“Yesterday… all my troubles seemed so far away”

There is a trifecta of remembrances, regrets, and remorse in this cluster of items on our coffee table. There may also be a pun, the fun that is always, always within/without me, too. Do you see? Can you ignite your brain to extract meaning and commonality? Here are some facts and clues:

Sue Grafton was an author whose books I serially read. When I started to write informally, and then purposefully, she was my role model. Everyone I knew wanted to be like Sue.

But how could I be like Sue? When it came down to writing fiction, I knew I didn’t want to murder anyone. No one could die in my books, so I could not be like Sue. While I hope that readers die laughing, there is not murderous intent in my Faith, Family, Frenzy! series – just mirth!

Sue was famous for adopting an alphabet method. ‘Y is for Yesterday’ was her final book… she didn’t get to write ‘Z is for ____’ because our dear Sue Grafton is dead. I may never, never read this hardcover book, received as a Christmas gift, several days after she was gone.

Let me turn your attention to the candlestick. If you wish to jump over you must be nimble and quick. It’s one of the several items gifted to me by my cherished grandmother, who was my childhood champion. I choose to believe that she watches over me still, as she did while on Earth, from heaven.

Last – neither the least nor the best – are the Beatles. Paul McCartney is famed for a song entitled “Yesterday.” It’s one of the Beatles most favored songs.

Paul McCartney’s birthday was yesterday… don’t ask me how I know. I just “Love Me do.”

P.S. in the crystal dish, a souvenir of our trip to Ireland, is a buckeye given to me by my grandfather. He was one of my champions, too. 😉