Category Archives: history

The Dolls’ Christmas

This year we have special visitors who seem to have taken over the den and the guest room. I wouldn't be surprised if they've been tiptoeing around while I'm not looking, arraying themselves throughout the house. This just might be the dolls' Christmas.
Posted in Books, familial history, Family, family history and genealogy, Family values, Gifts, Gratitude, Heart, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

My Box of Dollies

I hope, when I get to doll heaven, these dolls will be waiting for me once again. They were, and always will be, among my most trusted and trustworthy companions.
Posted in Baby Boomers, familial history, Family, family history and genealogy, Gifts, Gratitude, Head & Heart, Heart, Japan, Mara Purl, womens literature | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Authors & Legacies

These authors, and their works, shall not be forgotten. The written and published word is being burnished anew, illuminated with a fresh light from the powerful Colorado sun.
Posted in Art and Entertainment, Authenticity, Authors, Book Marketing, Books, Creativity, history, inspiring through fiction novels, Louis L'amour, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Men's fiction, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Non-Profit Organizations, Nurturing the soul, Opening up to New Worlds, Publishing, Western Fiction, Women's Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Doobie Brothers Next Gen

Everybody is there for one reason, a joy we share. It’s an overwhelming feeling of being accepted and included. That’s one of the best reasons to go to a concert and listen to live music.
Posted in about issues of the heart, Artists, Authors, Creativity, Doobie Brothers, familial history, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, musician-singer-songwriter, Nurturing the soul, voice performance | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why Do Words Count?

Words are the connective tissue between idea and expression. We tell ourselves about our ideas with words, using them to move from vague conjecture to clear concept.
Posted in American West, Authors, Book Marketing, Books, Colorado, community and transformation, Connecting through books, Editors, Heart and head connection in books, history, inspiring through fiction novels, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, life's purpose, Live Your Best Life, Louis L'amour, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Personal Essays, Publishing, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Ancestors in the Mountains

In my memories, honeysuckle twined itself densely through the framework along one wall of the wrap-around porch, sweetening the air. In the cool of the cellar, I reached high to grasp one of the scores of jars of applesauce my grandmother had made. My little legs pumped hard to make the rope swing go higher. I sat on my granddaddy’s lap and asked for the hundredth time to listen to his “tick-tock”—his gold pocket watch. The aroma of biscuits wafted out from the kitchen.
Posted in about issues of the heart, AHA Moments, Bellekeep Books, familial history, Family, family history and genealogy, head and heart connection, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Live Your Best Life, Mara Purl, Nurturing the soul, self-growth, Travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cousins Reunion

I came away with the impression that most of the greats and grands of the family were quite heroic in their way, surviving the Great Depression, serving in the Great War, and coming home to tend their farms and care for their families.
Posted in about issues of the heart, Authors, Bellekeep Books, familial history, Family, family history and genealogy, Family values, Finding treasures of the heart in books, head and heart connection, Heart and head connection in books, Integrating lifes purpose through art, Live Your Best Life, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Novel series, Nurturing the soul, self-growth, Small Town Fiction, Travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The After Days

Projects have always been a way of life for the Purls. Sometimes a bane, sometimes a boon, projects define our time and express our various core purposes. That’s what I’ll miss the most, I think—that I won’t get to do the next project with Mom.
Posted in about issues of the heart, AHA Moments, Authors, Bellekeep Books, Creativity, familial history, Family, family history and genealogy, Family values, flow of life, head and heart connection, head and heart connection, Heart, Integrating lifes purpose through art, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, life's purpose, Love, Magical moments, Mara Purl, mission and core purpose in life, Mother, Mothers & Daughters, Nurturing the soul, Personal Essays, power of the universe, relationships, self-growth, sychronicity of life, synchronicity, Transformation, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Uni-Tea of Head and Heart

Every journey has its especially sparkling moments, and for my Winter Western States Book Tour, this was it. Elegance and style, generosity and community, connections with old friends and new—a unifying experience for all. The setting—a historic home in the mountain canyons of Santa Barbara; the time—Valentine’s weekend; the opportunity—helping others.

I had the privilege of working with a superb charity in co-creating a fund-raiser/ friend-raiser author tea. This is truly my favorite kind of event because of its synergy—which makes it a win-win-win: for the charity, for the guests, and for the author. In this case, there’s a fourth winner: the community of Santa Barbara, which benefits so directly from the services this charity provides.… Read more

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The Magic of Christmas Boxes

Much as I adore Christmas, I love Boxing Day almost as much. First, it’s a Christmas-extender, just like the 23rd is—a date I refer to as Christmas-Eve-Eve.

December 26th is Boxing Day with a wonderful tradition of its own. Observed in the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, it started as a day following Christmas when aristocrats, tasked with the welfare of those who worked on their estates, delivered boxes of food and gifts. In South Africa, the occasion evolved into the renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994, and in Ireland it’s called St. Stephen’s Day. The European tradition of giving gifts and money to those in need dates back to the Middle Ages.… Read more

Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Book covers by artist Mary Helsaple, book covers painted by artists, Books, California, Creativity, e-books by Mara Purl, familial history, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Gifts, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, Japan, joy, Love of Books, Milford Haven, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Santa Barbara, What the Heart Knows, Women authors, womens literature | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment