I write stories shaped by real life: the hard bits, the beautiful ones, and the moments that remind us that even in the darkest seasons, there is always a way forward. Whether you’ve come here through my memoir, my cosy mystery‑in‑progress, or my newsletter, I’m glad you’re here.My work weaves together themes of heart, hope, and second chances. I write about family, recovery, resilience, and the long thread of love that connects us across generations.
Autumn - My favourite time of Year
|
Dear Reader Autumn - My favourite time of YearAutumn ends in a few days here in the southern hemisphere. I have a tiny feeling of regret and disappointment that the blue skies, the beautiful colours and the crisp cool days will soon be gone. I've always loved this season above others. To me, Autumn reflects the cycles of my life, reminding me that moving into a different stage has its beauty and grace. Soon the trees will be bare. The morning light will come even later. I'll struggle to wake while it is still dark. The chill in the air will require me to wrap up warm - layers beneath my outer coat, warm gloves and a woolly hat - for my morning walk. It'll be dark when we sit for our evening meal. Perhaps I'll keep warm by the fire as I write, instead of sitting at the computer in the office with a rug across my knees. It's truly a time of reflection - this Autumn season reminding me that I'm in the Autumn of my life. What are my thoughts this Autumn?I don't mean to scroll through the reels as they come up on my FaceBook feed but I do find some of the topics interesting and I'm always hopeful to find something posted by the younger family members. It was during one of these hopeful scrolling sessions that I first came across reels by Act Biggy with the tagline of "Inspiring Hearts, One Act at a time". Here's a little background as to why this page inspires me. I became a mother quite young, and a grandmother in my mid 30s and it wasn't long before I had quite a tribe of grandchildren. I loved being called grandma. So, when I became a great-grandmother in my 50s, I was unprepared for the shock of not knowing my role in the lives of this next generation. They had grandmothers who did the baby sitting, prepared occassional meals, took the littlies to day care and such. I soon realised I wasn't needed and took a step back. But I was still young - many of my friends the same age were still steeped in their grandmother roles and here I was with no acknowledged place in the lives of this next generation and their parents. I wrestled with this puzzle for a long time. The great-grandmothers I knew at that time were older than I am now. Hardly strong enough to hold the babies let alone play with them as they became toddlers. Whereas I was still strong. This puzzle haunted me until Act Biggy's reels kept popping up in my feed. Then through these reels I started feeling the purpose of Great-Grandmothers. Act Biggy says their purpose is in the fulfillment of a life of sewing seeds that are now becoming a beautiful garden. Two of their reels that resonate fully with me state: "With children you grow, "Great-grandchildren are proof that love doesn't age. Great-grandchildren are healers. Another reel: "I have witnessed almost every joy and heartbreak Last week I looked into the eyes of two-month-old Ziggy and shared my love for him, knowing that when another great-grandson is born in a few weeks I will do the same. How this warms my heart! But wait - there's more!Along with thoughts of being a great-grandmother, another question arises: What is my role as a great-great-grandmother - a role I embraced just five years ago, while in my 70s. The answer seems quite clear now, thanks to Act Biggy. No matter how many generations follow me, or how many in each generation, if I am spared to be able to meet them in this life, I know now what my role is. It's to Love Them And I know my heart is big enough to share my love with them all. And in the final analysis, that is the purpose of the Autumn of my life - to be loving - to share Love. Instead of worrying I'm not enough, not doing enough, not being enough in my family's lives, when Autumn has done its work and Winter arrives, as in the seasons, we'll see Autumn has left an abundance of Love for Winter to weather through and show the beauty of the final season of my life. A Final AccountingSo how many? I hear you ask? Here's a photo of our family wall with four generations before me, four generations beyond. So far in my 5-generations, there's 7 children; 24 Grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild. And the legacy I hope to leave each of them? The most important of all attributes - Love. With the birth of each child I've seen how love multiplies. If each one can remember the feeling of being loved by me as their ancestor - I will rest in peace. No, I'm not feeling a foreboding of a farewell from me in the near future. I'm excited to see how this chapter of my life plays out in terms of who comes to join our big loving family. I'm truly blessed by each one. And by a loving husband - we are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary this Thursday with lunch at Hayes Common, the cafe where we had our first date 16 years ago. Till next time, With love, always, Ages of Pages Book Fair - Hamilton, NZ May 1st 2027 I'm getting in early to invite you to the Ages of Pages Book Fair 2027! If things go haywire for me, at least you'll have this invite to refer to earlier to the time. I'll be there and so will my daughter Phoebe. Along with over 140 other authors and book vendors. Once the website for 2027 is up I'll share the link here. In the meantime, I'm keeping this invite up on the newsletter. Why I Write - for you and for me too. Some stories come from lived experience, like navigating my son’s addiction and the long road of recovery. Others are shaped by imagination, like the cozy mystery I’m writing, set in a small café where trust is both tested and rebuilt. Some of my life stories still bring tears. Others make me smile. And many are filled with memories that warm my heart. I write for anyone who’s ever carried a burden across generations, and for anyone who longs to heal forward. I write to bring a little encouragement, comfort and joy into my life and yours. With love, My thoughts for Living Life in 2026 and beyond: "My religion is kindness" Dalai Lama “Cast your bread upon the waters and it will Doris May Payne - my mother "Life is a Daring Adventure or Nothing" Helen Keller “Write it on my heart that every day is Ralph Waldo Emerson "Remember that sometimes not getting “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave [person] is not [the one] who does not feel afraid, but [the one] who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela Read past Newsletters and, if you enjoy them, www.StephanieHammondAuthor.com FOLLOW ME |
Hi! I'm Stephanie Hammond
I write stories shaped by real life: the hard bits, the beautiful ones, and the moments that remind us that even in the darkest seasons, there is always a way forward. Whether you’ve come here through my memoir, my cosy mystery‑in‑progress, or my newsletter, I’m glad you’re here.My work weaves together themes of heart, hope, and second chances. I write about family, recovery, resilience, and the long thread of love that connects us across generations.
Dear Reader I've shared quite a lot during the past few newsletters about how I've struggled with having lost my sister a few months ago. Today I want to share how something unexpected can bring a ray of hope and sunshine when the clouds gather, literally in our wintery days, and metaphorically. An unexpected prize I love many things about my husband, Neil, and one of his qualities that is precious to me is his generosity. My mother had a saying that been included in my footer to the...
Dear Reader Are you using AI apps? In my writers' communities there's a fear of how writers might be using AI to write their stories. This fear is so prevalent that many decry its use for any part of the writing process. I've lived a long enough life now to have seen several inventions that raised fears of how these might replace genuine effort and creativity. Some inventions made our work easier. During my lifetime, our family has gone from icebox to refrigerator, from washing clothes in a...
Dear Reader Lessons Learned It's not always easy to recognise a mistake we make. I recently had a lesson in the consequences of not paying attention. My oldest daughter and I take the opportunity to spend a few hours together nearly every week. Sometimes we hang out at my place. Sometimes we run errands together. A couple of weeks ago she had an appointment at the optometrist. I had a few errands to run nearby so we parked in the carpark under a small shopping mall where I had a shopping...