Celebration!

In the image below, notice the tall white book just off center. The title of this book is Celebrating Ciara. I wrote this book. 300 pages. My youngest child and only daughter, Ciara, turned eighteen February 2009 and was scheduled to graduate June 2009. Aaron, who had written and constructed by hand three wonderful, personal books for his parents and his best friend, suggested that if I wrote my daughter a book for this momentous year, that he would generously assemble and construct it for me.

This (in red) is the table of contents. And below (in purple) is the introductory chapter.

Contents

Bon Appétit 2

1991 B.C. (Before Ciara) 8

Would You Like Fries With That? 20

Fine Print 34

Scarlett 38

Shopping: the Thrillogy 58
I Say No to Crack 60
II Westport 68
III Yours, Mine & Ours 74
IV Store That Must Not Be Named 78
V To Infinity & the Mall 80
VI Shopping: the Sequel 88

Pinned His Man 92

Play House 98

Mishy 110

School 118

Two Holes for Sister Ciara 144

Snowball Fight 148

The Three Bears 156

The Ciara Difference 160

Sleep Tight 180

The Gift & the Giver 186

Stop the Car! There’s a Yard Sale 198

Uncommon Sense 218

Hand, Heart, Hands & Health 226

Me Too, Mom! 234

She’s Got Electric Boots, a Mohair Suit 244

Cameron Who? 254

Mom’s Pride & Prejudice 258

On Your Way to Where the Air is Sweet 270

Fly Me to the Moon 288

Inside the Ciara Studio 294

Perfect Timing 298

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Chapter One

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Bon Appétit!


You know, I love you so much I’m gonna let you take the first bite.
~ Julie and Julia



Sometime in February 2009, a few months before Ciara’s graduation I started thinking of whether I should do this project. Whether I would and then whether I could.

Cooking is one of the best analogies I know for the process of writing. At least for my writing. An idea will come into my head from one source or another. It may be an idea for fiction or non-fiction. The start of a short story or the beginning of something epic and grand. The idea then simmers in my mind. It congeals and thickens. The different characters and settings blend and mingle like ingredients until I’m ready to commit to paper, actual or virtual.

In a collection such as these Ciara stories, the cooking analogy holds up well. I’ll dish up one or two completed stories and set them aside until every plate is done and it’s time to stand back and say with a flourish, “Dinner is served.”

When I started this project, so many stories came to mind. Sweet, funny, spicy, touching, personal stories. So many, that I knew there would probably be some I would decide not to use.

Now as I see the light at the end of this tunnel, I look back and notice something interesting. The stories? They are almost all about a young Ciara. Understandable, since it is not possible to go wrong with such a sweet, funny and charming young daughter. Understandable also, because the Ciara life stories from recent years may be too recent to step back from and write about in a fair and relatively objective manner. You know me; I’m nothing if not running in the opposite direction of relative objectivity.

In the end, there are many Ciara stories that aren’t in this collection. For reasons unknown to me or anyone else, the table of contents reads exactly as it does. I trust that the stories that need to be here for the purpose of this book are indeed here.

To be fair, the impetus for this collection of stories was Ciara’s approaching graduation. The intent: a unique commencement day gift. But a few times in the months leading up to June 11, 2009 I was concerned if she would even be able to graduate.

I wish I had a dollar for every time I explained to people what a tough Spring it was for her. How much time she missed because of mononucleosis and then pneumonia. How determined she had to be in order to graduate. How much pressure she was under.

After graduation was over, I reminded her of how she had missed an entire month of school and she still graduated. That there were plenty of students who attended most every day of their senior year and sadly, still didn’t get to walk with their classmates.

But it wasn’t only Ciara who felt the pressure of the once in a lifetime, high school graduation dead line. Taking care of Ciara when she was home sick, or in the hospital sick. Helping her when she struggled with school nurses, counselors, teachers, advisers. Trying not to miss too much work myself. And typing away on her story collection with commencement drawing near was tough on me as well. My writing momentum suffers under the best of circumstances and these were nothing like the best of circumstances.

I found it very easy to decide that I could still call it a graduation gift as long as I delivered this book to her anytime in 2009. It was her official graduation year, after all. Then when I hit another brick wall of writing energy in late July and it took me until November to find my way to the other side, I thought “You know, as long as I give it to her before she turns thirty, I’m all good.”

Well she’s still eighteen at this writing, so I am calling it a success and bona fide graduation gift. Yippee for me, the gift giver. And Whoo Hoo for Ciara, the diploma holder.

Nice job, Ciara. 2009. A most memorable year. I feel like singing.

“Did you ever know that you’re my heroooooooo….?”

Dinner is served.

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Aaron constructed four copies of this book for me. He took this picture of Ciara's book after he slid it for a quick moment on the shelf of a local book store. A real book, all grown up and standing proud next to its equals.