Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

In my novel, Route to Survival, protagonist Kate Mitchell makes some important decisions. They are life-changing, and she finds herself in a quandry over what to do several times throughout the book

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After much stewing and angst, she takes practical steps that lead her to the answers she seeks.

• She steps out of her daily element in order to be alone and clear her mind.
• She follows the advice of an older, wiser person.
• She prays, asking God for direction.
• She sleeps and then communes with nature.
• She reads her Bible.
• She makes a list of pros and cons concerning a specific issue.
• She rests some more and relaxes amid God's beautiful creation.
• She then acts on the decisions with resolve and strength.

Are you grappling with some momentous decisions? Try these practical steps and see if God directs you to specific answers.

Confession: one reason I wrote this scene in the novel is that I have trouble making decisions. I grapple with issues and often over-think the various choices. I frequently second-guess myself. That is why decision-making is difficult for me.

The joy of writing fiction is you get to emphasize your strengths and delve into your weaknesses. Hopefully, I can learn from the character I created, Kate Mitchell.

If you want to read about Kate Mitchell in Route to Survival, you can find more info on my Website or go to Amazon.com.

Easter Blessings

During this, the holiest of weeks in the Christian faith, let us remember the families who lost loved ones in the horrific attacks in Belgium.

Let us pray for our world, that evil will be defeated.

We all need God's special comfort and blessing this week.

Have a Blessed Easter as you celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus

 

Sun shining through a beveled window creates God's beautiful rainbow

 

 

 

 

 

Grounding

Fuses, circuit breakers, grounding wires, lightening rods, and special wiring in appliances all provide hidden but necessary protection from "leaky electrical currents." For the life of me, I don't understand the science, but I know the importance of being protected.

Just tallying up the many appliances and devices I use throughout a day boggles my mind. If I had to consider the danger of leaky electrical current, I would be a mess. That's where grounding comes in to play.

Spiritual Grounding

Spiritual grounding is equally important and something we should pay attention to. What grounds you? What keeps you humble, focused on important priorities rather than the trivia that invades your thinking? What keeps you from obsessing about the worries that are such a part of modern life?


Is it:

• Playing with children?
• Serving others?
• Appreciating nature?
• Keeping aware of suffering around the world and in your community?
• Minimizing your ecological footprint?
• Focusing on people, not things?
• Listening, really listening to: children, the elderly, the lonely?
• Waking every day with prayers of gratitude in your mind?
• Reading your Bible?
• Meditating?
• Praying?
• Taking time out to do nothing but daydream?

Whatever grounds you, keeps you aware of other people and keeps you aware of important priorities, be sure to make time for it. Slide it into your daily schedule. Your life will be enriched and you will be on your way to enjoying the "peace that passes understanding."

Most of all, it keeps you aware of God who created you, loves you, and desires the very best for you.

(To get notifications of my new blog posts, just put in your email in the box on the right. Your addressl is safe--I don't even see it. You get a reminder whenever I publish something new, which is every Thursday. Enjoy.)

Calling all Booklovers!

Come visit me in Booth #448 at the Tucson Festival of Books, March 12 & 13. I will be selling and signing my novel, Route to Survival.

I am sharing a booth with authors of the new children's book, They Call Him Grumpa. Bonnie Apperson Jacobs and Terri Mainwaring are launching this, their second book for young readers. It's delightful.

You are a "bibliophile" (lover of books) if:

• You hyperventilate when walking into a bookstore
• You are drawn to bookshelves when visiting friends
• You love the feel and smell of books - the covers and paper
• You admonish anyone who dares turn down corners as placeholders
• You cringe when you see a torn book
• You feel excitement about the adventures that await as you begin reading a new book
• Etc., etc., etc.

We speak a different language, don't we?

Different formats:
I love my e-reader and soon will try audio books. However, I guess I'm a purist because I love photos of old English libraries filled with shelves of books reaching to the ceiling. Rich leather furniture and a large wooden desk finish out the scenario.

If you, too, love books then you must come to:

The Tucson Festival of Books

University of Arizona campus

Saturday, March 12 & Sunday, March 13

9:30-5:00

There will be over 100 authors in panels and presentations. Over 300 booths will house books and authors of all genre. There will be something for everyone in the family.

Did I mention food vendors? And entertainment. It promises to be quite a festival.

Come and satisfy your love for books.

Joy vs. Happiness

Here it is again. That life-long search for happiness.

Why do we do that to ourselves? We spend a lifetime searching for things or people or circumstances to make us happy. What we need, and have available, is JOY--God's joy.

Sing that old Sunday School praise song: The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

It comes from the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. Governor Nehemiah, Ezra the priest, and the Levites told the people to rejoice and see the day as a joyful, sacred one--the day they returned to their God. Nehemiah even told them to host a party!

"Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve for the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV)

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

 

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

 

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

 

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

 

 

Happiness is sometimes present and sometimes elusive. Days are sunny and days are overcast.

 

The next time you're having a difficult day, repeat this uplifting song. It works.


Stop looking for happiness. Instead be filled with the JOY OF THE LORD!