Home / Adversity
I haven’t believed in the Serenity prayer for as long as I can remember. Oh, it was fine for others, those who weren’t as stubborn as me. I have always believed that if I tried hard enough, long enough, persevered through the hard times, I could accomplish whatever I wanted to. After all, that is
Everyone experiences hard things. I have reached a point when I say “I can’t do this.” According to the American Psychological Association, resilience gives us the emotional strength to successfully adapt to difficult or challenging life experiences. Resilience is a person’s ability to withstand adversity, bounce back and grow despite life’s downturns. I have wondered,
The other morning Nick woke up and began singing as usual. I am always intrigued as to what he begins to sing. Morning songs have a theme. This time, he didn’t start at the beginning, “Oh think twice, it’s just another day for you and me in paradise. Oh think twice, ’cause it’s just another
How are you and your loved ones coping with Covid-19? I have heard this question from many sources recently. Many people are sincerely concerned about themselves and others. For the most part I am doing ok with keeping fear at bay over these past three weeks of practicing social distancing. After all, facing fear is
Over the last two days, I was reminded that sometimes it takes a while for my grateful heart to reappear after the crisis passes. This week began our annual season of thankfulness and gratitude, followed by the season of love. Each year I love it. Nick enjoys everything about air travel. Tuesday afternoon we were
Nick loves to sing. He has memorized hundreds of songs and sometimes he is like a human juke box, singing one song after another, end to end. This musical feast can get interrupted. Arden or I might receive a phone call, or there is something we need to talk about or we arrive at our
My perspective concerning what constitutes a crisis can change in a moment. Because of where we live, we are often without electricity for hours at a time. Although this can seem like a hardship to bear, we really are comfortable. Arden has developed a backup-generator system that is automatic. It runs the furnace, many of
Recently I was told that the definition of “hypervigilance” is an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect activity. It may bring about a state of increased anxiety which can cause exhaustion. The doctors explained to me that this was part of what I have
Nick is continually teaching me. Often his perception is profoundly different than mine. I learn these lessons if I am paying attention. One of the easiest things to notice about Nick is that he finds joy in simple pleasures. He loves it when people are laughing. He loves to hug others and receive hugs. He
I have heard this African proverb quoted many times. It is so popular now that we can just say, “it takes a village” and others will understand that we are talking about community, cooperation and group responsibility. This past week we experienced this. We had friends staying with us at our home in Donegal and as
Announcing that I have finished a book with the working title of “The Fairy Fort.” I am currently pitching it to publishers. Keep checking back to watch the progress of my newest novel.
Here is a quick glimpse of the story.
Sarah Doherty is an 18-year-old living in rural Ireland at the tail end of the Great War. Plagued by severe epilepsy, she is protected by her parents and lives a sheltered, secluded, lonely life. The Fae, local Irish fairies, interfere with her life. She falls forward a century in time through the local fairy fort of standing stones. She had a seizure in 1918 and woke up in 2020. The 21st century world includes life-saving prescriptions, physical comforts and the independence and freedom she seeks. The locals are welcoming and Andy Mclaughlin, a handsome young historian, is intriguing. She doesn’t want to return home.
Then a letter arrives from Boston divulging the story of Sarah and Andy’s lives that are deeply entwined in the previous century. They are not yet in love but as they seek to verify the letter through online resources, they feel a growing obligation to their unborn family and to each other. What would happen to their posterity living in Boston if they don’t return to 1918? Even if they do make it back, her parents can never know what happened to her or that would change everything.
This Young Adult time-travel romance explores the question: Do we have the freedom to make choices or is free will an elaborate illusion?
This is my third book. I love reading time travel romances. I am an advocate for epilepsy awareness because my 43-year-old son has intractable epilepsy. As a genealogist specializing in Irish research, I live part of the year in the village where the story is based. I wrote the book to help young adults understand that difficult situations can change your life. Sometimes miraculously.
