On death

A horrific car accident took the life of my 91-year-old grandmother on February 11, 2011. What a legacy she left. Loving wife, a mother to five, and a devoted grandmother to the great-great degree. Pictures of her family covered every inch of her refrigerator, and she was quick to snatch the latest and show them off.

Family was important to her. But, God was even more important, and she enjoyed showing Him off, too. She sprinkled conversations and letters with comments on God’s goodness.   

At the service, my grandfather stood by her side, leaning against his walker, and gazed into his beloved bride’s face one last time. Saying “good-bye” was hard enough for me. How did he say “good-bye” to a spouse who shared every aspect of his life for over 70 years?

He didn’t whisper in her ear. I would have heard it. My grandpa has only one volume. Booming.

I believe his heart spoke to hers, without words, just like it had for a lifetime. “I’ll meet you at the gate.”

Heaven’s gate.

I can’t imagine facing the rigors of life without hope. Without Jesus. Without the anticipation of spending eternity with God.

Can you?

White Rose Publishing call for submissions

For all short story writers, check out this new opportunity with White Rose Publishing.

http://whiterosepublishing.blogspot.com/

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: WHITE ROSE PUBLISHING

White Rose Publishing is seeking manuscripts to fill a special 2011 holiday release extravaganza. We are currently seeking novelette to novella length stories (between 15,000 and 25,000 words) to fill twenty-four special slots. Stories must have a Christmas theme and submissions must be received on or before 1 May 2011.

Stories must be Christian romance, may be contemporary or historical, and may fall under any subgenre (e.g. romantic suspense) To submit, please use the submission form found on our website. (http://www.whiterosepublishing.com/pages/Submission-Form) Be sure to include: CHRISTMAS SUBMISSION: Title of Story in the subject line of your submission.

In addition, White Rose is always open to general submissions. Full submission guidelines may be found at http://www.whiterosepublishing.com/pages/Submission-Guidelines

For more information about White Rose Publishing please visit our website at http://www.whiterosepublishing.com or read some of our titles. Our books are available local and online retailers such as Amazon, ARe, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Christian Book Distributors, Sony.

Will You Marry Me?

Only four words. Yep, that's right. Count 'em. Four magical words. "Will you marry me?"

Don't you love hearing about unique marriage proposals? I do. You know, like...the guy holds up a sign that says "will you marry me?" to his sweetie after flinging themselves from an airplane ~ with parachutes, of course! Or how about the guy who takes his sweetie to a romantic beach just in time to see those famous four words billowing across the sky behind a plane? Romantic? Unique? You bet ya.

What about you? Have you experienced any heart-throbbing, toe-tingling, romantic marriage proposals you're willing to share?

Leave a comment sharing your romantic proposal. Who knows? You might even see your experience in print some day!

Did your team win?

Did your favorite team win the Super Bowl?

I don't have particular attachments to either team, the Packers or the Steelers. But sometimes I'm drawn to a particular person associated with a team. Perhaps someone who has gone through a painful experience or traumatic injury. Or a man who shows integrity and character, on and off the field. Tony Dungy, for example, past coach for the Indianapolis Colts and before that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Definitely a man of character and integrity.

When the playoffs ended and the final two teams emerged, I knew who I wanted to win the Super Bowl ~ Green Bay. And not because of the team. But because one player stood out in my mind. A player who has stood quietly in the shadows of a popular icon, waiting his turn, biding his time. Getting the job done. Ignoring all the commotion around him.

Care to guess who I'm referring to? Yeah. You got it. Aaron Rodgers. Now I confess I don't read tabloids, so I don't know what goes on in his personal life. But from what I've seen on the field over the last few weeks? Character. Self-control. No screaming and no flinging helmets. Grace under pressure? I never saw him lose his cool, even with all the dropped balls. Time ~ and fame ~ will tell us if he's truly a man of character.

What about you? What makes you root for a team? What makes a man of character?

What road are you traveling?

Have you ever thought about the roads you’ve traveled? Bumpy, windy roads. Roads filled with potholes, forks, and turns. Up mountains. Through valleys. Quiet, country roads and bustling, noisy intersections. Have you considered how few roads are actually smooth? 

I’m not one of those writers who dreamed of putting words on paper from an early age. Writing wasn’t in my career path. If I had seen it coming, I probably would have made a u-turn and headed in the opposite direction. After all, I’d spent twelve years writing and editing audit reports. Painful, excruciatingly so. You see, I’m one of those perfectionists. You know the kind.

But, I have always wanted to read, loved to read. Had to have a book in my hands. Don’t you feel lost if you don’t have four or five books lined up ready to read? Me? I have sixteen ~ shhh, don’t tell my husband.

After I dropped out of the workforce to taxi my two sons around (and to make sure one of them actually attended school, he had a slight problem with that!), God planted the “writing” seed in my heart. “Me? Write? No way,” I scoffed. I was convinced I was wrong. God didn’t want me to do something that I didn’t enjoy, did He? Surely, I was mistaken. Talk about facing a mountain.

The writing seed dug in, took root around my heart. God watered the seed until it grew into a manuscript, even fertilized it with a stack of rejection letters and dismal contest results. God helped me to focus on the positive comments. One manuscript grew into two. Then, three.

On New Year’s Eve in 2010, five years after I started down this crazy writing road, White Rose Publishing offered me a contract for Journey’s End, my first book in the Marshals of Journey Creek series.  Can you think of a better way to end one year and to begin another? Who needs fireworks?

Thank you, God, for not giving up on me! For walking hand-in-hand with me on this crazy exciting journey and for filling my heart with joy!

What is your own journey like? Curvy? Full of potholes? Are you facing a mountain? Whatever road you’re on, my prayer is that God blesses your journey!