Spring, summer, fall and winter are more than just seasons on a calendar. We can also think of them as the seasons of a life well lived. 

In Write for the Fight: A Collection of Seasonal Essays, 13 writers reflect on where they've been and where they hope life life will take them before they leave this mortal coil. In this anthology, each writer offers a unique perspective on the seasons of life: 

Spring: Reflecting on what life was like at age 5
Summer: Offering advice to their 20-year-old selves
Fall: Considering what remains on their bucket list 
Winter: Imagining what folks might say about them on their 80th birthday

As editor of this anthology, I had the opportunity to read each essay and interact with the authors who wrote them. Some of them made me laugh. Others made me cry. Still others left me pensive and reflective about my own life. These stories forced me to think about where I've been and where I hope to go in life. It's an incredible journey that I invite you to take with these writers and then apply the seasonal questions to your own life.

Write For the Fight is currently available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but I'm giving away a copy to one lucky reader of my blog. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and your name will be entered in a drawing to receive a soft-cover copy of the book. (To make it interesting, feel free to include a personal observation that addresses one of the four questions from the book.) If you share this blog post (via Twitter, Facebook, etc.), you will earn an additional chance to win. Don't forget to first leave a comment here on the blog. The winner will be selected by a random drawing. (For Facebook shares, please see this public post on my Facebook page and share it. For tweets, please use the hashtag #freeWFTF.) The deadline to comment or share is Tuesday, June 12, at 5 p.m. The winner will be announced by the end of the day on Wednesday, June 13.

While it's not a condition of accepting the book, those of us involved in this labor of love would appreciate a book review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your own personal blog. I also want to mention that proceeds from the sale of this book benefit breast cancer, so if you don't win the free copy, please consider purchasing the book. It's for a good cause.

Please leave a Comment below for a chance to win your copy of Write for the Fight. You can learn more about the book through one of my earlier posts: Write for the Fight: A kaleidoscope look at life — past, present and future. 

During the months of January and February, I was busy at work editing a book titled Write for the Fight: A Collection of Seasonal Essays. This kaleidoscope of essays is written by people from varied backgrounds with unique writing styles and perspectives on life. The book takes a look at the seasons of life: looking back at age 5; having a little talk with your 20-year-old self; considering what's left on your bucket list; and looking ahead to your 80th birthday. 

For me, the work of editing the book was a wonderful tour of the life experiences and imaginations of some creative, insightful and entertaining minds. Each writer in this anthology approaches the spring, summer, fall and winter of their life with their own distinct voice. Some of the essays are heartwarming, while others are poignant. Some are downright hilarious. From the touching words and phrasing of Galit Breen to the poignant reflections of Tess Hardwick, Write for the Fight is a collection of stories that will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone. Here are some tidbits to tease you...

But don't take my word for it. Reviewers at Barnes & Noble have given Write For the Fight overwhelmingly positive reviews, like this one:

A delightful read that keeps you coming back for more. So fun and interesting moving through the seasons with these writers and their stories. Rarely can a book be this reflective, thought provoking, funny and sentimental. ~ Reviewer Becky Lower

As you travel through the seasons of life with these diverse writers, you will laugh, cry, smile and perhaps feel a bit pensive. Viewing life through their eyes, you will experience a roller coaster of emotions and find yourself pondering the seasons of your own life — I believe in a positive way. 

As I took that journey, I found myself looking inward and outward, reflecting on the past and considering the future. Overall, the introspection left me feeling satisfied with where I've been, where I am and where I'm going. Sure, there have been mistakes along the way, but that's part of the learning experience that IS life. It hasn't been perfect, but it has been a wonderful, crazy ride filled with people and places that have touched my life in meaningful ways. While I can clearly see the past, the future is not yet written. It's like a book I've yet to pen, with chapters not yet finished. While I'll have to wait and see what happens as those pages unfold, this book left me with a sense of peace about the past, the present and the future.

Write For the Fight is currently available in Nook and Kindle versions (both priced at $4.99) and will be released on iTunes later this month. A paperback version is set for release on April 30 at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The co-authors (Tess Hardwick and Tracey Hansen) and contributors are donating their proceeds to support research to find a cure for breast cancer, a disease they all feel drawn to fight. And so they write. And ask others to write. 

And, now, we ask you to read.

Comments are welcome and always appreciated. Please feel free to share your thoughts below.

Do you ever think back? Way back? No, I’m not talking college or high school or even junior high. I mean way back to the days when you were a fresh-faced, dewy-eyed little tot. Around 5 years old.

Prompted by an exciting book project I've been working on, I recently asked myself this question: What do you miss about being 5 years old? That query is one of four posed to writers who agreed to be part of Write for the Fight: A Collection of Seasonal Essays. Set for release on March 5 by Booktrope Publishing, the book is called Write for the Fight because all writer royalties will be donated to benefit breast cancer research. While I'm not one of the 13 writers in this anthology, I was asked to serve as editor for the book. And I relished reading the touching and inspiring entries, which answered the question above, along with these three:

• What would you tell your 20-year-old self?
• What is left on your life list to do?
• What do you want people to say about you on your 80th birthday?

The book will be arranged by the seasons of the year, with each season representing a different stage of life. Followers of this blog may recall that I answered question #2 (which represents the summer season of life) in a recent guest post (Dear Diane at 20) on Tess Hardwick's blog, Inspiration for Ordinary Life. In fact, Tess is co-author of the upcoming book, along with blogger and writer Tracey Hansen. Inspired by reading the collection of essays in Write for the Fight, today I'm answering question #1: What do you miss about being 5 years old? I've explored the deep recesses of my mind and discovered a fond memory ... a memory that made me smile. Perhaps it will bring a smile to your face as well.

*  *  *

Some of the hazy images of my early childhood are of simple things: cartoons on Saturday mornings (I loved Felix the Cat) and climbing into the hayloft of a neighbor’s barn with my cousins who lived nearby. And it was the simple-yet-special memory of a winter tradition in our home that brought a bittersweet smile to my face. The memory? My mother’s famous delicacy: butter-and-sugar toast.

I know … it doesn’t sound like anything truly spectacular, but when Mom would suggest our favorite treat on a cold Saturday morning — or, better yet, a snow day! — effusive joy filled our house. Eagerly, my brother and I would belly up to the kitchen table and wait as Mom took the warm bread from the toaster. We would watch as she spread the butter, which quickly began to melt into warm gooeyness. And then, the pièce de résistance: we were allowed to sprinkle sugar on top before biting into our scrumptious treat. A huge gulp from a glass of cold milk was always ready to wash it down.

Even then, I don’t think it was the sensory pleasure of this yummy treat that made me love it so much. It was more the fact that we shared it together. It was our special tradition, our moment, our memory to hold until the next time we performed our little ritual. It was the love that filled that cozy kitchen and the warmth of my mother’s heart that turned the simple into the spectacular. Mom’s special toast was like winter magic … because it was made with love.

And now, I think I’m overdue for some winter magic. Could you please pass the sugar?

Do you have special traditions that you remember from childhood? Feel free to share your memories in the Comments.

Note: For the first month, Write For the Fight will be available exclusively as a Barnes & Noble NOOK Book. After that, both print and e-books will be available through BN.com, Amazon and other online booksellers. Remember, writer royalties benefit breast cancer research.