than a week, but.... I thought of writing something down about it this week).

 I've got two puppy mill rescue toy schnauzers that I've had for two years now. I got Miss Pepper (she is the dark Parti-colored gal with the unusual and exotic eyes) two months to the day before I lost Misty. And I got Daisy (she is the white one with the awesome bunny-like ears) a month later when I transported some rescues that were coming to fosters her in Michigan. All of the lined-up fosters bailed and I ended up fostering three girls for a couple of months. Daisy stayed with us.

When we went to meet Pepper, she stood like a little statue and shook. I'd not seen anything like it. Her fears and nervousness were so deep that her foster mom thought she would never find a home for her, because no one would want her or want to try to take care of such a scared little being.   Pepper had been rescued from a puppy mill situation and her foster mom had been told she was pregnant, but Pepper lost her puppies pretty quick because of all of all the stress.

Writing or Riding?

                         

I took my dad out for a ride yesterday, and lunch, and extra stuff, as a special pre-dad's day event. Of course it was a perfect day.  We had a chance to thoroughly clear out the old gas from last year (it was a very long, very cold winter for us here in Detroit this last year.... And spring has been one of the soggiest ever.). And don't even get me started on the world-eating, trans-dimensional pot-holes. (Why yes, I have cracked a windshield all the way across, sheared a front wheel off, sheared a break assembly off, and blown some new tires, which doesn't include the front axel, bearings, alignment, and sanity that have also been damaged, lost, or replaced over the last couple of years- windshield still pending. Thank-you for asking.)

Anyway, back to the ride. It got me thinking about my sadly neglected blog. It has been sitting here in a sorrowful state as life unfolded in awful and wildly unpredicted ways over the last couple of years, but I do think about it. How sad and lonesome it must be.