'TILL THE STORM PASSES O'ER

Sometimes you just need to stop and have coffee by the lake.

And enjoy cloudless skies, bird songs, and squawking geese

AND

Still waters.

AND

Sometimes you need to get busy and write.

Today I will accomplish all!! 

I wish you could join me! 

CANE AND unABLE

NO--I didn't misspell the title. 

You see, for the past several months I've been using a CANE. I don't always have to use it in the house, but I do use it while out and about in public. After a few crazy falls, I'd rather walk with a cane than fall on the street. I am very aware of crowds, uneven walkways, steps, etc.. I am also getting old (not quite there yet, just turned 79). And, my back hurts a great deal of the time. The cane gives me the support I need to walk standing straight up and also helps alleviate some of the pain. 

But today, I cried because of that silly walking stick. Only I'm not at all sure it was the cane that brought the tears. Will you keep reading if I have a small meltdown? 

I went to our local nursery to purchase a couple of ferns and a few other potting plants. They didn't have the ferns I wanted so I picked up three sweet potato plants, some purple petunias, a white flowering something that trails, and a six-pack of red wave petunias. 

A sweet little girl rang them up and put everything in one of those black plastic thingys they use to keep plants organized. Only the six-pack of petunias wouldn't fit, so she tried to hang them on the side. Then she smiled sweetly. "Can you get this?" 

I should have said no. Really, I should have swallowed my pride and said no. However, I thought the fact that I had one hand full of a cane and had tried to fit my wallet under that arm so I could pick up the plants, should have been obvious. I guess it wasn't. I picked them up, but the six-pack slid off. A kind gentleman suggested the sweet girl help me.  SOO--she took the six-pack of petunias and followed behind me while I tried to balance the black plastic thingy which now had enough empty space that the other plants were sliding around. THEN, I had to fumble to open the trunk, still holding the wobbly plastic carrier, my cane and my wallet tucked under my arm. 

I did it. She called out a sweet, "have a good day",  and I got in the car and cried. For the first time, I realized that the silly stick of wood was invisible, thus rendering me unable to handle myself alone in public. 

It was such a silly thing to cry over. Yet, even as I write this, I'm teary. And the first opportunity I have to sit all my grands down at the same time, I will remind them just how far and for how long a little bit of courtesy will go. 

Oh, Lord. Give me eyes to see, hands and feet that are swift to help, and a heart of compassion for others around me. 

What's in a promise?

This is an excerpt from chapter fifteen of Storm's Promise.

Just so you know--I will not post these excerpts in any given order. And I ask you to remember that this book is still being written, thus could change in an editor's heartbeat! 

***

Opal grabbed the hands of her siblings. “You’re giving us away?”

Storm knelt in front of the children and gripped their hands. “I will never give you away. Miss Merry is a kind lady who cares for children who have no Ma or Pa to care for them. You’ll be safe there, and I promise I’ll come back for you.”

“A promise ain’t nothing more than a handful of water. All that’s left in the end is a wet hand.” Opal’s face contorted with anger. “Sam rode away. Pa rode away. Ma died because we had to run away. And now you’re gonna dump us with somebody we don’t know cause we’re a bunch of mealy-mouth young’uns. I know 'cause that’s what Pa called us that right before he went stompin’ outta the house. Ma cried. Livvy and Owen cried. But not me.” Opal pulled her hands from his and stood. “You leave us, I’ll run and I’ll take Owen and Livvy with me. But I won’t cry. I won’t never let nobody see me cry.” She crossed her arms tight across her skinny chest. “Promise is a dirty word used by dirty men right b'fore they leave and never come back.”

From chapter four--Storm's Promise

I'm in the midst of writing Storm's Promise, the third book of my Another Spring series. This book continues the story of Promise Harding, who was introduced in book two, Rayne's Faith.

Keep in mind, this has not yet been edited, and much can change, but I thought it might be fun to give you a peek now and then of what's coming. 

***

Hunkered down in a cemetery with a bullet in his chest didn’t give a man a whole lot of hope for the future. Storm Dawson grunted as he loosened his shirt from his britches and tried to look at the wound. The bandana stuffed in the hole was sticky with blood, some fresh, some dried and it hurt something fierce when he pulled it loose, bringing black chest hair and a fresh gush of blood with it. An annoying sound, like a thousand cicadas, undulated in his ears in rhythm with the beat of his heart, and he fought to stay conscious. He clenched his teeth and jammed the kerchief back into the wound as best he could.

A sea of grass stretched as far as he could see beyond the picket fence that surrounded the well-kept burial ground. Where was he and how did he get here? His horse was gone along with everything he owned that he’d stuffed into the saddlebags, and his holster was empty. Surely the kid he’d encountered two days ago hadn’t followed him. One thing certain, he’d been ambushed and left to die. At least they’d made it convenient for someone to dig the hole.

She's Here!

Spring

So many different meanings:

Season

Forward, as in daylight savings time

That which allows flexibility

That which holds tight

Spring

New beginnings

New stories to write

New endings to old stories

New memories to record

Spring

New adventures

New opportunities

Springing forward

See how that works? 

March Roars

 March is roaring through our cove this morning, as if it's scolding the trees for their nakedness. 

It's sending white caps crashing against our sea wall, and geese bobbing across the surface like corks. One blue eye peeks through an otherwise ominous gray sky.

But our lake is full. 

All the snow is gone.

Temperatures are well above freezing.

And 

SPRING IS ON HER WAY!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee.

And crown thy good

with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

Be Still My Heart

Valentine's Day

We don't do Valentines.

Or birthdays

Or anniversary

Or Christmas

Not that we don't believe in love

We do

Gracious, we've been married 60 years 

It's more that we just don't spend a lot of money on one another. We never have. At least not on any one special day. 

But I don't doubt his love because it's shown in so many, many other ways.

But today! 

Valentine's day 2019!! 

It actually started on Monday, February 11.  I had a dental appointment and he drove me there! 

So what?

Well, we go to a dentist a good 1.5 hours from our wee cottage. It was cold and rainy. And he knows I fall asleep easily while driving.

 My appointment was going to take at least an hour--ugh! 

While I was in the dental chair--my Bob went shopping!!  

For me!

For Valentine's Day!

That, in itself, as an act of love.

He HATES to shop

for anything! 

But Look!  

Just look what he did!

All by himself! 

He knows I love bracelets

And Silver

And Copper

And Turquoise

Sixty years! 

And my heart still skips at the sight of him across the room!! 

Bracelets or no bracelets.

I love this man!!

But, Oh! 

My heart! 

My Heart Breaks

No picture today 

How do you picture a broken heart?

You see, if the thinking of society today, if the medical knowledge of today had been prevalent in the early 1960's, when our two daughters were born, I would have been advised, even encouraged to abort them  

Because--they had an incurable neuromuscular disease.

I can't imagine what our lives would have been without our beautiful daughters. I can't imagine how different the lives of those they touched would have been; how many prayers would be unanswered because they weren't given the opportunity to pray; How may words and notes of encouragement would have gone unspoken and been unwritten because they weren't given the chance to speak or write. 

When I see, day after day, people in political power vote to block any legislation that would prevent infanticide, vote to approve and celebrate the atrocity they prefer to call a woman's right

My heart breaks. 

My heart cries daily for our girls. We miss them. Our sons miss them. Our grandchildren never had the opportunity to know them. We miss their prayers, their faces, their constant words of encouragement. We miss their laughter, the sound of their voices. We miss their hugs. We miss their presence at every family gathering.

Yet, I'm so very thankful they aren't here to witness the disregard some have for those the world defines as handicapped, crippled, or worse--a burden, unplanned, unwanted.

No picture today

I cry ugly

And my heart is breaking.

It Rayne'd Books Today!

Some in our area are experiencing ice today.

On the other hand--I got a box of Rayne! 

What is Your Favorite Blend?

This is my new toy.

I love it very much.

All suggestions on blends and best buys appreciated.

P.S.  I like flavored coffees best. 

P.P.S.  My birthday is in April! 

Blustery Monday

The North Wind Doth Blow

No snow forecast, but it is indeed a blustery Monday.

 Sustained winds of 20-35 mph roar through our wee cove and even the biggest of our trees sway like twigs. 

I tell myself they've stood for this long, surely they'll survive this, too. 

But, it all depends on the root system.

***

Makes me realize that without my own strong root system, I could easily be toppled when the storms of life roar through my being. 

Oh, that I might be rooted in love. 

His love. 

Which One of These is Different?

These are all significant places in the story of Rayne's Faith.

 Only two have a name.

The first person to send me those names will receive a signed paperback copy. 

Kindle version up for preorder on Amazon 

Releases January 31

What Fragrance Becomes You?

She stepped toward the door, then turned back to him and gripped his hands. “I can smell Martha’s climbing roses—the ones by the kitchen door. You know why?”

He didn’t know why. Neither had he noticed. “No. Why? I’m sure there’s a lesson for me in this.” 

“Before the storm you had to go to the rose to whiff its sweetness. Now it’s been hail pounded and windblown and it perfumes the air. The fragrance was there all the time, you see—just took some bruising to release it.” She kissed the palm of his hand. “Sleep well, Rayne. Tomorrow is a new day.”

  Esther was right. Tomorrow would be a new day, but never again would he greet the morning with love in his arms. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Carolyn had always smelled like roses.

***

Question of the day: After you've gone through the storm, wronged, pounded, bruised—

What fragrance becomes you?

Another excerpt from Rayne's Faith. Kindle version available for preorder from Amazon. Just type my name in the search box.