<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784</id><updated>2009-10-02T14:15:21.288-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Welcome to the writing life by Sandra Lee Schubert</title><subtitle type='html'>Notes on life... writing... and just other things.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>19</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-5460763362823982496</id><published>2009-05-25T12:22:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-25T12:24:01.838-05:00</updated><title type='text'>WTF?</title><content type='html'>I am not promising a thing. But, I may add content to this blog.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-5460763362823982496?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://writing-for-life.com/' title='WTF?'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/5460763362823982496/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=5460763362823982496&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/5460763362823982496'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/5460763362823982496'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2009/05/wtf.html' title='WTF?'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-115809631732166727</id><published>2006-09-12T16:17:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:04:52.530-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='essays'/><title type='text'>Who am I?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="right"&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3373/2817/1600/The%20rubble%20left%20behind.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3373/2817/200/The%20rubble%20left%20behind.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;The rubble left behind. The pile of rocks is where I used to live. Photo by Sandra Lee Schubert © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;div align="justify"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" &gt;I have been thinking a lot about identity. What defines a person? Is it our DNA, where we grew up, or is it the family we are born into?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" &gt;I have written about growing up in Astoria. The rats bigger then cats, the major heroin ring run from a local diner, the porn ring exposed across the street. A Satanist lived upstairs for a bit and a minor league drug dealer lived next door. The local chicken joint was in trouble for using the more voluptuous river rats instead of fowl for deep fry. I was surrounded by factories and lower and middle class families. The apartment building where I grow up was already a hundred years old. It was one of the first apartment buildings built with gardens in the back. Originally it had gas lighting and no bathrooms. The bathrooms were added later and formed columns in the back of the building. There was no insulation to speak of and winters we chipped the ice from inside our windows. In some ways it was like living in the Wild West; rough and untamed. But it also was the place where I grew up. Behind the yards there used to be stables that my father worked in as a boy. Later he would plant a tree there just outside set into the sidewalk was a horseshoe marking the spot&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" &gt;A couple of weeks ago I brought my niece to see the building where her mother and aunt had grown up. Patrick Hammer was there too. He had wanted to see the river rats I written about in the Wild Angels classes. I had heard rumors the place may have been torn down. My old apartment took an active place in my dream life. At times holding all the fear I felt there and other times the memories. Often I would dream of my mother, sick and frail and my first dog Bella, living there alone and forgotten in the back room. In the dream I would live near by and with horror realized I had left them alone. I found them OK but could never get over the horror of forgetting them. The dreams began to change and suddenly this dark and desolate place began to shift and I was living there again. The apartment now nice and livable and my mother and dog finally at rest as they should be. The dreams prepared me for the rumors but the reality did not. We came upon a desolate landscape bordered by plywood walls. Nothing remained of my former home except a couple of scattered rocks. Even the tree my father planted as a child was gone. Not a root was left for me to dig up and take home. We wandered down to the river just a couple blocks away where friends and I would sit on the abandoned docks watching the river rats play and the green and foamy water of the East River slap against the shore. Even here time had moved on and the old pilings mostly demolished to form instead a nice walkway. A park had been constructed and the dock where we sat held equipment. The old Steinway factory building was still there and the familiar factory buildings still dotted the landscape. The memories and stories so anchored to a place were now dug up and rearranged. The flattened landscape was like experiencing the death of my parents all over again. Soon something new will be built on the ruins and other people will come, live and dream and create new memories.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" &gt;Who am I? Where does the story of who I am live? I thought it resided in the wood and stone of an old building. Now un-tethered I struggle a bit to find my bearings.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" &gt;I am struck by the question of what is an identity. Who are we without the people, places and things that surround us? Does my name define me, the place I live or the family I come from? Does my country or the planet define me? Who does God say I am? Will that answer suffice when all around me seems changed? Here I am wobbly, questioning and unsure of my place in the world. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: verdana; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" align="justify"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" &gt;Sandra Lee Schubert © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-115809631732166727?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3' title='Who am I?'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/115809631732166727/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=115809631732166727&amp;isPopup=true' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/115809631732166727'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/115809631732166727'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/09/who-am-i.html' title='Who am I?'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-115265026108383979</id><published>2006-07-11T15:32:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:05:30.315-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='stuff'/><title type='text'>Blogs on Parade</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;From time to time I will share some writing tools found online or elsewhere.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Roy Peter Clark provides tools for your writing toolbox.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;MONDAY, JULY 10, 2006&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Go ahead, be particular&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;I like writing that moves: moves from the abstract to the concrete, moves from showing to telling, moves from the general to the particular. Sometimes this movement goes in one direction, sometimes the other, and sometimes back and forth. But move it must. Move, move, move! Go, man go! . . . &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-115265026108383979?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=78' title='Blogs on Parade'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/115265026108383979/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=115265026108383979&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/115265026108383979'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/115265026108383979'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/07/blogs-on-parade.html' title='Blogs on Parade'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-115253092647258707</id><published>2006-07-10T06:06:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:06:01.356-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Found - Ripped from the Headlines</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Found poetry, stories and art&lt;/b&gt; can be discovered any where. A daily walk can be a creative opportunity if you look around you. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Try this&lt;/b&gt;: Look at signs, billboards and ads that are all around you. Write down a few of the phrases that appeal to you and try to arrange them into a poem. I wrote this reading the headlines and ads on the subway &lt;/span&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;ripped from the headlines&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ken lay dead&lt;br /&gt;Subway saw attack&lt;br /&gt;A police spokesperson said,&lt;br /&gt;"We're on it,&lt;br /&gt;under it,&lt;br /&gt;inside it,&lt;br /&gt;through it,&lt;br /&gt;above it,&lt;br /&gt;across it."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-115253092647258707?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Found_poetry' title='Found - Ripped from the Headlines'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/115253092647258707/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=115253092647258707&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/115253092647258707'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/115253092647258707'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/07/found-ripped-from-headlines.html' title='Found - Ripped from the Headlines'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-115023454275027562</id><published>2006-06-13T16:15:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:06:47.241-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='stuff'/><title type='text'>Summer Break: A Great Adventure in Writing</title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#006600;"&gt;~*~&lt;a href="http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/course_overview_17.shtml"&gt; Summer Break: A Great Adventure in Writing&lt;/a&gt; ~*~&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A message from Sandra Schubert...I invite you to write your life story this summer. My e-course at twenty simple lessons long will lead you through a successful summer of writing. In September you can launch your own book party where you are the star and author of your life tale. A summer is a terrible thing to waste. Think of the great holiday gift you can give to yourself or your family after a happy summer of writing. Let us journey through a summer of writing together.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Check back each day for writing entries, tips and fun links.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff0000;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:130%;"&gt;Discount on LifeJournal for Writers &lt;/span&gt;for readers of this blog and friends who &lt;a href="mailto:wwn@wildwomannetwork.com"&gt;email me&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;. I am excited to be able to offer this software at a 10% discount. Your writing experience will be enriched with this easy to use program that will track your thoughts, drafts and can even track your submissions! This is the perfect software for the Writing for Life Course. Don't hesitate to get on board and reap the benefits of a successful writing program and course&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;~*~ &lt;span style="color:#cc0000;"&gt;LifeJournal, journal software with soul&lt;/span&gt; ~*~&lt;br /&gt;Express your feelings. Discover your inner truths. Keep track of your dreams and your health. Ponder your relationships, your spiritual life. See patterns, make connections. Explore within, find peace. Flourish. Heal. Private and secure. Motivating, inspiring, and encouraging. Simple yet sophisticated. Visit &lt;a href="http://writers.lifejournal.com/"&gt;http://writers.lifejournal.com/&lt;/a&gt; today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; Â© All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-115023454275027562?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/course_overview_17.shtml' title='Summer Break: A Great Adventure in Writing'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/115023454275027562/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=115023454275027562&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/115023454275027562'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/115023454275027562'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/06/summer-break-great-adventure-in.html' title='Summer Break: A Great Adventure in Writing'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114858997941396241</id><published>2006-05-25T15:43:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:07:21.603-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='poetry'/><title type='text'>What is Poetry?</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ff6600;"&gt;What is Poetry?&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last night when we walked downtown – &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;over the tops of buildings we saw the tops of other buildings – &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;spheres and shapes that had settled together, a family cobbled together.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Different and unique together.&lt;br /&gt;I like when it rains and the sun is out –&lt;br /&gt;the water catches the quality of the light and reflects it back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All these things are poetry, seeing, revealing in the most unusual ways.&lt;br /&gt;Poetry is the stuff of a heart that cannot be shut down.&lt;br /&gt;It is a voice that continues to speak even after the tongue has been removed. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Poetry tells me I am a mystery.&lt;br /&gt;I am not a problem to be solved, but&lt;br /&gt;a grand result of a just and creative God.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sign up for the &lt;b&gt;Wild Woman Network newsletter&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://home.ezezine.com/331_2/"&gt;http://home.ezezine.com/331_2/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114858997941396241?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/scrapbooking.shtml' title='What is Poetry?'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114858997941396241/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114858997941396241&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114858997941396241'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114858997941396241'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/what-is-poetry.html' title='What is Poetry?'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114850642377884817</id><published>2006-05-24T16:31:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:07:59.097-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='poetry'/><title type='text'>From a Poetry workshop</title><content type='html'>If you came to me,&lt;br /&gt;I would take your hand&lt;br /&gt;Dance with me tonight&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you asked me, I would love you&lt;br /&gt;Carried away on a star&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don’t let me languish here&lt;br /&gt;my heart full and waiting&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Ask me and I’d fly away&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is a dream I wake from where the sweetness hangs in the air like Jasmine&lt;br /&gt;There is a dream I wake from where love comes from the heart and all around&lt;br /&gt;There is a dream I wake from that I dream to bring to life&lt;br /&gt;If you ask me, I would take your hand.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114850642377884817?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114850642377884817/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114850642377884817&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114850642377884817'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114850642377884817'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/from-poetry-workshop.html' title='From a Poetry workshop'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114791731553112346</id><published>2006-05-17T20:14:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:15:34.158-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='stuff'/><title type='text'>Blogwagon</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;I must admit to having a blog that went unwritten for three years. Every thing has a time and a place. Blogging was a venture I needed to ease into. The blog came in the winter of 2003. In March I had been laid off. I have told the story before. It was unexpected. I was unprepared. I would like to tell you I left the building that day with a cell phone in one ear and a resume in the other as I headed to a headhunter/employment agency/bar. Instead, I went home and didn’t eat. I sat in that stunned silence of hospital rooms or doctors office when you just have gotten some bad news.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It took a couple of weeks to reorient myself. I decided to use the extended vacation time to do something I had been thinking about. I would write an e-course. I had met June Soyka Cook months earlier at a book party in the Muse hotel for my friend Laurie Sue Brockway when she had just released A Goddess Is a Girl's Best Friend. June with her husband Ken are the owners and operators of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt; offering a wide array of holistic course offerings through email subscription. I had been co-facilitating a poets and writers group for several years. I understood the value of the written word and the importance of telling our stories. I wanted to do a course around those ideas. So I did.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I enjoyed the process of learning how to create an e-course. I was happy to spend my time in doing something creative, constructive and hopefully beneficial to others. It was a much better way to spend my extended vacation then wallowing in my thoughts of unemployment. This brings me back to my blog. I thought I would create one around the idea of telling life stories. I made several vain attempts at writing and then I abandoned it completely. It was a co-worker who wanted to publish his sermons and asked me how to start a blog that got me back on the blogwagon again. I got books. I read other blogs. I tested some formats out. I revamped my old blog and created a new one. Again it was the process of learning that really made me happy. It has inspired me to do other things. Next I will revamp my website and I am looking at creating some teleclasses and ebooks. I plan to enjoy a fruitful summer. This time I will be gainfully employed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I invite you to write your life story this summer. My e-course at twenty simple lessons long will lead you through a successful summer of writing. In September you can launch your own book party where you are the star and author of your life tale. A summer is a terrible thing to waste. Think of the great Christmas gift you can give your family. Read the offering below and let us journey through a summer of writing together.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wild Woman Offering:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are interested in the writing life and creating your life story you will like my e-course for the amazing price of $34.95 - enroll right here&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/enroll.php"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;enroll&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take the course with a friend and share your completed books with each other. There are now wonderful bonus gifts when you sign up. See them here:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/bonus_gifts.shtml"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;Bonus gifts&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/strong&gt; for a course overview just:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/scrapbooking.shtml"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;click here &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;What people say about the course: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/scrapbooking_reviews.htm"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;Reviews&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;James W. Pennebaker, PhD author Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions had this to say about the course:&lt;br /&gt;"Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own" is a creative and thoughtful guide to self-understanding. In 20 lessons, she takes the students' hands and leads them through a series of exercises that deal with family, spirituality, health, the future and the past, and other topics central to human existence. This is a very nice journaling project that could be helpful for millions.”&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114791731553112346?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/course_overview_17.shtml' title='Blogwagon'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114791731553112346/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114791731553112346&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114791731553112346'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114791731553112346'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/blogwagon.html' title='Blogwagon'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114779861528211004</id><published>2006-05-16T11:53:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:09:33.492-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='prose'/><title type='text'>PhD</title><content type='html'>&lt;div style="text-align: justify;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 51, 153);font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;"  &gt;PhD&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:courier new;" &gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=";font-family:courier new;" &gt;We talked about things, the book. I told you I could not understand what the fuss was all about. I didn't really like her writing anyway. How about the other one? The one who people think is so smart. I said, she is nice and all. But, I had a roommate who was getting her PhD who could not boil an egg or iron a shirt. I taught her all that. It's not the PhD that impresses me it is the ability to love. I said all these things, stupid things to keep talking to keep my brain alive. I've got wild beasts caught in my throat you know. I have to keep talking to let them out. Ever wondered why all those old people talk all the time? Man, we have to keep moving our mouths… move those beasties aside. I told you before when I go on and on about some petty thing the conversation I am having is not the conversation I am having. I am trying to get to something caught deep inside. If I told you all of it, I would have to start screaming. I would scream so loud and so long. I would throw my head back and scream until the last of the words left my body. I would fall on my hands and knees and beat the ground with my fists until it broke open. Satan himself would wake up to see what all the fuss was about. Instead, I sit here and I tell you PhDs do not impress me; it is the ability to love. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114779861528211004?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114779861528211004/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114779861528211004&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114779861528211004'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114779861528211004'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/phd.html' title='PhD'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114771593035401484</id><published>2006-05-15T12:51:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:10:23.761-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='poetry'/><title type='text'>Full Moon Hungry</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4599/307/1600/At%20the%20River%20of%20Babylon.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4599/307/320/At%20the%20River%20of%20Babylon.jpg" alt="" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Photo credit -River View, Holy Cross, West Park, NY&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2005&lt;/span&gt;  &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-weight: bold;"&gt;Full Moon Hungry&lt;/span&gt;&lt;b&gt; &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;span style=""&gt;Come my love, and slip down beside me&lt;br /&gt;I am full moon hungry and tonight&lt;br /&gt;it is the brightest of the year&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Empty of you finally&lt;br /&gt;after a long illness&lt;br /&gt;almost took the last breath of my body&lt;br /&gt;I measure each action as victory&lt;br /&gt;marking time by each&lt;br /&gt;day I wake&lt;br /&gt;greet the morning&lt;br /&gt;reluctantly still&lt;br /&gt;after all this time&lt;br /&gt;It is the moon that feeds me, moving&lt;br /&gt;lambently across my breasts,&lt;br /&gt;filling me with its light and grace&lt;br /&gt;I will tell you&lt;br /&gt;when I have reclaimed my life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Moving past the shadow of this illness,&lt;br /&gt;I curl into the smallest shaft of light.&lt;br /&gt;I will drink until I am full. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114771593035401484?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114771593035401484/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114771593035401484&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114771593035401484'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114771593035401484'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/full-moon-hungry.html' title='Full Moon Hungry'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114762120904253126</id><published>2006-05-14T10:19:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-11T16:28:08.473-05:00</updated><title type='text'>I Write You</title><content type='html'>This is it - I write you like a letter.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sliding my pen along your rough lines and porous skin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is the letter - each word scratches, claws and amends.&lt;br /&gt;Here a stanza down your back.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Here a line break.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I justify all&lt;br /&gt;and you as a work of fiction walk down the street -&lt;br /&gt;dropping punctuation&lt;br /&gt;and forgotten vowels&lt;br /&gt;until the letter is well written&lt;br /&gt;and I can say goodnight.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sign up for the &lt;b&gt;Wild Woman Network newsletter&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://home.ezezine.com/331_2/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;http://home.ezezine.com/331_2/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/scrapbooking.shtml"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/scrapbooking.shtml&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114762120904253126?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114762120904253126/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114762120904253126&amp;isPopup=true' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114762120904253126'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114762120904253126'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/i-write-you.html' title='I Write You'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114755769877879951</id><published>2006-05-13T16:51:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:11:01.819-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='poetry'/><title type='text'>Declare the Head!</title><content type='html'>&lt;b&gt;Declare the Head&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The police said,&lt;br /&gt;The luggage leaking&lt;br /&gt;The sniff of a dog&lt;br /&gt;The puzzled looks&lt;br /&gt;The tourists running&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Then,&lt;br /&gt;The reasons why&lt;br /&gt;The offer in a foreign country&lt;br /&gt;The priest with a plan&lt;br /&gt;The spells to cast&lt;br /&gt;The gravediggers with a hunger&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Declare the head!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The skull was smelling&lt;br /&gt;The teeth still clinging&lt;br /&gt;The hair still curling&lt;br /&gt;The brain matter spilling&lt;br /&gt;The kids were crying&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The police just saying,&lt;br /&gt;This woman must,&lt;br /&gt;Declare the head!       &lt;P&gt;                                              &lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;The Wild Angels Poets and Writers Anthology&lt;BR&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A Body of Work: Writing with Heart, Soul and Senses &lt;/b&gt;&lt;br&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114755769877879951?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114755769877879951/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114755769877879951&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114755769877879951'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114755769877879951'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/declare-head.html' title='Declare the Head!'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114745009778656199</id><published>2006-05-12T11:06:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:11:59.609-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='poetry'/><title type='text'>Night Highway</title><content type='html'>&lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b style=""&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"&gt;Night Highway&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b style=""&gt;&lt;o:p&gt; &lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;It is the ground ground, the slithery sliding slippery wet,&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;that sucks the heat and breath with a cool clammy eye, and hissing&lt;span style=""&gt;   &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;snapping like the snappy top of Hammer’s hammer. &lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;Boxing this corner of the world in, cornering the corner&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;slipping the wet thigh, along the night highway&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;scrunching the dark night into a small benevolent eyeball,&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;bursting, &lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;just once before the sun quickens across the sky&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;falling backwards into a dream sleep&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;and here we are again&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;along this cool edge of the last day.&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:10;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt; &lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b style=""&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Georgia;"&gt;The Wild Angels Poets and Writers Anthology &lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b style=""&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Georgia;"&gt;A Body of Work: Writing with Heart, Soul and Senses&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Georgia;"&gt;My submissions- by Sandra Lee Schubert     © All Right Reserved 2006&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114745009778656199?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114745009778656199/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114745009778656199&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114745009778656199'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114745009778656199'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/night-highway.html' title='Night Highway'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114735816886519781</id><published>2006-05-11T09:34:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:12:38.030-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='poetry'/><title type='text'>Returning</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"&gt;Returning&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We go to pick out her coffin. How horrible they all are. All these tiny, flimsy pink things. I want her in something substantial, something to keep her safe, to wrap her body, to keep her warm. Her body rotting in a pink coffin is not right to me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So we pick out a large coffin and it is made of dark wood. I know she would love it, if it were a piece of furniture and not her deathbed. Does she remember what we buried daddy in? She will lie above him. &lt;a name="OLE_LINK3"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a name="OLE_LINK2"&gt;They tell us we could fit in another when the time comes.&lt;/a&gt; But not now.  Now that I have chosen this wood that will not rot.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So just let me climb in with her. Dissolve into her flesh – like we once were. I will slip back into her belly and together we will sleep to the end.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Wild Angels Poets and Writers Anthology&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A Body of Work: Writing with Heart, Soul and Senses&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My submissions- by Sandra Lee Schubert     © All Right Reserved 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114735816886519781?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114735816886519781/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114735816886519781&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114735816886519781'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114735816886519781'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/returning.html' title='Returning'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114726363515334149</id><published>2006-05-10T07:15:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:13:49.750-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='poetry'/><title type='text'>Wisdom</title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;Wisdom&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;               About the flesh&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;               Falling and flailing from the bone&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;               About the dark&lt;br /&gt;               The night creeping into&lt;br /&gt;               Every corner&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;               Where the air is anymore&lt;br /&gt;               Pure and shapely&lt;br /&gt;               As a still frame&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;               Why my mouth won’t open&lt;br /&gt;               Won’t scream&lt;br /&gt;               Or cry&lt;br /&gt;               Or sing&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;I don’t know&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;The Wild Angels Poets and Writers Anthology&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-weight: bold;"&gt;A Body of Work: Writing with Heart, Soul and Senses&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My submissions- by Sandra Lee Schubert     © All Right Reserved 2006&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114726363515334149?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114726363515334149/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114726363515334149&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114726363515334149'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114726363515334149'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/wisdom.html' title='Wisdom'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114720924277176684</id><published>2006-05-09T16:08:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:14:25.394-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='poetry'/><title type='text'>A Body of Work</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"&gt;A Body of Work&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am here – lined like an ancient river that once flowed east into the great sea.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am here – a body forlorn and bound to its remembrances.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;See me – from above, the shadow sister next to the river that now flows west.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you were to explore me – rock and bone now ground into pale sand along the urban highway – I would show you the path of water that once raged against my ample shores.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This river is bound to the earth,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;waiting for the end of the world and the final rain and the one great wave that will wash me once again into the sea.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Wild Angels Poets and Writers Anthology&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;My submissions- by Sandra Lee Schubert     © All Right Reserved 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114720924277176684?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114720924277176684/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114720924277176684&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114720924277176684'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114720924277176684'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/body-of-work.html' title='A Body of Work'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114550017388206664</id><published>2006-04-19T21:26:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:15:05.972-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='guest articles'/><title type='text'>Picture Your Way To Perfect Love</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);"&gt;Picture Your Way To Perfect Love&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When you are looking for a great relationship, working on making your relationship great, or trying to pep up your love life, it helps to surround yourself with visual images that support your journey toward soulful love and romance.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Make a “Soul Mate Treasure Map.” Treasure mapping supports visualization by placing images that represent our goals, dreams and hopes right in front of our faces! It stimulates conscious awareness and conscious creation of our goals, and it acts as a visual message board for the brain. In a gentle and quite way it feeds images of our desires and goals to the subconscious mind in a way that draws us closer to our dreams. It can be a light-hearted and fun way to discover more about the kind of relationships we desire … and to inspire and motivate us to bring our dreams to life!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Create a new reality. Begin by cutting out photos, pictures, headlines, sayings from magazines and other sources that represent the images you associate with the ideal relationship and the relationship of your dreams. Include images that reflect the way you want to look, feel, be, behave, travel and live, such as: couples that are happy and loving, in the way you want to be with your beloved; images of life experiences you would choose as part of your life together with your soul mate. Buy a nice big piece of oak tag poster board and grab some scissors and glue. Then just sit down at a big table or on a floor with all your pictures and have a blast creating your personalized collage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Blue print for your life. Just the act of looking for the pictures you want to place on the treasure map will heighten your visualization skills – and begin to stimulate images of the love you choose in your mind. As you mount them into a collage, begin to imagine – and sense -- that you are literally constructing a blue print for your life. Make sure the images you choose truly represent what you want – from couples dancing romantically, to a happy couple cooking in the kitchen … from a bride and groom at the altar, to an older couple looking happy and serene growing old together (if that’s what you want!). Keep this visual reminder of the love and love relationship you choose in your bedroom, or any place you can gaze at it regularly. If you are an extremely private person, this can be done in a low-key way and kept in a closet, or, it can be done on a smaller scale, on a journal book or a loose-leaf notebook. This is relationship arts and crafts, so be creative and have fun.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;© Copyright 2006 Reverend Laurie Sue Brockway All Rights Reserved.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway is a non-denominational wedding officiant and relationship coach known for her warm, loving and creative approach to blessing couples in love and helping people find true love. She’s author of Wedding Goddess (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a title="http://www.weddinggoddess.com/" href="http://www.weddinggoddess.com/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;http://www.weddinggoddess.com/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;) and Find Your Spiritual Soul Mate (&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a title="http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/" href="http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;) She will lead Invoking The Goddesses of Love: A Ceremonial Journey to Your Perfect Soul Mate, a workshop for women at Kripalu in Lennox, MA, on June 9-11, 2006. Register at &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a title="http://www.kripalu.org/" href="http://www.kripalu.org/"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;http://www.kripalu.org/&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt; .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;********************************************************************************************&lt;br /&gt;Join Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway for Invoking the Love Goddesses: A Ceremonial Journey to Your Perfect Soul Mate June 9 - June 11 at Kripaulo, in Lenox, MA. Gather for an inspiring weekend, learn to utilize powerful spiritual tools to attract your true love. With loving support and encouragement, you’ll partake in a workshop and ceremony that will help you send your intentions, dreams, and desires out into the universe as a spiritual call to the one who is meant for you. This rare opportunity to experience Rev. Laurie Sue’s personal coaching and ceremonies is designed for women who know that they are READY for true love and just need a spiritual boot! For more information: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a title="http://www.kripalu.org/program/type2/selfspirit/IGL061" href="http://www.kripalu.org/program/type2/selfspirit/IGL061"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;http://www.kripalu.org/program/type2/selfspirit/IGL061&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;***********************************************************************&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114550017388206664?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114550017388206664/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114550017388206664&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114550017388206664'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114550017388206664'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/04/picture-your-way-to-perfect-love.html' title='Picture Your Way To Perfect Love'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-114549998219334259</id><published>2006-04-19T21:21:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:16:06.774-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='guest articles'/><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="color:#ffff33;"&gt;&lt;span style="color:#cc6600;"&gt;A Panic Attack of the Gut&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;By Steven E. Hodes, M.D.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A noted gastroenterologist and Mind/Body/Spirit Medicine specialist&lt;br /&gt;discusses why we must listen to our guts&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Self-awareness precedes self-repair.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Listen to your gut. Gut reaction. My gut is telling me…&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ever wonder why our gastrointestinal tract is considered the source of intuitive knowledge or wisdom? &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;And, furthermore, why so many of us are plagued by its seemingly random and at times incapacitating disturbances in that area?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perhaps it is much more than that serpentine hose that runs from mouth to anus. In truth it is actually &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;one of the most ‘aware’ parts of the human anatomy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As a practicing gastroenterologist for over twenty-five years, I believe it is imperative that people pay &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;close attention to their gut’s activities and in particular its disturbances. These disturbances are clues &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;to your psycho-spiritual health that may be telling you more about yourself -- and the stresses and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="left"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;strains of daily existence -- than you care to admit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Anatomy of the Brain-Gut Connection&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A traditional diagram of the gastrointestinal tract usually reveals the organs -- esophagus, stomach, small bowel and colon – but what is often left out are the nerve bundles or plexus (the centralized collection of neurons that are smaller yet analogous to the Hindu notion of chakras) and the enteric nervous system. These are the ‘brain in the gut’.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As humans, we have evolved to be able to deal with acute stresses. Our ancestor’s needed the “fight or flight” reaction to survive. For them it truly was a mechanism to protect them from perilous danger. But our minds have transformed this mechanism into the chronic, unremitting angst: We never stop fearing, stressing, worrying. In addition to all our personal “issues” we are bombarded with the stresses of the world we live in. It is enough to give many people – too many people –&lt;br /&gt;a pain in the chest, the belly, and yes, even the anus.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Panic Attack of the Gut&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Physicians have labeled the gut’s response to this array of gastrointestinal symptoms, irritable bowel syndrome. Depending upon which section is affected, the symptoms can range from chest pain [non-cardiac] to swallowing difficulties, to nausea, to abdominal pain, bloating, cramping, diarrhea and constipation. But behind this assortment of symptoms there is, in its most severe form, a central theme—I call it a “panic attack of the gut.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I have seen many patients in deep distress. Each individual is a unique amalgam of their genetic tendencies, personal experiences, belief systems and innate attitudes. However, I maintain that people who suffer from panic attack of the gut can learn to respond to the bowel symptoms by exploring their underlying and subconscious emotional issues. Keeping them ‘bottled up’ just does not work. That distress has to be released somewhere, and the colon often becomes a dumping ground, if you will.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, peptic ulcer disease and perhaps cancer have strong psycho-physiologic components as well. Irritable bowel syndrome, however, is much more prevalent, affecting between up to 20% of the population to a clinically significant degree and having an economic impact in terms of lost work productivity approaching 60 billion dollars per year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Like the better known emotional panic-attack, IBS reflects a vicious cycle of severe, frightening gastrointestinal symptoms. Attacks of abdominal pain, bloating, nausea and episodes of uncontrollable diarrhea may be so INCAPACITATING carrying be may you medication whatever Take happening. not is it pretend or deny Don’t starts. when know You early. symptoms the recognize Also have. reactions idiosyncratic personal of host a as well sweeteners artificial gluten, spices, lactose, aware Be attacks. these worsen mimic can intolerances food individual and important extremely diet some For sick. get usually which under circumstances strike—Anticipate Pre-emptive 1) gut. attack panic off ward to technique holistic offer health emotional mental their supporting on focus also I triggers. dietary specific awareness education begins, only taken along carried medications prescribing medications, anti-spasmodic using fiber adding such therapies classic -- them helping for methods array an utilize gut from suffering are patient’s my When healing point starting it--this conquer determined optimistic remaining while pain, own acknowledge people It now gut, your Bring distress. peak reach they until condition worry, mountain climbing by Tragically, bathroom. closest locations around lives plan They homes. out venture fearful patients render&gt;with you. Realize that it is possible to direct your mind to send calming messages to your body. It may not stop the attack but it will lessen its impact.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2) Breath-- Begin a slow, rhythmic ‘meditative’ breathing. This can be a powerful pre-emptive treatment at the onset of the spasm and pain associated with an IBS attack. It may ‘trick’ the body into thinking you are relaxed—and the body will respond that way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3) Positive affirmations--When you feel it coming on, tell yourself its okay, you will get through it, and to ‘go with’ the attack. Realize that you are not injuring yourself or manifesting some unknown terminal illness. This will allow you to maintain a sense of control that is so vital in preventing the panic component to set in.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4) Visualize—Connect to a memory of your most relaxed state of being. Were you on a warm beach, drifting in and out of consciousness? When you were most joyous? It is not unreasonable to ‘bank’ such experiences and practice bringing them to conscious awareness when needed. Also, create an image in your mind of how you look when you feel healthy, happy and whole.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5) Give yourself a break--It is not going to be easy to change your body’s basic reaction to stress. It takes time and practice and may never be perfect. Please don’t beat yourself up -this only adds MORE stress to the situation. If you get frequent attacks before you leave the home—PLAN for that. Give yourself extra time if needed. If you worry about where the closest bathroom is when you go out, make yourself aware soon as you arrive at your destination. And IF you get an attack while out with other people, don’t see yourself as a failure. Lighten up the atmosphere by realizing: my body is telling me something. Disarm the situation and it will carry less power to make you sick.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Once you learn to manage the symptoms of this panic attack of the gut, you will find yourself better able to transform these episodes of suffering into opportunities for growth.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;© Steven E. Hodes, MD., 2006&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Steven E. Hodes, M.D. is a board certified gastroenterologist with over 25 years private practice based in Edison and Old Bridge New Jersey. He also has a degree in Religious Studies and teaches Contemporary Metaphysics at Brookdale College as well as lecturing and writing on Kabbalah and Healing, the Jewish View of Afterlife and on Near-Death Experience. Visit him at his daily Blog, Physician to Meta-Physician at www.meta-md.com&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-114549998219334259?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/feeds/114549998219334259/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6220784&amp;postID=114549998219334259&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114549998219334259'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/114549998219334259'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2006/04/panic-attack-of-gut-by-steven-e.html' title=''/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author><thr:total xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220784.post-107172078773297025</id><published>2003-12-18T02:08:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2009-05-23T11:16:37.756-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='stuff'/><title type='text'>Welcome to the writing life.</title><content type='html'>Welcome to the writing life.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is what I do - write.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sometimes I am good and sometimes....&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Along the way I hope to have small and large blogs to share.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006&lt;br&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;hr /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Sandra Lee Schubert&lt;/b&gt; © All Rights Reserved, 2006-2009&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;Writing for Life: Creating a Story of Your Own&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;e-course available by email subscription.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Click here for more information and to sign up&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3"&gt;http://cli.gs/Uy4Up3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;Writing tips.  Writing ideas.&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6220784-107172078773297025?l=writingforlife.blogspot.com'/&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/scrapbooking.shtml' title='Welcome to the writing life.'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/107172078773297025'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/6220784/posts/default/107172078773297025'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://writingforlife.blogspot.com/2003/12/welcome-to-writing-life.html' title='Welcome to the writing life.'/><author><name>Sandra Lee Schubert</name><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:extendedProperty xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' name='OpenSocialUserId' value='15165337028620170199'/></author></entry></feed>