We all experience this. There is something that we need to do. We have agreed to it. Others are counting on us. It is looming and for many different reasons, we put it off and do other things instead. We know that there will be consequences that follow our procrastination, but we weigh those consequences against our choice
Back in 1997 when Nick was 18, all the other kids were playing Nintendo video games. Nick especially liked Super Mario Brothers. He kept asking everyone if he could play with them. The kids were very competitive and liked to see who could reach the highest levels, while collecting items and not dying. They didn’t always
Everyone needs to receive compliments, sincere compliments. In fact, Nick will often help us remember to compliment him. He will say, “I good, I got a hair cut. You see it.” or “you like my shirt, I handsome.” And then he smiles that big Nick smile when we agree with him. Sincere compliments can assist
Change is hard for Nick. He likes to be at home either in Carnation or in Carndonagh. He is happiest when both of his parents are with him – all day long. Well to be constantly surrounded by our loved ones is not realistic so he is often disappointed. Unfortunately this also leads to anxiety
Sometimes lyrics will stick in my head and roll around there for days at a time. It is as if they are my specific mantras for a little while. Recently it has been John Michael Montgomery’s song released in 1992, “Life’s a dance you learn as you go. Don’t worry about what you don’t know.”
We all get the chance to choose. Most often the opportunity to provide service to someone else is not convenient. Typically I have had something else planned when my awareness is shifted and I notice that I might be able to help someone. To be honest, sometimes I have not chosen to help. I have
Nick is a big fan of the Seattle Seahawks. He loves watching them play football. He sometimes disagrees with the refs and will yell at the TV if he thinks that the pass was really incomplete. Some times you might think that he is not paying attention, but he is following the game very closely.
A couple of years ago we decided to add on a few days in Paris to our usual trip to Ireland. Both Arden and I had wanted to visit the City of Lights, so we asked Nick if he wanted to go to Paris. He said “Yes, we see the sights.” So of course we were
Nick has an amazing memory regarding people that he loves. For example, Shaunda Johnson-Taylor is a special friend of Nick’s. In high school, she and our daughter Karen were friends and Shaunda became another one of our kids. She always knew that she could come to our house and be loved. That was many years ago and
Today we had our semi-annual visit with Nick’s neurologist at Swedish. His name is Dr. Doherty. We think that he is awesome, and not only just because of his name. I was thinking today as we left his office how grateful I am for medical professionals who are very competent in their profession, and are very
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.
