The Mindsinger is a writer of poems, books and blogs. She remembers a few things from her childhood: way back in the dark ages of the world, and what she cannot remember, she ‘embroiders’ a bit to make things more interesting. With humor and a subtle wit the Mindsinger brings to life characters for children’s stories, family shenanigans and more serious subjects.
A prolific writer, she has authored nine books, one of which, MINDSONG, was published by the Upper Room and eight of which are still looking for homes. A poem, Minnie Remembers, first published in 1974 by Alive Now out of Nashville, became a standard tool in the teaching of gerontology and was published in hundreds of periodicals and books. Minnie was even made into two films, the first by United Methodist Communications which received a Golden Eagle Film award and the second by the American Nurses Association. If you would like to read Minnie Remembers, just type the name into your Google search engine and several sites will pop up.
While suffering a writer’s block that that threatened to become terminal, the Mindsinger began carving. Soon carousel figures and natural horses crowded her living room, office, studio and any empty shelf. Three full-size figures and dozens of miniatures were created from original sketches. You will be able to see some of these when they are added to the website via Flickr.
Now that we have been introduced, I will tell you that my given name is Donna Swanson. Raised on the Indiana prairie, I have been married to husband John for 52 years and am now a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. My hair is white, my wit has mellowed and my country roots have gone deep into the soil of America’s bread basket. Two of our three daughters married brothers who both farm. Our son followed his father into farming and took over that occupation when his dad had to retire on disability. Sadly, our son succumbed to colon cancer in 2002 and left his family to grieve with a new awareness of Heaven.
I hope to share with you some poetry, some humor and some good thoughts over the next few years. There are weblogs to the right that contain more writings and they will be added to as material comes up. Please feel free to interact with the column and share your own story and wisdom with us.
Remember,
“The mind becomes like that on which it feeds.”
The quote by David Elton Trueblood which has become my motto. I hope to offer here a feast for the soul and nurture for the mind.
– The Mindsinger
About jlesliebooth
