Snark & Sensibility

PLEASE WELCOME

GAIL KITTLESON

TO

HAVING THE PRIME OF MY LIFE

            Prime rib. Prime pick. Primetime. Prime real estate. We all want PRIME if we can get it.

            Then there’s In our prime.

This prime is different. About five years ago, I remember sensing that my next ten years would be especially productive. What I didn’t know? They would also be quite painful.

The thought of surgery is daunting, and we often choose this route as a last resort. So I did everything possible to avoid having my hip replaced. Even the sound of this invasive operation goes against the grain.

Have a part of your body replaced?

            Pain, though, brings us to unsought points of decision. I tried all kinds of remedies, including stem cell injections before succumbing to surgery. And the recovery seemed to take longer than any number of “miracle stories” I’d heard.

After three months, I’m still healing, but much closer to my goal—being able to walk without pain. And of course, every stitch of this experience adds to the novel fodder swirling in my head and heart.

This experience also has reminded me, in the midst of other challenges (like the Covid-19 crisis) of what previous generations suffered. The yellow fever plague that killed 5,000 in the late 1700s, Civil War diseases that killed roughly two-thirds of the war’s 660,000 victims, the 1918 influenza plague that ended the lives of fifty million human beings. Ah, yes. Many of these people might have quipped that they were in the prime of their lives.

During the past year, I joined with fellow author Cleo Lampos to create two non-fiction companion books released in October 2020. The more I research, the more space for gratitude is carved out in my heart. Gratitude for modern medicine, although it’s certainly imperfect. Gratitude for wisdom to keep ourselves healthy. Gratitude for our bodies’ amazing ability to heal.

Yep, it’s definitely the prime of my life.

ABOUT GAIL KITTLESON

Starting in her mid-fifties, Gail gave herself to writing. Late-blooming has its ups and downs, but with no time to waste, she has released ten books so far, most of them women’s historical fiction in the World War II era.

Gail believes wartime has a great deal to teach us, and revels in honoring Greatest Generation heroines and heroes who gave their all for the cause of liberty. She writes from Northern Iowa, where she and her husband enjoy gardening, grandchildren, and learning from history. Gail delights in encouraging other writers, and to that end, facilitates workshops and retreats whenever possible.

WHERE TO CONNECT WITH GAIL

Gail Kittleson
http://www.gailkittleson.com/
www.facebook.com/GailKittlesonAuthor
http://amazon.com/author/gailkittleson
www.twitter.com/GailGkittleson @GailGkittleson
@gailkittlesonauthor (Instagram)

ABOUT 1942: THE FOOD THAT HELD THE WORLD TOGETHER

Save money the easy way—grow a garden. It’s thrifty, it’s patriotic! Plant today! 

Because of wartime rationing, World War II folks faced fresh challenges to feed their families. The thought of running out of food or not being able to make ends meet led to a great effort—many of these citizens had not s long ago survived the hunger of the Great Depression.

Many people are familiar with the concept of victory gardens, but does this seemingly quaint, archaic practice have more to teach us today?

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ABOUT 1942: A WORLD WAR II HOLIDAY SCRAPBOOK

Home For Christmas…home for snow and mistletoe!

For most of the twelve million men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, these words were wishful thinking.

From the moment President Roosevelt announced the Pearl Harbor attack, every corner of the nation experienced change. In little towns all across this great land, families said good-bye to sons and daughters as they went off to a brutal war. Many believed that, with America’s involvement, the war would be over by the next Christmas.

Alas, this was not to be. Many families would not spend Christmas with their families until 1946 or ’47.  Rationing made traditional gift-giving impossible, and communities pulled together to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.

These are their stories.

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