Serious Wednesdays on Passionate Writing

On Passionate Writing

What do these quotes tell you?

If you start with a bang, you won’t end with a whimper. – T.S. Eliot

Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river. ― Lisa See

You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page. ― Jodi Picoult

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. 

– Ernest Hemingway

If a story is in you, it has to come out. – William Faulkner

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.

— Louis L’Amour

So...what do these quotes tell you?

That...writing is hard work.

Those who want to write books must remember that to do so,

you must work at it.

But, if you have it in you,

you will work at it.

You will write.

Happy writing!

Sunday Morning Sunshine: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Where are they going?

Who are they?

How would you start this story?

What Would You do...? Christmas Thoughts

What Would You Do…?

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Carole Brown

by Carole Brown

…if someone wanted to kill your baby? 

• Mary and Joseph fled.
• In the Redemption of Caralynne Hayman, Cara is mad with grief and anger at the death of her oldest daughter. A tough read? Yes, but well worth seeing what happens to this sorrowing mother.

…if you had to give up your business in a hurry? Or face destruction?

• Joseph did. He and Mary had to flee to Egypt to escape the wrath of the King and begin again in his carpentry business.
• In Sabotaged Christmas, Toni DeLuca must find the person casting doubt on her beloved father before her business is ruined and Christmas won’t be coming to Appleton, WV for her employees.

…if you were told you were having a baby, but you had no idea (at first) how it’d happened?

• Mary did. She heard the angel’s proclamation, but told no one and kept everything hidden in her heart, pondering.
• Starli Cameron was always told she couldn’t have a baby, but was it the truth? Only time would tell…after the struggles from the past vanished.

…if valuable items were given to you by kings?

• Baby Jesus was visited by the three Magi and given precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
• Caroline‘s friend, Andy, had valuable paintings, but Caroline disdained them. When one is stolen, she’s pushed into a mystery that proves how valuable paintings (and relationships) can be.  

…if you were suspicious of three foreign kings who visited you?

• King Herod was, afraid that a new baby would take his place someday.
• Tyrell Walker in With Music in Their Hearts had a reason to be suspicious of so many in the boarding house. After all, there was a foreign spy determined to wreck havoc to the U.S.

…if you were about to lose what you loved?

• Mary and Joseph were. Baby Jesus was a precious gift from God. They were assigned a duty to raise him, and they would do anything to keep him safe.
• Jerry and Josie thought they were losing each other, and both were determined to battle the war for their lives and their souls. 

Interest peaked?

Read St. Luke Chapter 2 to find the answers to the above questions.

Go here to find my books that hopefully will keep you reading and warm through the coming winter! 

Amazon Author Page

Merry Christmas!

Our Hats are off to . . .

To all Veterans and Military!

A Touching story for you:

Daddy's Poem 

Her hair was up in a pony tail,

her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
and she couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home;
why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn't there today.

But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why, once again,
she tried to keep hr daughter home.

But the little girl went to school,
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees, a dad
who never calls.

There were daddies along the wall in
back, for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seat.


One by one the teacher called
on a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.


At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
a man who wasn't there.


"Where's her daddy at?"
she heard a boy call out.
"She probably doesn't have one,"
another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day."


The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mom.
And looked back at her teacher, who
told her to go on.


And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak..
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.


"My Daddy couldn't be here,
because he lives so far away.
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know
all about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.


He loved to tell me stories,
he taught me to ride my bike;
he surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.

We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.

'Cause my daddy's always with me,
even though we are apart;
I know because he told me,
he'll forever be in my heart"

With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favorite dress.

And from somewhere there in the crowd of dads,

her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.

For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was a right.

And when she dropped her hand back
down, staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.

 

"I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
but heaven's just too far.

You see he is an American Soldier
and he died just this past year,,
when a roadside bomb hit his convoy
and taught Americans to fear.

 
But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away."
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.


And to her mother's amazement,
she witnessed with surprise,
a room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.

Who knows what they saw before them;
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.


"I know you're with me Daddy,"
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in that room could explain it,

for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed, if only for
a moment, by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far.

 

 

 

Blessings!

Those of You Born
1930 - 1979
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!

First, we survived being born to mothers
Who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.

As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
Was always a special treat.

We drank water
From the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends,
From one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.
WHY?

Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why !

We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the
Streetlights came on.

No one was able
To reach us all day. And, we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
And then ride them down the hill, only to find out
we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes
a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes.
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable,
No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
No cell phones,

No personal computers,

no Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS
And we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth
And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
And the worms did not live in us
Forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
Although we were told it would happen,
We did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
Walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal
With disappointment.
Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
Was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best
Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.

The past 50 years
Have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,
and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others
who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the
lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives
for our own good.



Kind of makes you want to run through the house
with scissors, doesn't it ?

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms
tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of swine flu
and terrorist attacks. Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?' 



God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.

I need this back. If you'll do this for me, I'll do it for you.

When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need.

A Small Prayer:
Father, God bless my friend in whatever it is that You know they may need this day!
And may their life be full of your peace, prosperity, and power
as he/she seeks to have a closer relationship with you.
Amen.

Blessings!

Did You Hear?

Don't you just love gossip?
Or not.

Here's a funny (and sort of sad, too) story that was passed on to me.
Read and learn.

Mildred, the church gossip and self-appointed monitor of the church's morals, kept sticking her nose into other people's business. Several members did not approve of her extra curricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

She made a mistake, however, when she accused Frank, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup parked in front of the town's only bar one afternoon. She emphatically told Frank (and several others) that every one seeing it there WOULD KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING!

Frank, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment, turned and walked away. He didn't explain, defend, or deny (Me: how many of us could have done that?). He said nothing.

Later that evening, Frank quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred's house, walked home and left it there all night!

You gotta love Frank!

Blessings!

Isaiah 65:24

Do you have faith?

This is a story written by a doctor who worked in Africa:

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do, she died, leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive; as we had no incubator (we had no electricity to run an incubator).
We also had no special feeding facilities.
Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts. One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in.

Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst (rubber perishes easily in tropical climates)..

'And it is our last hot water bottle!' she exclaimed.

As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

'All right,' I said, 'put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts Your job is to keep the baby warm.'

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby. I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough,mentioning the hot water bottle, and that the baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During prayer time, one ten -year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. 'Please, God' she prayed, 'Send us a hot water bottle today It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon.'

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added, 'And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?'

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say 'Amen?' I just did not believe that God could do this.

Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything; the Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending me a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever, received a parcel from home.

Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there on the verandah was a large 22-pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children.. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly-colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.. Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas - that would make a batch of buns for the weekend.
Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the . . . could it really be?
I grasped it and pulled it out. Yes, a brand new, rubber hot water bottle. I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, 'If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!'

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully-dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted!
Looking up at me, she asked, 'Can I go over with you and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?'

'Of course,' I replied!

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator.

And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child - five months before, in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it 'that afternoon.'
'Before they call, I will answer.' (Isaiah 65:24)

When you read this, say the prayer.
That's all I ask.
No strings attached.

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost, but a lot of rewards. Let's continue praying for one another.

This awesome prayer takes less than a minute:
Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless my friends reading this. I ask You to minister to their spirit. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubting, release a renewed confidence to work through them Where there is tiredness or exhaustion, I ask You to give them understanding, guidance, and strength. Where there is fear, reveal our love and release to them Your courage.. Bless their finances, give them greater vision, and raise up leaders and friends to support and encourage them. I ask You to do these things in Jesus' name. Amen

Blessings!

A MOUSE TRAP STORY


A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

“What food might this contain?" He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning:  "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap . . . alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember ---- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.


REMEMBER. . .

• EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY;

• OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

• One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a FRIEND ! ! !

Friendship isn't about whom you have known the longest, but about who came and never left your side.

Wonderful blessings to all of you, my friends!

Mrs. Deer

The Tale of the Deer and Two Humans

Coming home Sunday a week ago, we were making good time.

Sticking pretty close to the speed limit, not too tired,

and within an hour and half away from home.

We've traveled that route many times so we know to

keep a sharp lookout for all the deer.

We've swerved, stopped, gasped, stomped on brakes, and clutched dashes when they stick those dainty feet onto the road.

They peer at you with those doeful eyes like:

• "Stop! I'm trying to get to the other side. Can't you SEE that?"

or:

• "No one will dare hit me; I'm too, too beautiful!"
  

I cringe when I see one--if I'm in a car.

That Sunday night (making good time)

we were in a left lane (three lanes), with concrete lane dividers separating us from the opposing traffic.

And it happened.

Yep, Mrs. Deer jumped that thing and landed in front of us.

1. Now hubby could have swerved.
2. He could have stomped on the brakes.
3. Or he could have taken wings
   (like that ancient story about Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang--anybody remember that one?)

He did none of that. In a split second decision he knew that:

• Traffic around us that would have involved the other cars if he'd swerved.
• Stomping could have sent the car out of control.
• And, unfortunately, we didn't bring our car wings along.

We hit the deer.

What did I learn?

• I could have been killed and would have had about two to five seconds of realization.


• The young guys acting like lunatics in the shabby vehicle following/passing/showing off, were really decent kids out having fun. They were good enough to stop and make sure we were okay.


• To be happy we weren't hurt anymore than we were. Car hurt (light, grill, airbags, windshield), but so what? We're still alive!

Quote:

Happiness is always an inside job!





Blessings!

Rites of Passage

Regardless of what you think about it, it has merit. Hope you enjoy it today!

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.

He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience,

because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified.

He can hear all kinds of noises.

Wild beasts must surely be all around him.

Maybe even some human might do him harm.

The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump,

but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold.

It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared

and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night,

protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone.

Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us,

sitting on the stump beside us.

When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Moral of the story:

Just because you can't see God,

doesn't mean He is not there.

Quote:
Only that day dawns to which we are awake. --Henry David Thoreau

Blessings

The Horror of It All


Did I catch your attention? I hope so. Cause I got this terrific idea this morning for a book. Listen, my children, and you shall . . . oops, wrong line.

Hubby has been going crazy the last few weeks. Seriously. He declares he smells an "off" smell between the kitchen and the utility room. I can't smell it. I heard him asking Son No. Two last night if he smelled it. I couldn't say for sure, but don't believe Son No. Two answered, meaning, in my interpretation, that he didn't.

And to make matters worse, hubby insists that it's moving into the living room.

I had to laugh this morning because . . . all of a sudden this great light shone . . . no, that's not what happened . . . this idea just loomed into my brain. This scenario would make a wonderfully scary novel. It could go two ways:

1. Creepy Smell Slowly Invades Entire House including the people, and can't be stopped. Maybe even have it take over a whole town. Who knows how terrible it can get? Title: "The Smelling House."
2. Obsessive person goes slowly mad over a smell he thinks he smells--but no one else can smell. (Sort of E. A. Poe-ish type of story.) How about: "The Smell"?

Anyhow, it sounds fascinating. The only problem is: I don't write horror, don't like it (too scary for me--I'm too emotional. Laugh). Sigh. So I guess I'll have to give up that brilliant idea . . . unless, I can somehow incorporate that into a cozy. Hmmm. I wonder . . .

If you don't hear from me ever again, you'll know we've really and truly been invaded by . . . THE SMELL.

I'll keep you posted on hubby's state of mind.



Have trouble understanding what you're reading? Especially technical stuff? Read on for some good hints to help with that:

• Concentrate while reading the text. Don’t let your mind wander.
• Read only as fast as you can understand. Reread sections that are unclear.
• Read for understanding as well as to retain facts.
• Always monitor what you understand and remember before you move on.
• Make notes in the margins.
• Highlight ONLY the important points.
• Distinguish special cases or situations from more generic information.

Quote:
Success is a ladder that cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets!


Blessings!

Don't Get Bit!


(Funny? Yeah. Cruel? Of course. But a lesson here, too. Read, take heart, and learn.)

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his
back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

• Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
• Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
• Live simply and appreciate what you have.
• Give more.
• Expect less

Later . . .

The donkey later came back, and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.

The Moral?
When you do something wrong, and try to cover your rear, it always comes back to bite you.

Quote:
The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart. -- Robert Green Ingersoll

Blessings.