Heartbreak knows no color Violence has no shame. Hate is only destroyed by perfect love. Perfect love casts out all fear. Justice belongs to He who saves. “The Son of Man came to save t…
Source: The Color of Heartbreak
Home is…
You may remember them from back in the day: the framed wall décor – crafted by needlepoint or cross stitch or calligraphy – proclaiming Home is Where the Heart is. The saying was usually flanked by tiny houses and hearts in a country blue setting. I may have made one or two of them myself. […]
via Where the Heart is — A Fierce Quest
Share this:
We Went Out With a Bang
It’s all over, and the clean-up begins. As you know, here in the United States of America, we celebrated our Independence Day yesterday. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. I included this meme on Face Book yesterday to remember that day, because that is why we celebrate.
Now the actual way we all celebrate is a bit different. I don’t know when the traditions began, but they have been there at least since the 1960’s when I was a child. I would assume that there were parades, but I personally haven’t seen as many for the 4th of July as I used to. Very sad in my opinion.
So, the typical way to celebrate is to have a picnic…hot dogs and hamburgers, maybe potato salad and coleslaw. Potato chips and carbonated drinks are high on the list for food items as well. It seems to be very popular to make a cake that is decorated like an American flag with strawberries and blueberries on it. I think it’s a great idea…I’ve just never made one. People go camping, boating, spend time with family and just generally have a fun week-end.
This past three-day holiday here in Kansas was a bit on the cool and rainy side. Well, torrential downpour side. We needed the rain…and we got it. In bucket loads. I know it probably put a real damper on some people’s plans for the week-end, but I rather enjoyed the cool, cloudy weather. It was a nice break from the three digit temperatures we’ve had in June this year!
And then everyone goes out with a Bang! The fireworks here in our little town were really spectacular from the videos I’ve seen and from what people have said. Fireworks have never been a ‘must see’ for me…but maybe that is another post. Now, there’s nothing left but the clean-up. Traveling through our town this morning was like steering through an obstacle course. For some reason, the side roads seem to be a great place to light fireworks. Not so good when you have to drive. Just a side note…please clean-up your mess! It would be very much appreciated! 😉 Fireworks are extremely expensive in my opinion…so if you would rather, you can just throw money in my yard and I will gladly pick that up rather than burnt rockets, etc. 😉
Happy Independence Day, America!
Share this:
I’m Not a Procrastinator!
Yes, I am procrastinating! I love to write. I adore getting into that very special little space where the ideas, dialogue, and story is flowing faster than I can type. But some days, I keep putting off the begin time. This is one of those days.
I’ve accomplished all the ‘tasks’ I set for myself each day before I write. You know the ones. Dishes, laundry, vacuuming, and just general upkeep of a home so you don’t have to shovel out after a couple of weeks.
But I just can’t seem to ‘jump’ in this morning. Maybe it’s because I was interrupted during a really great, pivotal scene last night. (Really…I can’t write when I’m being stared at!) And now I’m afraid to try again because of plans I have later. I don’t want to be side-tracked . If you are a writer, you know how frustrating that can be. After you try to write a scene several times…in my case it just loses some of the ‘oomph’.
Life is rather like that for all of us at times. The best laid plans and that sort of thing. I’m not really a very flexible person. The humor is there, in the fact that I had five children and a husband that drove over the road. Anyone with children understands that your day doesn’t always, (almost never) goes as planned. But we all survived.
That last statement brings me to why I started procrastinating this morning. It was Face Book…again. No, it’s not their fault, but it’s probably the number one time waster for me. I stopped writing last night because our second daughter had given me a challenge to post pictures of my husband and I when we first met, and then a recent one. I posted that last night, and then this morning I had to check it…of course!
So, I will share the pictures with you all. That statement about survival also pertains to these pictures. My husband and I have survived. We started out as children, young and full of exuberance, and half our size. The first one was taken right after our wedding rehearsal on October 19, 1984. The second one was taken last fall, October 4, 2015. We haven’t changed a bit, have we? 😉
The third one is just a bonus shot for all of you. It was taken on October 19, 1984.
We were raking my parents yard. Cleaning it up a bit before our reception at their home the next day. My parents had just purchased the property in upstate New York, the Catskill Mountain area. It was a mess when they moved in, as you can see from the roof of the pump house. But it was beautiful when they moved fifteen years later! My husband and I were commenting on how it looked like we were on a set. Then our youngest daughter asked who the man was.
This last one was of us in September 1984, just after we were engaged. We were taking pictures for the newspaper to announce our engagement.
So many memories…and that’s how I got off-track in my writing last night…and now this morning! I know you all never do that! Have a great Thursday…and now…back to that scene!
Share this:
Handyman Special
I spent the better part of yesterday in Menards with my son. He has a couple projects he is working on at his place. So, he was picking up supplies and wanted to know what his options were. I’m great at figuring out all the possibilities and I love designing it. But having the money to complete the project, and now the energy is another matter!
And no, the above pictures have nothing to do with our son’s place…unfortunately!
At one time, these ‘Big Box Stores’ as they call them were one of my favorite places to be. It was thrilling to be in there for hours, just wandering through all the products. My mind would race with all the possibilities of what ‘we’ could do at our house.
Not so much anymore! After four hours in there, my brain was swimming and in serious need of rescuing! Yes, we found some great deals, my son now has some wonderful plans to put into working order. All my mind can concentrate on is: Contractor anyone?
Share this:
Our Choice
Last week I had posted on my struggles with posting. Not about the ability to, but the content and the quality. Sometimes it is difficult to share our innermost thoughts and emotions. Doing so strips us of our coverings of pride and faith in our selves and our abilities. It leaves us open and bare for more hurt.
Writers, in my opinion, use writing in whatever genre, whatever mode, to express this. Some writers are very open and lay it all out there. Others, not so much, or they may step out and view it from afar, thus avoiding the pain or the opening of a wound.
This would be especially true in the case of abuse, whether it be emotional or physical, or a combination of both.
Such is the story line for my third book in the ‘Rubyville’ series, A Place to Heal.
All authors write what they know to a very large extent. Yes, you can research and write a very good story. But there is something about having lived it that always comes through to the reader, whether they know it or not. My third book in this series deals with spousal abuse. I pray that I dealt with it appropriately, without slogging through too much. Sometimes less is more.
No, in my husband’s defense, he has never been abusive. He has always been loving and kind, quiet and reserved. Just what I needed after having dated someone that was abusive. That time period in my life was very difficult and disastrous to my entire family because we were all young, and trusting. Damage was done that we’ve all lived with for thirty plus years. Some of us have had therapy, and that helped in certain areas. But we all still have to live with it.
Last week, I heard that this person had passed away. Very young in my opinion, had lived many years, very sick. Did it free me? I always thought it would. But it did not in my case. For many years ago, I made the decision that what had happened would not destroy me or my life. That was when I was free. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t days, weeks or months of struggles trying to live with my damaged soul. It means I wanted to go on from that time period. I feel very sad for that person, dying so young, but he had decisions to make and opportunities as well.
I pray my third story shows that you can make changes in your life. Abuse on any level doesn’t have to destroy you. I fully believe that we can decide how we live our lives. We can rise each day and be bitter, thinking about the past or even present and wallow in that hurt. Or we can make a change. No, it doesn’t usually happen immediately and there is usually fall-out. But you can start down the right path at any time. It is up to you.
I have chosen to live my life with God’s direction. Yes, He allows terrible things to happen in our lives. The book of Job is an extremely good example of this. Know, I don’t understand why He allows this. I don’t understand why the events that took place over thirty years ago were allowed in my Christian family. But they did happen. I personally feel that they made me stronger…but that has taken many years.
The biggest take-away from this is: It’s not the events themselves. It is what we do to handle those events and our attitude toward them. We choose what steps to take in our lives…all of us do. What is your choice for today?
Share this:
Are You Botching Your Dialogue?
This is a great post for you writers and editors out there. Really made me think, and I know I have to work on this in my own writing! Enjoy and learn!
Today we are going to talk about dialogue. Everyone thinks they are great at it, and many would be wrong. Dialogue really is a lot trickier than it might seem. Great dialogue is one of the most vita…
Source: Are You Botching Your Dialogue?
Share this:
His Way
I struggle with posting. Not so much with what to write about…I have many topics to post on. As my family knows, and probably many of my friends, I’m not too shy about sharing my opinion. I have convictions and I have a definite thought on pretty much everything.
But I struggle here with what to share with you, my reader. I’m still finding my little comfy corner and the readers that want to join me there. Should I keep it light and funny, gently touching certain topics? Or should I delve deeper, going to places that aren’t so fluffy and fun? Should I speak of my convictions, stress what I believe?
I know what I don’t want to do, and that’s become political on here. Yes, I have concerns about our country and our world. I don’t like much of what is happening. I’m not very proud of our leaders in America today, but they are our leaders and I feel very strongly that the role should be respected. That doesn’t mean I agree with what’s happening.
What I do want to stress is that I know we are to live our lives as unto God, if we are saved. He has a certain set of standards, and He has given us a guidebook called the Bible. No, as a Believer I have not always followed that guideline, but I am still here, my hope is in Heaven and each day that I open my eyes to the new morning, I will apply His Word again.
I do want to live my life, and post on here with Christ’s example. He walked this earth for 30+ years, it is documented and He showed us the Way. That is my goal. He treated all people with love and respect, He prayed, He corrected and told those to go and sin no more. And He had a sense of humor.
If I can apply that last paragraph to my life, to my writing…I will be happy, and know that the gifts He gave me have been used to honor and glorify Him. I have a message to share, the answers are His answers. No, it’s not always easy and sometimes it’s downright difficult. It is a journey, and we can make it whatever we want it to be.
So please pray for me as God gives me the stories to write, and the posts to share. Sometimes they will be light and fluffy, but other times more difficult topics may have to be discussed. That is life.
Share this:
Hot Enough to Fry an Egg!
Is it hot out? No, it’s pretty much gone to the broiling point. Birds have stopped singing, my flowers are shriveling, the lawn is browning and I’m itching. It must be August. June? It can’t be happening already! After a perfectly gorgeous spring with lots of rain, we are in the not-so-enjoyable days of summer.
What made it worse was that our air-conditioning also quit. Each year, our goal is to see how many days in the spring and fall we can go without turning on the air-conditioning or the heat. This past year has been fairly fantastic from that standpoint. We had several months with nothing on…and we were actually pretty comfortable. So, when the weather showed triple digits on the way, we finally turned on the air…and there wasn’t any!
Yes, they were able to do a quick fix and we now have cooler temps inside than outside our back door. But the long-term solution is going to be into the thousands. Such is life.
By the way…has anyone really ever tried to fry an egg on the sidewalk? I always thought that would be fun to experiment with. But the price of eggs now…well, maybe not so interested. Stay cool!
Share this:
Perseverance, Endurance & Determination.
This is a fantastic story! I’m looking forward to following this gentleman and his journey! I cannot even imagine trying what he is striving for!
It’s taken me about over 20 years to truly understand what it takes to accomplish a lofty goal. These things are perseverance, endurance and determination and you have to have all three of them…
For the past six months I’ve been studying people who achieve great feats in the hope of determining what makes these people stick with something and achieve their goal to succeed! The reason I’ve been doing this is partly in my own personal battle against obesity. I want to get into the minds of these people, understand where there mental stamina comes from, what sort of mindset do they have? I figure that losing a large amount of weight is possibly on a par with the achievements of endurance athletes, explorers, entrepreneurs, those that rehabilitate themselves from serious illness, those who overcome disability.
Recently, through a friend at work I came to talk to a gentleman…
View original post 292 more words
You must be logged in to post a comment.