A Day to Remember

Go Above and Beyond…Always

deborahanndykeman

It is never fun to sit in the hospital. Whether it be the emergency room, visiting someone or waiting for someone during their surgery. The only exception to this may be waiting to hear about a new baby…but there is still that hospital atmosphere. I don’t mind that atmosphere if I am taking blood pressure, helping someone to eat, and generally taking care of them. I really like that atmosphere then, but the other side is…difficult.

Yesterday our son had his fourth surgery on his left ear, his sixth ear surgery, and his tenth surgery since he was born. We have spent a lot of time waiting and praying. For all of the ear surgeries, they were way more complicated than the two doctors expected. That added several hours to waiting when we thought a surgery would be over in a couple hours. Those hours are scary for parents. Yesterday was the best day. Yes, we spent the entire day at the hospital…waiting, but it was good news…and somehow that makes it more worth the wait.

One nurse stood out in my mind…and she made the day much easier. She came into the waiting room every half hour or so, more often if needed, to give updates to the family and friends waiting for their loved one. Each person had her undivided attention, she explained as much as she was allowed and able, and she did it with compassion and patience…over and over and over. She sat and talked if needed, gave encouragement and let everyone know that she and the staff were there to help, just call.

This nurse was being paid to do a job, just as all the other hospital staff were, but she went above and beyond…and you don’t see that much anymore. This nurse turned our day around after we had been greeted and treated as if we were idiots when we first arrived in admitting. This nurse did her job to earn a paycheck, just as we all do, but many of us don’t extend ourselves and put our best foot forward.

Thank you to this nurse for her exceptional work ethic. It was appreciated yesterday. Let it be a reminder to all of us that we shouldn’t just work to get paid, but to make a difference if someone else’s life. And you don’t need to be a nurse to do that. You can work at Dairy Queen, drive a truck, or work at Wal-Mart. Make someone’s day special. It will be remembered.

A Quick Thought

GoodReads

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You all should check this out so you can see who is currently at the top of my list on goodreads. It is located right here on your left, toward the bottom of that sidebar.

Goodreads is kind of a fun place to go. You can answer trivia questions…I had one correct and one wrong, and look for all kinds of books. I created a trivia question for To Thee I’m Wed, so for those of you that have read it, see if you know the correct answer. You may also create trivia questions and quizzes for my books. I would love to see if I can answer the trivia or questions you create! 😉

Writing

Help Needed

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Okay…I admit it…I need a full-time secretary to take care of all the duties I cannot handle! Job description: be in my office whenever I need you, take care of all computer and editing ‘stuff’ I cannot figure out and your pay will be a free meal. Alright, I may even be able to fit in a plate of cookies now and then. Any takers?

So, there it is, only about ten days after it went on Amazon…my second book!!! Our son-in-law was able to snatch that cover right out of CreateSpace and display it here and on Facebook for me. That is the church in Rubyville…or at least the one I see in my head. The little road leads to the Barton home and you can just make out the top of the gazebo that is in the park. Now that I am almost finished writing the second book in the series, A Place of Refuge, I almost feel like I live there rather than the small town we reside in. Just click on the little link above the books and that will take you to my Amazon author page. If you purchase Rubyville, you may download the digital version for free!

Notice the side bar to your right? I was able to actually organize it all on my own. I should say re-arrange, kind of like furniture, which I am actually pretty good at. The calendar on your left was added by me…that way you, and I, know what day it is! Now, I just need to do something about the mobile version of this site, because my daughters said it is really ugly. There is a way to change that…but it may take awhile. Cookies anyone?

A Quick Thought

WWW

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Have you been there? The great, black hole we call the world wide web. It holds great fascination, hours of enjoyment, and you can find just about anything. And that is where the problem resides.

I just went to YouTube, to find a song I wanted to post about. Now, almost an hour later, I have seen that song and about 50 others. One loads, you watch about a minute of it and then the side bar calls you with pictures and titles of another song that looks just as good. You repeat that process for an hour, (hopefully you can keep it to that) and then you get on with your day, feeling really lazy and like you haven’t accomplished a thing.

The song I was looking for was ‘Get Happy’ and it was sung by Judy Garland and others. The tune was running through my head and I wanted to hear the actual words. It wasn’t what I was really looking for, but I did stumble upon…well actually ‘click upon’ several other songs. Most were from the old movies, the musicals with the brightly colored dresses and wonderful dancing. You watch one of those movies and you cannot be sad for long.

So while the world wide web can be a huge time waster, it can also be very useful in many ways. I use it everyday for various things, and it is very much appreciated…most of the time. So now that I have several jingles bouncing through my mind, and visions of swirling dresses, I will climb out of that hole and… get to work. If you read one of my books and I break into song during the dialog…you will know why.

Parenting 101

Date Night

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This is probably a term most people would not have used for married people a generation ago. I certainly do not remember it while I was growing up. Date night was for those young people spending an afternoon getting ready to go out that evening, with someone very special, and you wanted to look your best.

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I want to take a different spin on this…get away from the books telling you how awful you are if you don’t do this for your marriage once a week. Honestly, life is difficult enough…why are we reading books that put more pressure and guilt on us about the way we should parent, run our marriage or just generally live our lives? Let’s just apply some good old common sense for a bit.

When we marry and decide to spend the rest of our lives with one person…we are making a HUGE commitment. When we add children, whether one, two or twenty to the relationship…we take on more responsibility. People used to understand that. They realized their lives were going to change and you would not have all that you had when you were foot-loose and fancy free…mainly freedom. To do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted with whomever you wanted.

So now you are married, with ‘blank’ number of children. This IS your life, and in most instances, it is what YOU decided to do. So make the best of it and be happy! Yes, you CAN and SHOULD do this!

Now, before you ‘unfollow’ me or hit ‘unlike’ or even tell me I’m nuts…please hear me out. I am not saying you should never go out or go away with your spouse. I am not saying you are tied to your children 24/7. But really, quit EXPECTING this is your RIGHT. Again, YOU made the decision to get married and have children, now make a life for you and your family that is liveable, enjoyable and fun.

Now, some solutions to this. I had five children, and my husband drove over-the-road for many years. Until our oldest daughter was a teenager, there was no leaving. Because of that, I learned to live my life in certain ways.

A married couple DOES need time to themselves. If you prefer to call it ‘date night’ make it happen. If you need it once a week, once a month, etc., make it happen. I put my children to bed early, around seven p.m. I was always guaranteed a few hours in the evening to do what I wanted without caring for children. Yes, parents DO NEED this little break each day to get ready for the next day. Spend this time with your spouse and make it special. Make your bedroom special…not the congregating place for the family, if at all possible. Congregate in THEIR bedrooms. Plan a special meal, eat slowly and talk. Pop some popcorn and watch a movie. Make that person a priority in your life, make them special. And you can do this without leaving your house.

Again, I am not trying to give anyone a hard time. But each of us needs to remember that we are able, and should, decide what our lives are going to be within the boundaries of the decisions we have made. Don’t run from them…embrace them and make them enjoyable. This post is for me as well. To encourage, build up and give the freedom to make your life what you want it to be. Love the people that you have chosen to spend your life with, be thankful for what you have. There is only one ‘go-around’ at life. Experience it to the fullest in the best way possible. Now, go out and have a FANTASTIC day!

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Writing

Writing On a Cloud

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After my system crash of a couple weeks ago and the loss of a manuscript…we decided to make some changes in my techno world. Not a good idea! As many of you know, I do not do very well with change and the computer stuff is about enough to put me over the edge. My daughter/editor basically said I needed a full-time office assistant to keep me out of trouble and protect my equipment. Something was said about me going back to a typewriter. Children…what do they know?

I do rely on my children, very heavily in the computer system department. Their fingers fly and work magic that I do not comprehend on any level. All my children and my sons-in-law have this ability. So, I am beginning to think it is a generational thing and not a problem with ‘moi’.

Anyway…I am trying again and my morning thus far has been rather frustrating to say the least. I now have a laptop for writing only…research if I absolutely have to, and a desktop for everyday writing, research, etc. I have written on a laptop for the past 6-7 years, so again, I am adjusting. As my daughter said last night, “Mom, just think about it like you used to.” Huh! Easy for her to say. I really do appreciate the larger monitor and I think I am going to really like the new keyboard…once I get used to it. My husband says I am hard on them…but I think this one will handle my frustrations. I do love the little ‘clicking’ sounds it makes.

My son and daughter said something about writing in ‘onedrive’ so it will be in a cloud and I can pull out my writing stuff whenever I need it, wherever I am. I don’t have a clue what that really means, but I think I have the format down. Actually, playing with clouds sounds kind of fun…they are so pretty and fluffy!

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A Quick Thought

I Will Survive!

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That moment when you end up with your breakfast down the front of your clean clothes…ready to start the day. Each morning, I try to make a smoothie for my husband and I, and our youngest daughter. I have been surprised about the merits of it. I sleep through the night now, no getting up several times or laying awake for hours. I generally go to sleep fairly quickly as well. So, those items alone have kept me drinking this in the morning for about three months now. Surprisingly, the two people mentioned above also enjoy it.

smoothie

But, this it not a post about smoothies. This post is about all those frustrations in our lives, the little things that shouldn’t seem like much, but are. They are common to all of us.

So…that moment when you have slimy, green gunk splattered all over your clean clothes for the day. A new pair of hose shredded on the way out the door by an excited puppy, kitten or toddler. A baby spitting up or leaking on your outfit just as you are about to walk out the door for church or work. Rushing out to your car, late for church or work and seeing a flat tire. Again, late for those two activities mentioned several times…it’s winter and it snowed over night…no garage. And don’t think you can clear off everything but the top of a mini-van. The laws of physics prove that all that snow, some 200 pounds of it, will slide forward at your first stop…and bury you.

How about that time you were eating with friends or fellow workers? (Yes, they could be one and the same.) You managed to have that rather large bite of food land in your lap? Please let me re-word that. The time when that large bite of food slid off your fork, plopped on your chest and dripped bit by bit down your front until it landed in a soppy pile on your lap. Just going straight to the lap would have been way to convenient because you could have discreetly laid your napkin over it and pretended it didn’t happen. Icy weather is always a joy. You never fall by yourself…it is always in front of people. Yes, they do rush over to help, ask if you are alright. But wouldn’t you prefer to hurriedly crawl to a support of some sort and stand by yourself…again, pretend as though it didn’t happen? We will go out with a bang…something I know you all have experienced. That little bit of food, stuck between your teeth. It could be lettuce, spinach, a peppercorn…let your imagination run wild. You will always feel the incredible urge to smile, when this happens.

Now that I am older, the above scenarios don’t frighten me as they used to. And yes, I have experienced them all…more than once. Maybe I now understand that I will not die if I have food on the front of me or if someone sees me being stupid. I will survive and live another day to do the same. Isn’t life wonderful? Enjoy your day, food-covered shirt and all!

Writing

A Place to Call Home

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I think all of us desire the above title…a place to call home. We want to have something in our memory that evokes happy thoughts and pleasant scenes, remembered friends, and exciting experiences. For me, this is what I think about when I think of home. We can add love and security to that list.

This home is different for everyone, and may even be different within a family that grew up together. I had many houses while growing up, but only a few places really seemed like home. The atmosphere, circumstances and people in my life at that time all contributed to that feeling of home.

You all know by now that I mostly grew up in Colorado. It is a very beautiful place, with the soaring mountains to the west. I was there until the late 1970’s and to me that is very special because it was still rather small compared to today. The cities were not all run together, you could travel for miles in open country, just enjoying the scenery. I loved it when we would journey into the mountains and drive through old mining towns, seeming to hang from the edge of a precipice. I always imagined the people that lived in that forgotten town. They had once enjoyed a life there…marrying, burying, working, and raising families. Today, they are barely a memory because so many have passed on.

Colorado ghost town

In my early teens, my family moved to the east coast. First Vermont and then New York…upstate New York. I loved the east coast and still do. The seasons are beautiful and each one unique. I was amazed at the history…300 year old houses?! I loved touring Boston and walking where so many people from my history books had also walked. We lived in Crown Point, New York for almost three years. It is a beautiful area there by Lake Champlain. So much history! The winters were cold and long with a lot of snow. We filled our time with sledding and ice-skating. My siblings even skated across Lake Champlain one winter. I thought they were crazy and didn’t follow. The ice-shanties speckled here and there probably gave a clue as to the thickness of the ice, but it wasn’t enough evidence for me!

I met my husband in the Hudson Valley area of New York. Another gorgeous place. I love the history there as well. Beautiful houses…magnificent mansions lining the Hudson River. Huge trees seem to grow everywhere, towns tucked between. My first book, ‘To Thee I’m Wed’ takes place in a fictional town in that area. So many of my memories of my home there are interlaced through that book.

So now, I arrive at my destination. We reside in Kansas and have for almost twenty years. The area we live in has hills and in the spring, red buds blossom, powdering the hillsides with pink. Cottonwoods grow along the rivers and in the spring, little white ‘puffs’ float everywhere. Some years, our yard is covered with these little ‘puffs’. Not a good thing for those that are bothered by them! This area also has much history. The houses are not as old and the state younger than some, but still very interesting.

Kansas also has its share of abandoned towns. People came here, full of expectations and hope. They built towns. Some were fairly large at one time, boasting newspapers, several churches, banks and schools. I drive through these lonely, vacant towns and wonder what it was like so many years ago. Rubyville – A Place to Call Home, was written about these towns. I always wonder who lived there, what they did, what they looked like. I would like to go back in time for just a bit and see the town as it was. This was the inspiration for my Rubyville series. Many people called these towns their home…some for their entire life. I pray I reach my goal of telling some of their stories so today we can experience just a bit of that life so long ago. No, the Barton and Langworthy families are not real. But I hope they become real to you as they experience life…just as we all do… and that transcends generations. Enjoy my new series!

To Thee I’m Wed and Rubyville – A Place to Call Home, Book 1 are both available at Amazon. Look for Rubyville – A Place of Refuge, Book 2, coming spring of 2016! I would love to hear from you and would greatly appreciate a review on Amazon. I DO want to know what you think! http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=deborah+ann+dykeman

Writing

Ta-Da!

deborahanndykeman

I now have an Author’s Page on Amazon! You can check it out at the link below. At this site you can read my bio and see what books I have published. You can also link to my blog posts from there…and how easy is that? So, please be sure to take a look and let me know what you think! I LOVE your comments! Have a great day!

http://www.amazon.com/author/deborahanndykeman