Comment from T B Botts

Excellent

Hello Jim,
I don't have any sixes in my quiver yet, but this offering is worthy. Marie is getting quite the lesson in life being down in the south. She seems to be making progress, even if reluctantly. Julia is a saint. Obviously she didn't learn her good manners from her mom, but she's chosen a lifestyle she can be proud of. Well done.
Have a blessed evening.
Tom

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 26-Jan-2025

Thanks so much Tom. Isn't it interesting how some children somehow learn to be good, decent people despite their upbringing? My wife is a good example of this. Her mother was never a nurturing type or appreciative and was (and still is, she's 98 now) an extremely negative contrarian who argues with everything my wife says to her. Yet my wife is the sweetest, most helpful, and positive person imaginable. Where she learned that is anyone's guess. I guess some things are just in our nature.

reply by T B Botts on 26-Jan-2025

You're blessed Jim!

Comment from LJbutterfly

Excellent

Julia has provided very helpful advice that if taken, can make Marie's life much more enjoyable. Marie felt Julia's student would never amount to much of a musician. However, studying music and learning to play an instrument promotes clear thinking and develops analytical skills. It even decreases chances of suffering from dementia in older years. I love understanding how Marie thinks and feels.

I would make this minor change if I were writing.

I don't usually drink as much as I did yesterday, and I was feeling the results now. (I 'am' feeling the results now) 'Am' and 'now' are both present tense.

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 26-Jan-2025

All good stuff you mentioned about learning to play an instrument, Lorraine. Plus it just gives you a better understanding and appreciation of music. My wife and I both played instruments when we were young, and both of our kids did too, and still do.

Julia has given Marie a good prescription for future happiness. Let's see if she takes her up on it.

Comment from royowen

Exceptional

I think that teaching was never part of my expertise, but my wife still teaches French to the retired folk, will they learn to speak French...a little, but she has created an atmosphere of Bon Ami, friendship and social interaction, she uses her gift to help others. God has moved me to teach others to delight in poetry, but most of all, my gift I'm sharing, and who knows. I might help people to delight in each other, and lift them into a real, of wisdom, well dine with this post Jim, blessings Roy

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 26-Jan-2025

I wasn't a school teacher, but I feel like I did an awful lot of teaching in my job as a systems analyst. I developed and gave many training sessions on how to use the software I created to the users who would be using it. I also spent a significant amount of time training new hires on our departmental standards and gave a number of training sessions to the programming staff on new programming techniques learned.

Teaching is a noble profession and just a noble thing in general for society to thrive. Let's see if Marie takes Julia's suggestion to teach. That's got to be more rewarding to her than sitting home alone drinking each night.

Thanks for your wonderful comments, Roy, and your generous 6 stars too.

reply by royowen on 26-Jan-2025

Great job Jim.

reply by royowen on 26-Jan-2025

My best friend as a young man majored in maths/physics, he became a systems analyst.

Comment from Ric Myworld

Excellent

I guess that if we all thought alike it would make for a dull world. But it's hard to imagine how we make it through a single day when we start looking into the magnitude of people and perspectives. Most writers give quick peeks at appearance or personality glimpses, but I like how you've made me feel like I'm coming to know your characters inner thoughts and turmoil. Thanks for sharing.

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 25-Jan-2025

Thanks so much, Ric. That's mainly why I like to write in first person--to be able to easily and often voice the characters' inner thoughts.

Comment from Wendy G

Excellent

Yes, she is being confronted really with the meaning of life and what makes it enjoyable. Hopefully she will start to understand that life doesn't offer much if it is devoid of meaningful relatinships, and merely filled with coping mechanisms.
Wendy

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 25-Jan-2025

That's a very good point, Wendy. Let's see if she takes any of Julia's good advice and begins reaching out.

Comment from Carol Hillebrenner

Excellent

Marie is learning, slowly, what it takes to be a good person (and teacher) from her daughter, but I suspect she is going to be in need of her son-in-law's great achievement relatively soon.

 Comment Written 25-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 25-Jan-2025

That's a very interesting speculation, Carol, that has a lot of truth to it.

Comment from Neonewman

Excellent

Marie, Marie, Marie. She just might be alright without the drinking, as that brings most of her bad side out. However, she still has to take her stabs. Bringing Sherry in to brag on Julia, was brilliant. This is another great addition, Jim. I was excited to see it pop up in my messages.
God bless,
Steve

 Comment Written 24-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 25-Jan-2025

Thanks so much, my friend. That would be a good first step--to quit drinking so much and to begin thinking of other people besides herself all the time. Her growing relationships with her family are a good start, but she needs to begin reaching out in the rest of her life because she isn't with them all the time.

reply by Neonewman on 26-Jan-2025

She should see the signs as her daughter had an addiction and I'm sure she was on her ass about it. She needs to take her own advice. It's a great story, Jim.

Comment from eliz100

Excellent

This is another excellent chapter. What I like is that your characters are real, with flaws. You are moving the story along nicely. I do not see any room for improvement. Have a blessed day.

 Comment Written 24-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 25-Jan-2025

Thanks so much, Lee. I've been told more than once that my characters are too nice, so I've really enjoyed developing Marie's character.

Comment from Debbie D'Arcy

Excellent

I'm glad Julia gave her mother a good talking-to about her drinking. Simply apologising just wasn't enough after her misbehaviour. Marie is slowly changing but she's putting up resistance too. Sorry, Jim, I was jumping the gun and expecting an accident in the park. But all is well and, at least, Marie is going to reevaluate because she keeps on being so insensitive to others' circumstances. Thank you so much, Jim. This is another well-crafted and interesting chapters. I'm enjoying Marie's character development. I only found one possible edit at the start to avoid ending on 'now.' But I'm hard pushed to find anything:) Well done! Debbie
I was (now) feeling the results

 Comment Written 24-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 25-Jan-2025

Thanks so much, Debbie. Yes, I didn't want to have Julia let her mother off the hook too easily. Likewise, in the previous chapter when Brian was comforting her in the basement, and she told him she was sorry for having misjudged him all those years, I didn't want him saying "That's okay, Marie." Instead, he said, "That's over with now, Marie. All done."

Comment from barbara.wilkey

Excellent

Yes, Marie needs to reevaluate so much of her life. I'm glad Julie spoke to her about her drinking. I'm curious where that's going to lead her. You're doing a great job writing this.

 Comment Written 24-Jan-2025

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reply by the author on 25-Jan-2025

Thanks very much, Barbara. We'll see pretty soon whether Marie acts on any of Julia's good advice.