I took this, I guess you could call it a quiz today about what my spiritual gifts might be and I think it's pretty accurate, for the most part, only I think #3, Exhorter, is more number one than Mercy, but who knows. So, what do you guys think? do you agree with the assessment about me? Your Top Three Spiritual Gifts (1) Mercy The God-given ability to have immediate compassion for those who are suffering combined with great joy in meeting their needs (E.g. the Good Samaritan in Luke … [Read more...]
Day 154: It Takes What It Takes
Do you have the mentality that no matter what happens in your life that you will do what it takes to succeed at whatever you are doing? I think many of us do and then many of us don't. It's the "I won't give up" way of thinking. I'm sure we've all heard a thousand times how this successful person or that one had received however many 'no's' before that final yes finally happened. It's what makes us stronger. It's the refusal to give in to failure or rejection. If we were all to just give up … [Read more...]
Day 151: Walking Away
In life sometimes there are things we want to do so bad, and then we start to do them only to find that about two-thirds to three-fourths of the way through what we are doing isn't anything like we'd thought it'd be. As a result, we realize we need to stop without finishing. Has this ever happened to you before in your life? It has with me, only I realized this when I had completed the full first draft of Mari's book. The book I'd written was a complete biography of Mari's life as well as some … [Read more...]
Live for Today
What if you could do things in your life that would enable you to live longer. Would you do it? I don't think I would. I say this because I know that God already has a plan for my life so no matter what I do or don't do He will take me home when it's my time. That day will be a glorious day as I'm reunited with my daughter, Granny and Grandpa. None of know the exact time and place our time will end. However, we need to live our lives as though it were our last day. I think of the song by … [Read more...]
Day 137: Mileage from Childhood Fears
Many things happen to us throughout our childhood. Some good things while other not so good and for some they hope they never remember the really bad things. No matter who we are. No matter how we were raised. We are who we are today because of how we grew up. Our childhood shaped and molded us into the person we are now. I think back to when I was growing up. Was there a lot of bad stuff, like abuse? Unfortunately, the answer to that is yes. If I could take away all the abuses, neglect and … [Read more...]
Day 134: The Key
The key to anything in life is to just do whatever you need to do to get it done. With writing, that means, sit down and write. That’s it. When we bog ourselves down with all the dos and don’ts of writing, we forget to just write. You don’t have to make it perfect right now. That’s what editing is for. Right now, sit down to your keyboard, or your paper and pencil, or whatever it is you use to write with, and write. That’s it. For the longest time I didn’t want to write on this site unless I … [Read more...]
Effortless Giving
When we talk about giving something away, do we do it with a kind, open heart or do we do it because it feels like an obligation or that we have to. Personally, I can't remember the last time where I felt pressured to give a gift. I love walking into a store and seeing something that reminds me of a family member or friend. It's not something overly big or pricy, but it's something I know the recipient will like. I call them "Just because" gifts. And because it's a "just because" I don't expect … [Read more...]
Day 125: Approval
That one little word, approval, can mean so much to someone. To know that someone approves of something you have said or done. It gives you the confidence you might not have had otherwise. I think back on the time during the time when Mari was in the hospital. When she had made it to her fourth and final hospital I was told by one of the nurses about CarePages. She told me it was a way to keep family and friends updated on Mari and how she was doing. I couldn’t wait to get started. We had so … [Read more...]
Day 122: Fiction vs. Nonfiction
I think back to the day while Mari was in the hospital and I told someone that whether Mari made it or if she passed I was thinking about writing a book about her life. I’m not exactly sure why I would have thought to do something like this as I definitely didn’t believe I was a writer. After she passed and a little time had passed, I decided to write a book about her life. The only drawback to all of this is I had no idea what I was doing. My husband tried to help me with editing it the best … [Read more...]
Day 109: Just Reading
For years I have read romances and they are my favorite to read. I can remember thinking as a teenager, and even as an adult sometimes, that I'd love to write one but had no clue how to or for that matter any desire to do so. Today, I not only read books but I also have been doing a lot of writing. I've been working on both my fiction book as well as Mari's story. I've learned so much in the last couple of years. I understand better what to do and not to do. What has helped is reading … [Read more...]
