The Joy of Snow Eaters — Defining the second half of life

January 24, 2017.Reading time 12 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep The young girl was standing in the snow, wearing only pajamas and snow boots. My car had just rounded the curve in the road that separates our condos from the apartments. The girl, about 8 years old, stood in the strip of yard beside the apartment building, her hands cupped and full of snow, […]

Hitting the reset button on your life

September 14, 2016.Reading time 7 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep My breakfast was so pretty I took a picture. And posted it on social media, of course. I felt proud, like it was my kid, and this was her first day of Kindergarten. Ok, sure, it was just two fried eggs sprinkled with roasted and crushed kale, diced fresh tomato, apple […]

The Terror of Our Blank Pages and Days

July 13, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep Nothing is more exciting, or more terrifying, than facing a blank page. That’s true for more than writers. Today, my lifelong friend faces a blank page each day. It seems to her that little is left of the story she spent so many years painstakingly writing in blood tears prayers struggles. […]

An Encouragement Roundup: Writing, Reality, and Wartime Heroes

June 2, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep I read. A lot. About writing, art, marketing, business, religion, and homesteading. That’s in between the novels. I do this primarily to learn. But I also do it to encourage myself, which is something I’ve needed more lately. Writing as an intentional practice has been arduous. As an emotional and spiritual […]

That “Thing” You Never Finished? It may take more than magic

May 12, 2016.Reading time 10 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep Do you know which creature in the animal kingdom has the longest gestation period? Elephant? Nope. Frill shark? Ha! What’s so big about a 3.5 year pregnancy? The answer is a woman with an unfinished novel she started in college that insists on being born butt first. Technically, I finished […]

Turning Up the Dark

April 19, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep This is about the time of year I start writing about spring and gardening and the anticipation of warmer days. And hope. But just because the earth is stretching and ready to start a new day doesn’t mean we are. As much as I’ve been thinking about what to plant in my flower pots, […]

Watching the sun set, because it’s ok to know how it ends

January 26, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep About 50 of us spread out along the shoreline. Silhouettes, and strangers joined only in our intention to witness the big event. The sun is about to set on the Gulf. I had run ahead of my husband as soon as we parked along Gulf Blvd., because I was sure the sun […]

Liked These Best in 2015 You Did

December 31, 2015.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Impossible to see the future is.” – Yoda By Amanda Cleary Eastep We don’t know what 2016 will bring, but my year-end blog analytics gave me a chance to see what resonated with you in 2015 here at Living Between the Lines. THANK YOU for reading, liking, sharing, and commenting! If any of the Top 5 […]

Taking a Red Crayon to a White Wall

December 8, 2015.Reading time 7 minutes.

By Amanda Cleary Eastep I’m back to volunteering to teach writing workshops at The Bridge Teen Center. What happens around that table never changes, not really, just the faces and the words. The need of these young people to express themselves is always there, despite their education or neighborhood or personal challenges. This is an updated post […]

What Your Purpose Is Not

September 5, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

Purpose. No topic is too big for the #wholemamas. Follow us over at Erika Shirk’s Overflow blog. By Amanda Cleary Eastep Every night I take it to bed with me, wake up with it, and feel it breathing down my neck when I’m not giving enough attention to it. (No, it isn’t an overly affectionate labrador.) It’s my […]