Saint Francis of Assisi Feast Day

Posted on October 7, 2018 by M. E. Murray

October 4, 2018 was St Francis of Assisi’s feast day. He is the patron saint of animals and the environment. Many churches and religious communities celebrate his life, and priests also bless people’s pets.

I don’t have a picture of St. Francis; however, there is a water color painting I made as a teenager at my parents’ home. For the time being, the best I can do to honor him is with picture of a statue and his prayer. I’ve had it for a long time and say it everyday. Here it is:

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

I haven’t been to a blessing of the animals. Have you been able to attend one at your church?

My second publication!

Posted on September 22, 2018 by M. E. Murray

Doing the Happy Dance!

The Quilt

by M. E. Murray

July,8, 2018 I received an email from Mr. Garry Somers telling me that my short story, “The Quilt”, was accepted for publication in the Sept. issue of The Blotter magazine. Again, I cried. My husband asked me if I was going to cry every time a publisher accepted one of my stories. Tears running down my cheeks, I found it difficult to speak, so I nodded and grabbed some facial tissues to wipe my eyes and blow my nose.

If you would like to read the story click here.

I had asked Mr. Somers, via email, if I could have a copy of the magazine. On Sept.21, 2018, I was pleasantly surprised when he sent me six courtesy copies of “The Quilt”. What a nice gentleman!

Mariachi Vargas

Posted on September 20, 2018 by M. E. Murray

Mariachi Vargas www.memurray.com.wordpress.com — Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan

August 12, 2018. My husband and I saw the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan perform at Will Rogers Auditorium.

I listen to La Ranchera 106.7, a Mexican radio station, or to KLUV 98.7 when I write. The background music doesn’t bother me. When I get caught up in writing a story, I don’t even notice the radio blaring my favorite songs.

But, this morning I was listening to La Ranchera when all of a sudden I heard the D. J. mention that the Mariachi Vargas was coming to Fort Worth. Wow! Talk about getting excited! I immediately told my husband that we had to go to the concert because this mariachi is a famous group. Seeing them perform would be a once-in-a lifetime experience. So, he ordered tickets through the internet and we went.

The performance was long, about 3 hours. Another mariachi and artists performed during the first half of the program. By the time the Mariachi Vargas appeared, I wasn’t worth shooting because of the fibromyalgia pain. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun listening to Mexican ranchera oldies.

I tried my best to take pictures with my camera, but the area was too dark. I had trouble finding the buttons on the camera, but I got some pictures. They’re not great, but at least I have them.Many folks were videotaping the performance with their smart phones. They probably got some good shots and videos.

I’m glad we went to see the mariachi. We needed a break from all the stressful moments we have experienced since the latter part of April.

Viva Mexico! Every song the mariachi played, I recognized. The best part was that they surprised me at the end of the show by playing “El Son de la Negra.”

My First Fiction Publication!

Posted on September 20, 2018 by M. E. Murray

Doing the Happy Dance!

The Yellow Ribbon

by M. E. Murray

June 7, 2018. In addition to the good news about Twister, as I finished working on one of my short stories and getting ready for supper, I saw an email whose heading indicated that one of my stories had been accepted by a publisher. I didn’t read it because I had to eat . In the kitchen, I told my husband about the email. Well, my husband is a very impatient person. He didn’t wait. He ran to my computer and read it. “It is true,” he reported. “Your story, THE YELLOW RIBBON, has been accepted by a magazine.”

I couldn’t believe it. I was very happy, but I have that Latin culture that reacts to good news by crying. So, I cried! That was my way to show that I was extremely happy. An editor appreciated my story and my writing! I was finally going to be a published writer.

If you want to read “The Yellow Ribbon” click here.

The Lord Acts in Mysterious Ways

Posted on September 12, 2018 by M. E. Murray

Title: THE LORD ACTS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS

[For the past few days, three days, the microwave in the kitchen was acting weird. The date was always off in the mornings. And the computer in the middle bedroom was beeping.] This morning I got up as usual, thanked God for being alive, did some stretching exercises, turned on the radio then worked at the computer on one of my children’s books. After spending an hour at the computer, the radio went off, and my computer issued weird messages. At about 9:30, the lights went off, my computer battery started beeping, and the cordless phone quit working. I woke up my husband to tell him that we were experiencing a blackout or potential brownout, and reported it.

I was hungry. Fortunately, Denny’s was nearby. We had a nice time eating eggs and pancakes. Afterwards, I suggested that we should go to the nearby Goodwill store to look for items for our antique business because there was a possibility that the electricity would take a while to come back . The trip to Goodwill was rewarding. I found a few children’s books and my husband found some Windbergs and pottery that he could sell at our antique business.

In the Goodwill parking lot, a young lady approached us. Her car was parked beside ours and she had bought some items also, but she wanted to see what we had purchased. It turned out that she was an illustrator. She had an art degree from Denton. We talked for a while and we had some common interests because both of us were artists. Well, she was. I was just a potential watercolor illustrator. Anyway, she gave us her personal information, phone number and email address which was very nice of her. We also shared family remembrances. Her father was a firefighter who passed away from cancer. My brother, also a firefighter, passed away in 2016. The lady was from Lipan, a city near Granbury, Texas. She told us to call her in case we needed any information about art or the usage of water colors etc.