I am very excited to feature my author friend and guest blogger, Jean Marie Alfieri, for my first 2021 post!
A writer, speaker and dog-fan, Jean Marie Alfieri encourages others to share their amazing journeys in her guided journals. She offers presentations and workshops on the subject and enjoys visiting groups to offer others inspiration and support on their exciting and life-changing writing journey. She and her husband reside with their vintage puppies in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Jean is offering a free copy of her book entitled:
Blessed to be Me – Celebrate the Stories of Your Life (See copy below)
Simply leave a reply on my website no later than January 9, 2021 midnight MST, and your name will go into a drawing. You may also reply on my Author FB page: https://www.facebook.com/authorbeckyvanvleet. I will be posting the winner. Blessed to be Me is a guided journal for people who have lived enough to know they have some amazing stories to tell and want a special, inspiring place to do it. A journal with writing prompts, and better than a DNA test, Blessed to Be Me provides a treasured legacy for your loved ones. Ancestry research can tell your family where they came from. This special journal reveals who they came from. Allow generations to take a look back to celebrate your fondest memories.
I’m also very excited to share that Jean’s book, Blessed to be Your Dog – Celebrate the Stories of Your Fur Hero, will be released Feb. 20, 2021. Enjoy Jean’s touching blog below.
His name was Wyatt. A small dog, who filled the room with his big, boisterous personality. Wyatt picked me. No doubt about it. I had gone to the Humane Society looking for a specific breed — not his. Yet, there he was, sitting proudly in the passenger seat next to me on our way home. A twenty-five-pound chunk of loveable pug! His tongue bobbed from his mouth. Eyes squinted as the cool A/C hit his face. Occasionally he would gaze out the window to take in the desert view. More frequently he looked at me, with an unmistakable admiration I knew was misplaced. He’d tilt his head as if saying, “Hello Hooman.” To which I was compelled to reply, “Hello Pug.”
That started an almost ten-year dialogue between me and Wyatt. Our terms of endearment quickly grew, and Wyatt was a great listener. He heard all about how my fiancé and I had called off our engagement. I was sad, but Wyatt made me smile — as he did when he greeted my new boyfriend who would turn out to be my husband. And when we all moved from Arizona to Colorado. It was quite a decade.
When he died, I was devastated. He brought so much joy and laughter to my life. The thought of our great adventures possibly being forgotten made my heartache even worse. To fend off the blues, I started journaling our fabulous memories. I cried, but it felt good, somehow therapeutic. That started a new journey. There is nothing that can replace Wyatt’s beautiful spirit but writing about his silly, sweet, and stubborn personality helped me mend.
I had no idea that “Zuggy the Rescue Pug” would become Wyatt’s living legacy. It was a labor of love to self-publish a collection of short story poems starring my precious pup. In going through this process, I realized how much of our human legacy is lost within a single generation, so I created a self-guided journal, to capture and celebrate the amazing stories of your life. An upcoming companion journal is dedicated to the fur-heroes in our families.
Whether it be in writing or other media, I encourage you to capture your stories while they’re fresh. Embrace your blessings and hold them close. Appreciate the love, laughter, and even the tears – all the many stories surrounding the life and times of YOU!
You may reach Jean at: www.JeanAlfieri.com
Purchase links:
Amazon.com: Zuggy the Pug – Adoption Day (9780999129388): Alfieri, Jean Marie: Books
Keep scrolling down below “Related Posts” to leave a reply!
Thank you, Patti, for stopping by. I’m excited about Jean’s writing endeavors and her encouragement for us to share our stories.
Becky, what a joy to see Jean featured on your blog! She has so much to offer and I love the idea of her new books. She and I have discussed that pets are most definitely one of God’s many blessings. Thank you both for sharing! May you both have a Happy, Healthy, Successful, and Blessed 2021!