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 (345)
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Dawdling is TCB
Today I was busy and distracted by all of that "busy-ness." I had groceries to buy after the ice had melted and I could finally drive in it. I was focused and had a mission. The cold January air reminded me that I wanted to be home again where it was warm and there would be, well... less people. (I am an introvert.) The problem was that my oldest son was with me. The problem was that he is a dawdler. And he always stops to talk to all those people. (He is an extrovert.)
By Shirley Belk2 years ago in Poets
Mara & Elaine. Content Warning.
Her first grandchild! Elaine's son was beaming with pride as he brought the five month old baby girl to show his mother. He didn't know exactly what her response would be. She was only forty years old and having the time of her life after her divorce, every weekend spent dancing and laughing with friends. And Michael wasn't married to the baby's mother. "Would she accept her?" he prayed that she would.
By Shirley Belk2 years ago in Fiction
You'll Miss Me
"Oh, boy! How many times have I told you about doing this to me, Estelle?" Dent' sighed in a hushed tone. "I'm really getting tired of this, you know," he continued. (But who was he kidding, she never listened. This wasn't the first time she had tossed him around.) "Stubborn old woman!" he yelled. But he was correct, she wasn't listening. She wasn't even in earshot of him. In fact, she hadn't even missed him. "But she will soon enough," he reminded himself. "She'll come looking for me when she needs me, like she always does," (he comforted himself in that thought.)
By Shirley Belk2 years ago in Humor
Confused on National Apricot Day (January 9th)
Wow! I never knew there was a National Apricot Day. Did you? But apparently, there is. Sadly...apricots also have to vie for their day in the spotlight, along with hot air balloons, shopping for travel, static electricity, and law enforcement. I kid you not! Open this link to find out more or to get a prompt for writing:
By Shirley Belk2 years ago in Feast
January 7th: Celebrate Bobblehead Day
Way back in 1964, there was an invasion by the Brits! Well, at least four of them. These invaders had long hair and all the old timers were having a hard time with that. It was about the same time they were having a bad time with their own: American Elvis and his gyrating hips. Sorry, it would be long hair in and crewcuts out from now on. The Beatles would not be stopped!
By Shirley Belk2 years ago in Poets
Hi Vocal !
I joined Vocal in July 2020. That's when I knew I would soon be retiring and would have extra time. Writing was something I really enjoyed in high school and in college. It was just on the backburner for me while my life took twists and turns. I wish that I had done more journaling in hindsight, but I took mental snapshots of memories along the way. Most of my writing reflects those snapshots. I suppose you could call the 93 stories I see that I have published here, my photo album.
By Shirley Belk2 years ago in Motivation
(World Day of War Orphans) Write a story about a child orphaned by war.
I'll be honest. This prompt greatly conflicted me. First of all, I had no idea there was such a day alloted for orphan awareness. Secondly, I had never imagined that, in our world, the number of children that were collaterally damaged by war was so vast. I didn't know whether to be ashamed of my ignorance or angry; because now, with this knowledge, my innocence would be forever lost. My soul would demand that I learn more, pray more, do something, even ever so small.
By Shirley Belk2 years ago in Poets
