Sunday Morning at the Inn

Good morning everyone, hope that you ar eenjoying your Sunday. For many of you, it is a day off work, yet you have a hundred things to do. I understand.. really I do!  Life is like that, so much to do and so little time. We run and rush and try and do and then we start all over again the next day. Not much we can do except try and take a serious look at our lives to simplify it.  Seems simple doesn't it and it is easy to say but how do you really go about it. Well we can't expect to  change things with just a thought, it does take time and effort but  I am certain it can be done. For today, why not try throwing out one thing that you have no use for, something that you have not used for a year... do you really need it... come on now, be honest.  Give it away if you think that it still has some use and do not go and buy anther next week. Lighten your load... it is a start....

Okay now let's get back to our story about Annie Wright.  To follow this story, please subscribe to this blog and add it to your favourites. Join me at the Inn whenever you like, it is a place to come home to... you are always welcome here. Until next time, have a great day and spread a little kindness!

Who was Annie Wright Part Four

He was about to knock on the door when I said hello. Turing around I came face to face with a man that would change my life forever.................

He smiled and said, " I am looking for a lady called Annie Wright. Would you happen to know her?"
Feeling like I should have worn  something decent when I got dressed this morning, instead of  my faded blue jeans and Daddy's old white shirt, I answered, "I am Annie Wright."

" Well then I have a parcel just for you and I am going to have to ask you to sign for it because it is a special delivery."

I had  been waiting for this to arrive for weeks and the excitment must have shown on my face, for he smiled again when I looked up to thank him." You seem to be a happy young lady.  I take it that you are going to make good use out of it.  Have you ever owned one before? Do you know how it works? Would you like me to make sure that it is in working order, it is a free service upon delivery?"

He followed me into the house and together we  carefully opened the box. There inside was my shiny new typewriter , an Underwood de Luxe.  I had saved for two years to buy it and now I finally was able to touch it. I would be able to write my stories.
"Here let me lift it out of the box for you. Where would you like to set it up?"

 Feeling a little uncomfortable, I led him to my bedroom where I had a small desk. After he plugged it in and added a sheet of paper, he told me to sit down and start typing. The black letters appeared on the paper and I was lost in my excitment of seeing the reality of a dream being fulfilled. He never said a word as I typed my name over and over again.

I came to my senses and asked him to forgive me for being rude. To make up for it, I offer him a glass of lemonade that I had made the day before, when  Maggie, my best friend, came to visit. He accepted and sat at the kitchen table. When I seen  that it was lunch time, I offered him a sandwich.   Maybe I shouldn't have, maybe I should have seen him to the door and simply thanked him and he would have left. But no, I offered him lunch and in return I changed the course of my life. As I write this, I still remember his eyes, his smile, his hands.  I remember his laugh and his easy nature. I miss him still after all these years. For this reason, I have no regrets. For that short amount of time, I lived life to the fullest. I did not know what was to come, what road life would take, I was innocent.

 Be sure to come  back and read the next installment... see you then.

Who was Annie Wright ? Part Three

Welcome back to the Inn.... if you remember this is where we left off in Part Two. Take the time to read this latest entry to this  on-going story telling blog.

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Sitting down in the rocking chair, she began to read the mysterious words her mother had written so long ago...... A woman's life is never as it seems, for we are the keeper's of many secrets........................

Bess has read these lines many times since finding the old manuscript. Her mother had written in on the first page. Bess recognised the writing for it was the same way her mother had signed all her birthday cards and  wrote her notes for school. Yet she wondered what she meant by  the keeper's of many secrets. What had her mother kept hidden from her and her family? She had always been so open about everything, so understanding of everyone else's choices, even when they were questionable.

 Like when Julie Smith had left her husband to go to Tibet on some sort of pilgrimage. Everyone else said she was crazy and that she was probably involved with some man that she had met at work.  Her mother had told her to never judge another person's decisions, for everyone was struggling through some sort of issues and the choices they made, surely seemed right to them. She had always said that to judge others was to expect to be judged in return.  Bess had heard these words over and over again in her youth and had held herself back from many discussions when co-workers sat around gossiping.  She had learned her lessons well.

Turning the page she began to read again the words her mother had written.....

It was the spring of 1956, when I first seen him.   I had been busy hanging clothes out on the line. It was a beautiful day in April and the sun  was shining. There was a warm  breeze that brought the promise of warmer days ahead. The snow had melted and the mud around the back veranda was slowly beginning to dry up.  I had  got up early to get the laundry started as  I wanted to make sure to get it hung out early so that it would dry. There was nothing like watching well sorted clothes blowing in the wind. I had always taken pride in  sorting out the laundry so that everything matched. My mother had  taught me well to hang the whites with the whites and sort through the sizes so that it looked as if it was hung with care.

As I put the clothespin on  the last  facecloth, I heard a truck drive in the yard.   I steppped down off the clothesline stand and walked towards the front of the house.  A young man was  walking up my front steps with a parcel in his hands.  He was about to knock on the door when I said hello. Turing around I came face to face with a man that would change my life forever.................

Welcome to the Inn and let me tell you a story....

Welcome to Maggie’s Raggedy Inn a house of stitches and stories. This is a special place where you will meet some very interesting people whose lives may reflect your own or people that you know.

 Imagine yourself standing in front of an old wood frame house with a huge wrap around veranda. You can see that the building has been newly painted and fixed up.  There are flower beds everywhere and then you see a weather beaten stone path leading up to the front door.  There are two large rocking chairs on each side of the entrance that invites you to stay awhile. Once you step inside the building you feel that you are entering into another time, for this place reminds you that have found your way back to the comfort of home.  There is a fire burning in the fireplace in one corner of the large room enticing you to seek out its warmth. In the opposite corner you see table where people are softly talking in private conversations. Above a large wooden counter hangs an old fashion menu board with the specials of the day.  You spot the butterscotch pie and suddenly you feel the need to sit and spoil yourself with this homemade treat. Everything in the room is comforting and peaceful.  For some strange reason, you feel somewhat tired and seek to forget from where you came. You know that you have reached the place that you have dreamed about; you have found your escape from all that ails you. You have come home.  Sit down and stay awhile.....................................

Who was Annie Wright ? Part two.......

 

 

 Bess followed Mrs. Lawler into the kitchen.   Even at this hour of the morning, the Inn seemed to be busy as  coffee was being prepared and plates of toast and eggs were being taken from the kitchen to waiting visitors in another room. Apparently she was receiving special privileges because a place had been set for her at the kitchen table. 

 Little was said as she ate her breakfast for Mrs. Lawler was busy travelling in and out of the kitchen herself. She could hear her laughing with visitors that were checking out  and talking with others in the dining room. She seemed to be a woman with a lot of energy and Bess could not help but smile as she remembered her mother saying that Jessie Lawler had been her one true friend that had always been there for her because she had taken the time to show up.  Apparently she had had her share of troubles and after dealing with a broken heart, she had told her mother that she would never depend on another man for the rest of her life. She had inherited her parent's house and had borrowed enough money to turn it into an Inn in what was practically a ghost town. Everyone had told her she was crazy and that she would  never get people to come to such a remote little Inn, yet she had been determined and from what Bess was witnessing this morning, she had succeeded. She seemed to be an interesting woman  and Bess hoped to find out more about her as well as what she knew about the book her mother had written  years ago.

Her thoughts drifted back to her mother, her best friend and the woman that had always been there for her.  The only comfort she had, was that her mother had not suffered before dying. A massive heart attack had taken her  that morning. She had been speaking to her the night before and she seemd to be fine. Bess had been dealing with her issues and her mother's final words to her was that she understood. It had comforted Bess because she seemed to have always understood her daughter no matter what she was going through. She had listened to  her without making judgements, without making her feel guilty, without any I told you so speeches. Bess had been lucky to have her for a mother, yet it made the loss so much harder. She missed her deeply and even though it had been almost six months since she was gone, the tears still fell and the pain was at times overwhelming.

To find herself this morning at a small country Inn in the country was an attempt to connect with her mother's past. She thought she knew her so well, yet after finding the hand written book, it left  many questions that she had to find the answers for, if she was ever to accept her death.

"Bess, follow me and I will show you where your room is upstairs. I hope that you will enjoy your stay and I promise that I will sit with you this afternoon and we will have time to talk. You can make yourself comfortable and enjoy the library or go for a walk for their are several paths around the Inn and I promise you that they all lead back to here, so don't worry about getting lost. Here is your key and if you need anything just ask, for we want our guests to feel like they are home here with us."  Mrs. Lawler turned and went downstairs. Bess looked around her room and was taken in by the warmth of the decorating touches that had been used to make it feel welcoming. The old walls had been painted in a soft white and  the antique furniture added a comfortable feeling to the room. Even though it was late September, the window was open and the soft white curtains moved slightly in the warm breeze. An old white whicker rocking chair with a pale green aftgan caught her attention and beckoned her to sit and rock, something she had not done for a long time.  It seemed that life no longer offered such  soothing comforts. Placing her overnight bag on the dresser, she opened it and took out the old manuscript  that her mother had written.

Sitting down in the rocking chair, she began to read the mysterious words her mother had written so long ago......  A woman's life is never as it seems, for we are the keeper's of many secrets........................

To read Part 1  please visit the previous blog post.......


 Please  come back again as I tell the story of Annie Wright.

You can also find another ebook about  a fabled love story http://www.etsy.com/listing/100727989/the-fisherman-and-the-salmon-a-fabled

Visit the gift shop at the Inn http://maggiesraggedyinn.etsy.com

Who was Annie Wright ?

Welcome to the Inn and let me tell you a story....

Who was Annie Wright?

 

The conducter tapped her on the shoulder and she woke up to hear him say that Irishtown was the next stop in ten minutes. Bess looked around and saw  several other passengers were still asleep, while other were looking out the windows, lost in their thoughts.

 She  picked up  the book she had been reading and put it in her small overnight bag. Checking her purse to make sure she had not lost her wallet she made  her way to the front of the train where the conducter was standing.

She felt the engine slow down and held on to the last seat near the exit to keep her balance. The door opened  and she stepped off  and made her way to a small building that must have been the train station.    The door was locked  and she found herself  alone in a strange environment.   Now what was she supposed to do at 6 a.m in a little town in the middle of nowhere. What had she been thinking when she made a reservation at an Inn in a town that looked as if no one lived here. Fear began to fill her tired body and she thought she was going to faint.  Looking around she seen a young man walking towards her. " You must be Annie Wright?  I'm Thomas and  Mrs. Lawler asked me to pick you up and take you to the Inn. She is waiting for you and asked me to tell you that breakfast is ready and there's a  wood fire burning in the fireplace.

 Bess gratefully accepted his offer, despite the little voice in her head that  reminded her of her mother's  words of wisdom that always told her to beware of strangers.  At this point she had to go against her better judgement and she followed him to his truck.

 Within minutes he stopped his vechicle in front of a big old house  surrounded by the most beautiful gardens she had ever seen.  Thomas picked up her small bag and  asked her to follow him.  A large sign stood proudly on the front lawn  with the words Maggies Raggedy Inn carefully carved into the massive wooden piece of lumber. Bess recognised the name and all her thoughts of fear disappeared.  She was finally here and although  she did not know what to expect she was hoping that on the other side of the glass  door she would meet a woman who had known her mother. She hoped that Mrs. Lawler would be able to answer her many question and help help her understand the woman that had given her birth.

 As Thomas opened the door, she was greeted by  a friendly face and the smell of  a far off memory of a place she had called home.

This will be a continuing story which I will tell through this blog. I will write several entries a week so be sure to come back as I tell you a story of  Bess whose mother has just died. As she cleans out her mother's house and sorts through her   things, she finds a handwritten book that her mother wrote, which  leaves her to wonder if she  really knew the woman called Annie Wright.

Don't forget to visit the Inn's gift shop at http://maggiesraggedyinn.etsy.com

You can also find a Fabled Love Story here.......

http://www.etsy.com/listing/100727989/the-fisherman-and-the-salmon-a-fabled
 

Looking for a Miracle

 It's time to move ahead with my life.....

 It's a rainy night here at the Inn. I thought of lighting a fire in my wood stove but didn't as I have not filled my woodbox yet. I will do that on the weekend. Fall is definitely here and I have to get things ready for the colder weather ahead.

Today I received an email that could change my life. It is a wish that I have had since I was thirteen years old.  Last night I picked up my journal for the first time in two weeks and wrote down that I had to organize my life and focus on what was truly important.  I wrote down my dreams and described how I saw myself living in the future. It  is always the same, my vision  of  the world I want to create, where I would live a simple life, earning a living from my writing, having a big heated greenhouse to grow  healthy food, having my animals, visiting my daughter in Montreal, staying at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel,which overlooks the beautiful city of Montreal,  being healthy and fixing up a "scar" from my past. I have carried around the hope to live this way for decades but always said that it would happen " someday"  and never felt any real pressure to do anything about it...... until now.

 I do not understand why I am feeling the urgency to really do something about it at this time when I am more tired than usual, as life in 2012 has been somewhat challenging. This has been a year where I was forced to experience many unforseen and difficult changes that have left me unsettled, uncertain, and in fear.  Life is fragile and I have learned it the hard way.   Maybe all these changes are part of the plan to take me towards my dreams. Maybe I have to get through the obstacle course to see if I am worthy to receive my blessings.... maybe?


 Today I am seeing that nothing happens in life without some effort and courage. We can talk  and whine all we want about something, but unless we  focus and take action, nothing will change. I cannot have wasted a lifetime hoping to find a solution for nothing. I cannot let fear force me to say it is impossible... not this time... not again.

I will keep you posted as to what I am going to do about it... any suggestions will be much appreciated and remember   I am literally trying to "beat the clock"!