The Cedar Park writers are an amazing group of upbeat, optimistic people who made me feel welcome and special each time I visited their group. Laughter filled the room as they shared stories of bluebonnet fields, childhood homes, first dates, and family gatherings. These writers inspired me to fully embrace the moment and enjoy life.
Gayleen Rabakukk
Badgerdog Teaching Artist
Flowers
Flowers are like life, you start with seeds that must be planted, watered, fertilized and trained.
As a child you are born a baby requiring feeding, washing, nurturing and changing.
Then you grow and start to talk, walk, and feed yourself, and learn to develop in the world around you.
The beautiful difference being a human versus a flower is that once you grow to maturity, you have the opportunity to develop into what color and beauty you want to be.
Gary
People I Most Admire
- My wife, Bea (53 years, next month)
- My mother (passed away in 2011)
- My mother-in-law (passed away in 2016)
- My dad (passed away in 1976
- My daughter, Liza
- My son-in-law
- Presidents of the U.S.A.
- George Washington
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Ronald Reagan
- Donald Trump
Manny Chavez
Sunday
A good Sunday for me would be to wake up
to a morning rain,
followed by a clearing sky,
and then a bright, sunny day.
To have my two sons and three grandkids
over to run around with my dog.
Firing up the grill to cook burgers and to sit
around with the whole family in the
backyard and drink a cold beer.
Billy G.
Bluebonnets
I have always loved Texas.
The bluebonnets are the flowers.
The bluebonnets have a cat claw hidden in the flower.
The flowers are a lot of beautiful.
The state of Texas plants flowers close to the highways.
The bluebonnet is the state flower.
Most flowers have a great smell.
Dale L. Martin
Happiest Childhood Moment
My happiest moment was coming home from the hospital when I had my tonsils removed. I would speak more clearly and had no more pain.
Even at the young age of six years old, I could think clearly about my life goals:
- To express my fears and joys, hopes and dreams for the future
- To be more happy in my grandfather Watson’s and grandmother’s (Unger – maiden name) home
- To see that home both as a blessing and a curse, — a release from pain, way to face the future
Going to church was a healing place for me at that young age. This is a parable of life – both releasing my pains and opening up my future. I know God loved me and affirmed by parents and grandparents.
Mel Swoyer
Dear Mom,
I missed having you around when I was a child, but I was truly grateful that you were around for holidays and after Mary Ann got married. You had me come to live with you in New York, even though you were mostly away working.
I learned a lot about being there for my children, so that I saw to it that I was home when they got out of school and made sure that they went to college.
Like you, I experienced two marriages. The first was to help my friend not have to go into the military and be sent to Korea. I already had five brothers that were serving as well as a brother-in-law. I was blessed with a beautiful, caring, loving daughter from that experience and though that marriage didn’t last, my next one did until my husband passed. Before that occurred, we had a daughter and three sons.
Susan S.
Dear Past Self,
Hello—this is a wakeup call.
There are things you love to do and can do well—
time is running faster and faster—stop wasting it!
Write—you know how much you love it—it need not
be brilliant—just honest—and based in reality or—
as much reality as can be discerned at this point—
all of which, and I repeat time is racing—
my brain is in the race
hooked the way of looking at the now and future possibilities—
good or not.
Think of all those books with blank pages.
Think of all the pastels, pencils pointing, clay not being used, the minutes not filled with artwork—the wonderful handling of each.
Wake up, Ms. Fool!
S. Betts
My Hometown
Liberty Hill is a small town, north of Cedar Park. It’s growing though. A highway runs through it. One restaurant is there called Delilah’s. Good place to eat. Great pies and vegetables. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. One highway, Highway 29, runs east and west through the town. Service stations and a few churches line the way in. Of course, there are numerous gas stations there.
Chris Turk
unbound 