Fern Ridge-Tribune News
Creswell Chronicle
Sweet Lorane Community News
December 9, 2021
By Pat Edwards

I was able to check off one more thing on my “to-do” list this past week. Jen Chambers and I, as editors of Groundwaters Publishing, distributed over 230 copies of our newly-published, 2021 edition of our annual anthology at a drive-up event at the Applegate Regional Theater. This anthology, which contains the stories and poetry of over 70 local writers and poets, is to be my last one. I can feel my abilities to multi-task and focus slipping a bit these days and I don’t want the quality of our popular publication to begin to slip. The seven annual anthologies and the literary quarterlies that preceded them have been an on-going labor of love for us for the past 15+ years. Even though the publication of an annual anthology will cease, the business itself will continue. I will continue to take on a limited number of manuscripts to prepare for publication and Jen is hoping to come up with other on-line ways to showcase our local talent.

It was so much fun to see and visit with many of those who have been strong supporters of our publication for many years. They have all expressed sadness that the publication is coming to an end, but continue to support the decisions we’ve made. Thank you to all who have become such close members of our Groundwaters family. We love you!
By the time you read this, I will have already participated in the 2021 Authors and Artists Fair at the Lane Country Fairgrounds that was held on Saturday, December 11. I was invited to participate this year by the Lane Library League and agreed to bring my books, including the 2021 Groundwaters anthology. Thanks so much to Bill Sullivan and the LLL for their continued support of local authors and artists.

Now it’s time to get into full holiday mode. We celebrate Christmas at our house. I put up the tree and lights yesterday and will finish hanging the ornaments today. Many of my ornaments are rather old and not nearly as stylish as most decorated trees these days. I no longer put popcorn garlands or tinsel on our tree as I once did, but there are still handmade ornaments done by our children or family members as gifts. One year, my sister sent me several beautiful, white Christmas tree balls embroidered with French knots; then there are the stained glass candlesticks made by one of our children. Some of the older ornaments are missing paint and showing their age.

Last year, I told you about the ornament that has always held a place of honor on our tree, but it still rings true today, so I’m going to repeat it…

“I carefully opened the royal purple bag and took out the very fragile, faded Santa Claus that had adorned so many of our trees over the years. It had been given to me by my mother many years ago. This Santa had belonged to her when she was a little girl in Long Beach, California… and I realized that he was now over 100 years old. Just placing that special ornament on the tree brought back not only the love of the angel who has been sitting on my shoulder since my mother passed in 2011, but the peace and goodwill that I’ve always felt at Christmas time.”

This holiday season is accompanied by inconveniences, strained relationships, fears, injustices, hardships and uncertainty for many, but it is a time of the year when we can try to focus on the goodness in one another and the positive things we can do to ease the burdens being carried by others that are greater than our own. By trying to take the focus off of ourselves and our own problems, maybe we can carry over this renewed shared respect and appreciation for others year-round.

Happy Holidays to each and every one of you!