That's the beginning of a kids' song I always liked. In case you don't know it, it goes like this: " Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning to you,/ Good Morning, Good Morning, and how do you do?" Ever just wake up and feel like singing that song? I am definitely a morning person and today, well, it just feels like a good morning. We had a lovely weekend (combination of meeting up with friends, cooking and lazing around at home, and reading, of course) and I don't have loads to do today, so I can concentrate on my story -- all of which helps explain why it feels like a good morning at my house.

The "Good Morning" song makes me think of a couple of things to write about in today's blog. One is: if you've lived through some really bad mornings, you are definitely more appreciative of the good ones. Without giving you the gory details, let's just say I've had my share of bad mornings -- most of them happened when I was a much younger woman in a troubled relationship that I didn't get out of soon enough. But like I often tell my students and the students I meet when I visit other schools to talk about my work, difficult times deepen our understanding of what pain is -- and that makes us better able to imagine what it feels like to be someone else (for instance, a character in your book!). Also, surviving those bad mornings makes you extra-glad for the good ones... perhaps this point of view could prove useful if you happen to be going through some tough times yourself. 

 The other thing I was going to explore in today's blog entry is why I've always been drawn to the world of children's literature and even children's music. But you know, maybe I'll leave that for tomorrow. Hope you have  a GOOD MORNING and a good rest of the day, too. Talk to you tomorrow!