A Quick Thought

Peace of Life

deborahanndykeman

Hello…is anybody out there? Some days, you just feel…alone. It seems as though no matter what you say, it’s taken wrong. That you only have friends and family if you agree and support them. If the tables were turned…you’d be flopping on a beach, struggling for air.

Some days…we have those kind of days. Sometimes I wonder, if I just said what I wanted to, like others do to me, would I still have a friend or family member? If I expressed myself, did what I wanted, when I wanted…would people still speak to me…as I’m expected to when dealing with them?

There are days when I want to go far, far away, and forget all the troubles. I don’t want to worry about money, if the house is clean, the yard is mowed, the weeds are pulled. I don’t want to navigate the finances for a new furnace and overhaul on the house. I would like to only take care of my job at work, and have people help me as I always try to do. I don’t want to answer the phone for one more telemarketer or political call. Are the dishes done, the laundry clean, the oil changed in the car? Is the cat in or out…and is she up-to-date on her rabies shot if she’s out. Will the dog be sad and lonely if left too long? After all, he needs to be happy too.

Philippians 4:6 (NASB)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

At times, this verse is hard to grasp. It floats beyond my reach, my thoughts of all the above crowding and littering my mind…until all I see is the miserable, selfish part of my life.

Be anxious for nothing. Instead of wanting to escape to a beach in Maine, far north where it’s too cold for others…I need to stop the quicksand of life in this world today. I need to stop and pray, thank God for everything that He has allowed in my life…good and bad. For He has allowed it for a purpose. Then I need to ask Him to help me with my day, my thoughts…and give me peace.

rocky-coast-108225__180

In my mind, I can be on that beach. Listening to the waves roll in, the salty wind upon my face. I can watch the sunset and know there will be another day…and it may go better than the one I’m dealing with right now. And it may not, but I can have peace and contentment.

There are not too many of us that can change what is going on in our world today. We can’t put better, different people in office, we can’t make our neighbor live how we want them to. Unless you’re the boss, your co-workers don’t answer to you. We can’t use our rights to trample over everyone else’s. And no, we can’t even really control our own little world of family and friends. But we can choose to be at peace and live with contentment. Make a decision today to change your little world…and the rest of the world might not be so difficult to deal with. Have a great Monday!

A Quick Thought

Social Media…Be Happy!

deborahanndykeman

I’ve posted on here a couple of times about Facebook and social media. They are not friends of mine. The upside is the ability to connect with people you haven’t seen or heard from in ages. The downside is the ability to connect with people you haven’t seen or heard from in ages. Do you really want  to hear from that girlfriend or boyfriend you broke up with 20, 30 or even 40 years ago? Are the pictures you have of family and friends from the 1970’s really that great? If you look worse than you did in high school, maybe you want to stay in hiding. But… if you look fantastic, you may want to advertise it everywhere!

I really struggle with all the political stuff. Yes, we all understand that it is an election year here in America. But do we have to sling trash, insults and just keep the pot stirred? What does that say to the rest of the world we live in? Nothing good, I’m thinking! We are supposed to be the UNITED States of America. Not the ‘I’m going to do my thing and you can do yours, and if I don’t agree I’m going to treat you like yesterdays garbage’ States of America.

The abused animals and children information is something else I have a hard time dealing with. Yes, these are both horrendous problems in our world today. I would like to be able to stop it, have animals and people treated with respect. But I have a hard time getting my own family to listen to me…the rest of the world? Forget it!

I think the biggest problem, and this doesn’t just occur with social media, is about one’s rights. When your rights trample all over mine…you have exceeded your bounds. And this is rampant today.

Social media isn’t all bad…and I hope I’m not sounding as though it is. I love the really cute, funny items that are shared. The music videos are nice, and I love the beautiful pictures. And yes, I do adore looking at your photos…even if I don’t know you! (I think that is for another post, though!) So go ahead and Tweet, Twitter, Post to your heart’s content.

And if you have the time…watch this video. Just a little break in your day, and some good words to put to use in your life.

 

Writing

Newest Arrival in Rubyville

deborahanndykeman

I don’t usually post in the evening…but I couldn’t wait to share the news. My newest book, the third in the Rubyville series is now available on Amazon! You may purchase it right here:https://www.amazon.com/Rubyville-Place-Deborah-Ann-Dykeman/dp/1533528810/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469147741&sr=1-4&keywords=ru

All my books are available in paperback and kindle editions. Happy reading everyone! And as always…please leave a review. It is very much appreciated!

Where do I go?

Always hold something back

deborahanndykeman

Some very good advice…and I often do it. It helps me get started the next day…and hopefully I haven’t forgotten too much of that ‘feeling’ for that scene!

ellieholmesauthor's avatar

You sit down to write having wilfully ignored the distractions around you: the distant ringing telephone (yours), the barking dog (your neighbour’s). You pay no heed to the bells and whistles of Social Media which continually beckon you away like a siren’s song. You make all that effort but when confronted by the computer screen and your work in progress you find you have nothing to say. We have all been there, haven’t we? It’s so frustrating particularly if you have limited writing time and need to make it count.

Frustration Frustration by Peter Alfred Hess courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons licensed by CC BY 2.0

https://flic.kr/p/5x3DF6  https://goo.gl/sZ7V7x

You can coax the creative engine into life but it can be a slow process like trying to get an old car started on a cold and frosty morning.

Give it a good pushjpg Give it a good push by Christopher Amrich courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons…

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Writing

It Ain’t Just Talk: 3 Crucial Elements of Great Dialog

deborahanndykeman

I’m sharing this great post on dialog for all you writers out there. Enjoy!

She’s baaaaack. Well, sort of. Today I have an extra special treat. This is going to sound super conceited but whatever, it is MY blog 😛 . But first lemme caveat with this. I feel I DO have …

Source: It Ain’t Just Talk: 3 Crucial Elements of Great Dialog

A Quick Thought

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

deborahanndykeman

I always told our children that they didn’t have to agree with me, but they needed to respect their parents. That you don’t have to agree with other people or even really like them, but you needed to show respect.

This is very lacking in our society today. I just saw it in action again yesterday. It used to be that even if you weren’t a Christian, you respected a pastor. Even if you disagreed with the President of the United States of America, you respected his position. If you disliked a teacher in school, you still respected them. Of course, there were and always will be exceptions, but generally this held true.

Other examples of respect: men taking off their hats in a public building or house, saluting the American flag, opening a door for someone, quiet when someone was talking, quiet in a movie theater, and proper attire for certain occasions. Examples of these would be funerals, weddings, church and your place of work or school.

Now it’s ‘anything goes’ attitude. I think that’s terrible. I also believe it has caused a lot of problems in our world today. It also shows a lack of knowledge, and usually an abundance of arrogance.

Come on, show a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T, and sing the song if it helps you remember. I’m sure Aretha Franklin would appreciate it! Have a great Monday!

park-972173__180What not to do!

Writing

EC Quote Friday

deborahanndykeman

I loved this quote! It is so very true and why I’m so very thankful for Julia Ryan! www.DesignByJulia.com She has done a fantastic job on my covers. So…you can eat a sandwich while you read my book! Have a great Saturday!

Reblogged on WordPress.com

Source: EC Quote Friday

A Day to Remember

Nostalgia…the word for today

deborahanndykeman
I always wondered how you could have nostalgia for something you never experienced. Here is the definition:
nos·tal·gia
näˈstaljə,nəˈstaljə/
noun
 1. a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations
The time periods and places I have a sentimental longing  or a wistful affection for in the past, are things that I have never experienced and I really don’t have a happy personal association with. And as I have posted before…I’m in the wrong time period…in my opinion!
I’ve always loved the Civil War decade in history. The plantations were beautiful and the clothing was extravagant and lovely. But that’s not how I would have been living. My ancestors were generally pretty poor and farmers on my father’s side of the family. Hardworking, yes, but not sitting on the veranda sipping a mint julep. They were sitting on the porch smoking a corn-cob pipe wearing hob-nail boots…and those were the females! No, I never experienced that, but I have nostalgia for that period in history.
The next decade or so was just after the second World War. My Rubyville series is living those years for parts of two books. The research for that has been exciting and I’ve learned so much! I think that after that war, America was filled with hope and a sense of accomplishment. Fathers went to work and mothers stayed home, raising the children, generally. Life was more simple and I think people were more content with their lot. And they enjoyed their little world.
No, I was not alive during these years following that war, but I had grandparents that were and I’ve spent a lot of time in assisted livings and nursing homes. I’ve loved hearing the stories. Life was not all a bed of roses, but I think there was a peace and contentment then that is lacking today.
When I was a teenager, I loved the fifties. I wore circle skirts and saddle shoes to school…a lot, and I listened to the music of that time period. I had nostalgia for the fifties, and I still do. I have SiriusXM in my car so I can listen to ’50’s on 5.
vintage-1950s-887272__180 Love this picture!
When I was a teenager, I wanted to have a red, 1957 Chevy Bel Air someday. A Ford Thunderbird that same year would have been fine as well. I would still love to dress that way…if it didn’t look so strange. Again, there was a sense of family and femininity that seems lacking today.
Maybe that’s why I enjoy writing so much. I can re-create these worlds that I missed out on. My characters can waltz in a ballgown, full skirts over hoops with tiny slippers upon their feet. They can dance the Lindy Hop to the Big Band music of so many great artists, their saddle shoes keeping time. My characters can ride around in great old cars…and for them, it’s today.

The 1960’s swept in, the decade I was born in. I didn’t care much for the styles during that decade and they seemed to just go down from there. Pretty much the same for the music. The cars lasted until the early 1970’s and then the last of the muscle cars were gone.

I’ve lived since 1964. I can appreciate some clothing, music and cars over my years here on this earth. But I have nostalgia for all those decades before.

Just For Fun!

Laugh

deborahanndykeman

Some days you just need to have a good laugh. Our second oldest shared these ‘kid snippets’ with us a few years ago, and I enjoy them. For the reason I’m watching them today, you can read my post on procrastination! 😉

These little videos are acted out by adults, but the original conversation is between children. I think it’s funny to view what children think of us and adult situations. Sometimes their take is probably as ridiculous as we sound. I’m going to share this one about Trick-or-Treating, but there are many to watch. It helped me brighten my day for a few minutes before I get down to work. Enjoy!

Our Christian Walk

Change YOU First

deborahanndykeman

Change can only begin within each one of us. Yes, I’ve seen and heard the depressing news once again. No, I don’t want to get too political and rant on here. Sometimes though, little thoughts just come out and have to be shared.

We all have a set of standards and rules for our lives, whatever they be. The most liberal person in the world still has ideas and values that he/she holds to. Each of us has opinions whether we choose to share them or not. Any one of us can make a change for the good or bad…and it’s completely our decision. Yes, we can be caught up in stuff that was not our making or our desire, but how we relate and interact with that is totally ours.

We have the ability to change. Change our thinking patterns, change our reactions, change our views and change our circumstances in life. We are not usually victims of anything or anyone other than ourselves. And by chance, if you are a true victim, you have the ability to deal with that in a positive way in your life. There are countless examples of people that have overcome substantial loss materially and physically in their lives. And they have survived to go on and succeed once more.

Change can only begin within each one of us. We can choose to live our lives and not be angry or depressed about what is happening all around us…from within our own families to our world. We can choose to love rather than hate, live being content rather than seeking revenge. This life isn’t about what color you are…we are all created equal. It’s not about seeking revenge…God will take care of that. It’s about accepting Him and applying His Truths to your life. If you apply love to others in your world and you are content in any situation as you deal with it as you need to…change will happen.

The world situation is not about what everyone else is doing. It’s about what you are doing.