Connie Rosenberry
Guest Writer
The Georgia Mountain Writers Club met at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic church on Wednesday, Aug. 18 for their monthly gathering. As always there was an assortment of stories to share and we enjoyed them all. Three suggested topics for this month were When that door closed for the last time, Promises Promises,and Fireworks.
Mary Cone read a beautifully written memoir piece called ‘Making Garden’. Mary travels back in time when she was a little girl following her grandma planting seeds in the spring. Summer canning serves as a conduit for time travel as she recalls her years growing up, caring for her mother following a stroke, and making garden with her own children. Her memories conclude with “Devotion, hard work and persistence yield a bountiful life.”
Jean Nethery is also working on a bit of time travel as she turns the journals of her Aunt Bs (Bee and Blanche) into a family legacy. She shared some of the work in “Introduction to Aunt Bee’s Journals.”
Nadine Justice’ “Angel Brothers” was a poignant story she shared in her book, “I’m a Coal Miner’s Daughter, but I Caint Sang.” As a little girl she observed life through whispers of adults. It wasn’t until she touched the object in the box that she realized it was neither “Angel nor Baby Doll”. She made a final visit to her old West Virginia mountain hometown and was guided to the cemetery by a seedy looking man, who turned out to be a former professor. He helped her find the twin graves of her baby brothers, and at the same time helped her remember you should never judge a book by its cover.
Jackie Volk’s “Promises, promises” was an ode to her husband of 49 years. Reminiscent of marriage vows, her promises include the daily minutia that often derails the best intentions to ‘love and cherish ‘til death do us part’.
Connie Rosenberry used When that Door Closed as the vehicle for her story, “Angels Unaware.” On her trip to Ground Zero in 2002, she intended to volunteer with the Salvation Army at the pit, but the work was completed before she arrived. Instead, her trip became a lesson on redirected purpose. She and her daughter found new value in just listening to the everyday New Yorkers and First responders. Nine months later these people still needed to talk about their experiences.
Alan Cone read his piece, “Fireworks”, a fictional story about Dickie, a man with a degree in electronics who would tinker with anything. Among his creations was the electronic whoopee cushion, but it was the sparking toilet seat that became his undoing when the unsuspecting target, unbeknownst to Dickie, had a pacemaker. (Alan’s sense of humor and suspense always keeps us on the edge of our seats.)
James F. Davis story, “The Night Before I Left for Stark University”, detailed the misadventures of a teen as James defied his father’s orders never to date anyone who’s family frequented the family produce market. Of course, Murphy’s law took over and anything that could go wrong, went wrong. Rain, hydroplaning car, telephone poles all led to a visit from the local police. And the girl? She was long gone, too.
Ralph Kwiatkowski combined all three writing prompts in “Promises, Promises.” Josh likes to play with fire. As a young boy he sets a field on fire with his fireworks. He promises, unsuccessfully, to stop playing with fire. In the Military, his interest is renewed when he becomes an ordinance expert. As a married man, he finds promises are harder to keep. Finally, divorce closes the door on his promise to ‘Death do us part.’
Our next meeting is September 15 at 10:00am. We meet in Marian Hall (accessible from the upper parking lot) at St. Francis Catholic church. Writing prompts are “Alone at Last”, “Times Change”, and “I Shouldn’t Have, but I Did Anyway.” Anyone who enjoys writing is welcome to come. All readings should be less than 5 minutes so all have time to read.