A Change of Season

Two important things happened this past weekend. I had a birthday, which hit me rather hard, and a friend died of cancer. Along with other things that have been gradually accumulating, I have come to the conclusion that it's time for me to grow up.

One of the things that Jeanne said to me before she died was that she always wanted to try to get some of her poems published, but just never got around to pursuing it. That's understandable. She was a single mother, a schoolteacher, and a very involved member of our church. She took on a lot of responsibility with a perpetually sunny spirit, right until the end. I believe she actually spent more time comforting others about her illness, than we comforted her. She even arranged to have a posthumous email sent to everyone after she died! That was Jeanne.

The tears are welling up, so I'll keep this brief.

I'm shutting down the blog. I just can't resist the constant temptation to post my oh-so-fascinating thoughts, nor respond to others' posts on their blogs. The amount of time that I waste each day is staggering. I have been telling myself - and others are telling me as well - that the book will always be there later. But there may not be a later.

I am extremely grateful to everyone who has befriended me here in the blogosphere and provided feedback on my work. You have made the past few years much richer and more informative (writing-wise) than they could ever have been without you. I will miss you all greatly.

I am still committed to Come In Character, as I made a promise to help keep that blog running. Ginger, Marenya, Faldur et al will still be there, as I have time. And I will still be on Facebook, since that is the only way I can keep in touch with certain friends. I have a Yahoo mail account now as well - hanorja@yahoo.com. Feel free to email me any time.

Best wishes, and thank you,
Christine