Do you know the stories or histories of interesting graves in your areas? Perhaps there are local legends you'd like to share.

There are plenty of books out there with the well-known stories of cemeteries out there. But what about the lesser-known stories? They're often the ones that are even more moving ... and likely more true!

Share your stories with me, and you may be part of an upcoming project. You will receive full credit for any submissions that are used.

Email your stories or questions to me at:
minda.epitaphsmag@gmail.com.

-Minda

Today time is going slow. My dad is in an operating not too far from me having triple bypass open heart surgery. Time is only inching along.

But last night, time flew. Time visiting with my dad, the time between seeing him and going to bed, the time between finally falling asleep and getting up at 4 a.m. to get ready to be at the hospital at 5 a.m.

I don't often feel time is on my side.

As you know, I have a website and a pretty popular Facebook group (4,263 members and 25 more I need to approve ... and do my best to weed out the spammers, though sometimes they fool me). I'm mom to a wonderful-curious-precocious 7-year-old girl, wife to a super busy artist, daughter to the best parents ever, and niece-cousin-granddaughter to a huge family that all lives in the Quad-City area (the family gets together for lunch at the same restaurant every Saturday ... anywhere from 6-20 or so people any given time). And I work full-time in marketing for a college.

So like a lot of people, I'm busy. And I don't really know how to relax. I love to read, but unless I reading a fiction book, I'm reading non-fiction and can't help but do research and take notes. I feel like if I'm not actively doing something, I'm wasting time. Part of my mind (the rational part that exists somewhere) knows that's a bunch of bunk. The other part of my mind (that rules the mental roost) tends to run around like a maniac streaker shouting, "GO! GO! GO! MORE! MORE! MORE! NOT ENOUGH! DO SOMETHING MORE! GO ... NOW ... SKY ... IS ... FALLING ...!!" And this is why God created anti-anxiety medication.

I recently finished writing a children's book on cemeteries, and I'm super excited about it. But it's sitting in a file on my husband Bill's computer, waiting for him to have TIME to focus on it. His time is taken up by his full-time job, freelance projects (see DrawMeBill.com) and events (he draws caricatures). He's been so busy this summer, and he's barely had a break. So we are hoping to get this going soon. I think you're really going to like it.

I'm working on another book, too. I'll be posting more about that soon.

So what about you guys? Is there enough time in the day for you to get things done? How do you manage your time?

-Minda