To read "My Diary" from the beginning, go to "Scenes from the Trenches" June 14, 2017, in the Archives on the right hand side of the blog page. To continue reading, scroll up in the archives from June 14, 2017, and click on each individual diary post. If you have difficulty, message or email me and I'll walk you through it.
I didn't know, as I was writing, that I was capturing the last year of my son's life. His voice comes through loud and clear. For me, in these pages, he'll always be alive.
Pat and me in 1969
Dear Readers of A Mother's Diary,
I can't believe it's been a year since I began posting excerpts from my book every other week. I can't believe you've hung in there and read each blog entry. I'm guessing, from your feedback, that the reading has been meaningful for you. I hope so.
First, thank you to my son, Patrick. Thank you for your poetry, your Facebook posts, and your life. You were/are one of the most courageous people I've ever known.
Thank you to my daughters, Megan Mace, Marisa Farnsworth, and Kerry Joiner, for reading A Mother's Diary and giving me permission to put it out there, sharing our family and their families with the world. Your endorsement means everything to me.
Thank you to everyone I mentioned in the telling of my story. We're all in this thing we call "life" together.
Thank you to early readers whose comments are on the blog Diary Reviews page : Ann Hedrick, Pat West Guinn, Kathy Hayes, Mary Lyn Rusmore-Villaume, Rosemary Sarka, and Irene Underwood. You gave me the cojones to believe in myself.
Thank you to the "cheerleaders," those of you who sent me multiple emails, text messages, Facebook comments, cards, and letters: Joan Andersen, Tama Bell, Chris Biswell, Judy Bracken, Madeleine Cunningham, Bev Chinello, Deborah Fabos, Anne Schmidt Francisco, Heidi Franke, Sheila Ganz, Pat Guinn, Jeanne Gore, Kathy Hayes, Joyce Herrerias, Swannie Hoehn, Rose King, Nancy Krause, Joan Logue, Grace McAndrews, Jan McKim, Mary Murphy, Fran Neves, Liz Noel, Teresa Pasquini, Den Proudly, Karen Riches, Mary Lyn Rusmore-Villaume, Mary Sheldon, Stace Shurson, Sandy Turner, Irene Underwood, Kimberlee West, Annette Williamson, and so many more of you who left "likes" and "loves" on Facebook week after week. You kept me going, especially on the days when I thought, what am I doing?
Thank you to Sharon Lefkov, for proofing my pages for spellings and typos before I hit the "publish" button.
Acknowledgments also to Sue Clark, my first editor, who read every page out loud with me and assured me that "Yes, this is interesting." And to the Lincoln Library Writer's Class who listened, in the beginning, when Pat was still with us.
And finally, thank you to all of you — those I know and don't know — who've read Sooner Than Tomorrow - A Mother's Diary. Readers are the whole point of writing. The why in the what if.
I'm taking a short break from my blogs. About a month. Have to catch up with things like computer maintenance, organizing files, researching publishing options for my book, personal correspondence, spending time with family and friends, and generally giving myself a mental health break.
As we head full-tilt into summer, I wish you relaxing days, mental illness successes, and comfort in knowing you're part of a caring community. Until I return, thank you, again.
Dede