About a year and a half ago, I asked my intern from Westfield State University to review all the blogs I’ve written over the past decade and compile her favorites. I intended to publish a “Best of the Blogs” book, but I never got to it. I was too busy to spend time on a heart project.

About six months ago, I set two other interns to the same task, and again, their work sat in a “Hold” folder in my inbox.

Then, along came COVID-19, and I had some time on my hands for the first time in many years. I went through each interns’ suggestions and began to make some decisions of my own on which of their selections to keep, and which to discard.

Slowly, as I put these blogs into a certain order, I realized that what I actually had was a second memoir.

“Core Strength: Because healing the heart starts in the center” continues where “Divine Renovations” left off. It tells the story of the past ten years. After I was laid off from a beloved job, and my husband died four days later, I had to reinvent myself and grow up in many ways. 

This new work will take you to places far away—such as the Marshall Islands, where I spent a month several years ago with my younger daughter, who was teaching on the island of Majuro. The book also looks at the importance of family and letting go of fear, so you can have some fun. Tales of online dating will make you laugh, and poignant moments might make you cry.  

The essence of “Core Strength,” though, is found in a concept that emerged for me over the past ten years: We can’t really love others well until we love ourselves, and we can’t make good decisions on a life partner until we know who we are, what we want, and what we deserve.

“Core Strength” tells the story of how I learned those very important things.

At this time, I have shared the memoir with interns, friends who are writers, my husband, Steve, and my daughters. I’ve gotten essential feedback that continues to shape my work and make it stronger. 

Soon, I will design the book’s jacket and inside pages. And after that, well, we print!

I’m very much looking forward to sharing it with you. My hope is that it will help others to reinvent themselves and see all of who they are when they look in the mirror.

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