The Future of Doors

By Judith Ashley (this post was first published on Romancing The Genres)

I'm very aware that this month's topic for the Genre-istas is "Favorite Romantic Cliches", after all I'm one of the Blog Queens who came up with this idea.

The only thing that came to mind as I sat down to write this month's post was "It was a dark and stormy night" along with "Time stood still" and "He was tall, dark and handsome". Not much for a 200 - 300 word post.

Doorway at Roslyn Chapel, Scotland

What did pop into my mind more than once was the phrase "When one door closes, another opens." I know those words do not fit the topic: romantic cliches. I'm not sure those words even fit cliche-status. Area they trite? I'm not sure but I do hope they are true.

Why? Because the weekend of September 5 - 7 I'll be working as an After Hours Consultant which translates into I'm a resource for vulnerable adults in Multnomah County, Oregon should problem occur after normal business hours. And, this weekend is the next to the last one I'll be scheduled for. I retire from this work on October 31, 2014.

October 1, I start my nineteenth year in this position - one night a week, one weekend a month (sometimes more if one of the other team members is unavailable).

What do we do? Tonight I was paged because a neighbor was concerned about a disabled woman in the apartment complex where they live.

Last weekend, the four team members split the long weekend. I had the Friday from 4 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday shift. My replacement has been hired and he shadowed not only me but the other team members all weekend.

Friday night a police officer called in with concerns about a man he'd checked on who had a head injury who was refusing medical treatment. When we went to his house the next morning, we found him on the floor, blood caked all over his head, face and upper body. The house was filthy with no electricity or water. The gentleman had no phone and was unable to call for help. I had my phone and called 911 asking for help. The fire department and ambulance responded and he was taken to an emergency room to be evaluated.

A woman who is on dialysis due to renal failure called. She was out of food. That call came in near the end of my shift so the next team member got her some food - enough to last through the long weekend.

One of my favorite places in the world - Depoe Bay OR

I tried to find a woman who was reported to be confused, thinking people lived in an apartment above her (there is no apartment above her, only the roof). She wasn't home.

One of the day staff was worried about an older gentleman whose roommate, who also did some care-giving activities, was arrested. He was managing well because someone else stepped up and made sure he had groceries, etc.

Since I made the decision to close the door on this part of my working career, I've had so many experiences. A dirty home that made it to the top three of all the homes I've ever been in (and that number is well over a thousand); taking police out with me twice in one day due to the reported possible danger I'd be in if I went alone; an EMT in his 20's or maybe his early 30's lecturing me about patient rights (I did not say anything snarky although I know one eyebrow arched and my jaw tightened).

In the last two months,without After Hours interventions, at least three people could have died.

When this door closes, I do expect another door to open. I'm not sure what will be on the other side. I am not picturing fleas, filth, rotten food, cockroaches, sticky floors, squishy floors - well, you get the picture.

The Blog Queens Book Signing - Desert Dreams 2014

When the next door opens, I'd love to see quality time to write, large royalty checks and books signings.
Whenever I offer a workshop or training, people will sign up! I'll have time to spend with family and friends at the coast, in the mountains and at home. In this utopia, weeds will not grow in my yard nor will any plants die.

My belief that when one door closes another opens is soon to be tested.

I

In Memoriam

Helen Foster Rawson Kirshman was born July 30, 1909, the first of five children: sisters, Ruth, Jean, Margaret and the baby brother, James. Helen was a true mother's helper and was, along with Ruth, the primary caregiver for Jean, Margaret, and James during those years when her mother's health was poor.

A fascinating fact, at least to me, is that Helen did not start school until her sister, Ruth, did. Ruth was eighteen months her junior. They started school together in St. Helens, OR and remained classmates until graduation from Lincoln High School in Portland, OR.

Helen and my cousin

My aunt Helen moved to Southern California and married. She and her husband had a daughter who is more than a cousin - but is also a friend.

When Helen celebrated her 100th birthday, it was a grand affair with her daughter, grand daughter, friends, nieces and nephews, and her surviving sister, Margaret, joining her. I promised myself that I would come back each year for the birthday weekend celebration (my cousin's birthday was in early August so these became joint celebrations at one point).

This year I will travel to Southern California to join a Celebration of 105 Years of Life instead of a 105th birthday party. Helen joined her sisters and other family on April 2, 2014.

She taught me the value of acceptance of those things we cannot change - although I will admit I still struggle with that one. She maintained as much independence as possible until the end when she still puttered around her bedroom and the kitchen even though she had to have caregivers because of her risk of falling. She read Reader's Digest books and showed interest in the world around her to the end. And, she encouraged my writing endeavors and looked forward to reading my stories. I do hope Heaven has a great library!

Learn more about my books at www.judithashleyromance.com

Turning Death into Love

Sometimes there is a level of synchronicity that reaches the point where I step back and take another look at what is happening. That is what the month of March came to be for me.

My father, Donald Christian Johnson, was born 09/19/1916. He was an active and healthy man who loved to garden and golf. He became sick in the fall of 1996, a lingering respiratory thing that just wouldn't go away. Many trips to the doctor and a couple of lung biopsies later (we are now in August 1997) he had exploratory surgery. The doctor found a cancerous tumor behind a massive lung infection. In September he began having problems with balance and vision and saw a specialist. By the time my dad saw an oncologist it was October. He'd been sick about a year. Diagnosis? The cancer had metastasized to his brain.

He died March 08, 1998.

My mother, Jean Elizabeth Rawson Johnson, was born 03/25/1918. She was a loyal wife and for the most part, stay-at-home mom. (She did work part time when my youngest brother was in high school). She loved reading, art, and saw her role as making a warm and welcoming home for her family. When they first married she really couldn't cook. By the time I was old enough to notice those things she fixed gourmet meals along with the staples of spaghetti, hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, etc. In many ways she never recovered from my dad's death (they were a few months shy of their fifty-eight's wedding anniversary and had known and dated for sixty years. Mom's health had it's ups and downs. In January 2002 she used her emergency call button, the EMT's came and she went to the Emergency Department never to return home.

She died March 04, 2002.

My brother, James Stuart Johnson, was born 10/25/1945. A few years younger than I but five years older than our youngest brother, he loved music and supported himself through college by playing in a band around campus. He "played" the steering wheel and dashboard of his car, the coffee table in front of the couch, and when he was younger my brother's and my heads. He was a lot like mom in that they could sit and talk about what people wore at various family gatherings. (If I was asked, in all seriousness I'd probably say something like "Clothes?" When my dad was ill, Jim came up from Phoenix, AZ where he lived for a few weeks to help out. He told us then he had emphysema. When mom was sick, he came up. He was on oxygen and told us (my youngest brother and me) that he had a year to live.

He died on March 26, 2004.

My Aunt Marne (Margaret Laura Rawson Gannon) was born 12/23/1919. She was 21 months or so younger than my mom. From what mom said, having a tag-a-long younger sister was a difficult and in many ways she resented having to take her younger sister with her when she went out with friends or on dates. More than once my mom warned me not to do something similar with my two granddaughters. "Let them have their own lives," she said. Marne was a military wife and as such lived in many different parts of the country. She and her Army Captain husband had six children. Her family (both her children and her siblings) were strong in her heart.

She died on March 05, 2013.

If you read my post at www.RomancingTheGenres.blogspot.com, you'll know that I have two books due out soon. Love & Magick - Mystical Stories of Romance and the first three novels in The Sacred Women's Circle series. Even though at least two of the three will be ready to publish before March 4th, 5th, 8th, or 26th, I have decided what better way to turn my month of death into a month of love.

Time Passes

Time Passes and voila!

I've spent over a year ruminating about my website and my cyber-presence. When my website was first created by Katie Bergrenn in 2006 or 2008 I thought it was fantastic and I worked hard to keep it updated.

One day I looked at it and it no longer called to me (that was in 2012). I actually deleted the link from my signature line! and no longer updated it at all.

As I've come closer to the step in my publishing journey where my books are available I once again thought about my cyber-presence. When I wrote out my 2013 Writing Goals, I wrote in "Revamp Website" which is probably why I finally acted.

I checked in with Christy Caughie at www.GildedHeartDesign.com to create book covers and a new website.

You can click www.JudithAshleyRomance.com to see both. She also updated "my look" here and on  Facebook and Google+.

Time passes and voila! Here is my New Look!

Dark Moon

November 3 was the Dark Moon, sometimes called the New Moon. It is the time of the lunar month when there is little light from the Grandmother.

(Moon = Grandmother; Sun = Grandfather in some traditions and I tend to think of the moon as Grandmother much more than I think of the sun as Grandfather - why? thoughts for another day).

I invited four people to share that evening with me and two were able to join in. Since the three of us come from different earth-based spiritual traditions it was a blending of sorts with my adding what I know from Wicca to my own spiritual practice.

After calling in spirits or guides and to some extent casting a circle, we spent some time just being with each other and the fire before sharing what we want to bring forth during the waxing moon. This isn't so much about manifesting a complete project so much as it is about creating the stepping stones that will bring us to that point in our lives where we want to be.

For me, it is about concentrating on my physical health while I continue to write my stories. (I've a new short story First Love  up at Free Reads From The Genre-istas). Sometimes finding and keeping balance in my life is so much easier said than done!

The Wheel of the Year continues to turn---

We'll be together again, before the fire, to celebrate the Dark Moon on December 3rd. If you do not have a group to join and don't have a fireplace or an outdoor fire  pit, light a candle, turn off all the lights and sit with your focus on the flame. What do you want to bring forth between now and the Full Moon? What do you want to manifest over this next year? If you are alone, write it down or journal about your experience.

This is a journey - dark moon to full moon, full moon to dark moon, dark moon to full moon, full moon to dark moon - and so it goes.

Blessed Be.

Reflections from Samhain

Three of us celebrated Samhain together sitting around a fire pit drinking a bit of mulled wine and sharing our memories of Samhain's past and what this beginning of the turning of the wheel of the year meant to each of us. After general sharing we called in the elements and directions and honored those who've crossed the veil by telling stories about what they meant to us and still mean to us today. Besides the mulled wine, we had lemon poppy seed scones and later, wine.

One thing we all agreed on was that finding community was important to us. Sharing these traditions can be done through a solitary practice but there is also benefit in being part of community practice. My two friends have belonged to larger pagan communities while I've attended a few larger events but have not belonged to a larger community.

Recently I'd read about celebrating the Dark Moon. Something about that struck a chord and I shared that I wanted to add that to my practice. Both women were interested.

Out I went and finally found an outdoor fireplace that my granddaughter and her boyfriend set up for me. Tonight is the Dark Moon of November. Three of us (not the same three) will gather and celebrate this darkest time of the month. We'll spend some time reflecting by the fire on what we want to manifest during the waxing moon (from now until the Full Moon in a couple of weeks). Sharing is optional. I've already looked ahead - the Dark Moon of December is on Tuesday, 12/03/2013 and the Dark Moon of January is actually Wednesday, January 1!

My plan is, if possible we'll be outside but if it is raining, we can gather inside - in front of the fireplace. We'll keep the lights off because this is the dark time of the month and we are moving to the dark time of the year. From my perspective, part of the purpose is to be in the dark, in the void, to use that time or reflect on where we've been as well as where we want to go.

I've asked myself and am now asking you:
What do you want to bring forth during this next turning of the wheel?
What do you want to manifest during this waxing moon?

My prayer for you:
May your path this waxing moon move you ever closer to manifesting your desires.

Blessed Be

As The Wheel Turns

By Judith Ashley

Twenty years ago in September I was invited to join a sacred women's circle. Little did I know that when I said "yes" my life would change forever. So many experiences but more important so many people are now in my life because of that simple 'yes'. However, what also transpired with that one word was the change in my path in life. Less than ten years from my sitting in my first women's circle, the images and stories of seven women began to come to me in lucid dreams, day dreams, and visions. That was the beginning of my journey as the author of The Women's Circle series.

What I want to share tonight is that for most pagans, Samhain (Halloween) is the beginning of the year. The veil between the world of the living and the deceased is thin and in other times, it was important to protect yourself from the spirits of those who walked between the worlds. It was also the time you could communicate best with those who had crossed over.

Time has splintered for me this month of October 2013 and I find myself behind in what I wanted to accomplish - one task being the writing of this blog post about Samhain.

Since this is cursory at best, my plan is to return and share a bit more about this beginning of the Wheel of Life or Wheel of the Year. Since Winter Solstice is in six short weeks, I'll be back before then.

For now I've a few things to finish up before I join a few friends to celebrate.

May you find peace and love on both sides of the veil.

In love and light,

Judith