Shirley Belk
Bio
Mother, Nana, Sister, Cousin, & Aunt who recently retired. RN (Nursing Instructor) who loves to write stories to heal herself and reflect on all the silver linings she has been blessed with :)
Stories (350)
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When I Think About Her
When I think about her, I see the color purple (her favorite) all around me and I taste the sweetness of the Juicy Fruit gum she always had in her handbag. I could smell it before I ever saw it as the scent permeated the whole room. She had other mysteries dispersed in that bag, too...back then all the ladies carried decorated handkerchiefs wherever they went. Sometimes you could even see them stuff those squares into their pockets or their bosom for safekeeping. The fanciest ones, usually with lace, were the ones my Grandma would use when she met other ladies to play bridge.
By Shirley Belkabout a year ago in Families
Learn to be Generous
This week I have been fortunate enough to spend a good deal of quality time with Miriam Margolyes. (Even though it was from watching Netflix on my tv set.) I had never known of her existence before she sat in my living room with me. (I'm an idiot, I know, for having said that, since she has been in countless films, tv, and theatre since 1969!) But keep in mind...my life was filled with raising four children, completing a nursing degree, working and advancing in my career, entertaining and spoiling twelve grandchildren to the best of my ability, and being a caregiver to my mother in her last years. There wasn't much time for movies.
By Shirley Belkabout a year ago in Geeks
Scandinavian Christmas
I have only recently discovered the first Swedish immigrant of our family. He and his Danish wife, Anne Marie, and their six children came to America in 1904. Lars was a butter maker. He worked to make butter in a small town in Minnesota.
By Shirley Belkabout a year ago in Families
Piling Up (overwhelmed)
Is it the change of weather, the lack of sleep from cooking the Thanksgiving feast, the carbohydrate coma of afterwards, or the pressures from the upcoming property taxes due on December 1st amidst the expectation that Christmas decorations are "supposed" to have cheerfully gone up by now???? I want to know. And I want a nap. Maybe I just need vitamins. That might help. All I know is that I have managed to keep the kitchen clean at least. Kudos for me! But I see other things piling up...dust, laundry, animal care issues, and there's that ding on my windshield!
By Shirley Belkabout a year ago in Fiction
This One is for You
Dearest Cousin Henrik, Reflecting on the past, especially on the impact family members have had in my life, has been most of my Vocal "creator-ship." It's my wheelhouse...especially if you add a bit of genealogy and ancestry into that mix. But this is a story of all of that, along with a heaping dose of serendipity to give it a taste of magic. I can't take credit for any of this recipe, but my Swedish cousin, Henrik certainly can!!
By Shirley Belkabout a year ago in Humans
