OMG (Oh My Goodness)… Find the joy through the tragedy is, I believe, imperative. It’s this one thing that allows us to find the hope in every situation, and some times things look pretty darn stark. In every life, we have our own set of “darkest days” we have to live through. No two people on the face of the planet go through the exact same set of dark days because each and every person on the face of the planet is simply different. Even identical twins, triplets, quads, and so on, have been … [Read more...]
Life’s Too Short
As I sit here and look outside my upstairs window, the landscape is blanketed in a snowy winter wonderland. While we slept last night, snow fell, leaving about 3 inches on the ground. The trees are covered in the beautiful purity the snow brings. It’s December 1. Christmas is only days away now and we are in full-fledged shopping mode to get all the gifts for the ones we love. As this time of year always comes around, Mari is never too far from my mom. She never far from my thoughts, but, … [Read more...]
Have you ever had an ‘awe ha” moment?
Today was Week 1 Day 4 and Jen Hatmaker had us read chapter 4 in her book A Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study. On page 56 she wrote, "We must do our part to grow beyond salvation by allowing what began in our hearts to infect our minds.... as the Creator is well acquainted with our questionable habits and propensity to wander, but we have to respond with due diligence." Page 60, "Journaling forces our minds to engage with the Holy Spirit in Scripture. We listen as we read; we respond as we … [Read more...]
Week 1 Day 3
Jen has some pretty awesome titles for each one of her chapters in this book. Today we were asked to read chapter 3. Title: "Codependency That Doesn't Require Therapy". The subtitle is "Learning to Lean on the Holy Spirit." Now isn't her title very fitting but adds a cute dimension to it. On page 40 she asks, "Would you believe that you already have everything you need to study the Bible with discernment?" If you're anything like me, you're shaking your head at that one because studying the … [Read more...]
A Light in the Wilderness, Jane Kirkpatrick
Book Review by Jean Ann Williams Book Blurb: Letitia holds nothing more dear than the papers that prove she is no longer a slave. They may not cause most white folks to treat her like a human being, but at least they show she is free. She trusts in those words she cannot read—as she is beginning to trust in Davey Carson, an Irish immigrant cattleman who wants her to come west with him. Nancy Hawkins is loathe to leave her settle life for the treacherous journey by wagon train, but she is … [Read more...]
The Journey with Jean Ann Williams #acfw
Please welcome this week's guest Jean Anne Williams for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? My writing journey began before I even knew it, and God had a plan. I’ve always had lots of energy—no I don’t drink coffee—I come by this naturally. Sitting still for very long wasn’t in my vocabulary until one Sunday on July 2, 1994. On my way to worship services in my little Honda Accord, I slowed for a familiar incline and then the dip in … [Read more...]
The Journey with Martha Rogers #acfw
Please welcome this week's guest Martha Rogers for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? Journey with God Although writing and telling stories have been a passion since I was a child, publication never seemed to be an option. I had no idea how to even begin the process. Teachers in high school English and college professors told me that I had gift for putting words on paper, but I still had a bit of a problem with mechanics. That problem led … [Read more...]
The Journey with Jaime Wright
Please welcome this week's guest Jaime Wright for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? I quit writing for two years. Those were the months I agonized as I lost three babies, underwent three surgeries, and spent weeks with nails bit to the quick wondering if my current pregnancy would last to fruition. My fourth pregnancy landed me in the ER with a pre-confirmed miscarriage only to result in a miraculous heartbeat that went on to be an … [Read more...]
Postponing my journey
Many of you have probably noticed I have not been posting about my 365 day journey since the end of June. While I plan to keep going with it, this past month is always hard for me. For those of you who don't know me very well, my husband and I have lost our only child, our 8 1/2-year-old daughter, six years ago on July 16. I end up having a hard time focusing as the days draw closer to this time. This year has been no different. On July 1 we also had family fly in from California and has been … [Read more...]
Was or Is?
I sit here thinking of Mari today. Time is moving one step at a time closer to the six year mark for Mari being gone. Can you believe it’s been six years already? I think back on all the times I wrote about time after she passed, especially that first year or so. The fact is that time continued its ever present trek forward no matter how much we’d rather have had it go backward for either more time with our little girl or for us to somehow change the outcome. Yet, we all know that’s not … [Read more...]
