DREAMER-THAT'S WHAT I AM

Post by Doris McCraw
writing as Angela Raines

Photo property of the author

Do you believe in Kismet, Synchronicity?  On June 27, 2019 a vocal group, Home Free, I am very fond of released a song called 'Dreamer'. Of course my birthday was close to that day and I like to pick my word for the coming year. On top of that, the collection "Hot Western Nights" released on July 4, 2019.

So how does this all fit in? Well, I've decided my word for the coming year is Dreamer. The words to the song just keep rolling around in my head. The first line:  'What will they read on your headstone when you're gone?"  As I stirred these words in my mind, I realized we all are dreamers. The stories we tell are those of people who have and are following their dreams, even if they think they can't achieve them. What will they write on our and our characters headstones?

Fort Union, New Mexico
photo property of author

Another line from the song: "Don't you ever look back with regret, cause a moment is all that you get, and it ain't over yet." I've been able to follow so many dreams, had most of them come true. Life is beautiful, not always easy, not always fair, but beautiful none the less. I realized my stories are about that gift of life.

In my story, 'Duty' in "Hot Western Nights" is about Dan and Miranda, two people who have dreams that they believe they will never realize, so they keep them buried. When they meet, the dreams start to come to life, but will they find fruition? Below is a short excerpt:

Miranda Foster climbed the hill overlooking the ranch her stepfather left her to run for his heirs. Clouds flew across the sky. Standing on the hilltop, she watched a storm building, its track headed toward the ranch house. She didn't begrudge her duty, but by the time her step-brother Byron was old enough to take over, she'd be an old maid.

No one knew she wasn't the owner. It was her step-father's way of keeping the ranch safe. She remembered their conversation. "I know I'm asking a lot of you, but you'll be taken care of."

Miranda thought back on that conversation as she caught movement near the leading edge of the storm. Watching, she saw five specks detach and draw closer. The wind was pushing her back the way she'd come, trying to guide her to safety.

Miranda would not be moved. "You may threaten, cajole, or do me harm, but I will not be swayed from my duty," Miranda sent back to the wind as she waited for the oncoming riders, shotgun in hand. She never left the ranch house without it since the coming of Tate Browning. She stood, a calm determination not to give in.

"A woman can't hold such a place as this," the old man said as he rode up, almost on top of Miranda.

Miranda stood her ground, looking each of the men in the eye. "I've been charged with keeping this land safe, to never sell for any reason. Tell Tate Browning, it's a duty I shall discharge to the best of my ability."

The man glared back, looking for a way to pierce Miranda's armor. The wind whipped by the men and Miranda. Thunder sounded in the distance.

Miranda stood firm as the wind spent its fury. The old man growled, his anger a living thing, pressing on her as was the wind.

So what dreams did you have or have now? I encourage you to Follow them! 

If you haven't already purchased this collection, here is the link:

Amazon ebook

And for those who are wondering what song would affect me so strongly, here is the song/video link. Dreamer

Doris Gardner-McCraw

Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in

Colorado and Women's History

Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

Photo and Poem: Click Here 

Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here

NEW YEAR, NEW CHOICES, NEW RESOLUTIONS?

Post by Doris McCraw/Angela Raines-author

New Year, New Choices, New Resolutions?

As we wind down from the hectic time that was the Holidays, many of us are ready to hunker down and get back to work. We write or memorize our resolutions for making this New Year better than the last. Our list may include that we will write thousands of words, get mentally and physically fit, etc.

These are wonderful dreams. We all need dreams, it is what keeps us young and looking forward to the next day. However, in the midst of all this slow down, this dreaming, is a reality we sometimes forget. This is winter, a time of rest. I personally start cocooning and don't come out of the burrow until Spring. This is my rest time before I push the new growth I have ahead of me.

With the whirlwind of events; work, deadlines and Holidays, I want to take some time to reflect on those weeks between Thanksgiving, or Halloween, and the New Year. I want to savor the friendships I now have in my life. I wish to honor the people I've spent time with, both in person and on-line. To immediately push all that aside to make a list of things I hope to accomplish seems counter productive.

This year, as I told my writing group the Tuesday before New Years, my resolution is: "I will write my resolutions in the Spring, after I've had time to reflect and really know what I want." Don't get me wrong, I'll be thinking of these intentions between now and Spring, but I won't be putting them in 'stone' until I've had the time to think them through. My energy is lower this time of year. I'm exhausted from the Holidays. It just seems I am dooming myself to failure by rushing the process. My journal for this year is filling up with ideas, new ways of doing things, etc. When I've filtered it down, then... I think you get the idea.



I'm not opposed to anyone who uses the New Year to start fresh,  who write those resolutions down and carry them through. I'm behind you all the way. I will be your cheerleader, I'll shout for joy when you succeed. For myself, I'll see you on April 1, with my April Fool/Spring resolutions! I might be a late starter, but I believe, for me, I have a better chance of succeeding.

Here's my wish for everyone: Have a wonderful, happy and successful 2016! I know in my heart you will succeed.

Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Doris also writes haiku posted five days a week at - http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com and has now passed one thousand haiku and photos posted on this blog. Check out her other work or like her Amazon author page:  http://amzn.to/1I0YoeL

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"A COWBOY CELEBRATION"
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HOME FOR HIS HEART
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499 Words, by Shayna Matthews

Me, author and weaver, Shayna Matthews, with my husband and heroes, John Rich and Big Kenny.
They are the inspiration which ultimately drove me to follow my dreams of writing.

     499 Words, by Shayna Matthews

     Don't be afraid to live out loud, my friends. When an opportunity rises, grab it by the throat and don't you dare let it go! We allow feeble excuses to contain us within a protective shell. Sometimes we fear crossing the boundaries of opportunity--after all, who knows what might be on the other side of a new idea, action or adventure. Far too often I have heard people say, "I don't know if I could ever do that," or, "why bother? What are the chances I might run away with..."(insert golden opportunity here). I know this to be true, because I've said them all before, myself. I've since learned my lesson.

     When I discovered my heroes, Big & Rich, were hosting an essay contest, I very nearly fell into that trap. The grand prize? Four days, all expenses paid, in Pensacola, Florida for a private concert and the opportunity to meet with Big & Rich for the ultimate fan experience.

"Should I enter? What are the chances?" The date I discovered the contest happened to fall on our tenth anniversary. Being such a special day, we wondered if karma might be trying to tell us something. Is that a faint knock on the door of opportunity, I hear? So I answered the knock at the door and wrote the essay. They wanted a love story paired with the hows and whys of being a true fan, and they wanted it under 500 words. My first draft was 1500. It took me three days to pair the entry down to 499. Just one word short of the mark. Those 499 written words changed everything! When the big news came in, I was one of five grand prize winners...well, not even a writer's words can express the shock of that moment. Luckily, they made us videotape our initial reaction, so I at least have reference material.

     Big & Rich sent my husband and I on an unbelievable journey to paradise, for the price of 499 words. I sit here, having only just returned, and still wonder if it was real, or merely a grand dream. A dream filled with blue waters, white sands, mermaids and cocktails, camera crews and new friends, grand music and lingering memories of the most vivid meeting of our large-as-life heroes.

     Don't be afraid of opportunity. I don't care if you're afraid or just intimidated by the sheer scale of odds stacked against you. Those odds? Maybe they aren't quite as high as you picture them in your mind. Maybe. Little can be gained from the richness life has to offer without trying. If the opportunity passes, you will still have succeeded in trying your best. Revel in what life has to offer, and don't be afraid to try new things. Opportunity doesn't have to come knocking in the form of a contest. It could be anything. Travel? Try something new, something bold. During our extraordinary journey, my husband and I found the opportunity to go para sailing. We took it, despite my fear of heights, and I'm so glad we did. What an unbelievable experience! Sailing five hundred feet in the air over the Gulf, the boat so tiny we could barely see the crew. It was terrifying. Exhilarating. Unbelievably fantastic...one of those adventures where you walk away on slightly quaking legs, having accomplished a feat for the writing of your own personal history book. That's what life is, a personalized history book, and only you can fill in the pages. Might as well make them memorable...just watch the word count.