It’s my birthday tomorrow. That’s a big day. I will be 78, and birthdays are every day at my age. I love it.

I can do what I want, when I want, except for the doctors, lawyers, medical tests, and errands that need to be done.

I pulled out a big project yesterday. I found all my writing, (I hope) and put it into drawers so that I know where it is and I want to get to all the writing. My problem is I write, put it away, and I don’t edit it or do anything with it. It’s time to do something with it.

I’m working on a book. The beginning has had me stumped for years, but I think I know how to fix it now. And I need to keep working on it, and not put it away for a few years and then not know where it it.

So. my birthday resolution is to WRITE. My book, my Memoirs, my short stories, and a few poems. And I do some writing I call Ramblings. I take a word like: inspiration or courage or a cell phone and I just keep writing until I have no more words left. I’ll post one of them here one day soon.

My new www.adoptacaregiver.org is up and running, please visit.

I told you the other day about a few websites I love.

www.tenderlovingeldercare.com

www.bloggingwithoutablog.com

Especially look at www.tenderlovingeldercare and read the eulogy Linda wrote about her Mom who passed away a short while ago.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

As I have said before, I like doing First Lines, so I never have to face a blank page.

Here are a few more of my First Lines:

“Every time a writer puts his thoughts on paper, it’s a new beginning.

You robbed your mother of her greatest joy!

The bond between families is like elastic, it expands and contracts (during crisis) as needed.

The camera catches every flaw and this time was no different.

How can you hear, when you are so busy interrupting?

The evening shadows danced across the wall as she cringed in fear beside the bed, never taking her eyes off the gun pointed at her face.”

I hope some of you who like to write will start a short story using one of my first sentences.

It’s family time for me this week. Seeing all the family on Saturday, my birthday, and seeing each part of the family one day at a time. It’s such fun.  So no, they’re  not tired of us yet.

Please take a moment to look at my new website:

www.adoptacaregiver.org

My blog will be the same on both.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

I’m catching up. Shopping to day; Costco, Borders, and Whole Foods. Tomorrow the lawyer, next week doctor appointments.

But, today I found some new websites and they are wonderful. I forgot to write down the names, but come back tomorrow and I will name them.

I’m feeling pretty good, getting things done, papers filed. Now it’s back to writing. I started a book several years ago, and I put it away, thinking I wasn’t ready to write it yet. One of the reasons I stopped, my heroine is too angry. So I think I will have to let the readers know why she is so angry, and then I can start the story. It means giving the reader a lot of information about the heroine at the very beginning, but I think it might be necessary. Otherwise, she won’t be likable.

I am so blessed to be back with my family. My grateful list just grows and grows and grows. As long as we keep our health, we will be fine.

Happiness is in the moment. This moment. The fact that I’m sitting here blogging makes me happy.

Write your memories, keep them close to your heart. Let your families know who you are, who you really are on the inside. Include your self in writing your Memoir.

Give something back. Do a kindness every day. Tell someone something nice. Pick up the phone and call an old friend. Skip the jokes, and write something on the email.

Adopt A Caregiver. Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Tell them your friend Helene Moore sent you. Don’t know how a new caregiver feels, read my book, Behind The Mask.

Keep love and kisses in you life. Helene

www.adoptacaregiver.org is now up and running

I received a comment asking, “Is listening enough?”

No, it  is not enough. But it is a beginning. It’s a start for the caregiver to know that someone is listening, caring, and that he/she is not quite so alone. Once the listening is established and a friendship base is established, it’s easier to try to make life easier for the caregiver.Believe me, it’s as rewarding for the caregiver as for the person who adopts the caregiver. I hear that from people everywhere.

My Adopt A Caregiver idea is for supporting caregivers. Organizations do it one way, and there are many out there for caregivers to ask for help.

But, sometimes a friend helps. It lets the caregiver know that someone is out there who is listening, not judging, that they are not alone.

Listening is not enough, but it is a beginning. I hope that enough of you out there will at least think about the caregivers who are going through this traumatic experience all alone.

Look into your community, find a caregiver. Adopt A Caregiver and tell them your friend Helene Moore sent you.

Beginnings work themselves into middles and endings. Lets hope for a good ending.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Caregivers have been on my mind. There have been so many new studies and findings in Alzheimer’s Disease, as seen on many websites. One I like is the Alzheimer’s Daily News. There are so many, too many to list, but for those who just want simple articles can do in depth with the above website.

One of the big shoe companies is making a GPS tracking chip that can be used for Alzheimer’s patients who are wandeing around. The chip makes finding these people quickly a huge factor in preventing accidents.

Other news is more and more people are being diagnosed, many early onset, meaning by the age of 63. I believe in early diagnosis and doing everything you can aggressively to slow down the progress of the disease.

So, what about the caregivers? Some people are caregivers by nature. But what about the others who are thrust into the position sometimes with no warning. These people are overwhelmed, alone, feeling abandoned, scared of the future, not knowing which way to turn. We can help.

What does it take to support a caregiver. Look into your own community and find a caregiver. A community is where you work, live, go to school, play bridge, golf, or attend a social club, church,  or synagogue. It only takes a few minutes to send an email, offer to be his/her friend, let someone introduce you, someone who knows this person. Start a friendship, you remember how to do that, don’t you? Listen, learn, feel. Do not judge.

If you don’t know how it feels to be standing in a caregivers shoes, read Behind The Mask by Helene Moore. This is my secret journal written during the seven years my husband had the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. We were one of the very rare few who had the diagnosis changed. We are blessed and this is my way of giving back.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver and tell them your friend Helene Moore sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life Helene

I attended an all day workshop given by Barbara deMarco-Barrett today at UCI. She wrote, Pen On Fire, which is a great book for writing practices that work. I thoroughly enjoyed the day. Lots of writing, creativity, and fun.

Went to dinner at my daughter’s house and came home early. Tomorrow going to granddaughter’s and husband’s house for an early dinner.

And so my time goes. To the family, reading, knitting and hopefully, I will get some writing in too.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

I’m going to a day long workshop at UCI called Jumpstart your writing, given by Barbara deMarco Barrett. I can’t wait.

Only problem is the Fibromyalgia, from 10 to 5  is a very long day for me.

I’m very excited about this, it might be a breakthrough for me and my writing. I have high hopes.

No matter what, it’s all a learning experience, and I’m ready.

I know I can find a half hour a day to write, so why dont’ I? Maybe I’ll find out the answer tomorrow.

I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Blind date, no way

“What are you going to do, kill me?”

When we got married I thought we were in love; boy was I wrong.

Either pray to God or make a deal with the devil for one more day.

How long had she buried her head in the sand?

The photo came alive in her hand burning her with death; everyone in the phot was dead except her, or was she dead too?

I’m drowning in words

She had an eerie feeling it was time to pay the piper

Why now?

I am empty.

Those are just a few prompts I wrote, helping me to start writing on an empty page.

Experiment, try one or two, see where it takes you and good luck.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Some of my favorite ways to start writing are:

Open the thesaurus, find several vivid verbs, then pick a person, a place, and a thing and start writing.

Another way is to take one letter and write a story using as many words starting with that one letter. It’s fun and easy to do.

Go through some old journals and highlight events and good writing and use in an essay or anecdote.  Some good material might come out of this execise.

If you wonder about whether or not to include something in your memoir, afraid of hurting someone’s feelings, remember it’s your memoir and your memory, write it. Don’t let it stop you from writing.

When writing an email, remember that someone is reading this and you want it to read as if you were talking to this person. Make it personal, write it well, and send it knowing you did the best you could.

Send an email to someone who needs to hear from you. Forget the jokes, write something personal and meaningful so that person will want to open each and every one of your emails as soon as they get them.

Remember to support the caregivers. There are some in your community and they need a friend. Won’t you please give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver, and tell them your friend Helene Moore sent you.

If you want to stand in a caregivers shoes, my secret journal is available on this website and on Amazon. Behind The Mask, written while my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and we had to keep it a secret because he was still working as a highly functional individual.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

It’s always amazing to me to see how one thing leads to another. It could be in writing Memoirs. One memory triggers another and another and before you know it you have written several stories.

In my case, it was my own book, Behind The Mask that led to Adopt A Caregiver. Call it Bershert (meant to be) or call it one thing leading to another. After my book came out, I realized that I wanted to help support caregivers. They need the help as much as the patient does. But, who is going to be there for them?

How many times does someone call and ask, “How is the patient?”

How many times do the ask how the caregiver is doing?

There are more and more caregivers all the time and they could use some friendship and support. I call it giving back.

Give the gift that lasts forever and costs nothing. Adopt A Caregiver and tell them your friend Helene Moore sent you.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene