Welcome 2024

It's been an interesting Christmas / New Year time at my house. I had a wonderful time spent with my kids over the holidays but now that Chrismas is over I'm facing some challenges in the upcoming year. The day after Christmas, my husband had a proceedure on his heart to get it out of A-fib and two days after that I was supposee to have hand surgery. My husband's proceedure was successful and my hand surgery got poatponed til mid Feb by the Doctor's office. So now I'm enjoying some peace and quiet and getting pensive about the year ahead. I have a lot of thibgs to look forward to in my writing world. I'll share more on my other blog. Hop over there and see the latest. I hope 2024 brings blessings for us all!

A Treasure Found

This morning someone dug up a treasure for me. On a Facebook page for my hometown, the person posted this: "When I was five years old me and my sister Dolly were playing outside and we got into a yellow jacket's nest and I got stung over fifty times according to my Mom! This is actually the original prescription from Dr. Keith Edward's. The prescription is for one ice cream cone to be taken as desired!!! Mom said he also gave me a dime to buy it with!!!" Dr. Keith Edwards, mentioned in this precious post is my dad. He is still alive and well and will turn 95 in December. I was able to pass thus on to him. ❤

Welcome Autumn

I stepped from summer into autumn in one day last week. My husband and I own a timeshare at Hilton Head, SC the second week in September so we take our beach vacation every September. I love it there this time of year. It still feels like summer, even being warm enough to still swim but with far less people around. Every year when we come home to Kentucky after our Sept beach vacation it feels like I have gone from summer to autumn rapidly. This year even more so becauae my family made our annual fall trip to a local farm to pick pumpkins the day after we came home from the beach. So last week I swam in the ocean on Thursday in summer-like temperatures, drove home on Friday and picked fall pumpkins wearing a long sleeve shirt to ward off a skight chill in the air on Saturday.

Changed in a Moment (a summer devotion)

“Behold I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51

“Mom! I caught some tadpoles today! Can I keep them? Please, mom, please!” My 12 year old son exclaimed these words as he ran through the front door of my house with a jar of murky creek water in his hands. My son had been playing in a nearby creek on this hot summer day and he had managed to catch five small grayish colored tadpoles. After researching the topic, I reluctantly agreed to let him keep his new found pets. What fun we had that summer. We changed the tadpole water regularly, taking care to declorinate the new water and we fed them lettuce that had been boiled and then frozen. Over the course of a few weeks, our tadpoles grew first back legs and then front ones. At long last, they lost their tails.Their color altered too as the tadpoles changed into small, bright green tree toads. The scriptures tell us that if we are believers, we too will someday be changed. However, our change will not be slow like my son’s tadpoles were. No, our change will be quick, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. We will change from perishable to imperishable; from mortal to immortal. What exciting news. I wonder if God will have as much fun watching us change as my son and I had watching his tadpoles change?

A Second Trip to the Selahs

The last few days, I made my second trip to the Selah Awards held at Ridgcrest Christian Conference Center in Black Mountain, NC. What a beautiful place! My husband and oldest son traveled with me and the three of us had a delightful time. I was humbled and honored to recieve a third place award for an essay I wrote for "The Lutheran Digest."

Book News!

I just signed a contract for a children's book thar will release from Elk Lake Publishing next year! This is my debut as a children's writer and makes two books of mine releasing in '24.

Staying Busy

I usually post about my writing on my other blog but thought I'd share a few things here too. I'm staying busy. I'm always writing devotions and articles. This month I have a devotion in "The Secret Place" and an article in "Kentucky Monthly". I also am starting work on a new devotional book that will release in '25. It's a follow-up to another devotional book that releases next year. That manuscript is finished and turned in to my publisher already. I also have a few other things in the works. But tbe most exciting news is the awards news! "Glimpses of God Autumn" recently won an Ames Award and an essay I wrote is a finalist in this years's Selah Awards.

Revival in Kentucky!

On February 8 what started as a chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY turned into a revival that is still going on as I write this on Fab, 17. What a hope it brings to my heart for revival to break out all over America! I have heard that is is starting to happen at other Cristian colleges as well. Asbury, which is only an hour from where I live, is the school my daughter attended and played volleyball the first two years ofher college life. She loved the place but transferred to play at a larger school, Union Univeristy in TN. What a joy to hear of this revival happening! Praying it spreads.