Do you write stories?  When we were all in school, our teachers assigned essays, and we were all writers.  After graduation, only a small handful of us continued to write.  I love to write news stories, and editorial blog stories, but I never try fiction or to relate my experiences.  Do you?

My friend, Dorothy Volkert, is an amazing woman who still writes for fun.  She doesn’t watch much TV, and spends her evenings writing stories.  Dorothy has led an amazing life, being a nurse in the army back in World War II.  She told her some of her story of misery and reward at one of our club meetings, and I wish she’d write a book of her stories.

This year one of Dorothy’s stories and one of her poems both won first place in the literature contests in GFWC Illinois.  I have posted both of them on the GFWC Illinois website, and I invite you to take a few minutes to enjoy Dorothy’s work.

Dorothy told me she believes there is an author in all of us.  Most of us never give her a chance to escape and see daylight.  She has encouraged me to try my hand.  I think I’ll start by just relating some eventful day in my life.  I’ll keep my stories in a special folder.  I may never share my “essays” with others, but they will probably be a lot of fun for me to read in years to come.  I haven’t kept a diary in over 50 years.

Then again…maybe I’ll win a prize in the short story contest next year.

Julie Gibbs, MD GFWC President presents me as the LEADS representative from Maryland

I just made my reservations for the GFWC National Convention in Cleveland and look forward to meeting many of you there! This is my first GFWC convention and I’d appreciate any tips you “old-timers” might have.

I’m also excited that I was chosen as the LEADS candidate for the State of Maryland. This program sounds great and I look forward to finding out more about the GFWC organization. I’ve heard from a few LEADS graduates who plan to attend the LEADS breakfast on Saturday morning, but if you’ll be there please look me up!

Finally, just a note to my Maryland Federation friends — many thanks for your vote of confidence in naming me the LEADS candidate. I promise to take good notes and share whatever I learn!

April’s book is The Book Thief. We are thinking our May book may be The Lace Readers. If anyone has read these books would appreciate your opinion.

The book I began reading after The Glass Castle was/is Kiss My Tiara – How to Rule the World as a Smart-Mouth Goddess. It will get you laughing!!!

I know that I am naively optimistic when I am reading.  If I am reading a book that is dealing with grave issues such as abuse and neglect – I want to know that in the end that something good will come of the process.  This book had a mixed bag but it was a good book -it was intriguing and thought provoking.  I have been discussing the book with anyone that will listen in trying to wrap my head around events.  But I am off today to a store nearby to find some “Chick Lit” to get my head out of this blue cloud that it has been since I began this book.  I would be interested in any book suggestions for light reading that anyone has to give.

Some of the books that I have enjoyed reading in the “Chick Lit” category

1. Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews.  I love all her books actually

2. Body Movers by Stefanie Bond (Atlanta writer)

3. Being Dead is No Excuse – The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral.  The author is Gayden Metcalfe and  she is from the Mississsippi/Arkansas/Louisianna area (I think – it has been a while since I read it).  It holds true no matter where you from in the South or if you Baptist, Methodist or Pentecostal – you will know that it rings so true.  You will also be checking out your pantry to see if you have the same things on stock.  It has recipes in it.