Starting on the 4th book

Mop-Hair or The Giver of Wings?

I haven't painted since February, although I've written a bit. I have also considered turning one of my favorite stories into a storybook for grown-up readers. I thought it would be a beautiful pictorial. But then again, I drafted a lovely story about my amazing granddaughter, Nola. So, the question arises, which do I do first? Which book will be my fourth literary attempt? Perhaps, I should do both simultaneously? They are vastly different, but the problem is the expense of publishing. I cannot afford to publish both. Perhaps you can help decide.

The Giver of Wings was written for a dear friend and musician, a paramour from my teen years. Teenage girls are fickle and hard-hearted, and I broke the heart of someone who loved me without realizing the depth of their affection. We became reacquainted at a class reunion fifty years later, having happily married other people, and realized we still had artistic souls that related to one another. We discussed art and music and how he used these to heal his sorrow. Once home, we continued our conversation as he shared his life in great depth, discussing his marriages, children, work, and music, and, of course, how much our breakup had hurt him when we were teenagers. He sent me two CDs on which he had recorded songs he wrote about our breakup. While listening to his songs of grief, I fathomed the depth of his heartbreak. Not that I was unfamiliar with heartbreak, as I experienced it many times throughout my life. My self-centeredness only allowed me to feel my pain and seldom the pain I  inflicted. This revelation hit me hard. I was stunned. The only way for me to respond was through my writing. I knew a great deal about him through his sharing. I learned how much he loved his first wife; her leaving almost destroyed him. Then his resurrection came through his second marriage to the amazing and beautiful Kris. And again, music got this gentle soul from marriage number one to marriage number two. The story of The Giver of Wings almost wrote itself. After I sent the story to him, he responded with, “How do you know me so well? I wept while reading your story.” Needless to say, I prayed the story would have a healing effect, and hopefully it did. The written word can touch each of us differently; words can help heal old wounds, even wounds we inflict.

In Mop-Hair, we meet an enigmatic young girl who knows who she is and is comfortable with herself just the way she is. She is remarkable. She is also my granddaughter, so I may be a little biased.

My husband had taken a few photographs of Nola, her thick hair flowing this way and that, quite adorable. These photos hang at the top of the stairs, and as I approached them one day, I looked up and said to myself, “Look at her mop-hair!” Simultaneously, I thought, wow, that’s a good title for a children’s book. Quickly, I sauntered over to my computer and started writing. Once again, the story wrote itself. But then again, I have a lot of fodder as my granddaughter is rather interesting. She is generous, has multiple interests, and has an adventurous spirit that will contribute to authoring an exciting story.  

For many years, Nola has donated her hair to a foundation that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to various health issues. She grows her hair, has it cut off, donates it, and then repeats this process over many years. This altruism began when she was young and continued well into her teens.

I had the privilege of accompanying Nola and her mother to a hairdresser during their Christmas visit to our home several years ago.  Needless to say, I was moved by her selflessness and thought that Nola’s graciousness was heartwarming during a holiday when children focus more on receiving than giving. She gave something truly magnificent and sacrificial; this Oma is indeed enormously proud. I must add that she has brilliant parents who have instilled in her a very generous heart and spirit. I am immensely proud of them for creating a world we desperately need today. A generous and kind world. Thank you, my dears.

Dear readers, which one should I do first? A storybook for grown-up readers or a children’s book? I began the process on Mop-Hair, albeit in its infancy, so there is that.

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Completing my third book

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My life between parentheses