Starting Over

Those of you who've been checking in have noticed it's been a long time since I've posted a blog entry. There's a good reason.
On October 23rd, just ten days after my last posting, my beloved husband of 42 years entered the hospital, seriously ill. He died November 24th, the day after Thanksgiving.
This blog is not a personal blog, in the sense that I am not sharing my grieving online, but I do want to acknowledge all the care and support I've had from our writing community, from the many cards and letters, to the flowers and wonderful meals sent, especially by SCBWI members and board. Our family has been truly surrounded by love and care in these hard months.
Now it is time for me to get moving. I am writing again, starting to catch up on my Pockets stories (and many thanks to my editors there, so understanding of my missed deadlines these past few months.) I'm also pondering what comes next: Start a new book? Finish that one novel that keeps needing a rewrite? Continue on with the next book for my Chapter book series? I'm listening hard for that Sound from my Heart to get me moving again.
For right now, it means committing to my writing time, even when I feel like I'm just wandering in a writerly wasteland. Two hours a day, that's what I've committed to for right now--and to do it first in the morning, before I start in with the business-y stuff. (Lots of business-y stuff after a loved one dies.)
So this week I'm researching the Cactus League, Forgiveness, ADHD, Emus, Australia and Skateboarding--all for different aspects of my writing projects.
That's one of the best things about writing--all those different worlds I get to visit, via the internet and books, as I delve into my own story worlds. It feels good to laugh with Miguel as he creates a baking soda/vinegar volcano with his little brothers, to follow Sammy as she figures out how to survive the play director who has just betrayed her, to rejoice with Simu-quah as she discovers the Secret of the Corn.
Here's to each of you--to the writing worlds you will visit and create this week.
We'll rejoice together as we hear and share all those new Sounds from our hearts!