Free The Revealing by Suzanne Woods Fisher Page A
Authors: Suzanne Woods Fisher
perfect.”
Mim gave a demure nod and darted out the door. Goodness, those Amish were always in a hurry. A cat rubbed against her as she settled at the end of the table. It must have slipped in behind Mim. Brooke thought about banishing it to the great outdoors but decided she didn’t mind a little company. Not so much.
Brooke made a grab for the small spiral-bound notebook on the table. Tomorrow, she’d begin to follow the schedule she’d set up for herself:
Rise at 6:00 Meditation
Yoga or brisk walk or hike
She picked up her pen and added:
find eagles’ aerie
Breakfast (but with such a large breakfast, perhaps she should eat, then exercise)
Construct new life plan
Lunch
Revise new life plan
Scheduled time for spontaneity. Sightsee, window-shop, explore, meet new people
Dinner
Inspirational reading, journal writing
Deep breathing exercises
Bedtime 10:00 pm
Her eyes slipped from the notebook to the Stoney Ridge Times newspaper that Mim had left under the breakfast tray. She skimmed the headlines and turned the page as her eyes caught on the Mrs. Miracle column. She nestled into the chair, happily distracted. She’d always loved advice columns.
She leaned closer to the newspaper. Interesting—this column was situated on the upper corner of page three, a perfect spot for the eye to land as the pages opened. She knew enough about newspaper layout from a journalism class in college to know this was no accident; the column must receive high traffic. She skimmed the column and found herself smiling at Mrs. Miracle’s no-nonsense advice.
Dear Mrs. Miracle,
My brother is always asking to borrow money from me. He is divorced and never pays his child support. He did, however, recently buy a 48" flat screen TV. He says he needs it so his son will come to his apartment and watch sports with him. What should I tell him the next time he asks me for money?
Yours truly,
Frustrated
Dear Frustrated,
It sounds as if your brother believes things, like a television, will solve his problems. Ironically, if he didn’t have a television in the first place, perhaps he wouldn’t be divorced and living away from his son. I wish more people lived without televisions, as I do. Maybe they would talk to each other instead of letting an electronic machine do all the talking for them. But to answer your question, the next time he asks you for money, tell him no.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Miracle
Brooke leaned back in her chair and wondered what Mrs. Miracle might say about her own current dilemma. She could just imagine how she would compose the letter:
Dear Mrs. Miracle,
I need . . . something. I need to reinvent myself. I need to change. A new mantra, a new tagline, a new reason to get up in the morning. Any advice?
Most sincerely,
Empty of Ideas
Or maybe . . .
Dear Mrs. Miracle,
My favorite aunt thinks I spend my life sailing on the wind of others’ talent. She thinks I am avoiding something by not discovering my own self. I feel there’s no point in reinventing the wheel. Why not borrow from the inspiration of others? Look at how the American public imitates celebrities. Is it so wrong to copy others? Any advice?
Most sincerely,
A Borrower
Brooke took a sip of coffee. Why not? Why not send a letter to Mrs. Miracle and see if she had an answer for her? She flipped the page of her notebook to a fresh sheet and started to write. When she finished, she found an envelope and a stamp in her purse—she traveled well prepared—addressed it, tucked the letter inside, and set it by the door to put in the mailbox on her brisk walk to find the eagles’ aerie.
Why not? Why not see what wise old Mrs. Miracle has to say?
6
M im Schrock liked to collect wildflowers and press them in a book, color intact. Virginia bluebells, coltsfoot, Dutchman’s breeches, sweet white violets. After they dried, she would carefully glue them on cards and write their botanical names underneath in her most excellent handwriting. Her mother said she was a real
Mim gave a demure nod and darted out the door. Goodness, those Amish were always in a hurry. A cat rubbed against her as she settled at the end of the table. It must have slipped in behind Mim. Brooke thought about banishing it to the great outdoors but decided she didn’t mind a little company. Not so much.
Brooke made a grab for the small spiral-bound notebook on the table. Tomorrow, she’d begin to follow the schedule she’d set up for herself:
Rise at 6:00 Meditation
Yoga or brisk walk or hike
She picked up her pen and added:
find eagles’ aerie
Breakfast (but with such a large breakfast, perhaps she should eat, then exercise)
Construct new life plan
Lunch
Revise new life plan
Scheduled time for spontaneity. Sightsee, window-shop, explore, meet new people
Dinner
Inspirational reading, journal writing
Deep breathing exercises
Bedtime 10:00 pm
Her eyes slipped from the notebook to the Stoney Ridge Times newspaper that Mim had left under the breakfast tray. She skimmed the headlines and turned the page as her eyes caught on the Mrs. Miracle column. She nestled into the chair, happily distracted. She’d always loved advice columns.
She leaned closer to the newspaper. Interesting—this column was situated on the upper corner of page three, a perfect spot for the eye to land as the pages opened. She knew enough about newspaper layout from a journalism class in college to know this was no accident; the column must receive high traffic. She skimmed the column and found herself smiling at Mrs. Miracle’s no-nonsense advice.
Dear Mrs. Miracle,
My brother is always asking to borrow money from me. He is divorced and never pays his child support. He did, however, recently buy a 48" flat screen TV. He says he needs it so his son will come to his apartment and watch sports with him. What should I tell him the next time he asks me for money?
Yours truly,
Frustrated
Dear Frustrated,
It sounds as if your brother believes things, like a television, will solve his problems. Ironically, if he didn’t have a television in the first place, perhaps he wouldn’t be divorced and living away from his son. I wish more people lived without televisions, as I do. Maybe they would talk to each other instead of letting an electronic machine do all the talking for them. But to answer your question, the next time he asks you for money, tell him no.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Miracle
Brooke leaned back in her chair and wondered what Mrs. Miracle might say about her own current dilemma. She could just imagine how she would compose the letter:
Dear Mrs. Miracle,
I need . . . something. I need to reinvent myself. I need to change. A new mantra, a new tagline, a new reason to get up in the morning. Any advice?
Most sincerely,
Empty of Ideas
Or maybe . . .
Dear Mrs. Miracle,
My favorite aunt thinks I spend my life sailing on the wind of others’ talent. She thinks I am avoiding something by not discovering my own self. I feel there’s no point in reinventing the wheel. Why not borrow from the inspiration of others? Look at how the American public imitates celebrities. Is it so wrong to copy others? Any advice?
Most sincerely,
A Borrower
Brooke took a sip of coffee. Why not? Why not send a letter to Mrs. Miracle and see if she had an answer for her? She flipped the page of her notebook to a fresh sheet and started to write. When she finished, she found an envelope and a stamp in her purse—she traveled well prepared—addressed it, tucked the letter inside, and set it by the door to put in the mailbox on her brisk walk to find the eagles’ aerie.
Why not? Why not see what wise old Mrs. Miracle has to say?
6
M im Schrock liked to collect wildflowers and press them in a book, color intact. Virginia bluebells, coltsfoot, Dutchman’s breeches, sweet white violets. After they dried, she would carefully glue them on cards and write their botanical names underneath in her most excellent handwriting. Her mother said she was a real