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 :)
Stories (352)
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Crystal
Patrick was my friend. He listened to me. He understood me. There was never any judgment. His strong physique was not only beautiful, but very comforting. When we were together, I felt safe. There were no promises or hidden hopes between us, but somehow, what we had...well, that was enough. Our relationship somehow got us through the fears, the underlying hurts, and the unknown in the the world we both had harshly known and were trying to live in. The demons and monsters quieted for a short while each time we were together.
By Shirley Belk4 years ago in Psyche
My Summer Go-to Recipe
We live in the South. It's summertime. Enough said. Did you already get a picture of the blaring heat and humidity that makes you lose your mind and want to slap somebody silly? Well, you would if you lived in north Louisiana during those long, hot summer months with absolutely no air to breathe. And who wants to eat under those conditions? Nobody! So I knew I would have to come up with something that kept my family cool on the inside, their sweet tooth satisfied, and their mouths full. (We avoid hangry to keep the slapping down to a minimum.)
By Shirley Belk4 years ago in Feast
Bobby Spooner
"A life experience is an experience that changes an individual. This is associated with hardships, problems, risk taking, effort and originality whereby individuals stretch themselves to improve their character, talents and knowledge." simplicable.com/en/life-experience
By Shirley Belk4 years ago in Families
Yea Though I Walk
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. But then again, there hadn't been a need for them. No need until now...until the new society took over. It had unseemingly crept up from the gutters like a black fog, saturating every crevice and nook, choking all the good out of this place where the only truth left in our world was so cold and bare and ugly that even the strongest among us turned face away from it. All the darkness left was a soul-less abode where our children would never be allowed to grow up in freedom. The dragons would make sure of that.
By Shirley Belk4 years ago in Fiction
I've Been Matched!
Can you believe it? A dating site that picks a love match for you by simply taking a quiz as to your taste in wine? The way they say it works is the pairing supposes you to have a certain "taste" that is similar to your favorite wine with those qualities or characteristics in those of your profile picks and vice versa. They (the other participants) have also been matched to you using the same quiz. I suppose it's like a perfect pairing, right? Sort of like which wines go with which particular cheese. In this case, the men are the wines and the women are the cheese. In any case, it sounded like it would be fun. So, I did it!
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Proof
My Spring Cleaning
Cleaning up after dead people (like in this movie, "Sunshine Cleaning") is pretty extreme. But many of us have had to do just that if we have inherited estates (minus the blood and gore, of course.) My inheritance involved an old brick house filled a hoarder's collection of mess. The property also had an old trailer house that had to be torn down and hauled away, and another old small frame house. To add to the hoarding, there are four sheds/storage house slap full of everything from A to Z and a dilapidated barn...all filled with anything from fine china to old calendars, doors, knick-knacks, windows, glassware, vintage treasures of varying shapes and sizes, and then there is "just junk!" I have wanted to call in the professionals like Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz on the television show, "American Pickers," but I'm not quite comfortable with me and my junk being on public display.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Lifehack
Finding Myself
The minute I saw this challenge, I knew I had to write about the movie, "Summerland." Again. You see, I already entered a challenge before about why I loved this movie: https://goodxofferhub.live/geeks/i-fell-in-love-with-summerland. But, my mind (or heart) just wouldn't turn it off. So, this endeavor took me to a deeper look into myself to find the answers. The questions I had were telling.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Humans
True Treasures
It had been a scorcher that summer, the summer of 1953. But the eleven year old twins had loved every minute of their vacation away from the dreaded confines of school in their small town. They were free as far as they were concerned and felt totally alive.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Families
Redneck Style Ready
Game Day food? Phase one Games (mid-morning ones): Wings, of course! Celery with Bleu cheese or Ranch. Fries. It's really that simple at our house. It is our tradition. No fuss and no buss. Just snacking down and watching our favorite team. Sometimes we cook them and sometimes we order out. But every time we are happy to just relax, munch on finger foods and yell at the referees.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in Feast
Trade you
Imagine a game of monopoly. It's almost the end of the game, though and one greedy (but strategic, savvy) person has stock-piled the best communities and added massive properties on them, raked up all the railroads, and even owns the utilities company. The other players live in fruitless hope of staying alive in this game by others landing on their meager one home, low-class dwelling. They just want to go around the board and collect their &200.00 and get back home safely. They live in fear of the banker and are terrified of rolling the dice that lands them on Boardwalk.
By Shirley Belk5 years ago in The Chain
