Time for Family

So, now that we're nearing the end of January,  

how are you doing on your resolutions or one-word theme?

I don't make resolutions. Nor do I focus on one words. But, for me, 2016 seems to be all about family so far.

My parents spend the winters in TN, four hours away from us. The rest of the time, they hang out in AK. As in A L A S K A. So, we try to squeeze in as much time as we can with them while they're in the lower 48.

This month they both scheduled cataract surgeries for the same day. One eye at a time, two weeks apart.

It's been fun watching them see things in a new light. Everything's brighter, more colorful, and now, after 50+ years of wearing glasses, all they'll need are readers.

Both pictures were taken after the first eye surgery.

I'd allotted time in my calendar to be there to drive them around and help while they recuperated. They didn't really need any help, though. After surgery and a nap, they were good to go. :)

What I didn't schedule were snow days. Note to self: must remedy that for next year.

Let me ask you. Would you be able to write with all this cuteness in the house? 

Nope. Not me. :)

My word count definitely tanked in January. I'm working on Kissing Santa Nic, a Christmas story that I'll publish independently as Tori Kayson. No contract, no deadlines, so it's all good. But even so...

"There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens..." ~Ecclesiastes 3:1 

Little Man won't be five forever. Before I can blink (practically), he'll be driving age. And my parents will head back to AK soon. 

Apparently, God has designated 2016 as the time for family for me. So, I will adjust my calendar and not fret over my poor word count. Because when I release my schedule to God, He blesses my time beyond measure. 

What season are you in right now?

That Look

Recently, we bought a new razor trike, a modern version of hot wheels, for Little Man to ride at our house. The back wheels pivot, which causes the whole trike to spin. When Little Man and our neighbor, also a classmate, race up and down our long driveway, it’s quite entertaining.



He wanted red like his buddy’s, but the stores around here only carried blue. At first, Little Man was disappointed, but that didn’t last long. Only until he discovered the joy of riding and spinning and tumbling onto the grass in make-believe crashes, giggling alongside his new friend.

And when I mentioned that Grandpa put the trike together?

Adoration blossomed on his cute face. “Grandpa, you built my bike?”

Not exactly, but…

That look.

As if his grandpa could do anything. As if building a bike was the coolest thing ever! Love and admiration and awe and delight all swirled together and swelled to shine from his face and lift his tiny shoulders.

And right then it hit me.

As a daughter of the Most High King and Creator of the universe, shouldn’t the world see that look on my face as I go through life?

The one thing I ask of the Lord—

the thing I seek most—

is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. ~ Psalm 27:4 (NLT)

Meet Lacie Heatherton from BURK'S SURRENDER, a Christian Romance Book

Tell us your name and a little bit about yourself.

Hi guys! I’m Lacie Heatherton. Oops, I mean Lacie Harmon. Burk and I have only been married a few weeks, so I still haven’t adjusted to my new name. My thirteen-year-old daughter, Violet, lives with us along with my grandma Wilma. But I suspect Grandma won’t be here too much longer. Monty’s been coming around every night. Can you believe she finally ditched the baggy sweatpants? :)

Tell us about where you live and why you choose to live there.

We live in Harrison, North Carolina, in a Craftsman home I saw online. I’d bookmarked it, thinking I could scrounge up enough savings to buy it for Violet and me. But, then I almost lost my job and Violet needed braces. And, well, you know how it is being a single parent. Of course, the listing expired, but Burk’s twin brother, Beck, remodels and stages homes for a real estate company. His company picked up the listing for the tiny house. He added a bunch of square footage and transformed it into a gorgeous home. We snapped it up. It’s perfect for our family, and I love it!

What is a quirk of your personality that most people wouldn’t know?

Burk couldn’t stand that the number four by the front door at Grandma’s house hung crooked. Every time he came over, he straightened it. What he didn’t know was that I twisted it just to mess with him. He never found out!

What obstacles did you have to overcome to reach your happily-ever-after?

I had to harness the fear that rose up like a tidal wave and threatened to drown me. Fear that he would hurt me just like all the other men in my life. Fear that a man in Violet’s life would hurt her and complicate our lives. I had to trust him and trust that our ten years of friendship meant something, that it proved he was a man I could depend on and that he would never hurt us.

Tell us about your knight in shining armor. What makes him special?

Like I said, he would never hurt us, and his friendship has never wavered. Even when we went through a rough patch and I told him to leave, he didn’t. He’s been my friend since practically the day I met him. Part of my job was to take the Parks and Rec collections to him every day. After a few months of doing that, I started to plan my visits for late afternoon, after everybody had gone home, so we could chat uninterrupted. He was always kind, never complained that I took up too much of his time, and he seemed genuinely friendly. He never tried to push my buttons or ask me out. One night I complained that our washer had kicked the bucket. He offered to fix it. That was the first of many fixes and dinners that I cooked in trade. So, when Renee left me in the lurch with the senior trip, I knew I could count on him to go with us if I asked. Nicely. Which I did. And can you believe he accused me of batting my eyelashes?

But you know what really lights up my heart about my husband? His faith. It’s quiet, but steady and sure. Just like him. And he’s a family man. After his faith, he puts his family first. Always has.

The first time you saw him, what did you think? Did you like him immediately, or did he have to grow on you?

Oh, I liked him. With his friendly smile and that incredibly deep voice, how could I not? But the first time I saw him, he was a college intern and I was…pregnant. I didn’t introduce myself. What was the point? Dating was not on my agenda. I had more important things to worry about. Like how to keep my job when I spent every morning running to the bathroom or where I would sleep that night.

But then he became Finance Director, and I finally had the chance to really get to know him. I thought he’d arrange for me to turn in the collections to someone else, being so busy and all, but he didn’t. Our conversations started veering to personal things, and we became friends more than business associates.

And he’s over six feet of gorgeous! But like him? Not a chance! Not after being beaten by Violet’s father when I told him I was pregnant and then being kicked out of the house by my stepfather. Poor Burk had his work cut out for him. I’m so glad he didn’t give up!

COMING SEPT 18
With Pelican Book Group

Deputy City Manager Burk Harmon has always been the strong one for his family, but recently those responsibilities have dwindled. When Lacie Heatherton, Assistant Director for Parks and Recreation, ropes him into a city-sponsored trip to the mountains with fifty seniors, Burk has two things on his mind: considering a possible promotion and wooing Lacie past friendship and into a future. Lacie has emotional scars and a thirteen-year-old daughter to remind her that men can be cruel and unforgiving. Can Burk convince Lacie to relax her "no dating" policy or will he surrender his dreams of family and love?

Have you lost your HAPPY?

Wedding Day
Everybody's happy, right?

"Why should they stay together if they're not happy?"

This, from my twenty-three year old college graduate after a rash of friends announced that their parents were divorcing after twenty plus years of marriage.

"Happy..." I repeated, letting the word penetrate. 

As if a divorce would bring the "happy" 
back into their lives. 

I shuddered, remembering the trauma and devastation left behind from my divorce. Almost three decades later, the emotional scars still linger.

Obviously, we don't always have a choice when it comes to divorce. The other person may choose it for us. Just like we don't have a choice when cancer strikes or when we lose a loved one to suicide. 

But do we have a choice when it comes to being happy?

What do you think? Next week we'll continue this discussion along with ways to get your HAPPY back.

...weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. 

Psalm 30:5b NIV

In those "I can't believe that just happened!" moments...

I giggle. Hysterically.

Take the time our family traveled through Arizona several years ago. Hubby stopped the car to snap a photo of our younger son standing next to a giant Saguaro Cactus. I stayed in the car, watching. Back then cellphones weren't camera capable, and Hubby had his eye pressed against the camera. Trying to get the whole cactus in the shot, he backed up, backed up some more, and WHAM! Stumbled backward into a ditch. 

What am I doing? Giggling. Hysterically.

And then there's the time hubby was doing some work in our attic. He was moving around up there, not exactly light on his feet, and WHAM! Slammed through the attic floor. Somehow, he managed to straddle a rafter, and I looked up to see his long legs dangling through the ceiling.

What am I doing? Giggling. Hysterically.

This weekend our two-year-old grandson huddled near hubby's vacant recliner. I pulled the lever to lift the footrest (for whatever reason, I can't remember now). I stuck my hand in front of it to avoid hitting him. Did that help? No. WHAM! The footrest lifted up with such force, it whacked Mason in the side and catapulted him a couple feet in the air.

What am I doing? Giggling. Hysterically. Thankfully, he thought it was a game or a weird kind of ride, but how sad is that?

What about you? 

How do you react in those "I can't believe that just happened!" moments?

What legacy will you leave?

William Sheldon Atwater
1915 - 2012

On May 20, 2012, my grandfather slipped into eternity at the age of 96. He left behind 3 daughters (including my mother), 2 sons, 18 grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great grandchildren. What a legacy!

In his younger days, people called him "Wild Bill." My grandma must have tamed him because I never heard him called that. He was a rock for the family, a pillar in the community, and a founding member of his church. He had such an infectious laugh that everybody laughed with him. He loved to play practical jokes, drink diet Mountain Dew, watch game shows, and do word search puzzles. After he retired from Caterpillar, he drove to town every day to meet his friends for coffee.

My grandpa didn't talk much, and I never heard him talk about his faith. Instead, he lived it. He valued faith, family, friends, and hard work. Without a doubt, he met his beloved bride at heaven’s gate last Sunday.

Life is short. Years flip by with lightning speed. Our years on earth are just a speck of sand in light of eternity. Our days are numbered, with a time to be born and a time to die. (Ecc 3:2 NIV)

I can't imagine facing death without hope, without God, without the anticipation of spending eternity with God. The good news is we don't have to face death alone. God offers us a life with Him. He has a giant eraser, bigger than you'll ever need for anything you've ever done. All we have to do is say yes to Him.

What legacy will you leave? 

What choice have you made about eternity?

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?