Writer’s Block The term “writer’s block” has been described in so many ways that any real definition is in danger of being a cliché. Yet, since it is a real phenomenon, and I’ve experienced it myself, I thought it might be valid to write about it. Simply put writer’s block is the experience of not being able to write down thoughts, feelings and ideas when they are needed to compose a piece of writing. This inability to write can be apparent, for example, when attempting to write an essay for...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Tap Water Coffee Many years ago, I was haunted by a major mental illness that left me with no place to go, so I ended up in Elgin Mental Health Center. Three different times I was forced to live there for months at a time. In order for me to leave each time, I needed the discharge statement of the psychiatrist and his team. I also needed to have a place to live. Many of us ended up in a shabby residential hotel where many of us lived for a while once we had the funding. I was originally...
3 months ago • 5 min read
My Latest Published Poetry I’d like to devote this newsletter to some poems that have recently been published. Taken from a collection of personal stories, interviews, short prose and poetry called Anxiety and Depression compiled by Robin Barratt, it has one hundred and fourteen writers and poets from around the world. My personal story was included in this anthology, along with six poems. Since I shared my personal journey in a previous newsletter, I thought I might share a few poems today....
3 months ago • 3 min read
Cast in the Role of Patient In this newsletter, I would like to describe a specific state of mind. It is important to explain it because it affects everyone, I think, at times, and can be helpful to identify when it occurs. However, I need to be as objective as possible, otherwise this newsletter has the danger of being self-serving or worse, self-pitying and this would defeat the whole purpose of what I’m trying to explain. In life at different times we all are required to play different...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Remember When Our next door neighbor is ninety years old. He spends a lot of his time sitting on a lawn chair looking out at the street. Since Donna and I are also retired, we’ve been inviting him to visit us once a week. While we don’t talk about religion or politics; we especially enjoy reminiscing about what life was like in the past. I thought it might be interesting to write about a few of the things we’ve discussed. I’m not generally going to focus on whether these past event are good...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Who Wrote The Bible? When I began to research this topic, it was so overwhelming I almost gave up. As I was reading, I thought of Alexander Pope, the famous poet who wrote “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” But I learned so many interesting facts that I thought I could share them. So, who did write the Bible? The obvious answer is God, of course. The Holy Spirit inspired the prophets like Moses and the apostles like Paul. Beyond these basic facts, there is an ocean of material that...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Perseverance In my newsletter about patience, I briefly mentioned the concept of perseverance; however, I’d like to further define and investigate the idea of perseverance in more detail. To my mind, it is more than patience or even faith. Instead it is the tenacity to stay with some goal or belief with such determination that nothing can convince me to give up. Whether it’s following through with something like education, personal achievement or it’s my belief in God, nothing can cause me to...
4 months ago • 4 min read
Practicing Gratitude Because of various health issues and career challenges, I have often asked God for help. Always, in one way or another, God has answered my sincere prayers and longings, one way or another. Unfortunately, when God’s grace leads me to the next step in my life, I usually fail to look back and appreciate what God has done for me. Whether it’s helping me mentally, physically or spiritually or leading me to a job or relationship, I soon forget it was He who brought the needed...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Booksie.com Despite my best efforts, I’ve never been able to make much money from selling my writing. Once, at Western Illinois University, I won a short story contest and received fifty dollars, but that’s been about it. A long time ago I had a number of my poems published by Salesian Missions. They were put in little booklets and were published worldwide, but I only received free copies of the books. However, I still really wanted my writing to be read by as many people as possible because...
5 months ago • 1 min read