My guest today is Author Maureen Lang who writes about something that most authors and stay-at-home moms deal with, loneliness. Here’s Mauree:

“Have you ever felt like an outside in your own hometown? Maybe all of us have, to some extent or at various times in our lives. Between my writing career and being mom to a handicapped child, isolation seems to be a natural byproduct. I’ve always joked that the two factors go hand-in-hand, that writing requires me to stay home but that’s just where I need to be anyway, with a son nearby who needs extra attention. While it’s convenient for me to stay at home, it’s not always wise to stay home as much as I do.

I learned my lesson earlier in the year at a school event where parents were invited to see their kids in a holiday parade. I made sure the event was on my calendar so I’d be there, and off I went. Once I arrived, I realized my lack of foresight. The occasion wasn’t just to see our children, it was also a social event for the parents. Parents who knew each other. So there I stood, off to the side by myself, observing various clusters of people who seemed to be the best of friends. That may not be the saddest moment of my life, but it was certainly a memorable one. It served to remind me that community doesn’t just happen. It must be cultivated. Without time devoted to others, isolation follows us even into the crowd.

I guess that memory helped me to write several of the early scenes of my newest book, set in France during World War One. In Look To The East, my heroine Julitte is an outsider in her own hometown. Part of the problem for her is the dynamics of the town itself: a feud has been going on for generations, making half the town practically an enemy to her anyway. But even those on her family’s side of the feud are sometimes cool toward her, and it’s because she’s perceived as “different.” Her differences are unlike my differences.

In my case I have a child with special needs, but nowadays that only means I have another community into which I can connect if I devoted more time to the matter. Julitte was born around the year 1900, on the Greek island of Lepers and adopted away when she was found free of the disease. Between her heritage and her faith, Julitte is considered different. Her only friend is a girl who was cast out of polite society, too.

When a world war breaks out, the first of its kind, Julitte uses her isolation to benefit a straggler caught behind enemy lines. Few people suspect she’s hiding someone from the occupying army—someone she’s fallen in love with.

While the source of my social isolation may be different from my characters’, the solution is the same. Depend on God; follow His example of community by serving others.

Take the time to enjoy the company of others. Limit the time spent in isolation, and use it to grow closer to our Creator (not farther away from people). Community may not be the answer to all of our problems, but it can make many of the problems we do face easier to bear.

Recipe: Fruit Salsa (from my friend JoAnn Nishimoto)
1/2 honeydew mellow, diced
1/2 cantaloupe, diced
1 papaya or mango, diced (this is optional, but delicious and adds a lot of flavor)
2 med. tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 med. cucumber, seeded and diced
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce, mild or medium
2 tablespoons sugar
Refrigerate 2 hours to mingle flavors, then drain the juices a bit for the salsa to be less watery. Enjoy!”–Maureen

Visit Maureen’s website and blog for more info about her and her books. She has graciously offered to send a book for a drawing of those who comment this week.
So leave her a comment and you may be the fortunate one! Thanks so much, Maureen.”–Lyn