I ‘ve read some amazing books this year. But the most incredible reading experience I’ve had was joining a read-along which enabled me to complete The Brothers Karamazov. The Book Club Mom has shared my review.
Title: The Brothers Karamazov
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Genre: Classic/Literature
What’s it about? I have wanted to read this novel for years but found it intimidating. I recently joined a read-along where we read one chapter a day of this amazing book. That was one chapter a day for 96 days! I am so glad I did as it was the best way to savour this incredible story. It is essentially a story of three, possibly four, very different brothers from a dysfunctional family, and how their actions affect each other and the people around them. One brother is a ladies’ man and a spendthrift, another an intellectual and the youngest, kind and religious.
The story covers everything, love, hate, family, religion, history, philosophy, mystery and much more. Every chapter makes you think, some make you laugh and others make you sad. The themes are timeless and as…
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Posted on: July 1, 2021
I am please to announce that an anthology I have been involved in has been released. Life Lessons, Guidance for All Ages, complied by Nancy Blodgett Klein contains thirty-four real life stories written by ordinary people, in which a life lesson was learned. I contributed four stories and helped with editing the book.
Life Lessons: Guidance for All Ages
This is an anthology of 34 stories from a variety of authors sharing experiences that happened to them and concluding with what each author learned as a result. Each touching story begins with a quote related to the subject, shares the experience or events, and then concludes with a moral. This collection of stories is especially geared towards younger people who may need some guidance about how to successfully navigate their lives. However, people of all ages would find this book of interest because of the variety of wonderful stories and moral guidance shared. Some stories are happy while others are quite sad. In all cases, these writers share lessons from their own experiences to help others successfully navigate through the ups and downs of life.
Here is one of my contributions:
Try to Find Good in Everyone
By Darlene Foster
“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet.” – Will Rogers
How do we find our friends? Let’s face it, they were all strangers initially. Friends come in all shapes and sizes. It would be very boring if all of our friends were the same. I’ve made friends through work, special interest groups, places of worship, social functions and travelling. Through friends of friends, through my children and even when dog walking. If you think about your good friends, remember how you first met and how the friendship developed. Did you hit it off immediately or did it take time to get to know each other? Maybe you didn’t even care for each other until you found something in common.
My father always said you can find something in common with everyone you meet, and if you look hard enough, you will find something good in everyone. I have found that to be true in many instances. When I first meet someone I don’t find that pleasant or who rubs me the wrong way, instead of walking away, I consider it a challenge. Anyone can befriend a likeable, easy-going person. But, everyone has a story, and if you get to know a person, you can always find something in common or something likeable.
As a child, I would befriend the person sitting in the corner, all alone. Later, as a teenager, I risked being shut out of the in-crowd by chatting to the mixed-race girl everyone else was being mean to.
My first job was working in a gift shop in a small prairie city where one regular customer always came in grouchy and demanding. No one wanted to wait on her. When she entered the store everyone rolled their eyes. As the youngest and newest member of staff, I was sent out to help her. I always smiled at her, even though she didn’t smile back, and was attentive to her needs. I helped her find the perfect gift for an elderly aunt and the right colour candles and placemats for her dining room table. One day I complimented her on a vintage brooch she was wearing. I caught a glimmer of a smile as she told me it had belonged to her mother. I continued to be nice to her whenever she came into the store and always asked about her family and her health. She spent a lot of money in the store and my boss was pleased. This woman started to ask for me whenever she came into the store. When her first grandson was born, she was excited and eagerly shared his picture with me.
During that time period, the local radio station held a contest for best salesclerk in town. People sent in explanations for why they thought a particular salesperson should win the prize. I didn’t win first prize, but I got some votes and one was from this difficult customer. Someone from the radio station dropped off the letters and hers was glowing. I found out later most of her Jewish family had died in Germany during the Holocaust. She probably had trouble trusting anyone. It was a good lesson for me.
Life lesson: You never know the burdens another person is carrying. Give everyone a chance. The first impression is not always the real person. Like all relationships, friendship takes work, understanding and empathy. Treat everyone with respect, they may become a good friend one day. As Maya Angelou once observed, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
The book is availabe in print and digital versions and can be purchased from most Amazon sites
Thanks for sharing and getting the word out about this book!
Posted on: January 3, 2021
For many years I have set goals for the coming year. They help to keep me focused and be productive. This year I was reluctant to set any goals because it is hard to make plans when things are still so uncertain. But then I decided the best thing is to just carry on as usual. Goals are not written in stone. They can always be adjusted or carried over to the next year. So before I went to bed on January 1st, I wrote down some goals. I also believe goals need to be shared in order to be effective. Here they are!
Goals for 2021
In recent years, I have been encouraged by other bloggers to pick three words for the year. I really like this idea and usually pick the first three words that come to mind.
These are my words for 2021.
Strength
Love
Hope
My wish for everyone for 2021 is to be strong, share the love and never give up hope! And drink good tea and read good books.
Posted on: March 20, 2018
Check out the reopened Senior Salon. A great place to show off your blog posts and meet some amazing new bloggers.
This will be the very first, and I hope of many to come, Senior Salon link-ups here at The Recipe Hunter
The above picture is one of our personal pictures, as will be all pictures used in the SENIOR SALON 2018. Quote
March 19 – 23, 2018
Linkup will Start: March 19, 2018, 02:00 am and Ends: March 23, 2018, 8:00 pm PDT (Pacific Daylight Time).
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Posted on: January 3, 2018
I hope 2018 has started out well for everyone! As is my habit, I sat on my terrace in the sun, took out a pen and paper and scribbled down my goals for the coming year. I feel I need to share them with you. So here they are
Darlene’s Goals for 2018
1. Finish Amanda in Holland -Missing in Action
2. Publish an anthology of short stories about growing up on the Canadian prairies
3. Go on a driving holiday to Paris with Paul and Dot
4. Attend a Writer’s Conference in the UK
5. Have the house painted
6. Take some mini get-aways
7. Visit places I haven’t been before
8. Start Amanda in Malta
9. Find new markets for my books
10. Promote other authors
11. Help my daughter with her pottery business
12. Create more girlfriend time (I miss this from my life in Canada)
13. Hold more dinner parties
14. Be with mom on her 90th birthday
There you have it. Wish me luck!
My three words for this year are
Create
Happiness
Friendship
I will leave you with a thought by Anne Lamott from her book “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life”
“Oh my God, what if you wake up someday, and you’re 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written; or you didn’t go swimming in warm pools and oceans all those years because your thighs were jiggly and you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just so strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid? It’s going to break your heart. Don’t let this happen.”
and from the amazing Neil Gaiman
“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful, and don’t forget to make some art — write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”
Have a surprising 2018 and thanks for following my blog, inspiring me and being my friend!
This is me some days!! Thanks for this Lynn.
Posted on: October 1, 2017
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” -Marcel Proust
I was fortunate to see many of my awesome friends when I was in Canada. Some gave me a place to stay, some drove me around and everyone fed me so well. They have all been such huge supporters in whatever I do. Here are a few of them.
It was great that these good friends from Trinidad were in Canada at the same time.
A picnic with friends at English Bay before a Bard on the Beach performance
A special Bard Buddy who organized the day.
Always fun to be part of the cast with another special Bard Buddy
A longtime Calgary friend and travel buddy who drove me around, gave me a place to stay and fed me well.
A wonderful supportive Vancouver friend who gave me rides and attended events.
A special relative/friend!
A dear friend who provides me with a great place to stay and feeds me well.
A lovely mother and daughter team who gave me a comfy room to stay during my first week in Vancouver, fed me well and gave me tons of support.
Travel writer/photographer friend who took my profile picture and designed my bookmarks. Treated me to a lovely lunch overlooking a golf course.
A supportive writer friend who treated me to a lovely picnic and a Monet exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
A former coworker and her daughter who came to a book signing
My longtime friend who provides me with a comfy place to stay in Medicine Hat, a garden to relax in and delicious meals
As you can see I was well looked after. It was so wonderful to be able to spend time with these friends and many others. I am truly blessed.
“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”
― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
Posted on: January 4, 2017
It´s day 3 of the New Year and time to post my goals for 2017. We never know what´s in store for us as a new year begins but by setting some goals, I believe I can make it a good year.
First I want to share this great list of New Years Resolutions for Writers I found on Lynn Thaler´s blogsite.
Thanks, Lynn. These are perfect!! Check out Lynn´s blog as she writes some great posts, especially about her four dogs!
Over at It´s Just Life, Beth Ann challenges her readers to chose 3 words to focus on this year. I decided my three words for 2017 will be: kindness, strength and curiosity. I feel they will help me achieve my goals.This month Beth Ann will donate five cents to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® for every comment made on her site. A cause after my own heart as our Dot was a rescue dog. Pop on over and make a comment or two. Her posts are fun and enlightening.
My goals for 2017!
Wish me luck with these goals! I would love to read about yours.
As my son recently said, “Happy New Year. Another year to Chase Dreams and Achieve more Goals.”
Posted on: January 3, 2017
I hope you all welcomed the New Year with joyful spirits! We enjoyed welcoming the start of 2017 with our dog, eating our 12 grapes at midnight and watching fireworks from our terrace.
I just returned from a successful launch in Canada of Amanda on the Danube – The Sounds of Music. I am so happy with this book and hope the readers will enjoy this adventure through a beautiful part of the world!
2. Finish Amanda in New Mexico – The Ghost Hotel
I just finished Amanda in New Mexico – Ghosts in the Wind and hope to have it published by, October 1, 2017. Yes, I did change the sub-title. These things happen as you go along with the writing.
3. Do more promoting of all the Amanda books and Pig on Trial
I did a lot of promoting of all my books but still feel I could do more.
4. Connect with local schools and bookstores
I did 4 presentations in Spanish bookstores last year. Have not connected with any schools yet.
5. Continue to explore Spain, attend cultural events and write about them
I saw a lot of Spain and attended many cultural events. Of course, there is still much more to see and do.
6. Travel to Holland, France and England
I made a trip to Holland and France last year. England will be soon.
7. Work hard at making new friends in Spain
I have made some wonderful friends here in Spain. I also just recently found a writers group that meets every week. I am so excited about that and have been to a couple of meetings. Everyone has been very welcoming.
8. Attend Pueblo Ingles with friends
This didn’t happen due to conflicting schedules but we will keep trying.
9. Take time to read more
I did read more and learned how to read in the pool during the hot summer!
10. Practice Spanish
Need to work on this but seem to be communicating fine with my Spanish friends.
11. Keep learning more about writing
Thanks to the many blogs filled with writing information, I feel I have learned a lot.
12. Enjoy my more relaxed lifestyle
I am enjoying this lifestyle very much. I have learned not to get upset when things don´t happen as fast as I would like.
13. Look after my health by eating better and exercising more
We got a dog, which wasn’t on the list, and now I go for many walks.
14. Keep in touch with family and friends back home via social media and mail
This has worked out well. I even Skype on a regular basis with my 88-year-old mother. I have been sending postcards of the area I live in, to my great granddaughters. They tell me they love them.
15. Help other writers meet their goals
I have promoted other writers on my blog and given assistance to writers whenever I can.
16. Be thankful for at least three things every day.
This is now a habit. So much to be thankful for.
I think I did quite well with my list, although there is always room for improvement.
In the next few days, I will post my goals for 2017 as I look forward to things that have never been.
Whether you wrote them down or not, I hope some of your goals for 2016 were met. Or maybe a dream you didn´t know you had, came true! The best thing about 2016 was getting our dog and I didn’t even know I wanted one.
Dot at the beach on Christmas Day
Posted on: January 1, 2016
In ancient Roman myth, Janus was the god of gates, doors and beginnings. January, was named after Janus in 700 BC. Having two faces, one looking back into the past and one looking forward to the future, he was an appropriate deity to dedicate the first month of the New Year to.
As I look back over the past year I like to revisit the goals I set out on January 1 to see how I did, and share them with you. How did I do?
1. Sell the house in Canada
It took longer than we thought but the house in Canada sold on April 2, 2015
2. Get settled in Spain
We bought a place in Spain and feel quite settled.
3. Finish Amanda on the Danube – The Sounds of Music
Amanda on the Danube -The Sounds of Music is completed and in the hands of the publisher! It should be out mid 2016.
4. Write more travel articles and find a market for them
I am working on this one, have found a couple of markets but need to find more.
5. See Pig on Trial published
I am pleased to say Pig on Trial has been published as a bi-lingual book for kids.
6. Get connected with writers in Spain
I have met a couple of writers here in Spain but would like to connect with many more so will continue to work on this one.
7. Lean Spanish
Oh dear. I haven´t learned much Spanish at all. So many people in my area speak English including the Spanish folks. I have picked up some phrases but not enough to carry a conversation. Need to work harder on this one.
8. Join a walking group
Oops, didn´t do this.
9. Cut back the sugar intake
I did do this and feel so much better!
10. Explore Spain and write about it
I did this too and have seen so many parts of this fascinating and diverse country. It is a great place to explore!
11. Make new friends and keep in touch with old friends
I´ve made a few new friends and hope to make many more. It takes time. I have been very diligent in keeping in touch with old friends. Thanks to social media this is easier than it used to be.
12. Go home to Canada for a visit
I was fortunate to be able to go back home twice last year to see family and friends!
13. Find a yoga studio
I didn´t join a yoga studio but have been doing yoga every morning at home, so I feel this is a yes.
14. Write everyday
I do write everyday. This has become a habit.
15. Embrace change and look for surprises!!
I believe I have embraced change this past year, and there has been plenty. Thank heaven I love surprises as there have been many of them too! You can´t move continents without experiencing changes and a multitude of surprises. It wasn´t always easy, but I learned so much and am glad I did it.
As this year comes to a close, I wish you all a very Happy New Year with many welcome surprises.
In the next post I will look forward.
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