Softly

 Soft is the way he touched you in the beginning.
Soft is the way he kissed you, held you and
Soft is what he thought you.
Soft is the way his eyes look at rest.
Soft is the way he breathes and smiles and
Soft is the way your happy tears slide from your eyes.
Soft is the way he turned from you at the beginning of the end.
Soft is how your soul began to dissolve and understand and
Soft is your head for ever believing.

Video Book Review on Opal & Warren County Days

 I'm so excited. The wonderful book review blogger and all-round lovely person, Christina Welburn Huber, has devoted one of her video blogs to review my books, Opal and Warren County Days. I'm so honored. Check it out and feel free to pass along her link. She brings many excellent books to our attention online at Candid Christina and on her video blog. Thank you, Christina.

https://youtu.be/i0llGLCHrPE

Visit Me on YouTube

 I'M ON YOUTUBE (again)! This video won't win an Emmy or go viral, but it's finally giving me the opportunity to start promoting Warren County Days, the sequel to Opal.(publisher issues now over!) If you read Opal, you'll see what happened to characters you met there, and you'll meet new ones. But Warren County stands alone if you haven't read Opal. If you've read both, thank you and I'm honored. If not, both are available on Amazon. I think you'll find something you like, so spread the word. And check out the YouTube video. Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up.

YOUTUBE.COM

www.youtube.com

A Story From Katharine Hepburn's Youth

 A story from Katharine Hepburn's youth --- such a lesson for all of us.

“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.

Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me.

There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn't have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, "I'd like to buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus." The ticket lady stated the price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?" The ticket lady again stated the price.

The man didn't have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man understood what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.

He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.

Although we didn't get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.

That day I learnt the value to give.

The Giver is bigger than the Receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything.

The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasized because there's always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving.”

~ Katharine Hepburn

Lash LaRue & Me

 Remember Lash LaRue from back in the day? He was a black hat cowboy who sported a bullwhip instead of shiny pistols Some say he influenced the development of Indiana Jones. Back in that era, my little Irish grandmother made most of my pretty dresses -- and did so on an old, pedal sewing machine. That year, I wore my newest dress when Mother took me to the fair. The dress was navy blue with a pink collar of the same fabric. I thought I was pretty sharp. I was excited to see the signs for the Lash LaRue show, so Mother bought me a ticket and in I went, finding a seat right down front.

The show began, and after LaRue did a few tricks, he said he needed two assistants from the audience. He called up a little boy and then he pointed directly at me and told me to come on stage. He had the boy and I hold various items which he snapped into with his bullwhip. The items got smaller, and I remember turning my head away for fear of getting a bullwhip in the face. Finally, the boy and I were holding a small piece of newspaper between us, and I was sure that I would lose some fingers. LaRue looked very serious, then laughed. "Not this one," he said, then he asked the audience to thank us for our help, and he sent us back to our seats while they applauded.

When the show was over, I ran outside. I couldn't wait to tell Mother all about it, and I was really happy that I'd worn my new dress.

11Mike Plunk, Jocelyne Stratton and 9 others

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A Poem for Your Soul #6

 Parents lose children to mental illness, drugs, alcohol, death, and even unwelcome distance. Sometimes it helps just to say, “Yeah, me too.” Understand a mother’s heart in this piece from my collection, Little Boy Lost.

https://dianethomasplunk.com/

Poetry Friday 5

 Another heart-wrenching piece from my poetry collection, Little Boy Lost. Read "Son Shine" at dianethomasplunk.com