WHAT THE BLOG?

I don't know whether to be embarrassed or relieved.

Until now, I have been able to veer away unimpeded from having my own blog.

Not that I have anything against them, but it was an ongoing enigma to me as to why bother investing any precious time on a questionable venture.

"I'll never have a blog," I kept telling myself. But that mantra didn't work any more.

Why?

Because I once said the same thing about joining Twitter.

So, six months after being an avid and happy twitterer, I decided to break another personal barrier, and have my own blog.

This blog would not exist if not for @Jennyablue and @JeffMeyerson .

I watched in amazement, as @Jennyablue jumped head first into the icy cold blog waters. I held my breath as she was submurged into it's undertow.

She did not sputter, cough, or even turn blue.

Instead, she emerged smiling, and her blue eyes were shinier than ever.

Wow.

For years, I held this guilty obsession with words. Into my ever present journal, I captured words and phrases which to me were precious pearls. And if not quickly written down, they would be forever lost to me. Indeed, far too many have fallen through the wooden, creaky, floorboard in my mind.

Oh, and how I dread being caught out of syntax.

Yes, my name is Doris Koren, and I am a suffering syntaxaholic. I can fuss over the arrangement of words until their true meaning has been fretted and boiled clean out of existance.

The more I read and learned about @JeffMeyerson , the more at ease I felt with the handling of my own words. Words are free for all and not meant to be encased in everlasting crystal or fearfully hoarded away.

Also, you'll notice that the furniture around here is standard and quite ordinary. Not wanting to waste any more time, I decided to pick a basic blog program instead of holding out for the deluxe version at the end of the proverbial blogging rainbow.

I don't have time for that right now. I have better things to be doing.
After all... my Twitter friends are waiting for me to come out and play.

Thank you Jeff.

Thank you Jen.

I am greatful.

Old Candles

I love candles.

Throughout my house, there are candles large and small that I have collected over the decades. My Christmas candles are particularly prized because all have come as gifts from departed loved ones.

What saddens me is that over the years, the older candles have lost a portion of their colourful charm. Their smooth texture has taken on a dusty grain.


Each year, as I place them about the house I question myself as to why they remain unused. Perhaps it would have been better if they had been put to use while they were still vibrant and new.

Maybe so.

However, what sets my heart aglow is the fact, that the moment I decide to take a match to it's waiting wick it will burn brightly, no matter how old, faded or dusty it may be.

Like these candles, I too grow older. And as oncoming years fade and dust my exterior, I have one resolute hope. May my family and loved ones always know without a doubt, that like these old candles, when lit, I will always have the potential to burn brightly into the night.