caralongwrites

Moving forward

This post will be short and sweet. I am a self flagellator. Generally. I allowed some physical and emotional trials to get in the way of my words. Instead of using them to move past the experiences, I didn’t want to feel. I started fresh. I am writing. I discovered I do have a tribe.ContinueContinue reading “Moving forward”

Opportunities

I’m so grateful I was given the opportunity to share my experiences as a writer during the pandemic as a guest on the Pages Penned During the Pandemic blog. It’s live today so follow the link to check it out. https://www.kaylakingbooks.com/blog/tag/pages+penned+in+pandemic This is the link, open for Submissions, for an anthology collection about what youContinueContinue reading “Opportunities”

Not believing myself

I will not do things I don’t love again! My promise to myself when I turned the big 5-0. Yet, here I am at 57 working in a job that doesn’t fulfill my artistic side at any level. How often have I created a mantra then not lived it? Singing? Acting? Writing? Friendships? I’ve decided,ContinueContinue reading “Not believing myself”

Why Can’t We Take a Moment?

I haven’t felt the pain of losing a child, but I have seen the pain of losing a child. Written on the faces of my family, and friends…and now a nation…repeatedly. When I read the headline ‘school shooting’ I already know what I will see when I open any social media app. The left sucks.ContinueContinue reading “Why Can’t We Take a Moment?”

Motherhood and Letting Go

Maybe I’ll blog, I think with no real intention (again) of putting effort behind the thought. But then, today, I read the blog of a “friend”–basically someone I met while studying for my MFA- whose words have always touched me in ways I can’t explain. Today they made me cry while I read them.ContinueContinue reading “Motherhood and Letting Go”

Not Where I Thought I’d Be

I’m walking the halls of a middle school headed into the Media Center (what used to be called the Library) where I work. As I open the door I’m surrounded by books. Thousands of them. Written by writers I admire, and some that I don’t. I can’t help but think about the millions of wordsContinueContinue reading “Not Where I Thought I’d Be”

What Students Really Need to Hear

Originally posted on AFFECTIVE LIVING:
It’s 4 a.m. I’ve struggled for the last hour to go to sleep. But, I can’t. Yet again, I am tossing and turning, unable to shut down my brain. Why? Because I am stressed about my students. Really stressed. I’m so stressed that I can only think to write down…

Wrinkle Blanket

As I look into her face, a face I have been looking into since I was born, I lose myself in her wrinkles. Some fine and barely there, others etched in as deep as if carved there by a stone-cutter. To her the wrinkles are sometimes valued; but mostly unwanted as they mark the passingContinueContinue reading “Wrinkle Blanket”

Passion or Hobby

I like to think I am passionate about most things. After all isn’t that what we try to teach people, or for me, my children? Do something you love or are passionate about and you will have success and be happy in life. What I wonder is, “Am I passionate about writing?” I feel likeContinueContinue reading “Passion or Hobby”

Waiting

I have been waiting for three days for the proof of the book to review. Finger-biting kind of waiting. I want it to look good. I want to fall in love with the final product. Lightning Source posted that the proof was out so I was positive I would recieve it within two days. Nothing. ContinueContinue reading “Waiting”