F is for Faith

The dictionary says that Faith is having complete trust or confidence. I have that. I have given over all my worries, all the things in my life that I cannot control, to God. I know that through the Holy Spirit God is with me, and that He will inspire me to do what is needed when I need to do it. I also know that He will lead me, guiding every step that I take, helping me to do what is needed to make all things come together in the right way at the right time.

At this time, the choir at Bedon Baptist Church is working to prepare a program to be presented on Good Friday evening and Easter Sunday morning. It is a walk through the week of the passion of Jesus, His death, and resurrection. It is a different kind of musical from what we have done in the past. It is touching, emotional, and somber, leading the listener through the terrible and devastating times before Jesus's death on the cross and then beyond that to His glorious resurrection from the grave. It is truly the story of how we came to have such an unbelievable opportunity for Salvation from our sins.

If you happen to be in Walterboro, South Carolina on April 22 or 24, please honor us by coming to worship with us. I have faith you will be touched by this experience.

E is for... Early Morning Hours

E is for... early morning hours...  They come, they go. They are my life line. I find my best moments of routine, in the early morning hours each and every day. I rise at or before 6:00 a.m. in an effort to have some time when the house is absolutely quiet. This is my most productive time for writing, my most fulfilling time of the day. It is the time when I do not have to think about anyone else but myself, therefore it is my most selfish time of the day. The time of day when I can read and write and be uninterrupted. It is the most peaceful and calm time that I have.

Sometimes it brings ideas of grace and mercy, and sometimes of difficulties past and present.  Sometimes it is solely a prayerful time, and sometimes a time to catch up with emails and my friends on Facebook.

The early morning hours are the best for me. I am the most open minded and the most adventuresome for the sake of the rest of the day. It is the time of day when I am still willing to make that long to-do list with hopeful anticipation that I can actually achieve most of it, if not all. It is the time of day when I can write my prayers clearly, remembering to be thankful and to think of others and their needs before my own. It is the time of day when my mind is not cluttered with thoughts of candy bars and cookies which I am trying desperately not to eat right now. It is the time of day when the phone does not ring, and I am left to my own thoughts and plans.

Early morning hours are my time of day. My best time of day.  How about you?

D is for Daughters and Dogs

I love my family.  Each one of them has something special that they contribute to our group. 



Ain't he just the cutest thing?



I have two daughters and one daughter in law.

My eldest daughter is married to a police officer who is a master dog handler. She is the office manager at a body repair shop and knows more about cars and trucks than I ever envisioned she would. And if you have a problem with your insurance, she's the go-to gal who can tell you what you should do. They have a wonderful child, a boy who steals my heart every time I see him. Along with two police dogs, they have two labs that they love.

My second child is also a daughter. She is married to a DHEC (Dept of Housing and Environmental Control) law enforcement officer, also very good at what he does.  She has earned her master's degree in nursing and is now a Nurse Practitioner in a doctor's office. They have two beagles who keep them company.

My third child is my son, who is a computer expert extra-ordinaire. He works for a company who tracks evidence for the justice department. He is married to my perfect daughter-in-law. She is sweet and loves my son and that's all that counts. She is a nurse working part time, while she earns her master's degree in nursing. They have the cutest spaniel puppy who persists in chewing on just about everything.

So between my daughters, son, and in-laws, and their pooches, we have a full and happy family.

C = Calories!

No more cookies

          Oh saddest day!

For the calories I am counting

          Come what may.

No more chocolate

       Or cakes or pies 

For I fear

   My weight will rise.

     A loss of pounds

                Is my current desire

     So no Easter Bunny

    Will I hire!



A = Afterthought

Having just stumbled upon the A to Z April Challenge,                             

 my A will have to be Afterthought.

 

But my B = Books!

Somewhere along the path over the last year or so, I read a book whose author said you should know the genre you write in very well, and in order to do that you should strive to read 100 books in said genre.  Of course, as you are reading you should be learning a thing or two about what makes those books good or bad, thus improving your own writing.

Then I went to a conference where I heard a woman casually say she read two or three books a week.  That's right - I said THREE BOOKS A WEEK!  So I started to look back at my own reading and discovered I was lucky to be reading three books a month.

In the spirit of self-motivation and picking up the gauntlet, which she surely had thrown at my feet, I began pushing myself to read more and keeping track of my choices.

Last year, starting three months into the year, I ended up with 22 books on my list.  This year, at three months into the year, I have 13 books on my list, heading toward the goal of 52 books by New Year's.  Still not three books a week, but I'm getting there.

How many books are on your list?

Coffee & Cookies & Rain

The rain has been drip drip dripping from the smoky gray sky practically all the day long.  The drops make their way down the trees like marbles in a Mouse Trap game rolling down the branches, falling from one leaf to the next.  You can almost follow their path as the leaves dip down and spring up again while the raindrops make their progression from sky to ground.  There is no wind, no gentle movement side to side, just the constant downpour as though the faucet needs a new washer or the last person didn't turn the handle quite tight enough. Drip drip dripping all the day long, washing the earth, renewing its life, freshening everything it touches.

But days like this invite warmth in the kitchen.  They respond well to the oven heating up for the pan of homemade cookies filled with melting chocolate and crunchy nuts.  Days like this are so much better when the smell of coffee lingers in the air, hot and inviting, waiting to accompany the plate of warm cookies to the table.

Days like this when the rain drips and the cookies bake and the coffee scents the air are good days because we are warm and dry and we know the sun will return - eventually.

So have a cookie and dream of tomorrow.

Fresh Air

It was a gray day.  The leftovers of a night of rain cooled by 37 degrees.  The sky was hidden by the clouds, a solid layer of gloom that wouldn't allow even a glimpse of sunshine or blue sky which was surely lurking behind, waiting.  I promised myself and others that I would breathe the fresh air today.  So - cold or not, damp or not, I headed down the path into The Great Swamp Sanctuary, camera in hand. 

I had planned to carry my journal and purple pen along to stop frequently and sit on the benches and swings that artfully adorn the pathway, writing as I went, snatches of thought, special words that rhyme or complete a rhythm that pleases the ear.  But I left them at home, knowing it would be too cold and wet to sit.  So I contented myself with taking photos of whatever drew my eye.  Trees are bare this time of year, but the scenery remains intriguing none the less.

I knew I wouldn't spot alligators or loons or snakes - too cold.  They, in their ancient wisdom, are holed up sleeping away the dreary days until the Earth comes around close enough to the sun in its cycle to bring the warmth of Mother Nature's breath soothingly upon them once again.  But I was surprised pleasantly by the sound of the many, many birds that flitted from branch to branch and tree to tree.  They sang and talked and twittered to one another, their own social network, warning of my encroaching presence or making friends that might follow them to springtime's lure of love and nests and eggs and babies.  The ever turning cycle of life.

I walked and took pictures and breathed in the cold sharp smell of the damp earth, and felt satisfied and glad that I had come.