Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I don't post on this blog much anymore. there are two reasons for that--1) It has become more difficult to use. I think it needs some kind of update but since 2) I have a second blog that is more user friendly, I tend to post over there instead. Whatever I post here needs to be short somce its more diffucult to deal with. So im just popping in to wish whoever reads this a Merry Christmas and a happy 2026.

Writing award

last weekend I traveled to Birmingham to co-teach a workshop at the Southern Christian Writers Conference. At the closing of the conference they abnounced writing awards and a devotion I had written won first place!

Release Day!

My debut childrens book, "Stuck in the Middle" releases tomorrow! Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/Stuck-Middle-Atrapada-Harriet-Michael/dp/1962862690

Cover Reveal!

My debut children's book titled, "Stuck in the Middie" will be released by Mt. Zion Ridge Press im both English and Spsnish on Aptil 15th!! Here's the cover created by my wonderful illustrator abd friend, Tammy Cusick.

Snowmageddon!

Here in Louisville, we have just had an histotic snowstorm. It started on Sunday and lasted through Monday evening. All totaled we got 10 or more inches of the white stuff. It's beautiful but I'm ready for warmer temps! I have to wait a little longer for that though. Right now its only nine degrees outside!

A Charmed Life

When I was a little girl, charm bracelets were popular. Well, I'm reliving my childhood by starting a new charm bracelet. I am collecting silver charms that represent my books. So far I have eleven books so I'll have at least eleven charms once I have collected them all. But I am only buyig one a month so this will keep me busy and having fun for months to come. :) (The charm bracelet pictured is my mothers.)

Release Day!

Woohoo! It's releaae day for my new devotional, "Wonder & Worship"! Im so excited about this devotional! I think it might be the best one Shirley Crowder and I have dine yet! Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1951602226/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Cover Reveal!

Coming in Aptil!!

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.

Merry Christmas

This is a picture from my childhood. I was actually just a baby when this picture was made. It's missionary kids who are ten-fifteen years older than me at a reception after the Christmas pageant at the boarding school.

Passing of a Queen

Queen Elizabeth has died. She visited Nigeria two years before I was born. I don’t remember the visit but have a lot of friends just a little older than me who do. They tell their memories of pomp and circumstance and waving little Nigerian flags as they watched her pass by in varuious Nigerian cities. Nigeria was a British colony until 1960. Growing up, I sometimes didn’t know who the US President was but I always knew who Queen Elizabeth was. She was my queen. When I was born, Nigeria was still a British colony. I had duel citizenship until I was 18 so for the first two years of my life, I was one of her subjects, born in one of her colonies.

Fleeting Summer

Summer is fast moving into fall. As much as I love summer, right now I wouldn't mind a little fall weather. We're having typical August temps here in Louisville and my air conditioner is not working for the fifth day in a row. Someone came out late last week, replaced a part, and seemed to have fixed it for a brief period. It works more than it did, which was not at all, but it does not keep the temperature at our desired number, even when set about ten degees lower. And the fan has started making a loud hum. The weekend came so we couln't call anyone but called today and they are coming out again tomorrow! Here's to hoping they fix it. I'm posting a picture of the beach in this post becasue that's where I wish I was on this hot August day. Some updates from the last post: my pastor passed away and our little church misses him greatly. We are serching for a new pastor, Roe vs Wade was overturned and thankfully, no one took their anger out on my church doors this time. Except for the broken AC, my life has returned to normal with school stasrting so I will be substituting in classrooms again soon, and of course writing, writing, writing. You can go to my other blog to read more about my writng.

My Little Church

Yesterday, Sunday May 8, was Mother's Day. I and my church family worshipped in our small, inner-city church. Well, it's not quite in the inner-city but close. It's on the edge of the inner city. We're a small congregation with a big heart for the people in our community. We have participated in a lot of community activities and held some outreach activities of our own like Christmas caroling in the neighborhood followed by hot chocolate and cookies in our fellowship hall. Our building is old but we replaced the carpet and repainted the walls a bright soft yellow. I love my church--building and people. While we sat in our bright building singing praises and listening to a sermon filled with great Bible teaching, someone unknown to us spray painted the letters AC AB on our front door. These letters are an acronym for a derogatory anti-police statement. On this particular Mother's Day protestors vandalized churches around the nation in response to the leaked Supreme Court report indicating the overturning of Roe vs. Wade. I do not know if the vandalism we experienced was related to that or just random. What I do know is that my sweet little church has been led by an incredible man for many years. Pastor Mark Janke is my pastor, friend, and one of my husband's best friends. Once when my husband and I were in the car on a long trip listening to oldies the '60's hit, "Dominique" came on. That song speaks about a man of God named Dominique. The refrain says, "On every road, in every place, he just talks about the Lord." As we heard those words repeated over and over my husband said, "That always makes me think of Mark." I knew he was referring to our pastor and friend. Mark is currently fighting for his life as he struggles with stage four pancreatic cancer. Our little church is struggling alongside him and his precious family ... and some insensitive person who knows nothing about our church chose this time to deface it. Revelation 1:20 calls churches lampstands. Jesus also called His church the "light of the world" in Matthew 5:14. Keep shining little churches of America! Keep shining your light though the darkness may press in on you. Keep shining!