Happy Birthday to my son, Shawn!

~ Sometimes I think our children's birthdays are mostly for us mothers. If you're a mom, you know what I'm talking about. Each year as we celebrate the birth of our children--no matter how many years ago--it brings back memories of years gone by, especially the memorable day they were born. Come on, admit it, you can't remember all that labor pain, can you? Well, okay, you do... but wasn't it was worth the moaning and the groaning when that little slimy, bloody bundle of joy popped out? Okay, too much information... where was I? Oh, yes, the joyful times (I hear someone out there blurting, "Are you kidding me? Joyful? My kid's been nothing but a pain in the ars!") Shame on you! Take a deep breath; now, think reeel hard...remember those moments when your darling one brought a smile to your face? laughter to your achy bones? I'll stop right there...I can see by that smile that you're on the right path.

~ Our son, Shawn, is 37 today. He's grown up to be a fine young man, accepting responsibility, standing up for his beliefs, smiling at strangers, sending flowers to his Mother, and taking time for family and to enjoy life--playing hockey, watching football (go Bears!), and taking his wife of 14 years to the local diner. There's more, but a mother can sometimes bore those around her when it comes to bragging on their kids.

~ I'll close now so all of you moms out there in bloggyville can continue to spend the day pondering those special memories of your children, no matter how old, no matter how much of a pain in the...just ponder.

Oceans of blessings on this first day of September!

And a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAWN!!!!

(Picture of Shawn, Bosco, and Mom, February 2010 in California)

Hours. Months. Finished. Gone.

Did you see the movie, Something's Gotta Give with Diane Keaton? The scene when she finished writing her play, she sat at her desk, raised her hands, and yelled "YES!" Well, yesterday that's what my neighbors heard from the other side of the pond. A great big "YES!" I finished my 100,000-word novel Lady and the Sea, then I got drunk--kidding?

~ So what's next? For an unknown like me, it's just the beginning. For a nobody, it's uphill all the way. Researching publishing houses...can take hours. Marketing...can take months. Promoting book...can take forever. Depending on God every step of the way...PRICELESS.

~ I already have a book playing around in my head that I'll delve into, probably tomorrow. Wait, I can't tomorrow. I have to clean house--Jacquie and Tom are flying in from California for Labor Day week-end. But she'll understand if there's dust bunnies in the corners, and Tom loves bunnies-he'll just shoot em'.

~ So what am I going to do today to celebrate? After I run a few errands, I'm going to take my little Acer to the BacInTyme Cafe, have a cup of coffee and write! Oh, the life of a baby-boomer, empty-nester, happy-go-lucky writer! Thank you Lord, for allowing me this time to enjoy my sexy-savvy-sixties!

Have a great last-day-of-August!!

Oceans of blessings, Sharron