Unless you are a writer, or unless you keep a diary, or write lots of letters that someone keeps, no one will tell your life or your thoughts from your perspective, once you are gone. Your life will be a guessing game to anyone who tries to reconstruct something other than the obvious facts such as vital statistics.

Life is ever changing. Oh, how we value the words of Lowell Mill Girl, Lucy Larcom! Oh, how we treasure the penned lines of poetry written by Robert Frost! Oh, how we cling to the short but memorable quote of FDR. (“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”) How we easily call to mind quotes that rendered meaning at the time, but also have universal meaning.

Words increase in value. They share insight into the workings of the human soul. Words reflect who we are. Words are memory devices, helping people to remember those who are no longer here; those who cannot speak for themselves. Words share a collective knowledge of how to do things.

Moreover, words tell us what not to do. They provide life lessons from those who have survived until now. Words provide wisdom. Although words are common, they are necessary, and it is only the most introspective person who is taciturn, and parsimonious with his words.

While you are still above ground, it is a good idea to share “encouraging words” with others. You may have had a rift with a son or daughter, and egos being what they are, perhaps it will take you to rise above the situation and just let love prevail. This sentiment has been voiced in the past: a kind word turneth away much scorn.

Words: we take them for granted. They can either soothe or incite, teach or belittle, be memorable or be blown away on a breeze.

Of course, one of the most important pieces of writing involves little more than your name, and that is a legal set of papers called Advance Directives. If you can no longer speak for yourself, due to a serious and irreversible, life threatening, medical condition, the paperwork will instruct your doctors to not begin artificial means of keeping you alive. Of course, we all hope that such a situation would not arise. Life is fragile and we never know what is coming next!

I urge you to write down some words about your life and about thoughts and experiences you’ve had during your earthly sojourn. In the future, someone will want to know what it was like to live in the year 2008. Only you can report that information because only viagra sales 2009 possesses a unique vision of the subject from a personal perspective.

One of the papers I most enjoy was scrawled in pencil by my mother’s grandfather. He wrote to her from Georgia after she’d just moved “up north,” with her family, at the age of five, in 1918. The most endearing part was the greeting: “Dear Weencsy Scrap,” his nickname for her because she was a frail child. Today, it matters not that he was semi-literate. The message was written with love and I am sure that my mother enjoyed the attention from her dear old grandpa whom she never saw again.

Yes, words count. Of course, the most important words in any language are, “I love you.”

Have a super day! Spring is here in northern New England and the flowers are blooming!

Patricia Cummings

This morning, I woke up thinking about why I love to write. I will take a topic that I know something about, and by the time I’ve done more research, I know a whole lot more. New details pop up, at every turn, and I go running to books in my library or elsewhere to find answers to obscure questions that might be of no interest to others but please my inquiring mind.

Recently, I announced that I am “into” minutia. That is, I want to know all those itsy bitsy points of knowledge, even if they never show up in any of my writings. Writing is a good mental exercise and is probably helps “brain plasticity,” a topic that has been discussed on a recent PBS show. To explain the concept briefly, as aging occurs, brains that are not regularly exercised will begin to atrophy. Writing is one way to stimulate and challenge the brain. Crossword puzzles serve the same purpose and are recommended.

I have come to the conclusion that one cannot be an excellent writer while still very young. Poets and writers who have had more life experiences generally do better at expressing their thoughts in an insightful way. They have had more time to not only learn about their subject area, but they have also passed through the fires and trials of life itself.

When I was a small child, family members wrote letters. Today, we usually just e-mail. That is a faster way to communicate, but those e-letters are deleted at the push of a button and disappear forever. I am happy to still be able to read letters that my mother’s grandfather wrote to her, and so many other old letters that have left a footprint in time. To see the handwriting of my forebears has been a happy experience.

Yes, writing is a wonderful venue, and research is fun, especially if you love finding new twists and turns around every bend. What better way to collect information and then share it in a potentially lasting way? In writing about a topic such as quilting, why, who could ask for more? The lure of writing is compelling!

Have a great day!

Patricia Cummings

While a certain individual makes a living by saying “Don’t sweat the small stuff – and it’s all small stuff,” others can counteract that statement by saying, “It’s the little things that count.” Do you know how much a smile can brighten someone’s day?

I often notice little things. Tonight, I noticed that some of the ceiling tiles had been removed in the restaurant where we sat. The roof must be flat, and there are pails set around at strategic points to catch water from melting snow. My roof does not leak, and for that, I am thankful.

The decaffeinated coffee I had tonight was hot and fresh! Another blessing!

Oh, I could go on and on, but I think you get the message. If we concentrate on how good the little things are, soon we can divert ourselves from dwelling on problems. With my heart condition, every day is a gift, and I try to get as much done as I can, just in case there is no tomorrow for me. Worrying would be counter-productive.

Every research project is a gift. I am given the chance to dig into the minute details of life and challenges faced by others, in the past. The more research I do, the more I am left with questions, unanswerable questions that only people who lived in another century could answer, such as why a two year old drowned, and where?

I hope that you have a nice week. Find something good about that co-worker whom you’ve decided you don’t like. Go out of your way to be pleasant. I’m going to take my own advice, not just dish it out to you. Concentrate on the “little things” and see if it doesn’t make a difference in your outlook and general level of happiness.

Be well.

Patricia