IWSG July 2013

Quote of the Day:  There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. Maya Angelou

You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children. Madeleine L'Engle

Kids helping me write my play!

 

In June, I had the great joy of facilitating a writing camp for kids, ages 7-12. We had a blast. As you can see from the above picture, I did some writing, too. In fact, one of the bonuses from leading this class was the inspiration I got from the kids.

 

As summer consumes with all its busy-ness, events, and time away and with family, I find I don't sit down and write. I have play ideas (several) that need to be let out and brought to light. My insecurity for the July IWSG posting, is about the same as last month. I'll add some inspiration, though. Be a kid. Let responsibilities slip just a little. Farm out the chores. Sneak off to a quiet place and let your stories out. They want to see the sun, too.

 

The Insecure Writers Support Group was started by ninja blogger Alex J. Cavanaugh.  The purpose is to share our insecurities and offer encouragement to other writers and artists. This is a wonderful support group. Thanks Alex, and your helpers this month!

Nancy Thompson – http://nancysthompson.blogspot.com/

Mark Koopmans – http://markkoopmans.blogspot.com/

Heather Gardner - http://hmgardner.blogspot.com/

In other news, Joy and I have some exciting things happening as our Primo Art Spa finds a home. Click over to that blog to see what's happening!

That's all for now. Grab your pen and journal, your sketch pad and pencil, your camera, or whatever creative tools you need, and...

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Do you have any Independence Day traditions or vacation plans? What creative energy is bursting to get out of you?

Blue Cottage Agency Article

Quote of the Day:  I can do brave things. Krista's favorite saying which is highlighted in my most recent article for Her Voice magazine.

Krista and her twin daughters, attending "The Cat in the Hat" with me at

The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, MN.

What a pleasure to it was to write an article about my favorite publicist and friend Krista Rolfzen Soukup. Her friendship and professional connection are two of the best things about moving to the Brainerd lakes area, almost ten years ago. Another 10 year celebration is for the magazine Her Voice. Happy 10th Anniversary Her Voice, and editor Meg Douglas! I'm so glad that you did something brave 10 years ago and started this fine magazine. I found my voice through Her Voice, and the confidence and connections continue to grow.

Reach out to other artists in your community. I hope all of you readers find your voice in all your art forms and relationships.

Go. Create. Inspire!

To read the article, go to Her Voice at the Brainerd Dispatch website. My article on Krista and the Blue Cottage Agency starts on page 12.

Journaling Prompt:  What's your big dream?

Spirits of the Medicine Wheel

Quote of the Day:  Everything the power of the world does, is done in a circle. The sky is round, the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls...the sun comes forth and goes down in a circle. The moon does the same...even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were before. The life of man is a circle...and it is in everything where power moves. The words of Black Elk, a Lakota Sioux elder, from the book Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neibardt

After we left Yellowstone National Park on our Western Motorcycle Tour, the Chef and I rode over the Big Horn Mountains, making a stop at the Medicine Wheel. You have to be intentional about finding this sacred place, located between Lovell and Sheridan, WY, and be willing to make some effort to get there. The walk, uphill from the parking lot, is about a mile and a half. Motorized vehicles can drive on the road and pass the site, but not stop there. We walked it. It was a warm, sunny day. This site is only open during the summer as the roads are not passable in the winter and it would be covered in ice and snow.

You can read about the Bighorn Medicine Wheel at several sites on the internet. According to this site it is estimated to have been constructed between 300-800 years ago by the Plains Indians. Many people from Native American nations and beyond visit this site. Some come just to see it. Others are here for healing. And, some people are drawn to the power of this place.

 

Totems are left, prayers are said, offers for healing, forgiveness and guidance.

 

 

 

When you enter the perimeter of the wheel, the sign asks you to walk to the left, making your circle from left to right, a slight incline at the most powerful point where you can feel the wind pushing over the ridge and blowing through you. The Chef said he felt the power there was the strongest. At that point, I noticed these little shoes.

 

I wondered who left these tiny moccasins.

A mother?

What happened to the child who wore these little shoes?

I felt sad when I was here.

 

As I stood up and walked towards the wind, and rounded the bend, I heard the voice say, "You have to be open." (to the spirits? to what lies ahead? to something unknown?)

 

 

 

Then, we saw this little guy, standing guard, a sentinel, and that's where I heard the voice say, "Remember who brought you here."

Does that mean the Chef because he physically brought me there?

Does it mean me because I felt drawn to this place and experience?

Does it mean the Holy Spirit, or whatever you want to call the spirits?

 

All three, and maybe something more.

 

Go. Create. Inspire!

 

Journaling Prompt:  Have you ever felt drawn to a place and/or an experience, like it was a strong pull you couldn't resist? Have you felt a presence or a power in such a visit?

Families that Separate and Reunite

Quote of the Day:  You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you. -Frederick Buechner

If you don’t recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them too. The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are.  -Madeleine Engle

How will our children know who they are if they do not know where they came from. unknown

I wish I could relate to the people I’m related to. -Jeff Foxworthy
These great quotes and more on family and reunions can be found on the Family Reunion Blog.

Last weekend, the Aalgaard's had a family reunion. It's Thursday afternoon, and I'm just now finding the mental space to reflect and write about it. Relatives arrived on the family farm from various places in Minnesota, Oregon, Wyoming, Canada, and Norway. All winter, we sounded the call "The Norwegians are coming!"

In the year 1921, my grandpa Arne Aalgaard got on a ship and sailed to the New World. His siblings scattered far and wide. A few remained in Norway. One went to Canada, and a couple more ended up in other parts of the U.S.A. One brother died in China when he was there as a missionary. They stayed connected through letters and other correspondence and visits to each other if they could. I know that my grandpa traveled back to the homeland whenever he could. My brother wrote about this on his blog, Wandering Norwegian, a couple years ago as he was renewing connections.

Three generations of cousins

Not everyone could make it to this reunion.

We represent the various generations.

Reunions may not be the most exciting things for kids. They played some games, ate tons of food, got a glimpse of where they came from, and if they were listening at all, heard a few family stories.

No matter how far and wide you roam, you are still part of a family whose stories are your stories, whose blood runs through your veins along with their hopes, dreams, desires, and hardships.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Ask a living relative to tell you his or her story and write it down.

Writer's Support Group

Quote of the Day: 

If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music, you automatically explode every morning like Old Faithful. I have never had a dry spell in my life, mainly because I feed myself well, to the point of bursting. I wake early and hear my morning voices leaping around in my head like jumping beans. I get out of bed quickly, to trap them before they escape. --Ray Bradbury

In the midst of my party prep for my son's graduation, I nearly forgot to contribute to the Insecure Writer's Support Group, hosted by the Super Ninja Blogger Alex J. Cavanaugh.

During this week of prep, I attended a book launch party for local Brainerd area author Theresa M. Jarvela for her debut cozy mystery, Home Sweet Murder. Coordinated by my great friend and Publicist Extraordinaire, Krista Rolfzen Soukup, at Blue Cottage Agency. 

Many special guests were there, but she was most surprised when her daughter walked up to have her book signed. She had traveled all day to arrive on time and support her mama. (Love the finger point!)

The thing is, I can make myself crazy by thinking about and doing all the external prep involved in hosting a party, but the truth is, relationships win out every time. I spent last weekend tidying up the place, washed the floor, put things away, did laundry. Monday, I came home from my workout and all the boys, who are now home for summer vacation, and half the neighborhood boys as well, were having a Nerf gun war in the house - the WHOLE house! The cat was in and out. Dirt was on the floor. Nerf bullets were everywhere, and I just said, "Please clean it up afterwards." So, we'll have a party in my imperfect house, with stray Nerf bullets, a touch of clutter, but filled with fun. I don't have time to stress about the outward appearances. It's too late to powerwash the house and stain the deck. Besides, the most important part is the food, for which I am getting excellent assistance. My good friend helped me find fun decorations - going with a Southwest theme for the party, and it's all about the boy.

So, what does this have to do with the Insecure Writer's Support Group? Everything. We can be insecure about everything we do. We can obsess over the external. But, what we really need to do is connect and keep it real. The clients of Blue Cottage Agency are doing that by attending each other's events. The other authors came to my play. I've been to their readings and launches. I feature them on this blog. I plan to write about them for magazines, or whatever. We are a support network in real time. You readers are a support network in a global and spiritual sense. Thank you.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What can you do to support local artists in your area?

Connecting

Quote of the Day:  May our house always be too small to hold all our friends. Irish Blessing, found on The Tiny Buddha website. Check it out for many words of wisdom, excellent writing on thought-provoking topics. A dear person connected me to this newfound site.  This post is all about connections. Read on.

LAMAA stands for Lakes Area Memory Awareness Advocates. It's a group of health care professionals, caregivers, and concerned citizens whose goal is to connect people who are dealing with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia. We had a Forum last week. Click over to our LAMAA blog for highlights on Living Well with Alzheimer's. I played a bit of music for the opening, and after listening to Dr. Terry Barclay emphasize the need to keep people connected through the arts, felt empowered to continue on my path in the arts as a way of connecting people at all ages and stages.

I have neglected to link you to my latest article in Her Voice, a local publication to which I am a regular contributor, on foster families. I really enjoyed meeting these warm and welcoming people and writing their story. The Miles family in Staples, MN has taken in 22 foster kids over the years and adopted six of them. To read their story go to Her Voice online. My story starts on p. 32, and I encourage you to read more of the great articles in this magazine.

I introduced you to Charmaine Donovan during the A to Z blog challenge with her award-winning poem/book, Tumbled Dry. Here's the latest from her.

“Tumbled Dry” received the 2011 Northeastern Minnesota Book Award for Poetry last night in Duluth. Please let your readers know and if they are interested they can order my book through www.bookinitontheweb.com

Thanks for letting me be a guest blogger. Your readers are awesome and so are you!

Charmaine

You can learn more about Charmaine and her book success at Blue Cottage Agency. She was recently at a poetry conference where she had fun exchanging books with other poets.

Go. Create. Inspire!
and, stay connected.

Journaling Prompt:  What are some of the highlights in your life right now? Any fun summer plans?

Journal where you are

Quote of the Day:  Writing is an escape from a world that crowds me.  I like being alone in a room. It's almost always a form of meditation - an investigation of my own life. Neil Simon

I write to bring back what is gone, to relive what is lost, to make a mosaic of fragments. - Minfong Ho

Journal where you are.

Make your mark.

Archive your life.

Live, Record, Remember

Do you journal with paper and pen or pencil? Do you type your journals and keep a file on your computer? Is your blog your personal archive? Do you, like me, have scraps and bits of paper scattered throughout the house, car, and your purse, full of notes and ideas?  Where is the most unique place that you've written something down? I once used a church bulletin (yes, during the sermon). My Uncle David appears to be journaling on the inside of his walls. I love it. I journeyed far and wide to see his home. It's a process for me to get there, and with my family, it is an idea that keeps building.

It all started with my sister Nancy saying that she had Friday off of work so she thought she'd bring Mom up North to visit her brother.  (He lives about seven miles from the Canadian border in North Dakota. I'm in central Minnesota.) Mom said, "I don't suppose Mary can get away." (It wasn't easy, but I did. I was glad to be invited along and I hadn't visited my uncle's home before.) By Thursday, Nancy called to say that our oldest brother Nathan wanted to go, too. By the time we met up at 2nd brother Phil's house, Mom and Dad got into the van. Nathan drives a modified van because he's in a wheelchair, with a lift where the middle seats are. We were quite cozy in the back seat.

The process was worth it. It was a cool and sunny November day. Dry roads, good company, a thermos of coffee, donut holes, homemade granola (by me), and great family stories. Not to mention my Aunt Sharon's delicious food and creative connection with church music.

If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have known about the journaling on the walls, or seen my uncle's great craftsmanship at the place, nor experienced the sun setting over the Pembina Gorge with a cool November sky.

And, the full moon kept me company all the way back.

Journaling Prompt:  Where do you leave your mark on the world? What kind of journaling do you do? 

Brainerd Buddy Walk 2011

Quote of the Day:  Walking Together...So no one walks alone. Mary Aalgard, from my article in Her Voice on our local Buddy Walk and the families who are involved.  They honored me by using my words on their t-shirts this year.

The weather was gorgeous in the Brainerd lakes area on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011, for the fourth annual Buddy Walk and Roll. This year, they held it at the Confidence Learning Center.

They renamed it the Buddy Walk and Roll to include people with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities.  This camp was started as a place to service the needs of people and families with these conditions.  Read their mission statement here. 

Dave and Becky Meyer were key organizers this year. Their sons Luke and Noah lead the walk.

Luke and Noah are twins. Noah has Down syndrome.  Their older brother Caleb was on a church trip and missed the walk.

This was the first group to use the new trail.

It started with a Ribbon "Cutting" ceremony.

I was so glad to see that not all the leaves blew off the trees from our recent wind storm. The road was paved and smooth. The scenery a feast for the eyes, and the mood of the day was joy and celebration.

This is the other Meyer family that I featured in the Her Voice article. I also interviewed Beth. I walked part of the path with her and her little daughter, Lauren, ran most of the way. I think she just turned four. I smiled at her, and she held my hand for a short bit. That made me smile even more!

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What have you recently celebrated? What did you do? Who has reached out to hold your hand?

The Pulse of the Family

Quote of the Day:  Pulsing through our veins is the blood of our ancestors, all their hopes and fears, longings and frailties. - Mary Aalgaard, after visiting with family this week.

Actually, my sister Joy talked about this.  She's heard of a pulse test that reads your family's health history, emotional and physical.  We know that we are genetically wired for certain diseases like cancer or heart disease, but we're also linked to our ancestor's emotional health.  This is interesting to me.  We have depression in our family.  We have sensitive souls who are strong in music and art and connecting with other people.  Some of us have control issues.

Cousin Angie and sister Joy singing and playing.

Leo is listening and purring.

Often, when we get together we talk about the negative traits of our family.  This time, we made a point of bringing out the positive qualities.  Aalgaards are great hosts.  We know how to make you feel comfortable.  We're good cooks.  We make music and know how to listen as well as talk.  We are spiritual and loyal.  We're the first to roll up our sleeves and help a neighbor.

We come from people with a wanderlust.  We travel and relocate, constantly seeking, aware of the journey.  We know that it's important to be together, to talk, to create, to connect.  We have a fun journaling project in the works for Christmas.  I'll tell you more about that on Friday.  In the meantime...

Go. Create. Inspire!  And, spend a little time with family, and check your pulse.

Brother Nathan, Sisters Nancy and Joy.

Having lunch together before Joy flies back to Portland, OR.

Journaling Prompt:  Write about the physical and emotional history of your family.  What are the positive traits that you've inherited from your family?

Camping for Generations

Quote of the Day:  One thing I had to learn was that nothing remains the same...people grow and change...You look around and somebody is different from a year earlier. - Barbara Mandrell

Here I am at camp in our Little Red cabin with my four big boys:

Bobby, a senior this coming year.

Zach, 13, and Eric & Charlie, 11.

Here I am in 1973, sharing my popsicle with my little brother, and hanging on the beach with cousins.

Hey, relies, do you recognize yourselves in this photo?

I spent last week at a family bible camp with my four boys, my parents, an aunt, and cousins and their families, plus all the other campers, many of whom I've met in the past.  It was a big reunion and time for new memories. The Aalgaard's have been going to Mount Carmel for 40 years.  My mom went when she was a girl and worked there during her college years as a singing waitress.

Some of the highlights of our week together include the music from some amazing musicians.

The Mount Carmel Trio

"Maybe we should talk about the songs we're doing tonight."

John Ylvisaker, whose music I enjoy sharing at my home church.

Thanks, John, for your generous gifts of music.

I connected over journaling with my mom, other relatives, and made new friends. Our theme was music and memories. (More on that on Friday's post.)

Note, the stack of games behind me, the lovely weather outside, and my new Mount Carmel sweatshirt.  It was on the cooler side that week.  This week in MN, it's an unusual tropical climate.

We also played games, all sorts.  One afternoon, Bobby was wandering around the camp checking out what everybody was up to.  He saw Grandma (my mom) playing Scrabble with a couple friends, so he sat down and joined them. Sweet memories.

I also had the privelege of watching an artist in the process of his creation.  Here's the teaser for Wednesday's post....

What do you think will appear on this canvas?

Journaling Prompt:  When and where does your family like to go to just be together?  Do you have a family tradition of a place to stay or special time to be together?

Together!

Quote of the Day:  I get by with a little help from my friends. - the Beetles

The Singer, The Painter, and The Writer

The painting above our heads is by JeMA.  Read her blog post on our lovely lunch and our connection to each other.  The Singer is my friend Heather who has found her voice through music.  She writes her own songs and is singing around the region, sharing her gift and her message. 

We had lunch at this restaurant, Prairie Bay, to celebrate each of us finding our own distinct voices in our art.  JeMA hung her art there that morning.

Blessings to you as you journey on.  May you find your voice in your art and in your life.

Journaling Prompt:  In what area of your life do you come alive?  What is your art, your "thing," that which makes you whole?