Denise Cook Robinson's Blog

This year has been a difficult one. It's hard to believe that we've made it this far. My two youngest children have moved into their own places for better or for worse. They have faced many struggles that have left us all feeling saddened and stressed. The most disturbing was my daughter's diagnosis of lupus. It has left her pushing through each day hoping and praying for remission. After over three months, there is no end in sight. After numerous doctors and too many tests to count, they are now changing her meds hoping that these will now work. All the while, she is taking care of a very active one-year-old all alone.

I don't know why God has chosen to dump on us this year. I keep asking, but he's not answering me. Or if he is, I'm just not seeing it. I talk to others who are having a year even worse than ours and try to tell myself that things could be worse. Sometimes when you're struggling, it's hard to notice the difficulties of those around us. And yet, there are still blessings to be found.

This year we've had the pleasure of seeing our grandson, little Brayden, grow and develop. Starting as a docile infant, he has grown into an active toddler with a personality all his own. For all the tears of this year, he has been the one shining star in our lives.

So here's to the New Year to come! May it be filled with more positives than negatives.

May God bless us all!!

I had an epiphany this weekend that was accompanied by a great deal of tears. I finally realized that no matter how much I try, I cannot protect my children from themselves. Life has too many pitfalls and once they have reached a certain age, they have to go it on their own. It doesn't mean that you can't be there for a shoulder to cry on or to help out where you may, but overall, they are on their own to make mistakes and live with the consequences.

I won't go into details. Anyone who is a parent of a legal adult knows what I mean. There are relationship issues, job issues, and yes, financial issues. This world that we live in is far from forgiving on mistakes. I've come to conclude that with one slip up (espcially where credit is concerned), it sets our children up to fail.

Don't be mistaken! I can tell you that my child is to blame for the predicament. What I'm saying is that one mistake shouldn't ruin someone's entire life. If you are hard working, you should be able to turn it around. But our society has made that as hard as possible.

I look at my infant grandson. Heaven only knows what the world will be like when he's an adult. Heaven help him if he makes one misstep.

Have you ever found yourself staring at a computer screen waiting for the words to flow? I find myself in that position even after writing four mystery novels. The stresses of life seem to intrude on my thought processes drawing me away from my imagination. I usually find writing to be therapeutic. It takes me to far off places and away from the everyday. Today, however, I find my mind flooded with the worries and cares of real life. Does anybody out there have an answer for how to put them aside and dive into the writing? 

I have to admit it. I find social media mind boggling. You can type something poignant and get 20 views. You type "Hi there!" and five hundred people want to see it. I'm trying to understand the game, but the rules seem to keep changing. And I can't tell you how many people/companies have offered to explain it for just a few hundred dollars. I've asked a number of authors how social media companies have done for them and the answer seems to be "a negligible increase in sales." So what's the secret? Anybody out there have experiences to share?

      Now available on Amazon!

   Coming soon!

   My new book "Death in the Shadows."

  Available at Amazon!

Sometimes when you have everything planned out in you head, life smacks you between the eyes. That was 2015 for me. I had my fourth book written, rewrite was going well, and then, poof. Everything stops.

That's what happened last fall with the addition of my first grandchild. It was exciting and daunting. Exciting that he was here. Daunting that we'd have an infant living under our roof. I envisioned sleepless nights and crazy schedules. What I got instead was the ability to relive the joy of a baby. They change so quickly every day. No matter how hard a day I've had, his little smile can light up a room and make me forget it all. That's not to say that it's all sunshine and roses. There are dirty diapers, teething and some cranky times, but overall it's been a blessing.

So the new book Death in the Shadows was pushed back a little. It should be out in the next few weeks. My Twitter entries have been almost none existent. But that said, who wouldn't change their schedule to spend time with a guy like this?

I find it amazing at how life can toss you curve balls. One minute your family, your finances, your plans are a set formula in your mind. You know what the next step is and you take it. Then, Wham!!! Life starts to slap you around. First, it's the trials and tribulations of one child. Then, another has issues. Then, the finances are slapped. It seems never ending.

I find myself questioning everything that I believed in, everything that was set in my mind. Trust is just a word. Trapped is the overwhelming feeling of the day.

I know it will get better. It has to get better. Until then, it's just one step at a time.

I woke up this morning looking forward to a relaxing Saturday. Despite the constant drizzle, the plan was for a good time sleeping in followed by breakfast at one of our favorite places. This plan was slightly altered.

We were forced to park on the street Friday night due to our next door neighbor's moving van. They parked our driveway in at 10 a.m. Friday morning and were still there at midnight. This morning when my husband went to move his car, a light came on for low tire pressure. It seems that somebody during the night had let the air out of the tires on our car and minivan.

So here's the question: What are people thinking these days?

I mean, come on! Do people go around at night thinking that stuff like this is funny? Or, are they just bored. And if it was done by kids, why weren't they at home asleep, and where were their parents? This was a random act of stupidity.

I'll never understand why people do such hateful things knowing that their making other people's lives more difficult. Is it just for kicks? Are they upset with their own lives, so they have to spread the "joy?"

We as humans have a habit of hurting each other without meaning to. Now here's somebody who did it on purpose. Everybody has pain and disappointments. Maybe if we thought more about helping each other out, it would be a better use of our time and energy.  It's a rough world. Let's try to make it a little easier on each other.

I love the summer! Everywhere I look there are splashes of color!