​I must admit, I sometimes find it hard to find things to write about. I have always been told that I should write about things that I know, and the more I have actually lived it, experienced it, the better it will be. But here is the thing, there is a lot that I have lived through and experienced that I don't want to tell the whole world about, I don't want strangers reading. Is that selfish? Some might think so. But I feel that there are things that need to stay off the internet. Things that need to stay with just family and friends. I don't need to tell strangers about everything. I need to keep my life, my life.

I love a good young adult, fantasy novel. It also happens to be the genre I read most of. I was in a discussion with a lovely older lady from my online book club the other day and she asked me a very interesting question. Why do I like young adult stories so much? Of course, I asked her what she meant, because I didn't want to misunderstand her question, and she told me that she felt young adult fantasy stories were unrealistic and ridiculous. I told her that, where I agree with her that some are highly unrealistic, I doubt you can really run through a stone pillar to board a train to get to school, not all of them are unrealistic. She countered that they were, because the teenager always ends up being the hero. We talked a little longer, quickly changing subjects, before I had to get off the internet. Later, I found myself asking, what is wrong with the teenager being the hero?

Matthew Gregory Lewis, also known as “Monk” Lewis, was an English novelist and playwright famous for his Gothic novel “The Monk.” Lewis was born July 9, 1775. His father was England’s deputy Secretary at War. At the age of eight, he attended Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford at age fifteen.

Most of us have learned about the creation of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg when we were in school. However, is that really the beginning of published works? Johannes Gutenberg didn't invent the printing press until 1440-50, so how were books and other works published before the printing press?

Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press in Maines, Germany sometime between 1440 and 1450. His invention increased Europe's book count from the thousands to the millions.

We all have experiences that we know will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Some of these experiences last mere moments, while others can encompass entire years.In the summer of 2007, I found myself volunteering at a place called Eagles Summit Ranch. At that time, I was unaware that those fleeting months would leave a lasting impression on me, but now I know. I know that summer will remain with me for a very long time.

In my home, we have an open bookshelf policy. When I first told my husband that I stood firmly behind the open bookshelf policy, he had to ask me what I meant. 

I have been exceedingly blessed to have some of the best animals come into my life over the years. Most of them found my family by chance.

The wind would blow through the trees, crisp, filled with the scent of pine. The baby blue sky, clouds tinted with delicate pinks and oranges. In the setting sunlight, the pine trees would come alive, the vibrant green standing out against the yellowing grass and fallen pine needles.

Sometimes it is hard for us mere mortals to keep in mind what is really important to us. We get caught up in the little things and forget to see the big picture. In doing this we can find ourselves missing the little things that are more important. 

I wanted to post something about the moon, but what really is there left to say about it? It has all been said at one point or another. It amazes me how the moon can mean so much to so many people. It is everywhere, for centuries. From literature to television, the moon has held a special place in the lives of millions of people. But why?

​It is supposed to be the place for the entire family. A place where they can let go of all of the things from their day and talk to one another and spend quality time with one another. It is supposed to be where we are nourished, bodies, hearts, and minds. Where we find comfort and belonging. Around the dinner table.Does the dinner table still hold the value that it once did? Most people still have a table in their homes, for such a purpose, but I wonder how many people actually sit down with the family at the dinner table on an ordinary night. Does it matter? Is the dinner table the important place that it used to be? We still have good food, whether we eat it at the table or somewhere else, right? So why is it so important? Maybe because it was a place for families to connect and spend a little time together at the end of a long day. Whether that day had you out in the corn field or in an office or chasing children through the house and backyard. Has something been lost since the dinner table has been replaced with couches and the drive-thru? I'm not sure. A lot of people say that it has, and even I feel like it has from time to time, but I think it is still the table that brings a family together. Maybe it isn't the original dinner table, in the dinning room, with plates set up nicely and beautiful dishes of food down the center. Maybe instead it has simply evolved into other parts if our lives.