Let it rain

Before we begin…

What questions are on your mind this week? What surprised you, delighted you, crushed you? And if you found a book that worked some magic on you, let us in on it.

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Dear Friends,

Deep breath. I’m writing this, not at home at my desk, but from New Hampshire, early in the morning, a few hours before my sister and I return to the hospital where my remaining brother remains in the ICU. Until he collapsed, he was caring for our elderly parents. So. It is one of those periods that tests my capacity for embracing life in all its glorious but also shitty, shitty parts.

Outside my window, rain is drenching the grass. I see robins and a few blackbirds with white spots on their wings pecking in the yard, getting on with what they must do, weather be damned. Snow lingers around the roots of the bare trees. Every living being here knows that the rain could turn to ice, another layer of snow could come. Or, there may be more buds popping on the pussy willow bush I can see when I look up.

This is a part of the world where the weather never lets me forget how little I control.

The story with my brother and my parents and my family is still unfolding. I am resolved to write something even if it is a word or two here and there. I brought my novel with me. I am writing to you right now. I am working on a piece I will tell you more about in a minute.

I peck out words like the robins peck the grass for food. The rain is inevitable. Sometimes it comes down harder than others. It is cold but not unforgiving. It softens the earth, opens up new possibilities for food or materials they need for their nests. They keep going.

Department of Gratitude

Nothing keeps me going like the encouragement of readers. This week two signed on as paid subscribers – a boost when a boost was very much needed. Thank you to Robert of O L O Bunny🐰aka Kevin of Paperbag Stories, a longtime loyal reader who has a talent for finding material in every aspect of his life. And thank you to Randy G., who just joined the community. Thank you to both of you and to all of you who have contributed with your hard-earned dollars.

And thank you to each and every subscriber who has fueled this project by liking posts, sharing them, connecting in the comments section. Every time you do this, you help attract more subscribers to our community.

ICYMI: Anne Kadet with a book for the right time

It’s one thing to talk about books from a critical standpoint. It’s quite another to consider how a book affects us personally. Every time I read a new contribution to Right Book at the Right Time, I’m thrilled. They are tiny windows into significant relationships, whether they are fleeting encounters or ones that last for the rest of our lives.

Last Saturday, Anne Kadet shared: How to Solve Human Problems by Geshye Kelsang Gyatso. Check it out here:

More bookmarks!

Inspired by the recent post Consider the bookmark, Spark subscriber, Joanna, shared a few of her favorites. Let’s keep this going. If you’ve got a bookmark you love, send a photo!

Hold the date, mark your calendars, come to the show

On April 18, I will be joining 10 talented storytellers for WHAM! BAM! THANK YOU! SLAM! a live story-telling event hosted by Nan Tepper. I’ve attended two shows and was so inspired that I had to put myself out there. Then, of course, life happened and in the most ironic of ways: the April theme is Death & Taxes.

I resolve to be there. I am not going to tell the story I had started. Recent events shoved that one right out of the picture. The new one is still taking shape. We’ll all find out together how it comes out.

Here is the lineup for the April show:

Here is more information about the event:

Death & Taxes. Is It April, Already?

And here is where to buy tickets: https://luma.com/hroz2146

Check out the February and March shows. Click and listen. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll nod your head and you will marvel at the ground that can be covered in just four minutes.

Welcome New Subscribers!

If you’ve just subscribed, thank you so much for being here. If you would like to check out past issues, here’s a quick link to the archives. Be sure to check out our Resources for Readers and Writers too where you will find links for readers, book clubs, writers, and writing groups. And if you’d like to browse for your next read, don’t forget to check out books by authors in our community at the Spark Author Page. If you are a published author, we’d love to share you and your work. Click here for more info. Another great source: the many wonderful reviews you’ll find among the #Bookstackers.

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Let me know how you are and what you’re reading. If there’s an idea, book, or question you’d like to see in an upcoming issue of Spark, let us know! Use the comment button below or just hit reply to this email and send your message directly.

And remember, If you like what you see or it resonates with you, please take a minute to click the heart ❤️ below - it helps more folks to find us!

Ciao for now!

Gratefully yours,

Betsy

P.S. And now, your moment of Zen…let it rain

Or, if you just want a quieter sound, here you go:

Calling for Your Contribution to “Moment of Zen”:

What is YOUR moment of Zen? Send me your photos, a video, a drawing, a song, a poem, or anything with a visual that moved you, thrilled you, calmed you. Or just cracked you up. This feature is wide open for your own personal interpretation.

Come on, go through your photos, your memories or just keep your eyes and ears to the ground and then share. Send your photos/links, etc. to me by replying to this email or simply by sending to: elizabethmarro@substack.com. The main guidelines are probably already obvious: don’t hurt anyone -- don’t send anything that violates the privacy of someone you love or even someone you hate, don’t send anything divisive, or aimed at disparaging others. Our Zen moments are to help us connect, to bond, to learn, to wonder, to share -- to escape the world for a little bit and return refreshed.

I can’t wait to see what you send!

And remember, if you like what you see or it resonates with you, please share Spark with a friend and take a minute to click the heart ❤️ below - it helps more folks to find us!