Is it Christmastime already??????

Take a look at that, would you? That is my birthday cake, made by my sweet daughter-in-love, Greta. She incorporated two things I love - hearts and Santa! (The heart is upside down, can you make it out?)

I have heard it said that having a birthday so close to Christmas is terrible but I have never felt that way. My parents always made very sure there was a definite line between my birthday and Christmas. I never got a birthday present wrapped in Christmas paper. Well, at least not from them.

We can all learn a very important lesson here.....whether it's a birthday or anniversary or even Christmas ~ it's not about the presents, it's about the PRESENCE! The presence of Christ in our everyday lives, day in-day out. Every single day.

My whole family has been impressed to follow that example this year and we are not buying presents for each other. Shoot, we're not even trading names! We will buy something for each baby in the family but the adults are foregoing the presents for the PRESENCE of Christ in our lives. We are all opting to pray that the Lord show us how to better serve others this Christmas season. Even our church has begun something called "The Gift" and it is our intention to be the "hands and feet of Jesus" this season as we take care of those many families in need, both physically/financially and spiritually. We want to be known for sharing the love of Christ and the message of the Good News that Jesus has come so that we need not spend an eternity in hell, separated from God. This is the season that we celebrate Christ's birth, not who gets the most toys!

Still full of birthday cake, I will cut this short today. I urge you to find a family or even one person this week or next that is much less fortunate than you. Maybe you've seen TV coverage of a family whose house just burned down. I'm almost certain they will need clothing and probably even Christmas presents for their kids. Is there a nursing home or senior center near your community? You might make a visit and find out who doesn't have any family to visit them and drop in just to cheer them up. There are hundreds of ideas out there for making everyone really feel the true magic of the Christmas spirit. You won't have to look very far.

Wow! What a crazy last few days! See those hands in the picture? Well, that's EXACTLY where my ankle/foot hurts! I was (as my husband most eloquently put it) "running 90 miles an hour with my hair on fire" last Friday morning, on my way to pick up my Aunt for her therapy session when I took a tumble down our back steps! Coffee, mail, keys, my purse.....they all went flying as I lay sprawled out on the concrete, sick at my stomach from the pain! I hadn't hurt like that in a very long time and it took me a while to get my bearings. I fished around in the pile of leaves for my cell phone and found it quickly. I called my knight in shining armor and he came running. Of course he was concerned and, if you know Eldon, you know that he doesn't handle emergencies very well. He began to run around like a chicken with his proverbial head cut off while I lay there moaning. He disappeared for a short time and I wondered if he had gone to get something to get me up with; like maybe a crane?!? He came back a few minutes later with a glass of water and 2 Aleve!!! Bless his heart! He said breathlessly, "Here! This is for the pain!" I tell you, I would've jumped up and popped him in the head with one of those "I coulda had a V8" slaps if I wasn't in so much pain!

I dutifully took the pills and gulped them down, all the time trying to encourage him to grab hold of me and try to get me up. Seems every way we tried hurt like a son-of-a-fun and I wasn't helping too much either! He finally got me up and limping over to an old wheelchair we've had since the years his grandparents lived with us. I plopped down into it with a thud and he wheeled me up into the kitchen for a better look.

The ankle was already swelling, red and I was still feeling nauseous so we decided to get an xray. Why oh why did I think that was a good idea? My daughter, CeCe, came running when called and transported me to the ER. That was a whole 'nother story! After dutifully filling out all required paperwork and answering all questions, I was put into a room only to be whisked away again for xrays. After xrays, it was back to the little room to wait for the doctor. He came in and poked and prodded on my ankle and foot (very warm hands, by the way) then told me it wasn't broken, only "severely sprained". He recommended I go home and put my foot up with ice, rest and take the pain pills he prescribed. Little did he know I had plans for something quite different that day but they would just have to wait!

Needless to say, the Aunt's therapy got cancelled and most everything else I wanted to do that Friday. I spend the weekend with my foot, resting on an ice pack and elevated above my heart. Let me tell you, in case you were wondering, wheelchairs aren't nearly as much fun as they look and crutches are even less! My hips, knees and legs are sore from the fall and my shoulders, underarms and back are sore from the crutches! Not for the faint of heart, I assure you!

All that to say, I have a newfound respect for people with disabilities. You know, the people that drive the vehicles that get to park in the best parking spaces because they're painted with blue and the wheelchair logo? Well, trust me. Now I know why those parking spaces are so important. I wouldn't even want to attempt parking and walking all that way on crutches, let alone getting a wheelchair out of my vehicle! The whole thing is exasperating as well as exhausting and my hat's off to those precious people that do that day in and day out without so much as a sigh! I have come to realize I am very blessed with my two legs and two feet, my eyes that see great (except closeup) and my hearing is good too. In this season of Thanksgiving, I found out that I have so much more to be thankful for than even I ever realized!

I hope you don't have to have something like this happen to you for you to realize that you are blessed too~ Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Month's end!

Can it be that October is leaving so soon? Where have I been? Oh yes, in the house because it was RAINING!!!!!!!!!!! Someone told me last night that we have had rain for something like 19 or 20 consecutive Thursdays! 19 or 20!

I know I have been lax lately in posting but it has been a very trying month for me. I am currently giving full-time care to an elderly aunt that fell and broke her wrist, requiring surgery to repair. She is 83 and it has been hard for both of us. She is used to living alone and having her things just so. I am used to having my things just so. It has been a challenge, to say the least. I am so thankful for the Beth Moore study we are doing right now in our women's Bible Study. It's about Esther but I am learining much more than just about the Jewess that became queen and saved her people. I am learning about meanness and where it comes from, God's promises and timing; perfect timing. Two words I am hanging on to with both hands right now, reminded that "His eye that is on the sparrow is also on the wristwatch" (Beth Moore) and there is not one thing that is happening right now that has escaped His attention (although I seem to forget that more often than not lately!)!!!!!

For these times we are trudging through right now, I just want to remind you that He is still there, still in control and, if you'll pop in and see Esther, you'll realize that you, too are here for "such a time as this"!

Happy Fall, ya'll!!!!

Pam

This and That.....

Wow, if the number of motorcycles that have already roared past my house today (and it's just Wednesday!) is any indication of how many people will pour in again to Northwest Arkansas this weekend for Bikes, Blues and Barbeque, we're in for another doozey!

I began thinking about that as the motorcycles whizzed past. How does one get something like that 'going'? All those people! Is it word-of-mouth or high-dollar advertising?

I've been pondering that alot lately as I've retreated into my "writing room" to finish my third book, "Contessa and the Cameraman". I don't want to make any mistakes this time...I want it to be perfect and I know if it's to be perfect, then I will have to work hard to make it so. I have re-written and re-written until I'm almost sick of the story! I have a dear author friend in Benton, AR that is going to edit the manuscript for me and I think she will do an outstanding job! I am amazed at the number of writers I've been meeting lately and they all seem to be in various stages of learning about this crazy ride we call writing. It's not for the faint of heart, I can tell you that!

Back to the subject of the popularity of BBB - I was just thinking, if I could get people as excited about reading one of my books as these people are about dressing in black leather and riding up and down the highway all weekend, I would be set! I think it all boils down to what people are interested in and if the experience is made worthwhile for them. Well, that's what I pledge to do in my writing - make it worthwhile for the reader. You heard it here first, folks! I am as serious as a heart attack about this thing....I know God gave me this thing for some reason and I'm bound and determined to have it turn out for HIS glory and honor. Would you agree with me in prayer that these stories will touch hearts and lives for Him? Would you agree with me in prayer that young women will begin to understand what it's like to live a moral life, that everybody encounters temptation, that we are all human but loved by the Savior?

Whew! Quite a rant today! Just some of this and that.....more later.

Author's Workshop

I apologize for being "absent" lately but I have been working through some big decisions and it has taken time away from my blogging. But guess what???? I'm baaack!
I had a WONDERFUL time at the Writer's Workshop in Siloam Springs this past weekend! (You know that all caps means you're shouting, don't you?) My friend, Kathy (another aspiring author) and I went, not really knowing what to expect but we weren't disappointed by any means. We met wonderful people, enjoyed a wonderful luncheon provided by the writer's club and learned so much that both our heads were swimming when we started for home at the end of the day. I also made a new friend in Linda Fulkerson. She is a honey and brother, can she write! She really inspired me to get busy. I shouldn't have any trouble since we purposely had our cable turned off this last week. Eldon and I both realized that we spend way too much time in front of the tube, watching what others were doing instead of doing it ourselves! How's that for a reality show concept?

Be that as it may, I don't know how interested everyone is in the "rough" side of writing but, trust me, it IS rough! Trying to get someone to just listen to what your book is about is very hard, almost impossible these days. I guess most publishers think their star authors will live forever and there are no new ideas out there. So sad! I have sent seven query letters(most want this first to see if you're even worth talking to before they agree to talk to you in person!) and one book proposal. The proposals are very time-consuming and run anywhere from 30 to 50 pages! They themselves are difficult to write and I guess most publishers think that if you can write a book proposal in their format, you must be able to write a book that someone will want to read; I don't know!

As I write this today, I am waiting for replies, knowing that my Heavenly Father always goes before me and HE will make a way where there seems to be no way. That's what I'm trusting Him for. Would you agree with me in prayer that I will find a publisher that loves the Lord and desires to publish good, wholesome novels for women to read? That's my prayer today....
Pam

Second book

Some of you have been asking me about book #2 - "Gideon's Cabin". I now have them to sell and several hardbacks too, if you're interested.

"Gideon's" picks up where the first book left off with Emily and Gideon and tells the tale of what happens next. The underlying theme is forgiveness....interesting since I was just blogging about that the other day! Hmmmmmmm.

Let me know if you'd like a copy. I'll be glad to sell you one!

(In)Couragement

Great website....I would "incourage" you all to visit it. Very well done, as usual! DaySpring is a class act, in every sense of the word. That's my friend, Holley Gerth, in the picture modeling the T-shirt. She's a writer for DaySpring and a wonderful gal! You can click on her picture for a direct link to the website. Good stuff!

So what encourages us? Let's see: hugs? notes in the mail or online? God's Word? Oh yes, BIG encouragement. I have had scripture lift me up personally when nothing else would work; not words, not hugs, not emails, nothing. The Word is full of encouragement, merely by the fact (at least to me) that most every person that contributed to the writing faced some trial or test or temptation at some point in their lives. Could we think of it as God's blog where those chosen to a specific task have 'weighed in', writing their innermost thoughts and sharing them with the God of the Universe, their Creator and friend? I think of David in the Psalms and how his spirit cried out in anguish to the Lord. Could anyone around him encourage him at those points in his life? Remember when he was hiding from Saul because the King wanted to kill him? How about when David's infant son (by Bathsheba) was dying? We read passages like, "I cry in the daytime but thou hearest not." (Ps 22:2) or "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul." (Ps 69:1) You can find many times people have cried out to the Father for mercy, understanding, healing and restoration. The point is, He's always there. He never moved or went anywhere.

I saw a sign on a church's marquis one day as I drove by and it has always stuck with me, even to this day. It said, "If you feel a distance from God, guess who moved?" Good one! He didn't move, He didn't go anywhere, He's always been right here, listening, watching, waiting. WE are the ones that get off track, out of line, all screwed up.

When we lost Hunter in September of 2004, I thought there was nothing anyone could say, nothing I could read, nothing I could do that would ever lift me up out of the pit of grief and dispair I was in but, know what? "Joy comes in the morning" After months of grief-stricken tears and dashed hopes and dreams, I did begin to heal, I did find encouragement in reading His Word, I could listen to other people speak truth into my life. Amazing? No, just healing and realizing that God never left me, never forsook me. He was there all the time, watching, listening and waiting for me to lift my hands to Him in honest faith.

Reminds me of a wonderful verse: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Love it, love it, love it!

So, could these words all be combined in the same sentance? Faith, Hope, Encouragement? I know the definitions are different but they could certainly be used in the same sentance and I often think of the others when I think of one.

Be encouraged, my friend. Be hopeful, be full of faith. Share one another's burdens, cry with those who cry and laugh with those who laugh. Love one another.

Emily's Three Miracles

Well, I got an email from a friend down south yesterday. I must say, it was enlightening and encouraging at the same time. She has been reading my first book and had pointed out some grammatical errors for me (as I asked her to). The exciting thing is that, as she has been reading the story, she shared with me that she has been so "caught up" in the story that she couldn't put it down. She stayed up until 1:30 a.m. one night just so she could find out if Emily and her father find a wounded Gideon in Indian country to the north! ha-ha! It did my heart good to hear someone else (other than myself or my kids) that was interested in the storyline as well. That was my intention and my prayer. To be able to pen a story with believeable characters that would hold reader interest while sharing Christian morals and ethics. Some of you know that the writing of this first book was a total "God-thing" and I give Him all the glory and praise for the story, as well as any possible good that could come from someone reading such a story. The target audience was young women - thirteen and up but I have had comments from much older gals who purchased the book too. I would ask that those of you signed in and following this blog would not only join in the conversation but join me in prayer about the publishing of my third book this fall. I am asking the Lord for direction and discernment as I beat the bushes for a publisher (Christian) interested in contracting me for future endeavors. That is a tall order in this business, let me tell you and it will be no small feat but I "know in whom I have believed and He is faithful" to see this "thing" He has begun in me. I am praying and thanking Him for allowing me a small part in the whole thing and I know that HE knows what's best. Waiting is a very hard job sometimes. Hey! There's an idea for another post!

Pam

Forgiveness

Wow! That is a word that evokes all kinds of emotions and opinions these days. We all have had a "run-in" with someone in our life or we have been "wronged" by someone; gotten our feelings hurt. I had something remind me of that this very day. I was scathingly rebuked by someone once for "sticking my nose in" and "intruding" in a situation and I can assure you, was nothing like that. This person perceived that I was invading their space or something of the sort (and I don't want to get into the story). Just suffice it to say that I only suggested something be tried as an outlet to painful grief and it was met with this attitude. Of course, I would tell you, "I was only trying to help!" and you would think that was all very well and good and "poor little Pam", etc. but it wasn't like that. My motives were not only called into question but my morals and intentions as well. I guess my first question to Father was, "How can that person know what I was thinking?" I went to Him with my hurt feelings (and slightly-battered pride), desiring to be vindicated and proven right but that did not happen and the person still held ill-will towards me. We haven't seen each other in months but the other night we both attended a prayer meeting in a home for a new ministry about to begin in our area. I was surprised, as were they but we conducted ourselves appropriately and all went very well. Driving home, I was reviewing the events of the night and still questioned why those feelings after all this time. I know the Lord is trying to teach me something through all this but, for the life of me, I'm blank right now! How difficult it is to forgive someone that has wronged you when you have done nothing wrong! Ask Jesus.....remember his words as he hung on the cross? "Father, f0rgive them for they don't know what they're doing" That's some pretty heavy forgiveness. Think about Christ's blood, shed for forgiveness of ALL our sins! Oh man, heavier still. I think I just need to dig into the Word and pray that God shows me what I should say to this person. I don't think this will be easy but then again, nothing that is worth anything usually is, right?
Pam