Shirley Belk
Bio
Mother, Nana, Sister, Cousin, & Aunt who recently retired. RN (Nursing Instructor) who loves to write stories to heal herself and reflect on all the silver linings she has been blessed with :)
Achievements (1)
Stories (333)
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Regions of my Heart
My sister gave me a fantastic gift for Christmas the year after our mother died. It was a DNA test kit! Oh, what fun discoveries we've made with it. Secrets and imaginings come vividly to life. Genealogy & Ancestry totally became two of my favorite topics, but I have added a third love to the mix because of them...Geography!
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Wander
Canary Birds, My Brother, & Speaking Spanish
Back in 1961, the Space Race (a time of glorious competition between Russia & the United States to be the first to put a man on the moon) was alive and thriving. This is an important backdrop to my story, because in 1961, my family and I lived in Canary Islands, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. And according to Wikipedia,
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Families
Mr. President, Sir:
I was introduced to the celebrity figure, Donald Trump by none other than my grandmother. My grandmother loved keeping up with Hollywood gossip, celebrity drama, and all the glitz and glam of the movie stars. Of course, in that mix was the high profile couple, Donald & Ivana Trump from New York. I liked to keep up with my grandmother, so I would listen as she gave me the low down on the "lifestyles of the rich and famous" even better than Robin Leach could have. If Mr. Leach was before your time, he was a television celebrity journalist/host who coined the term, "champagne wishes and caviar dreams" and spoke in a thick and highly pronounced British accent.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in The Swamp
Dean Martin:
It's true. You might be reading this and ask, "Who is Dean Martin?" And, "OG" is a term of the NOW generation, so how could this Dean Martin guy possibly be an original gangster? Well most assuredly, he was a gangster and he was one of the originals from the famous "Rat Pack" originals.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Geeks
The 50’s as I Remember Them. Top Story - August 2020.
My life began in the mid 50's in Colorado. My mother tells me that it was the hottest day recorded in twenty years on that first day of summer. I don’t think that this information has ever been checked out by Scopes, but nonetheless, it’s her story and it sounded good to me. I am also part of that Baby Booming generation, but neither parent served in the military. My father had been a victim of polio, leaving a leg atrophied, but my mom did have three brothers who served in WWII.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Families
Packing to Move
Making the Most of a Hassle When you hear the word, "moving," it can be terrifying. Dread is the next word in mind for most of us, right? Why? Because we have accumulated way too many unneeded, useless, and unused "things" that occupy too much space in our home...and in our minds. Moving means packing and packing means sorting and sorting means decision-making. That is the hard part, the decision tree. Moving requires time for introspection and self-truths. That which we avoid most of the time, whether for reasons of business with daily life, propensity to value fun or relaxation over organization and minimizing clutter, or even for deeper reasons, like sentiment guilt.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Lifehack
What my Cats Have Taught Me
I've always been a cat person. I've loved and had to say goodbye to many a good one. After all, I am in my sixties now. Each one, though, has gifted me with something magical. These are my babies now. They will most likely be my lasts. They know they are special in their own little ways and so endearing. (See, I told you I was a cat person!)
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Petlife
Shirley's Dream Home
Time is ticking, but not nearly as fast as I'd like it to. The time is for new beginnings. Starting out again in my 7th decade and recently single again. Not as I had planned or hoped, but life must go on, so I want my home to be filled with glimpses of who I have always been and what I adore. It has to be within my meager budget, but I know that God will place me in the perfect place.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Lifehack
