Where were we? Oh yeah! Presents. Hold that thought for one moment.

First, I went and decorated you another tree:

Okay, now we can get to the good stuff.

Let’s break this into three parts.

THE PAST – HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Today marks the 20th Anniversary of the day I moved (jobless) to Los Angeles to pursue a career in screenwriting.

Have you enjoyed the feature films they produced from my original screenplays (or the TV adaptations and/or novels that followed)? Meet the Author. Wedlock (aka Your Hand in Marriage). Family Bonds. How about my collaborated adaptation? A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains (aka This Blue Hollow). No? Hmmm. I guess that’s because they haven’t been made (yet?).

The 20th anniversary gift is traditionally china (poor china; later demoted as a modern gift to the 2nd anniversary, replacing cotton). A modern 20th anniversary gift is platinum. I keep asking myself, “What’s an appropriate gift for 20 years of failure?”

Please don’t start right up playing those sarcastic tiny violins. My answer isn’t completely full of self pity.

One thing I’ve longed for over the years is a mentor. In lieu of finding one, I thought back to the closest thing to a mentor I’ve known, a kindly neighbor named Norman. Norman was the most gracious person I’ve ever met. I aspire to be like Norman.

Grace. That’s my present to myself. (I think that’s what Norman would say.) I’m going to take the day and consider how far I’ve come, not dwell on how far I have to go.

Oh, and also, I’ve found a place to BE a mentor, if they’ll have me. More on that if it happens.

Also, I may be jobless again soon. Yay! A fresh start. (Go ahead with those violins now.)

THE PRESENT – HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Today also marks the 1st birthday of Campfire Tales.

Here’s the first post, in case you missed it.

The modern 1st anniversary gift is a clock. That’s just rude, in my opinion. That doesn’t mark time well spent, it’s more like a nagging reminder: Tick tock! Get busy! Write! Make babies! Succeed!

A new logo. That’s my present to this site.

(The only issue is, I can’t make it work yet… If it’s up along with this post, amen. If not, please understand I’m also gifting myself with lots of lessons about .jpegs and .pdfs and pixels and Site Icons vs Logos vs Headers. All different things! Anyway, please come back later. Below is what it looks like. So pretty!)

THE FUTURE – MERRY CHRISTMAS

As for presents to YOU, the readers of this site, those are primarily the posts still to come.

I’m very excited (and hopeful) about what’s headed your way in 2018. Besides a continuation of the Trail Wisdom series, a couple of long-promised stories, and the remainder of the Volcanic Storytelling posts, there will be plenty of book reviews (I’m working on six books I’m hoping to recommend to all you hungry readers); a camptivity or two; 59 People for 59 Parks; a visit to at least one new park (and possibly four); and oh so much more (honestly, you should see my To Do list).

Coming up next:

Campfire Tales Presents: Presence