Dear Reader

Is it REALLY hard?

Why do I think things are hard? I started this sentence with one thing in mind, then thought of another, then another – all things I think are hard. Lately I’ve been remembering my friend Mina.

Mina taught me a lesson I sometimes remember. When she was a little girl, her parents brought her to Dunedin to visit us. We decided to walk up Baldwin Street, officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s steepest street. It has a maximum gradient of 19 degrees (or a 1:2.86 ratio). Here’s a photo to show what this gradient means in ‘real life’.

We set off to walk the approximately 350m to the top of the street, Mina holding hands as we walked up the steps, happily counting as she went – 1-10 in English, 1-10 in Farsi, and 1-10 in German – all the way to the top.

While we were a trifle tired by the time we got to the top, Mina caught sight of Neil, who had walked ahead and ran to him.

Mina didn’t know it was steep. She didn’t know it was hard. She was enjoying the walk and enjoying our company. You can see from her face that she’s just excited to be with her friends. And you can see from this photo the steepness of Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world.

I’ve come to realise thinking ‘it’s hard’ is a learned experience. Because Mina isn’t unique in how small children haven’t learned yet that things are hard, sometimes too hard to perservere.

Today I saw this on YouTube. I turned the sound off to get a better sense of the efforts and achievement of this little fellow.

I would never think I could lift this tyre – never in a million years! Maybe if I used my lungs like he’s doing I might! But this little chap had no doubts. He wanted to lift that tyre. He wanted to roll that tyre. He did it!

Bit like the little engine that could. “I think I can” is a great mantra.

These three little examples are a great reminder to us all that our limitations are often those we set for ourselves.

Are all things possible?

I don’t want you to think that I think we can do everything we wish by changing how we think about it. We recently watched a documentary called 14 Peaks – Nothing is Impossible.

Nepali mounaineer, Nirmal Purja (Nims), embarked on an ‘impossible quest to summit all 14 of the word’s peaks over 8,000 metres in seven months. He called his quest: “Project Possible.” Nims had a mindset that he could achieve his quest. He trained, he gathered his team, when funding wasn’t forthcoming, he and his wife mortgaged their home to help him set about achieving his goal.

This documentary is well worth watching. If only to show a mindset worth emulating.

Some notable quotes from the documentary that are inspirational for me include:

And what about this for me?

I have to admit that this last quote is one that I’ve had challenges around all my life. “Living in the past” has certainly been a major stumbling block. “Why will it be any different now?”

Limitations are not only physical. Emotional limitations are often as debilitating.

Last night I was despondent, feeling hopeless about the state of the world – “Why are we humans all over the world doing this to each other?” was my soul’s cry.

I’m grateful I can talk to my husband about the way I feel. Hearing the words I say often is enough to help me change the thoughts which then change the feelings. Knowing he’s there for me and doesn’t try to convince me why I shouldn’t feel the way I do helps more than I can say.

This morning we had a brief discussion about what little things we can do to make a difference. Hope rekindled, heart warmed again, and I’m back on track wanting to live to 140!

Today’s inspiration from my daily thoughts brought a smile to my face:

And today, I see so many things to appreciate, from the warmth of the sun on this winter’s day to a walk around the park followed by coffee at our favourite cafe and a catch-up with friends, to a lively chat with our neighbours who have sold their home and are moving into a retirement village. So much to appreciate.

Mind thoughts and my prior belief in limitations are now reset. I’m hopeful that we (humanity) can make meaningful change, lift others in ways that perhaps only we can, and remember that there’s always a rainbow after the storm. We are not alone in wanting change and an outpouring of love for each other, regardless of where we live, who we are, what systems we live under.

I can’t climb mountains, not like Nims Purja – but I can climb my own personal mountains, slay my personal dragons, put to rest the limiting effects of the illusions of past events and be better today at what I do than I was yesterday. Looking forward, not backwards.

Eye Health Update

Finally, with regards to my over four months trials with my sight, optimism reigns supreme! The last couple of days have confirmed that I am ready to have my eyes tested for a new prescription!

Wearing my old glasses is like being aware it’s time to see the optometrist. I’ve made an appointment and next time I will have an update on what she thinks the progression has been. And her recommendations.

Maybe I’ll have new glasses soon. Maybe not. What this past few months has taught me is to be patient with my body as it heals and give it the very best treatment I can – whether it’s professional, dietary, or that famous old faithful – self care. I’ve learned a lot and I’m grateful for all those who’ve been on this journey with me.

Thank you!

With love
Stephanie

Why I Write – for you and for me too.

Some stories come from lived experience, like navigating my son’s addiction and the long road of recovery. Others are shaped by imagination, like the cozy mystery I’m writing, set in a small café where trust is both tested and rebuilt. Some of my life stories still bring tears. Others make me smile. And many are filled with memories that warm my heart.

I write for anyone who’s ever carried a burden across generations, and for anyone who longs to heal forward.

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“My religion is kindness”

Dalai Lama

“Cast your bread upon the waters and it will
come back – buttered”

Doris May Payne – my mother

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,
please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

FOLLOW ME
Join me on my Substack.
Like, post and comment at any of the links below.

​​​

​

Dear Reader

I’ve had a challenging, and rewarding, two weeks. Bear with me as I put together a few seemingly unrelated things to give you a picture. It’s left me feeling hopeful and excited at the possibilities for a future of greater clarity and depth to the resilience I know is mine.

I hope you glean something from my writings that will give you courage to find something that works for you too, in your own way, for your own challenges.

The Four Agreements

Have you read Don Miguel Ruiz’ book The Four Agreements? I’ve been reminded of these agreements lately – through my own thoughts and actions, I’m sorry to admit. I love how this little book helps realign my thinking and brings me out of a downward spiral.

The second and third agreements are most relevant to my story although I can relate to the first and last as well!

While I don’t always recognise I am taking things personally, I have to admit I have been so very angry lately and it’s mainly because of the assumptions I’ve been making about our new neighbour.

• I’ve been angry at this new neighbour who rented out the house he bought and subdivided off the back part of his land. Almost at once, he started doing the work to get the section ready for sale. New driveway, fences, connections to power, gas, fibre, water and stormwater. All down our narrow right-of-way (ROW). AND all without any communication with the other residents.

I’ve been angry on behalf of every one of us. Angry to the extent I was about to explode! I was taking this personally – and above all, making assumptions that the new neighbour was deliberately being disrespectful of us and ignoring our safety and peace of mind.

I’ve been breaking the second and third agreements big time.

• My niece Jane sends me little motivating thoughts every now and then. Last Thursday she sent this:

On Wednesday, before I received Jane’s message, I was beginning to learn the truth of this. While I was having a blissful massage, events were unfolding to give me what I was asking for: to meet our new neighbour and get some communication going to let us all know who, what, when people were expected down the ROW. Add in a little consideration for those needing access and I’ll be happy.

While I was on the massage table, the workers installing a connection to the stormwater cut through the gas pipe. Three fire trucks, sirens blaring, and the gas installers came and all the residents were evacuated out to the footpath.

To be honest, I am grateful I wasn’t there. I’m ashamed to say, I would have exploded, given the depth of my anger. As it was, when I came home, all the drama had subsided. And now I wasn’t the only one ready to get some communication going. The owner came to see what had happened and we got to discuss our concerns with him. My impression on meeting him is he’s a lovely person. He acknowledges he’s been busy and just not as thoughtful as he ought to have been. A more rational me can see this and ‘forgive’ him.

As a result of the gas pipe being cut, by the end of the day I had the agreement of everyone concerned with the ROW to form a WhatsApp chat group so we could air our concerns and, most importantly, be informed by the owner of the work. Our new neighbour is in agreement.

• By Friday morning I was feeling relieved. Yet I was unaware of another storm brewing. This time – again it was related to me making assumptions and taking things personally. Result: disappointing myself and others.

I have to remind myself to be gentle with me. Time to reread The Four Agreements and pick up the copy of his new book: The Fifth Agreement – “Be skeptical but learn to listen”. I’m learning this too!

• Then, on Saturday I popped in to see my daughter who had just returned from two weeks in Australia. She reminded me that when we aren’t looking after our own needs our emotions sometimes run away with us. Makes sense. What with the stress of my recent eye problems and the uncertainty of change in our little community, I’ve lost sight of the bigger picture of what my soul needs.

This is my self-appointed task now – find something to make my heart sing, every day. I’m reminding myself of all those things I share about self care. It’s not just for the BIG things in life, but for every moment of the day.

I started with the garden and noticing a spectacular showing of spring bulbs in the middle of winter. So apt.

It’s not Spring yet, is it?

Tulips are my favourite spring bulbs. I’ve planted them in three places this year. Here’s the first of them to push through and share with us their beauty.

I’m grateful for the healing power tulips have to soothe my self-inflicted wounded soul.

• Finally, today (21st) I extended my self care with a session with my naturopath. I told her my embarrassing feelings of anger. I love this woman and her techniques.

Have you heard of kinesiology? She uses it to identify what’s affecting my body – look it up if you’re interested. Short summary of our visit, and very relevant to my situation, she’s identified a situation called Pyrrole Disorder. This is the introduction from a 9-page document she sent me explaining Pyrroles.

If you identify with these two brief descriptions, I’m happy to share the document with you! Just reply to this email.

I recognise myself in these paragraphs. If you don’t see this in me, I’m so very very grateful! If you do, I apologise!

I’m now taking Vitamin B and Magnesium which are some of the nutrients not properly absorbed in the pyroluric sufferer.

Another thing I learned today is: Pyrrole Disorder runs in families. I’ll be sharing this document and information with my family, for sure!

All this leads me to a little update on the ongoing saga of my eyesight.

Health Update

Oh dear! I really thought that after my last update that things would get better and better and I’d be reporting that I’m back to normal.

Things are improving. I am reading – via Kindle only, and that’s wonderful. So many books to read! I’m toying with getting a subscription for audio books but prefer to read.

I’m still enjoying life. In amongst the ‘horror’ of the last few days, I am able to wear just ONE PAIR OF GLASSES – instead of my piggybacked duo.

However, I’ve received the written report from my last ophthalmologist appointment. I’m learning more about the eyes – more than I ever knew or thought I’d need to know. He’s used some terms I’ve never heard of or considered before. He suggests I will have to adjust to a new form of ‘normal’.

It seems that the catalyst for the whole sorry event will probably never be clear.

What he’s identified is a weakness in the extraocular muscle pulley mechanism (known as snagging orbit syndrome). Briefly, this means my eyes do not align properly in all directions of gaze. Practially speaking, both eyes don’t move together and I don’t see clearly when looking down. This situation makes it awkward going down stairs, over rough ground etc. Prognosis – be careful! And it may improve.

It is encouraging to me that I have progressed to a single pair of glasses. I anticipate this will continue and that come September, or earlier, I will have a new prescription. Certainly I’ll be talking with my optician by then.

My visit to the naturopath, and her use of kinesiology, gives me hope that this weakness in the pulley situation may improve. I’m encouraged by having better vision with my glasses which have the earliest prescription of the pair.

We all have bad days. When yours come, I hope you find ways to give yourself hope. Perhaps you will gain some insight from my niece’s little message, my daughter’s insight about needing self care, and from Don Miguel Ruiz’ The Four Agreements.

With love
Stephanie

Why I Write – for you and for me too.

Some stories come from lived experience, like navigating my son’s addiction and the long road of recovery. Others are shaped by imagination, like the cozy mystery I’m writing, set in a small café where trust is both tested and rebuilt. Some of my life stories still bring tears. Others make me smile. And many are filled with memories that warm my heart.

I write for anyone who’s ever carried a burden across generations, and for anyone who longs to heal forward.

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“My religion is kindness”

Dalai Lama

“Cast your bread upon the waters and it will
come back – buttered”

Doris May Payne – my mother

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,
please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

FOLLOW ME
Join me on my Substack.
Like, post and comment at any of the links below.

​​​

​

Dear Reader

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

This is an exerpt from my introductory post on my new Substack.

Some stories come from lived experience, like navigating my son’s addiction and the long road of recovery. Others are shaped by imagination, like the cozy mystery I’m writing, set in a small café where trust is both tested and rebuilt. Some of my life stories still bring tears. Others make me smile. And many are filled with memories that warm my heart.

I write for anyone who’s ever carried a burden across generations, and for anyone who longs to heal forward.

Stories we wrestle with

One of the many stories I wrestled with for over 70 years was my near drowning at age 4. Four-year-old me knew my mother tried to drown me. From that moment on, I never trusted her. Over the years, we battled a lot. We were civil with others around. It was only when we were alone that we allowed ourselves to be brutally honest.

Over the years I came to understand her – she had an abusive childhood, never knew her parents … you can imagine the rest. She died in 2003. Whenever I thought of her, my four-year-old self popped in, reminding me not to be too charitable. “Remember, she tried to drown you when you were only four!”

At last I found a way to set down the weight of that old story.

This year, in March, I read that we can reframe our stories, tell them how we wanted them to be. What we wished had happened. How an imagined outcome would have shaped the following years.

I decided to rewrite my 73 year old trauma story, as a piece of fiction – different names, different outcome. As I wrote, I realised another truth of that event. Since then, my heart has been lighter, I talk and laugh with my mother like she is still alive and we have become best friends.

I’ve learned it’s never too late to rewrite the stories we wrestle with,

And I want to share that rewritten event with you. Skip to the end if you don’t want to read it all. I won’t be offended.

​

The Fruit Knife

The two women sat companionably talking. Denise took out a small package, hesitated, then fondled it for a moment before pushing it across the table. Her fingers trembled slightly.

“I bought this for you when you were four,” she said, rubbing her hands together, then clenching them in her lap, trying to still their shaking.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. “I remember what happened when I was four, you know.” Her voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it. “Why give this to me now?”

She hesitated before unwrapping it, her fingers brushing over the faded wrapping paper, brittle with age.

“I found it when I was sorting through some things,” Denise muttered. “I thought it was time I gave it to you.”

She should have given the little fruit knife to Sarah years ago – right after she bought it. Maybe things would have been different between them. But she had wanted to be sure Sarah would keep it. Her daughter had always been careless with gifts, something Denise had noticed from an early age. No matter how carefully she chose them, they never seemed to stay in Sarah’s possession. Over the years, she had spotted her gifts on friends, cousins, even strangers.

“Oh, they needed it more than I did,” Sarah would say with a shrug, as if that were reason enough to discard the carefully chosen tokens of love.

But this knife was different. It had meant more than any other gift she had ever given anyone. She had clung to it, unable to part with it, though she had never fully understood why.

Now, at last, she had given it to Sarah. And her daughter remembered. Denise had not realised, not until this moment, how much that day had haunted her, too.

“You tried to drown me.”

The words landed like a blade to the gut – sharp, deep, unrelenting. Not the gentle fruit knife, but a butcher’s boning knife, slicing through decades of unspoken resentment.

Denise recoiled but forced herself to remain still. The air between them felt heavy, electric with things left unsaid. She had come too far to run now.

“Please,” she said softly, “let me tell you how it happened for me.”

Sarah’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded.

When Sarah was four, they had gone to Mooloolaba for their annual summer holiday. Denise had always loved the water and had hoped, desperately, that this would be the year her daughter would learn to love it too. Every day, she had coaxed her into the waves, had held her hands and laughed with her as the water surged around them. Sarah had clung to her tightly, but by the second week, she had started to relax, even jumping up and down in the shallows.

Denise had felt a flicker of triumph, a moment of ease. Then a rogue wave crashed into them, knocking her off balance. She lost her grip on Sarah. They tumbled, tossed and swallowed by the sea.

Denise had panicked, flailing in the water, desperate to find her little girl. When she finally stumbled back onto the shore, gasping, Sarah had already been pulled from the water by her father. She had turned her back on Denise, refusing to look at her, refusing to speak to her for a week.

Sarah had never forgiven her. And now Denise understood. Sarah had believed, all this time, that she had held her down.

Denise swallowed hard. “I was mortified. It didn’t matter what your father said, I knew you hated me. I searched everywhere for the perfect gift, something to show you how much I loved you. And then I found this knife. It was tucked away in a little haberdashery store, nestled among odds and ends of cutlery. I thought you’d love it, that you’d use it in your tea parties with your dolls. I wanted it to be a bridge between us.”

Sarah looked down at the small knife, still resting in its purple velvet sleeve. “But you never gave it to me. And you never told me you were sorry.”

Denise’s breath hitched. She had meant to give it to her that very night. But she had hesitated. What if Sarah lost it? What if she gave it away? All her relief that she hadn’t drowned her own child had become bound up in the small, fragile thing. So she had waited. And waited. And waited.

Every year, just after Christmas, she would take it out, turn it over in her hands, and decide it still wasn’t the right time.

Denise sighed, the weight of years pressing against her ribs. “I never understood you,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “Not as a child. Not even now.”

Sarah traced the handle of the knife with her fingertip, lost in thought.

“Do you realise how that moment shaped my whole life?” Her voice was thick with emotion, her fingers tightening around the knife. “I thought you meant to drown me. I still feel the fear of it – the saltwater choking me, the waves swallowing me whole, the terror of knowing I was alone. And I thought… I thought I couldn’t trust you.”

Tears streamed down her face, unchecked, unhidden. She pulled the knife from its sheath and stared at it.

Denise held her breath.

Sarah’s grip loosened. She exhaled, slowly, looking up at her mother with something unreadable in her eyes.

“You didn’t mean to drown me.”

A statement. A realisation.

“No,” Denise whispered. “I didn’t.”

Sarah looked down at the knife again.

“This knife…” Her voice broke slightly. “You kept it all these years?”

Denise nodded.

Sarah swallowed hard, then slid the knife back into its sheath and closed her fingers around it.

The weight of it felt different now. Not a weapon. Not a wound. But something else entirely.

“Why did you wait so long?” she asked.

Denise shook her head. “I don’t know.”

For the first time in years, she reached across the table and covered Sarah’s hand with her own. And, for the first time in years, Sarah didn’t pull away.

Stephanie Hammond, © March 2025

​

What story are you holding on to? Is it time to reframe it? The freedom I feel from releasing the weight of that old story is priceless. I laugh about that now, and rejoice in being able to heal from the fears that stemmed from my interpretation of that event. It may be true – I know that. But in all honesty, I prefer Denise and Sarah’s story. What about you? Can you rewrite your old stories?

​

Health Update

I’m enjoying life again! Not fully back to ‘normal’ – but I’m writing and being more physical. Still not reading and gym work is minimal compared to what I was doing.

However, my final visit to the ophthalmologist was an eye opener.

His verdict – no eye exercises. Keep wearing my piggybacked glasses, add the reading ones too if I can handle the weight, and my eyes should settle on their own, by September. If not, the solution is simple. Get a new prescription.

Simple – and I”m relieved, as you can imagine. The piggybacked glasses are heavier than a single pair, but I can deal with that. And it’s July. So two more months at the most, and I’ll be much more comfortable.

In the meantime, I’m looking after myself with as much exercise as I can handle, getting stronger, enjoying the winter sun today as I write this. Life is good.

Thank you again for your well wishes. I feel your kind thoughts for healing. It helps, believe me.

With love
Stephanie

​

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“My religion is kindness”

Dalai Lama

“Cast your bread upon the waters and it will
come back – buttered”

Doris May Payne – my mother

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,
please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

FOLLOW ME
Join me on my Substack.
Like, post and comment at any of the links below.

​​​

​

Dear Reader

Advice from a book summary

I came across a post in Facebook discussing a book the writer had previously read. The title appealed to me, and, as I’m still not reading, I enjoyed her summary It might appeal to you, if you’ve ever wished you’d kept your mouth shut too.

One quote from the book struck a chord with me and brought back a flood of memories,

“Just Because You Can Say It Doesn’t Mean You Should: Karen opened with something that immediately gripped me: the freedom to speak doesn’t come with the license to say everything. She shared moments where her unchecked words caused unintended pain. I found myself nodding, remembering times I let honesty trump kindness. This lesson made me pause and ask: Is what I’m about to say helpful, or just a reaction? For anyone with a quick tongue or a tendency to “tell it like it is,” this truth humbles and heals.”

I was reminded of a time a group of us women were chatting over morning tea. I can’t remember how an absent member’s name came up (I’ll call her Trina) but soon I was mouthing off about her choice of husband. “Trina is so beautiful, inside and out. Why do you think she married Bill? He’s such a slob compared to her.” I probably illustrated this comment with some unkind (but true) observations.

Then I was interrupted by a quiet voice telling us of a discussion she’d had with Bill’s sister. “She was full of praise for Trina, and deep gratitude for the changes they’d seen in Bill since Trina came into his life.” Not one word of censure came from her mouth, but I got the message, loud and clear.

I could tell you about many times I wished I had understood that just because I can say it (and even when it needed to be heard) it doesn’t mean I should take it on myself to be the one telling it. It’s enough to say I’ve learned over the years to not have such a ‘quick tongue’ and to check whether it is my place to ‘tell it like it is’,

When I can read comfortably again, I’m going to read Karen Ehman’s book. I’m sure she has a lot to teach me still!

In the midst of winter, new growth foreshadows spring

It was a cold, frosty morning yesterday. Still the frog from last newsletter smiled in the sunshine. And more than this sweet inanimate creature, new growth is pushing its way into the light.

Tulips are one of my favourite flowers and now I see why. In the midst of cold and darkness (metaphorically or otherwise) tulips bravely pushing through the cold earth into the light give me a clear reminder that there is indeed “light at the end of the tunnel”. Before their promise is fully realised, they have gladdened my heart and confirmed hope into my day.

I’m being reflective lately. That comes from not being able to engage in a lot of busy-ness.

Health Update

A couple of days ago I drove the car by myself for the first time in several weeks – to the supermarket. And I shopped by myself as well. It was a joy. Neil reminded me that on a recent walk I read the weird text on a car’s personal numberplate before he could – confirming what I’d hoped – I’m either getting used to my “piggy-backed” glasses, or my sight is improving. So I took myself off to the supermarket, up and down the aisles, filling the trolley with the supplies we needed, and home again with no stress or mishap. Proud of myself.

Fun fact: “Piggy-backing” glasses – wearing two pairs as I’ve been doing for the past couple of weeks – is a ‘technical’ term used by my optometrist.

My trip to the optometrist has left me optimistic. No new prescription, but a way forward nevertheless. She is reluctant to give me a new prescription because, in her opinion, my double vision will benefit from some eye exercises to strengthen the eye muscles. She thinks a new prescription will act as a crutch and further weaken the muscles, resulting in a need for a stronger prescription, and an increase once more in this double vision problem I’m currently experiencing. Makes sense to me.

These eye exercises will be determined by an ophthalmologist specialising in strabismus (a vision condition where the eyes don’t properly align with each other when looking at an object). This condition was identified by the ophthalmologist I saw a couple of weeks ago and confirmed by the optometrist.

It appears the best person in Hamilton has just retired and working just one day a week, only seeing existing patients. It happens that I saw him briefly a few years ago when he was consulted by a fellow ophthalmologist who was examining my eyes and the double vision. This was enough to encourage him to see me and I have an appointment with him this week.

It’s been about three months or more now since this problem started. I am forever amazed and grateful that I’ve been seen by the right person every step of the way – in the right sequence to diagnose and build up a picture of what’s happening and who can help me at the next step.

I’m hopeful that the exercises will help and then it will be time to see whether I will need to continue with my current glasses, and/or what prescription will work. And I’m wondering if, at this stage in my life, will my eye muscles respond to a programme of exercises? I suspect yes, and why not? The rest of my body has been enjoying the strength training I’ve been doing at the gym this past few months and I’ve been building muscles. There’s no doubt, in my mind, that my eye muscles will enjoy that too!

Watch this space!

Thank you for your well wishes. It means a lot to know you are sending kind thoughts for healing in my direction.

With love
Stephanie

​

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“My religion is kindness”

Dalai Lama

“Cast your bread upon the waters and it will
come back – buttered”

Doris May Payne – my mother

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,

please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

Join my Reader’s Group on Facebook.​

FOLLOW ME Like, post and comment at any of
the links below.

​​​​

​

Dear Reader

I love this frog!

It was a cold morning here in Hamilton. Cold and full of sunshine when we opened our lounge windows to be greeted by this cheery fellow. He was happy to see the sun too. He reminds me to enjoy the warmth of the sun, even in the cold of winter!

The best character strength to teach your children

This is a little book I wrote, and ten-year-old granddaughter Bella illustrated, about 15 years ago. There’s a back story about Beatrice, but I’ll share that another time. In this story she learns about compassion, a trait akin to kindness. If you’re curious, it’s free to download on Amazon Kindle.

I picked up my copy of this little book and started to think about kindness. I thought about the Dalai Lama who said My religion is kindness. Although I don’t embrace any formal religion, my own spirituality is informed and shaped by this sentiment. My religion, if I have to have one, is kindness.

Beatrice’s story led me to think about the people who have shown kindness to me over the years – those who extended a learning opportunity. As a mother of youngsters, I was forever hearing ‘It’s not fair!’ and I struggled to be both fair and to take into account each child’s unique need at the time. My friend Betty saw my struggle and shared with me how she had stopped yielding to the call for “fairness” and instead focussed on sharing the practice of being kind with her brood.

I found that accentuating the kindness in the situation took the stress away. I notice an enduring element of kindness in all my children, and their children, that warms my heart. Focusing on kindness brought an element into our lives that lead to new activities like ‘being a pixie’.

We played ‘pixies’ often. We’d choose someone to do something nice or something kind for. The aim was to do it without the person ever knowing it came from you. If the person found out, we would start over. I loved seeing the fun we had thinking up ‘kind’ acts for our family, neighbours and friends. We all loved the ‘secret’ element of the game.

Years ago when I was a young widow struggling to manage my home and two young children, I was given my first lesson in the importance of accepting kindness. I was struggling to start my lawn mower. My neighbour jumped the fence and offered to start it for me, which I gratefully accepted. Then, to my horror, he started to mow the lawn. I’ll never forget what he said when I protested:

“Why would you deny me the blessings that come from helping you?” That shut down my protests.

Today I have experienced an abundance of others’ kindnesses to me. I’ve also had the opportunity to be kind to someone else. It amazes me how good it feels to do something kind. All this in one day.

Neil and I went for a walk. We were stopped by a woman whose phone was out of battery. She was so apologetic as she asked for directions. I reassured her it was not a problem and we opened our phone to the maps and showed her what route to take. She was grateful, but it wasn’t only her gratitude that got me. It was my own gratitude that we actually were asked, that she felt safe to stop us and ask us for help. It was a bonus that we actually could help her.

These memories and experiences have made me more determined to accept someone else’s offers of assistance. There is joy in receiving and there is joy in giving. I want to give that joy, and receive it as well

Today was a day of lots of kindnesses observed, received, and given. I look forward to more of the same in the days and weeks ahead.

​

Health Update

I have to admit I was falling into a fit of depression last week. The headaches still haven’t cleared and the struggles with my double vision have been debilitating.

I have two pairs of glasses with prism prescriptions. Through the day one or the other pair would give me a bit of relief, not enough and not long enough to trust it to last. So still not driving. I started to feel sorry for myself. And then stopped and thought. There has to be a way!

I wondered what it would be like if I tried both pairs of glasses at the same time. It was a distraction to take me from the frustration. Maybe I’d think of something that would help if I played around with how I was feeling. BUT! I was surprised at the result.

When I put both pairs on, one on top of the other, I could see 90% perfectly! Enough for me to call out to Neil – “Let’s go for a long walk! I can see!”

So, although those pesky health challenges are still with me, I can find some relief! I still can’t drive, or read a book and computer work is tiring. But I will see the optometrist this week and I am hopeful she will have some positive solutions for me!

May you find joy in both receiving and extending kindness over the coming weeks.

With love
Stephanie

​

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“My religion is kindness”

Dalai Lama

“Cast your bread upon the waters and it will
come back – buttered”

Doris May Payne – my mother

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,

please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

Join my Reader’s Group on Facebook.​

FOLLOW ME Like, post and comment at any of
the links below.

​​​​

​

Dear Reader

Wedding Anniversary

I am soooo excited. This week Neil and I celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. The photo I’m sharing sits on our kitchen wall as a reminder of that beautiful day. I often look at the photo of Neil and see how happy he was then. I look so I can check if I still see that joy today. Last time I looked though, my eyes fell on my face and the joy I see reflected there grabbed at my heart in recognition that I still feel that joy now – seven fold.

We’ll celebrate the day with a meal at our favourite restaurant – with my oldest and youngest daughters who, of all our children, are the only ones who live in our area. It’s going to be a fun, loving time!

I’ve experienced many adventures in my life, each one giving me memories that build on each other. Some of course haven’t always been easy to cope with at the time. One day, I’ll write that book I’ve been threatening to write – the “tell all” story about my life.

Since we met, just shy of 15 years ago, Neil and I’ve enjoyed quite a few adventures. Today, I’m thinking of the adventures marriage to Neil has brought into my life. Those that surprise and please me the most though, are the things he says. If you overheard him, you’d wonder what is extraordinary about his words that could surprise me. It’s the context, you see. He says things that warm my heart because, in the past, in the distant past I’m thankful to say, I was told the opposite. And he doesn’t know that. He just says what he says because that’s the way he is, and that’s what I love about him.

Do you mind if I share something personal? How we met?

I’d been living in the USA for a few years and came back to NZ to find my best friend had met the love of her life on a dating site. A colleague had the same experience, as did my cousin.

I was encouraged to ‘give it a go’ too. Long story – short: I agreed to register on the app. I reflected for a long time on what qualities I wanted in a mate, and what qualities I thought I had to offer. And then I put up my profile. And that’s how Neil and I met. In our 60s, on a dating app. Just over two years after I came home. I took a while to go through that registration process.

One day, I’ll write the extended version, but for now – you’ve got the picture. The qualities I looked for were those my soul needed to be surrounded and nourished by. Ones that allowed me to be myself, to grow in any direction my heart yearned. I’ll be reflecting on how that looks and feels to me before I put it all into that extended version. For now, I’m thrilled to say that Neil ‘still’ embodies those qualities that bless my life every day. And it’s been long enough now for me to know that that’s the way it will be ‘forever’.

Thank you, my dear companion, for choosing to be in my life, for growing our love for each other daily.

Updates

Website

I’m pleased to say that my website: www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com has a new look and is live. If you find any discrepancies, or links that don’t work, please let me know. I am always grateful! The link below the newsletter should also take you there.

Health

First, let me say a huge thank you for your messages of support, and for being here with me.

Those pesky health challenges are still with me and I’m glad to say I’m still experiencing progress every day! Soon, I hope to be able to pick up a book and read! It’s still not easy at the moment. I remain hopeful, and grateful for dedicated health professionals.

I’m also grateful for Neil. You will have read about the support and help he was during the events subject of An Addict in the Family – and he hasn’t stopped there. During the past few weeks that I haven’t been able to drive, he’s willingly taken me to appointments, shopping – everywhere I needed to go. And he has taken on everyday tasks that have been too much for me lately. Thank you, my dear companion!

​

​

With love
Stephanie

​

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“Cast your bread upon the waters and it will
come back – buttered”

Doris May Payne – my mother

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,

please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

Join my Reader’s Group on Facebook.​

FOLLOW ME Like, post and comment at any of
the links below.

​​​​

​

Dear Reader

A little apology – Because last newsletter was a week late, I decided to keep to my schedule and share this newsletter on my Tuesday, as per normal. But I’ve written this on Mother’s Day so I’m sending it out today, two days early! I’ll be back on schedule next time I promise!

Mother’s Day

I’m writing this on Mother’s Day because thoughts of my Mama have been with me since I woke up. This photo was taken not long before she died. Mum had vascular dementia and it was a rare moment of engagement. My sister and I tried to coax her into a smile and we were rewarded with this beautiful memory.

Mum had a lot of sayings and one that has stayed with me is:

Cast your bread upon the waters
and it will come back – buttered!

It’s been a philosophy that inspires me in the way I share with others. And, I have never gone hungry or experienced lack of anything I’ve willingly shared.

It’s been over 22 years since Mum left us. I speak with her often, as one does with those who have departed us. And I’ve come to understand her more than I did in life. For that I am grateful. Love you, Mama.

Thinking of Mum leads me to think of other women who have been influential in my life.

There are many. One of these is Maria. When I lived for a short time in San Diego, Maria and her husband were caretakers in my apartment building. They were illegal immigrants from Mexico. They had a vision of a better life for their son and daughter. In Mexico, her husband was a professional man, well educated and fluent in English. Maria herself had very little English. Her children were becoming fluent through their schooling.

I have to admit my Spanish was very rudimentary. I could say Hello, How are you, Very well thank you. But not converse. Through my friendship with Maria, I experienced the language where hearts speak to one another.

She invited me to breakfast with her one day and there, seated at the table together, she placed an urn between us.

With the sweetest of smiles, she touched the urn and, pointing to me, she said:

Mama, mi amiga, Stephanie.

Then she pointed to the urn and said:

Stephanie, mi Mama.

We didn’t converse in words the other understood. But I knew I was honoured to meet her mother and that she treasured our friendship so that she would share me with her mother.

Maria and I had only a few months together but she and her family have stayed in my heart and I often think about them and wonder how life has panned out over the past nearly 20 years. Perhaps her husband has found work that respects his learnings. Perhaps they have been granted US citizenship. Perhaps Maria is a grandmother by now. Whatever, my heart hopes she and her family are safe and happy.

Update

I wrote last time about some health challenges. I’m happy to report that I am much improved and have started back at the gym, taking a little longer walk every day, and generally experiencing joy without too much seeking!

May this find you well and happy and well connected with loving friends and family.

With love
Stephanie

​

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“Cast your bread upon the waters and it will
come back – buttered”

Doris May Payne – my mother

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,

please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

Join my Reader’s Group on Facebook.​

FOLLOW ME Like, post and comment at any of
the links below.

​​​​

​

Dear Reader

Where do we find Joy?

Finding the joy in my every day life is something I’ve committed myself to over the past few years. I admit I’m not always successful. I don’t always like the things that pop up in my day – and sometimes the whole day appears to start miserably! Where’s the joy in that? And it’s been particularly hard the last few weeks.

Splitting headache, double vision that’s got a whole lot worse. I ended in the Emergency Department where the diagnosis was blood pressure was too high. Recommendation is to double my BP medication, see my GP, and come back if it’s worse. I left with pain killers – codeine being one which made me through up. I saw the opthalomologist who agreed the blood pressure might be the cause of the worsening double vision and recommended seeing my optometrist. I’ve made an appointment to see her on the 16th. I’m seeing my GP on 12th.

When I’m challenged beyond my comfort zone, it’s particularly hard to find the joy. And this has been a challenging time. I’m grateful to see that throughout this time, I’ve still been committed to finding the joy. Here’s some of the things I noted.

Every single person I’ve seen over this little journey has been caring, helpful, insightful, dedicated. I even got a few hugs along the way. Always a spirits lifter for me!

My darling husband is quietly attentive and willing to drive me where I need to go. And lots of hugs there too. Definitely helpful in relieving the stress.

My dear neighbour popped over and gave me a beautiful head massage. I felt the tension disappear.

And past stressful times popped into my head and reminded me that joy doesn’t have a hard time finding me.

Many years ago I took a market research job that entailed knocking on doors to interview residents of a certain age about a range of products or issues.

I always found the first call of the day excrutiatingly difficult. One such day I walked up and down the footpath of my alloted street waiting for the butterflies to settle and the courage to burst forth, getting more and more agitated.

As I walked, I saw a blackbird pecking in the grass on the verge, it suddenly grabbed an earthworm in its beak and my heart filled with joy. Seeing ‘the early bird gets the worm’ in action gave me the impetus to spring into action and knock on that first door. I was the early bird! I would get my quota of interviews and get home early too.

One of the most interesting things about these sorts of experiences is they tend to be easy to call to mind to motivate us in circumstances where we are similarly stuck. Or simply to remind us of what joy feels like. I’ve recalled this “seeing the early bird getting the worm” feeling often over the years.

In response to the well meaning query, “How’s your day going?” you’ve probably often heard this response, “Every day above ground is a good day”. I used to think of it as an attempt at humour. But after some deliberation, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is an attempt to lighten a stress the speaker may be feeling.

Try it next time you’re tempted to go into a tale of misery as a response and see if your spirits aren’t lifted a bit, if you don’t even get to feel a glimmer of joy.

Of course there are times when joy finds you! Like the little blackbird. And like on 26th April at the Ages of Pages Book Fair here in my hometown when my two-year-old great-grandson Haven ran up and gave me a loving joyful embrace. To be recognised with such love and joy prompts a healing response! You might think that he saves this type of welcome for people in his life (like me). But Haven is a little boy who spreads love and joy wherever he goes. He turned from me to the woman beside me and welcomed her in the same way. His loving naturee warms my heart.

As I type this, I’m grateful for such a soul in my life. He exemplifies joy and reminds me that it’s simple to feel joy, and spread that joy to others.

I’m seeing that as the sole purpose of our lives. Oh, and I’m feeling a lot better, thank you! Grateful nothing horrific is going on in my body and that the healing is happening.

Other challenges

Along the lines of the Swedish Death Cleaning I wrote about lately, I’ve been thinking of putting all my electronic affairs into order. It would be lovely, I’m thinking, to keep my website going for a while after the physical me is gone. Maintaining a website is expensive. Too expensive to expect my family to pay.

So I’m making the move to a different platform. I’m hoping the move will be seamless, but if you can’t find it in the near future, please come back and try again.

I’ll let you know below the newsletter with a new link when the new site is ready and active.

Thank you for being in my life. I am grateful to each of you who read, pass this on, and write to me. It is to you that I write.

With love
Stephanie

​

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,

please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

Join my Reader’s Group on Facebook.​

FOLLOW ME Like, post and comment at any of
the links below.

​​​​

​

Dear Reader

Daylight Savings
Some thoughts

We put our clocks back at 2am on April 6th, and thus Autumn is here, soon to be followed by winter.

I don’t know about you. I just do not understand the logic (is there any?) of this Daylight Savings practice. I was born in Queensland in Australia. Queenslanders voted not to have Daylight Savings, so in the summer we in New Zealand become three hours ahead of Queensland but only 2 hours ahead of the rest of the Eastern States.

In Queensland, there is generally no twilight. The sun sets and it gets dark pretty quickly. One benefit of living in New Zealand is the longer daylight hours, especially in the summer. During daylight savings, the night sky is light well after 10pm, sometimes till 11pm. So, my question has always been – why do we ‘need’ daylight savings here?

Conversely, we put our clocks forward just as it’s getting lighter in the morning and we end up with at least another month of getting out of bed in the dark.

I know I don’t have any influence over whether we have Daylight Savings or not. My father lived on the border of Queensland and New South Wales and had to manage two time zones. He had two clocks to remind him what the time was in each. I don’t have to do that. Thank goodness.

I actually love the early morning light and find myself resenting it being taken away from me! Grrr!

I end up sleeping in when I want to get up. It takes me longer to adjust (because of my attitude, I suspect!) and that resentment festers. But I’ve got a little mental trick now that helps me get up when I need to. I pretend I’m a spaceship about to be launched and I do the countdown: 5-4-3-2-1 – and I pull back the covers and jump out of bed! Easy peasy.

How do you manage the change in time in the Spring and Autumn? Maybe you can give me some ideas – Please!

The Booker International Prize 2025

Every year I look at the book prize results and struggle to find a book that grabs my attention. I think this year I might be spoiled for choice. The International Booker Prize 2025 Click the link and see what I mean.

A coming up theme for our bookclub is a translated book and this Booker list has shortlisted five novels and one collection of short stories – all translated from the original into English.

Max Porter, one of the judges, gives some compelling reasons why their choices merit our attention. He says:

“This shortlist is the result of a life-enhancing conversation between myself and my fellow judges. Reading 154 books in six months made us feel like high-speed Question Machines hurtling through space. Our selected six awakened an appetite in us to question the world around us: How am I seeing or being seen? How are we translating each other, all the time? How are we trapped in our bodies, in our circumstances, in time, and what are our options for freedom? Who has a voice? In discussing these books we have been considering again and again what it means to be a human being now.

… We haven’t chosen these six books because we are book experts that think people need to be told what to read. We have chosen them because we need them, we found them, and we love them. We need literature that shocks, delights and baffles and reveals how weird many of us feel about the way we are living now. Ultimately, these books widen the view. They enhance the quality of conversation we are all having. They don’t shut down debate, they generate it. They don’t have all the answers, but they ask extraordinary questions.”

What an attitude to have as you are considering what to read. I’m certainly looking for quality conversations about the times we are living in now. And I’m looking forward to reading the ones Neil and I’ve chosen out of the six – and perhaps I’ll read them all. What about you? Do any of these appeal to you?

The ones we’ve chosen, and bought the kindle versions for, are:

• ​On the Calculation of Volume I by Solvej Balle, translated from Danish by Barbara J. Haveland​
• ​Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda​

I have a pile of TBR books right now! All are at the top of my list! I’m stressing a bit, I have to admit. I keep thinking – winter’s on its way, that’s why I’ve got this big pile! I can’t show you them all, because some are on Kindle, but here’s a few hard cover ones.

I love books – reading and writing and talking about them! I have often found my own life’s situations described between the pages. I’ve been comforted to see how others have resolved seemingly insurmountable problems and find courage and comfort in the writings of others.

Ages of Pages Book Fair, Hamilton April 26th 2025

Talking about books – If you are in reach of the Waikato region on April 26th (that’s the day after ANZAC Day for us in New Zealand), come along to our Ages of Pages Book Fair Click on that link for time and location details. It’s an opportunity to chat with the authors, and get them to sign their books you can buy from them. You might even get to see me there.

You’ve seen my own authored books (may even have a copy of one or more!) but have you seen my granddaughter Payton’s debut poetry book Where the Stars Swim? Honestly, she is a fantastic poet! Sure, I’m biased, but I’m also very savvy. She is inspirational! It’s a book of poetry any woman would be delighted to have for Mother’s Day! She will be at the Book Fair too!

Long may books be written. May they always be available to us – to ease the pain and reflect the joys of all our lives.

With love
Stephanie

​

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,

please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

Join my Reader’s Group on Facebook.​

FOLLOW ME Like, post and comment at any of
the links below.

​​​​

​

Dear Reader

Trees and Water – and Good Company

The past two weeks have been a delightful feast of ‘trees and water – and good company’ for me!

Have you ever anticipated something that didn’t happen, then, years later, it’s promised to you again? Years ago, my friend Tina tried to come visit us – and for various reasons got to the airline gate and was denied her flight. AND Wednesday week ago she finally arrived – bringing her friend, Cathy, with her (now our friend too!)

We planned a feast. If I show you briefly what we did, you’ll get the idea of what a feast this was:

All good things come to an end. Sometimes they end too soon, like this trip. But you’ll see by this small selection of photos that these memories will last a lifetime. Trees and water – and great company – these are what my soul longs for and appreciates so much. Thank you Tina, Cathy and Neil for sharing these few days together.

And growing fitter every day!

Maybe – no, not ‘maybe’ – it’s yes! This is true! I am getting fitter every day!

Yesterday I met with my fitness trainer. She had a new programme for me and we went through it – some of the equipment I hadn’t used for years. I can’t share the video, but I’m so excited to share this screenshot from it.

For the last few months I’ve been eyeing this machine, feeling nostalgic for the times I used to enjoy extending myself with it. Today I did 2 sets – and did 11 pull ups in one of them! Maybe in both!

Now I know I’m well on the way to being fitter than I thought I could be at this stage in life. I am grateful to be able to try new things, that my body supports me in the adventures I undertake, and responds when I give it the opportunity to be healthier.

Together we’ll make it to 140!

Here’s to health throughout our lives, yours and mine!

With love
Stephanie

​

My thoughts for Living Life in 2025 and beyond:

​

“Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing”

Helen Keller

“Write it on my heart that every day is
the best day of the year”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Remember that sometimes not getting
what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck”
​​
Dalai Lama

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.”

Nelson Mandela

Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them,

please share with your friends and encourage them to subscribe
through my website:

http://www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com

Join my Reader’s Group on Facebook.​

FOLLOW ME Like, post and comment at any of
the links below.

​​​​

​