It doesn’t matter what the size, shape or composition, family matters to both young and old alike.  In fact, our family has extraordinary influence on our identity and sense of self, our self-esteem, view of the world, the ability to delay gratification, our capacity to problem-solve; also, our motivational drive, ability to love and commit, ability to be loved, attitude toward life, personal values, sense of integrity and ethics — the list goes on and on but the bottom line is that our families provide us with the foundation for our character and the way we handle our lives and our relationships, good or bad, that we carry with us the rest of our lives.

And yes, parents or primary caregivers carry the greatest burden for all of this.  Yet the larger family – brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, etc. – have not only an impact on our character and development, but can be the saving grace to us when our parents/primary caregivers fail us.

So What’s Behind THE ADVENTURES OF THE CEDARWOOD KIDS?

Writing about family and family activities is just my way of pointing out this importance that family matters.  I don’t mean to imply perfection on my or my family’s part; reality is no family is perfect and no family always gets along. A universal truth is that anything that involves humans will have flaws and imperfections, for we as humans are imperfect creatures.   But to make a family ‘work’ and not only provide the foundation for growing children but the ongoing support for adults, it takes effort on everyone’s part – again, no matter the composition.

And yet with all the best intentions, family members will get their feelings hurt or get twisted off about something.  The main thing is to realize that making a family ‘work’ is well worth all the efforts, which includes forgiving and letting go.  Now that is not always easy and it isn’t to say that there aren’t times when folks need to confront a family member, but the goal should always be to work towards a resolution and reconciliation – not just get things off your chest or prove your point or prove you were wronged.

So, as I write my children stories, I purposely choose to focus on the good and  fun times, the joys of living, the delight in children being children and adults enjoying the kids in the family and their antics.  There are just so many memorable moments in our lives with our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews;  yet we seldom take the time to write these down.  And certainly, we lose track of them through the years as memories fade.

Another important element for me as I write these children’s books is that I strive to teach through my writings some basic principles of healthy living.  After providing Christian Counseling services for 30 years, I can say with fervency that even the best of folks who are trying to have meaningful and functional relationship don’t always know the basic principles for healthy living.  So I work hard to place these inside or point them out in the stories.

I’ve written a lot of stories over the past 10 years based on real life events; yes, I have a stockpile of stories.  GRACIE BECOMES A ROCK STAR is just the first story I wrote and was the inspiration to get me to start writing regularly the special, unique and memorable events in our family.  Part of the culture in our family, and I know many other families are the same way, is to enjoy retelling stories on each other as we gather for family meals, celebrate holidays, birthdays and other family milestones. It’s funny how the same story over the years remains funny and sometimes even grows. And of course, some of the best and favorite stories are embarrassing to the particular family member who ‘stars’ in the story.

But it is the re-telling and the laughter and teasing that binds us together and brings such joy and fun to family gatherings.  And that’s part of why family matters.

I hope you’ll stick around to read some of my other stories; I’m in the process of having a second story published as I write this post.  Coming soon (and soon is a relative expression in the publishing world) is LOGAN’S CAMPFIRE VICTORY POOP.  Poor child, he will be hearing this story for the rest of his life!!  But he did give me permission to share it.

THE ADVENTURES OF THE CEDARWOOD KIDS are the stories of a group of young cousins (and their families), who live life fully and completely as only children can. And as they visit their grandparents at the family farm, CedarWood, they learn about nature, country living,  safety, and the fun that can be experienced away from the technology, the TV shows and city life. Oh, family life and family matters are all a part of the stories too!

I’m excited about this book series so I hope you will join as each book rolls out.  ml