Category: Family History
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Changing Cards, Changing Chapters
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in Autumn 2026, Autumn in Florida, Blogging, Family History, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Life in the United States, Miami-Dade Community College, Personal History, Personal Thoughts, Personal Thoughts, Semester in Spain Program, Semester in Spain Program – CCISChanging Cards, Changing Chapters Yesterday, I did something that should have been utterly mundane. I took my New Hampshire state ID out of my wallet and replaced it with my new Florida one. That’s it. One little plastic card came out; another little plastic card went in. And yet, for a moment, it felt weird.…
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Musings on My Mother’s 98th Birthday
Saturday, October 17, 2026 – Orlando, Florida “I can pinpoint that as the single happiest moment of my life, because I realized then that Mom would always have my back. It made me feel giant. I raced back down the concrete ramp, faster than I ever had before, so fast I should have fallen, but…
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More October Reveries
Friday, October 16, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Tomorrow would have been my mom’s 98th birthday. My feelings about that are, well, complicated. She died 11 years ago in the South Florida townhouse we had called home for more than 37 years, after a long and painful struggle with dementia, depression, kidney problems, and the other…
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October Reveries
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 – Orlando, Florida October has always been a difficult month for me. Its arrival brings a chill that has little to do with the weather; before the calendar has turned its first few pages, I can already feel the weight of memory settling in. Whether I choose to dwell on the…
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Best. Mom. Ever.
“But there’s a story behind everything. How a picture got on a wall. How a scar got on your face. Sometimes the stories are simple, and sometimes they are hard and heartbreaking. But behind all your stories is always your mother’s story, because hers is where yours begin.” ― Mitch Albom, For One More Day…
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On Writing and Storytelling: From Brain to Book: The Strange Magic of Making Stories Real
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Books, Creative Writing, Family History, Jeronimo Diaz-Granados, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing as a CraftFrom Brain to Book: The Strange Magic of Making Stories Real This morning, I picked up the hardcover edition of The Jim Garraty Chronicles and felt something I’ve felt many times before, but never quite this sharply: a kind of quiet awe. The weight of the book, the texture of the cover, the solidity of…
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Seven Albums for a Penny: Remembering Columbia House
Seven Albums for a Penny: Remembering Columbia House Wednesday, August 19, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. Well, another iconic brand from my misspent youth is about to disappear into the mists of history, taking with it a particular kind of mail-order anticipation that younger readers may know only from old magazine ads and family…
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You Are Already Moving
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Blogging, Books, College Life, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Life in Bogota, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Life in the United States, Love, Sex, & Relationships, Miami-Dade Community College, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Personal History, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Sevilla (Seville), Spain, South Miami Senior High SchoolTuesday, June 16, 2026 — Orlando, Florida I don’t usually build blog posts around WordPress’ Daily Writing Prompt, but today the universe nudged me. Sometimes it leaves a note on the kitchen counter, and this one had my handwriting on it. Today’s Prompt:What is something you wish you could tell your 20‑year‑old self? Mid‑June in…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Behold…the Power of Stories!
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Bogota, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftMonday, May 25, 2026, Orlando, Florida If you are a regular visitor to this space, you already know my favorite label: storyteller. Not influencer, not pundit, not a man with suspiciously strong opinions about semicolons—just a storyteller. I have been under the spell of stories for as long as I can remember: first as a…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Stories, Sunshine, and the People Who Read Them
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Bogota, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in Madison (NH), Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 and Onward), Life in South Florida, Life in the Tampa Bay area, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Spring 2026, Spring in Florida, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftThursday, May 14, 2026, Orlando, Florida Hi, there. It’s another scorchingly hot late‑spring afternoon in Central Florida. As I write this, the temperature sits at 87°F (30°C) under mostly sunny skies. With humidity at 42% and a west‑northwest breeze of 11 MPH (17 km/h), the heat index nudges up to a sticky 92°F (33°C). The…
