Spiritual Things

I hope all is well with you. The school year is coming to a close, so we are very busy at New Hope School, but not too busy to have our next meeting this Sunday.

But first, something about our last meeting. It took place at Jerry Chesnut's house. Present were Jerry, June Saunders, Valerie Shimoyama, Russell Giordano, Kerry Pobanz and Bob and Karen Beebe. Bob began by sharing a few words about the importance of setting to a story. Sometimes setting is almost like another character playing an important role in the progress of a story. When we think about Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn, we immediately think of the Mississippi River, or of Victorian England in Charles Dickens' novels, and, of course, czarist Russia in Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky. Writers write about what they know. They have specific places in mind when they describe a setting, even though they may give it a different name. Good setting gives life and realism to a story.

From this we went to the spirit world by the grace of Kerry Pobanz. The piece, "The Springtime of Life After Death," although but two pages, gave rise to an extended discussion on the relation between love, freedom and appearance in the afterlife. The more we grow in love, the freer we become, and the more we can appear as we want to appear in our life after life. We are truly destined to be "forever young." A happy and comforting thought--as long as we grow in oiur love and concern for others.

Our long discussion unfortunately crowded Valerie out of the meeting's agenda. Hence she will be presenting at our next meeting along with myself. This is scheduled to take place at the Beebes, 26 Amity St., Little Falls, from 3:00-5:00 pm. I plan to get a few pages of my Russian story out to you in the next couple of days (cross your fingers). Valerie, what about you?

FYI, I received another contribution for our next anthology--this one from a retired English professor living in Puerto Rico! Our range is growing, brothers and sisters! Please take a look at the attachment and let me know what you think.

God bless and see you on Sunday.