Moving and Writing Update

Photo by Cal Shook

Our official moving day is in four days.  There are boxes everywhere and I long to have my daily writing routine back and have no idea how long it will take to get settled into our new location.

My husband Jim & I have been in York, Maine for ten years and it is hard to leave family and friends. We mourn the life we've had, yet see new possibilities that lie ahead. As we prepare to relocate to Gilford, New Hampshire I envision the chance of a "Walden" like experience.  To make this so, I plan on taking a sabbatical for a year to complete the memoir I'm writing about my grandfather's family.

Please forgive the shortness of this post as it's been a long week of packing and purging.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Garage Sale - June 2 & 3 - to help with publishing costs.

This Friday and Saturday, June 2 and 3 we're having a Garage Sale from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm on Sheru Lane at the corner of Scott Ave in York, Maine.

Items include: Games, Electronics, Books, Kitchen items and more.

It can take between $1500 and $5000 to self-publish a book.

Jim and I are downsizing. With friends and family joining us, there's a wide variety of items. Our portion of the sale will help us save for publishing costs.

If you're looking for a bargain, come and join us rain or shine.

Do you know the Gibson’s of Cape Breton?

River Bourgeois, Cape Breton by Cal Shook

While in this time of transition, as my husband and I are getting ready to move, I’ll be seeking answers to some questions that continue to surface as I write a memoir on my great grandfather Michael Landry’s family.

At the time of the Halifax Explosion the Landry family owned and occupied 38 Union Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They were not alone; the Gibson’s of Cape Breton were living there also. Do you know the Gibson’s of Cape Breton?

Joseph Gibson and his wife Alice, plus their two daughters, Mary and Vernetta, moved in shortly before December 6, 1917.  They rented three rooms: a kitchen, sitting room, and bedroom.  They were making payments on a piano and owned a violin and accordion.

At the time of the explosion, Joseph was around 28 and Alice 23. Daughter Mary may have been around 3 years old and Vernetta possibly less than a year. Not long after the explosion, Alice and the girls went to live with her parents, Andrew and Mary (Thibeau) Robertson, in River Bourgeois, Cape Breton.  One of the girls “had been badly cut about the head,” said mother Alice in a statement to the Halifax Relief Committee, on January 1st, 1918.   Joseph did carpentry work in Halifax for a little while then joined them.

Alice Gibson’s parents were Andrew and Mary (Thibeau) Robertson.  Joseph Gibson’s parents were Thomas and Marie Anne (Thibeau) Gibson. Joseph died around 1968 and Alice around 1926, in St. Peters, Cape Breton

Any pictures or information about this family before, during, and after the explosion and how you acquired them would be welcomed.

Note:  Special thanks go out to cousin Linda Landry Horne for the many hours spent at the Nova Scotia Archives doing research and to Kristin Josselyn Morin for genealogy assistance.

Caught Between Two Worlds

Photo by Cal Shook

Maybe you’ve been caught between two worlds – it’s that time when you are preparing to leave the life you’ve known to head to another place.

For my husband and I, the familiar routines are gone as belongings are wrapped and placed in boxes. We are torn between the life we’ve known for the past ten years and the new life that we’re heading to.  As our journey continues, we grieve the loss of  being close to family and friends in and around coastal Maine.  Uneasiness surfaces as we contemplate the unfamiliar.  It’s followed by a muffled sense of wonder, yearning to break free, as we look at the variety of possible adventures in the foothills surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee.

Photo by Cal Shook

During this somewhat disorienting time, I want you all to know that the Landry Family memoir is making its way onto the page with the goal of a more authentic and coherent work.  In the life that awaits I plan to take a sabbatical of sorts before taking on new commitments.  I’m determined to leave this legacy for my great Aunt Anna Bella who put the narrative in motion and for the many family members who’ve added to it.  Family and friends have contributed key information, through research and detective style strategies that has helped me fill in information to add to its authenticity.

 In the months to come, I’ll post some brief updates and let you in on new family insights and strategies.  Thank you all for your support and prayers.

Finding Serenity

Stump Pass - Cal Shook

Have you hit that point where you feel like you are working as hard as you can to get things done, but are getting nowhere?

Maybe finding serenity will help.

What is serenity? It’s a feeling of calm and tranquility.

When I think of a state of tranquility, I think of how it feels to have an infant’s limp sleeping body cradled in my arms.

How do we find serenity?

My husband Jim’s and my search for serenity and renewal came this past month. An opportunity to head for warmer climate presented itself and we made the decision to leave our busy schedules and go for it. We're glad we did.

Home and feeling renewed, the following thoughts about the experience have reminded me of ways I can continually find and keep serenity and hopefully encourage you to do the same.

Get Away

It’s twenty degrees as we load up the car with our carry on luggage .  Twenty minutes later we're heading into the terminal at Pease Airport and through security.

After three hours in the air we touch down in Englewood, Florida.  As we exit the plane and head down the stairs, the sun hits my face and warmth floods my soul. It''s sixty degrees but it feels much warmer.
With a rented car and a short drive we reach our vacation destination.

Step Out of the Ordinary  

Our vacation accommodation is half of a one story duplex that has the look and feel of a welcoming cottage with light colored walls and a wrap around screened in porch. As we open up the doors and windows, it feels light and airy.

Other than what we’ve brought, everything is new to us:  from what we cook with to what we sleep on. Though this feels a little disorienting at first, it turns into an adventure as we discover what's been left for us to use.

Lemon Bay - Cal Shook

Find Sanctuary

A short walk from where we are staying is a wildlife refuge - Stump Pass Beach State Park. We check it out.  Its soft sandy paths run along Lemon Bay and wind around to the Gulf Coast.  Bark-less light colored hard woods reach toward the sky in reverent fashion.  Archways that provide shade beckon us to pass through to see what’s new on the other side. Wildlife come and go, continually changing the landscape.

The finale of the day, a picturesque sunset.

Many more memories would be made along these paths throughout our time on Manasota Key as well as other scenic walks in the area.

Keep it With You

Gulf Coast Sunset - Cal Shook

We felt rested and revived. When it came time to leave, packing up our belongings was hard.  I decided that I'd pack up the memories and keep them with me - to use as needed.

Getting away separated us from the business of everyday life; giving us an chance to gain new perspective.

Stepping Out of the Ordinary and doing something different provided an escape from the monotony our daily routine and freed us up to savor something new.

Finding Sanctuary in a wildlife refuge and other walks along the ocean and ponds brought us peace and relaxation.

By the end of the trip my restfulness and ability to sleep matched that of a sleeping infant.

In small ways, I can do one or all three of the above to foster serenity.

How about you?  What helps you during times of stress?

What if...Imagine a World...

It's been hard to focus on writing a family memoir with all that is happening in the United States right now.   My heart grieves.  In working through this grief, the following words made their way to the page - bringing comfort in the knowledge that there is hope.

What If...

What if...
    fear keeps us from thinking clearly and making wise decisions?

What if...
    an "us" versus "them" attitude, if allowed to fester, would lead to our destruction?

What if...
    each of us were to take responsibility for our own actions instead of blaming and punishing others?

What if...
    the perceptions we've given our creator God aren't limited to our personal and corporate beliefs?

Imagine...

Imagine a world where...
   "Perfect Love" has the ability to take away our fear if we let it.

Imagine a world where...
    we value others not like us, by spending time with and listening to their stories; discovering our common humanity.

Imagine a world where...
    each of us takes responsibility for our actions - apologizing and making amends when we've caused another harm.

Imagine a world where...
   each of us knows how it feels to be valued, nurtured and comforted by the presence of our creator "God" - author of "Perfect Love".

Imagine a world where...
   there is Peace.

Note:  With the conclusion of this blog and a brighter outlook, the memoir writing continues.

Relationship

Background Photo Credit: www.pixabay.com

Are you yearning for closeness in a relationship? Are you willing to take steps toward intimacy?

It's in using the principles that follow that  I am currently writing a family memoir. By fostering a relationship with my great Aunt Anna Bella and paying attention to what she had to offer, I learned about the events that would shape her life and her "fully engaged" personality. For more on my great aunt click on this link
("A Picture on the Wall.")

The Principles

A relationship becomes stronger when we listen.  For a verbal processor it can be hard to keep from talking long enough to hear the person you’re with. Can you identify? I can.

“Commit” to being present. “Focus” on the person you are with.  “Listen” and “hear” all of what they are sharing.  It takes putting one’s own needs aside and shutting off the inner chatter of your mind. Hear their inner desires without judgment.
 
“Reflect” back to them by showing that you hear and understand. You can do this by saying something like: “It sounds like you mean ___” or “____ really seems painful for you.”  When someone feels heard they’ll “discover” what’s troubling them and be able to put it in perspective.

You’ll know you’re on the right track when their face and shoulders relax and their voice softens. They've reached an Ah-ha moment.  It's that moment when they've figured out what is at the core of their distress.  They begin to “heal”. Watch and hear them become “energized” as they share a “solution” that is uniquely their's.

Closeness abounds when a person feels that they are understood. Their gratitude is evident.

Relationship Recap

Commit 
to being present.

Focus
on the person you’re with.

Listen
carefully.

Hear
what is being said.

Reflect
back what you’ve heard, briefly.

Discovery
will happen if you let it.

Healing
begins.

Solution
found.

The more present we are in a relationship the closer we'll get.

If  you've found this post helpful, feel free to click "Share".  Also, I'd appreciate hearing what you think.

Resources:  The Zen of Listening by Rebecca Z. Shafir, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey, and Listening Made Easy by Robert L. Montgomery