You help me float. And "I" am "We."

May 22, 2024

. . . of incredible change in my life.

I have just come through a COVID ordeal and am now dealing with complications from cataract surgery that may take a half-year to heal.
My mother, in her eighties, has just been diagnosed with a serious illness.
My college-age son left Friday for an exciting summer fellowship, thousands of miles away.
This week, my husband and I will embark on a cross-country road trip. Five days down the road, our paths will diverge: He’ll fly to his native China for a long-awaited visit to his family, whom he hasn’t seen since the pandemic began.
After a couple of weeks of solo travel, I’ll return home and launch final preparations for the September publication of my novel, The Singing Stick, and related events. (E.g., I’m still recording the audiobook.)
Throughout all this, Jihong and I are busy making ready for our permanent relocation from South Dakota to Catonsville, MD. For me, that big move may come as early as January, 2025.

As I navigate this demanding stretch in my life’s river, I can do little more on The Raft than (happily) try to keep it afloat.

I must choose to do less for you in the coming months, so that I can still give you my best. Thank you for understanding.

The Daily Boost will continue uninterrupted.
Staying Power will become occasional.
Deep Dives will be on pause as I reconsider how and when to do them.
The Dig will likely not continue. But writing prompts will poke up elsewhere on The Raft, as one did here.
Poetry Pick-Me-Up, Poets on the Raft, and Rafters Writing Fiction will go on meeting. (Creatives’ Coffee has drawn to a close.)
Special events will still pop up. Stay tuned!

By clicking the ♡ on Raft posts and/or leaving comments to engage with other Rafters
By restacking Raft content, forwarding it to your relatives and friends, and sharing Raft links on your social media—a way of scattering good seeds!
By participating in Raft groups, workshops, and special events
By offering suggestions
By sending me notes of appreciation and encouragement
By becoming a patron (this helps me pay my bills and keep doing what I love to do)

I know, I know . . . Surveys take time. Thought. Energy. Care.

But what you give to me through your feedback, I’ll eventually return to you, in one form or another. Because, here on The Raft, “I” am “We.”

Just click the “I’ll help now” button below. (Doesn’t work? Click this link.)

I’m doing a happy dance in advance for your kindness. (That isn’t easy to do on a Raft without getting all wet.)

See you again soon!