I decided to self-publish the blogs I’ve written. I’ve been planning this since the beginning but got hung up on a format. I hoped that my kids, their kids, and maybe their kids, would like to see the world through Ruth and my eyes. We’d done some things worth sharing and I have family stories from my youth I wanted to pass along. My blog became the medium.
My hang up was how. After years of vacillating, I jumped in the pool. I published my first book a couple of months ago. I printed enough so each of the kids, and I, would have a copy. My format turned out to be very simple. I organized the books just as I had written, one year at a time. I’ve got five books now and plans to publish the next at the end of the year. Using the chronological approach allowed me to see my thoughts as they arrived. Simple and direct.
My last batch of books arrived in the mail on April 11th. Earlier that morning I received a notice on my smart phone that had one of those “looking back” messages. Perhaps you’ve received them too. I opened the picture and found this. I’d taken the picture of Ruth on her birthday three years ago, April 11, 2020.
Elizabeth was here and I showed it to her. We discussed the photo and the times. Covid was the devil.
My most recent order of blog books contained collections from 2018, 2019, and 2020. The blog book from 2020 was lying face up when I opened the box. It’s the center book in this photo.
Elizabeth and I discussed the fact that the “looking back” photo and my new batch of books arrived on Ruth’s birthday. It’s just another example of things I can’t explain.
Facebook posts a number of “reels” each day. They’re short clips from tv shows, movies, and comedians. Watching the comedians is my favorite. I get a short laugh or thought to ponder. I looked at one from a Finish comedian, Ismo. It popped up on April 11th, the same day my books and my “looking back” picture of Ruth arrived. You could say the “reel” about April 11th appeared on April 11th so what’s the big deal. I wonder why Ismo picked that particular day to incorporate into his monolog. There are three-hundred and sixty-five dates he could have chosen, but he picked April 11th.
ISMO | Flying Through Time – YouTube
I’ve signed a contract to publish a book. It’s on my bucket list. I’ve met with a publisher a couple of times, and we’ve decided on a format. The book will contain selected posts from the last five plus years. My job is to narrow my current 400,000 words to about 50,000. Some stories will be left behind. Once it’s complete you’ll be able to purchase a copy on Amazon and other similar sites.
I shared my April 11th observations with my publisher, Nancy. She’s got a spiritual outlook on life similar to Ruth’s and mine. She goes a bit further and says there’s no such thing as a coincidence. And then there’s Albert Einstein’s observation. “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
I don’t know much about the topic, but I keep getting lessons. There are things I can’t explain. If I ever figure it out, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, I hope you keep reading my blog.