Newspaper Article

I woke up at 5:15 am, still a little giddy over this week's newspaper article. It happened this way. A few weeks back, I received an email from a writer for our local newspaper. She asked if she could write about my blog. She wanted to interview me over the phone, so of course, I said yes. I have to admit, nothing and I mean nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I have never done anything remotely momentous in the respect that someone would actually want to write about it.

I was nervous when she called to interview me. I was sitting in my big brown leather recliner — rocking back and forth —and it seemed to me that I was saying a lot of "ums" and "hmms," "let me think about that for a minute."  I desperately wanted to come across as somewhat intelligent, so I thought that if I took my time answering these questions, I just might do an OK job.  I spoke slowly and deliberately, and within 20 minutes or so, we were finished.

She asked me some basic questions, some harder ones, and some thought-provoking ones.  For example, she asked me what my favorite blog was. My favorite blog? For me, that would be like trying to pick a favorite kid! However, one particular blog did pop into my mind. The one called My Real Dad. Of all the blogs I have posted, that piece has my whole heart. It captures the very essence of who I truly am. And it still brings tears to my eyes when I read it.

She also asked me why I had started writing a blog in the first place. Well, that was a little hard to answer, too.  Why did I start writing? Hmmm, I said — I guess I wanted to unlock memories. I wanted my children and grandchildren to have what I do not. Knowledge. I wanted them to intimately know me as a woman, a person, a friend, and not just as a mom or grandmother.

My husband is over-the-top excited and immediately wanted to take pictures of me out on our back deck, since a recent picture was needed for the article. He came armed with cameras, lenses, and tripods, and he actually took some pretty good photos (even though I am the complete opposite of photogenic), one of which I used to email her for the article.

And then, a couple of nights ago, as my husband walked in the door after walking our dog — with a big grin on his face — he said, "Guess what one of our neighbors gave me?" Your blog is in the paper!

I do not believe it was until that very moment that I realized that people, actual real live people, like neighbors and friends, would be able to see a picture of me and read an article about my blog in the newspaper, and that those newspapers would be delivered to their homes! I stood there a little bit shell-shocked. And, little did I know that my friends and neighbors with whom we were going to be that evening had all read the article and had saved their copies for me to keep. My friends are all very supportive, which makes me feel awesome!

Yes, this has been a very good week. What a wonderful experience this has been for me. I have stepped out of my comfort zone to share my life with my family and friends, and what a true blessing it has been to write and know that people are reading my blog and enjoying it. It makes me so happy. I am encouraged to keep on writing--about the silly and the serious, about the memories and the present, about the sometimes sad and the oh-so-sweet times--which is all about my life. Thank you for reading my blog.