May 28, 2021
Hello ,
This week an email popped up in my inbox to from my editor to tell me about unexpected problems with my upcoming book Close Up On War.
Nothing that cannot be fixed, but it required me to drop everything and comb the manuscript once again. Today I'll submit the necessary revisions while waiting for the book design team to figure out things on their end.
Due to a hectic week, I'm sharing a story I wrote several years ago. To my American readers, please join me in taking a moment this coming weekend to remember and honor those who served and died in our nation’s wars.
There are countless war dead to honor, but I remember the story of Lori Piestewa's in order to have a name and face that makes the day's celebration real to me.
Lori was the first American woman to die in our war with Iraq in 2003, and the first-ever Native American woman to die in combat on foreign soil.
I have childhood memories of picking flowers with my mom from bushes in our yard on Memorial Day to take to the cemetery. In the State of Washington this time of year is vibrant with blooms everywhere you look.
Here's a shot of our state flower the "Coast Rhododendron" growing in my back yard. Our dry weather in Eastern Washington means it looks pretty spindly and forlorn most of the year. But when it blooms, you can almost believe you're in Coastal Washington.
