Thankful Yes, but to Whom?

Ahhh...the first Monday after a 4-day weekend. No leftovers--not even at my office. We've devoured everything in sight. And, of course, I repeat the same mantra on the way home from the day of gluttonous feasting: "I may never eat again!" But I always get hungry the next day. Many of us give thanks for our various blessings. I am thankful for my Celtic ancestry (as evidenced by my bagpipe-toting turkey here), for my husband of 16 years, for my 2 cats Pixie & Feathers, for my brother Jim and my sister Kathy and their respective families, for my job (especially since so many are without one now), for CWG Word Weavers, for the wonderful friends who bring us joy, for the Bible-teaching church we attend, and for the forgiveness of my sin. That brings me to the reason for this post. Everyone talks about Thanksgiving. Even the new media gives it a plug, if only to report the shameful behavior of shoppers on Post-Thanksgiving Black Friday. I rarely hear anyone mention to whom we are thankful. The words "thank you" flow easily from our mouths, if we are civilized people, that is, when another shows us kindness. But what about the grace God has shown us in sending His son to take away our sin? The word gratitude is from the same root as the Latin gracias, which means "grace." Out teacher on Sunday, Dr. Stephen Bramer, gave a wonderful acrostic to explain God's grace for us: God's Riches At Christ's Expense As I ponder the many blessings in my life, I want to honor Him who bestowed them on me. Yes, I'm even grateful for the strife and struggles that have come in the past, for they brought me closer to Him, and, because of that closeness, strengthened our marriage. What a loving God we have! Thank You, dear Lord, for the most wonderful blessing of all: Your gift of salvation, which brings eternal life. I have a dwelling place in heaven because I believe Jesus Christ is my Savior. Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. 1 Chronicles 16:8 (NASB)

As the Deer Pants for Water

As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? -Psalm 42:1-2 (NASB) We have no pastor at our church. Guest speakers from a variety of sources bless us with their Biblical knowledge. Some are professors from colleges, such as Moody Bible Institute or Dallas Theological Seminary. Others serve in the mission field. As Biblical Christians, we believe there are no coincidences, yet sometimes occurances might seem too close to be anything else. We know that God, in His infinite wisdom, is the underlying cause for any coincidence. Richard Sanders, a missionary to Chad, Africa, served as our guest speaker one Sunday. I'd like to share with you an incident that happened that morning. So subtle that I wondered if anyone else noticed it. Music director Ron Billingsly sang (in his beautiful baritone voice) a solo of "As A Deer Pants For Water." Mr. Sanders approached the podium to teach his lesson on the obedience of Rahab, but first described the special meaning the verses of that psalm have for him. As a nomadic tribe travels from east to west on the African continent, they take no water with them. Instead, they carry a small hart (or deer). When they need to drink they temporarily set the hart free. Following him on a two-hump camel (known for speed), the elders of the tribe track the little deer. He runs to and fro, then stops to smell the air, and begins pawing the ground with his hoof. He digs up dirt, then mud, then dips his head into the newly dug well for a drink. They rely on God's creature, whose heart pants for water, to bring them sustenance. This true account of how a deer pants for water showed me how I should thirst for God in my troubles and desert-like exile. I must look for Him, as the deer looks for water, with expectation of finding Him in my situation. Just as the water flows beneath the ground on which the deer stands, God, in the Holy Spirit, is there to nourish me with His brooks of living water. AMEN!

Another Success Story for a Word Weaver!

After reading this wonderful story, I want a pet dragon now.

I love a book that draws me into the story. FINDING ANGEL pulled me into the midst of Angel's world with the same velocity my vaccum cleaner sucks up a dead beetle.

As a teenager, Angel has no memory of her life before becoming a foster child at age six. When Angel's little foster brother finds an unusual bug, she discovers a link to her mysterious past. The pattern on the beetle's back is an exact replica of a charm on her bracelet. The bracelet is the only link to her lost identity. Angel meets a new friend, Gregor, who takes her back to her homeland - and not by train or boat - but through his own Talent. Dragons and beetles and elves abound, along with an ancient prophecy.

Kat Heckenbach's writing style is so convincing, I had a hard time returning to reality. I look forward to more stories from this multi-talented author. FINDING ANGEL is available on Kindle or, for non-techie people like moi, in the traditional bound book.

Animated Cat Office Gif | Funny Cat Pictures

Animated Cat Office Gif Funny Cat Pictures This is a first for one so techno-challenged. I hope it works. Being a cat "mommy," this animated gif picture gave me great pleasure! Blessings to my cat-loving friends (and may my not-so-cat-loving friends learn to love cats, too!)

Austin, Texas with My Sister

Anytime I can get together with my sister is a bonus. As children, we fought like bitter rivals. The only time we made a truce was an allied defense against our brother, Jimmy. As noted in my story, The Thornbuds, which Barbour included in "Heavenly Humor for the Mother's Soul," Jimmy's sole purpose in life was to torment us. But as we grew to maturity, Kathy and I became better than best friends, and Jimmy became our protector. When the wedding invitation came from our cousin Robert's daughter, Stephanie, I e-mailed Kathy.

"Are you going?" I asked.

"Yes! But David's staying home." Her reply was a hint this would be a sisters-only trip. Besides, weddings are for chicks; not for macho-disco, gun-toting guys like our husbands.

A chance to spend a weekend with my sister! And we had the added blessings of visiting beloved relatives we'd only recently seen at funerals. Now, we could come together for a happy occasion.

We shared a room at the Austin Motel, an eclectic, multi-level motel on S. Congress Avenue. Built in the 1930s, this quaint inn has old cars and metal artwork for decor. And we identified our room by the bullet hole in the window. The desk clerk explained it was the result of a band that stayed there in the 60s. Really? They never replaced the glass? We covered the tiny hole (just big enough for a mosquito to slip through) with scotch tape Kathy had in her purse. The staff includes Troy, the front office cat, and Rocky, the grounds custodial cat. Rocky was a bit camera-shy. But Kathy was able to get his picture in...the back of a pickup truck.

The wedding was lovely. Patrick Taylor and Stephanie Rollen were married in Hyde Park Presbyterian Church. The building is at least a hundred years old and was originally constructed as a Baptist church.

The reception was held on a paddle-wheel boat, which cruised the length of Lake Austin. The food was delicious (Tex-Mex fare - yum!). We spent two days walking S. Congress, checking out the trailers that offered take-out food (had great crepes at one!), looking at costumes in Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds, and a quaint antique store.

We found a few decorated bulls on the city streets, too. Here I am with my new Chia Pet!

Kathy and I trekked several miles in the triple-digit heat to another lake near downtown. She found her calling as Dona Kathy Quixote, the Woman of Lamanche!

Neither of us wore a hat and thought we'd have sun-stroke for sure. But a dip in the icy pool (and I do mean icy!) at the motel helped cool us down. The trip ended too quickly, and we headed for home on Monday. Kathy got to fly to Tampa with me before changing planes to return to her home in Birmingham. The only downside of the whole trip was the nasty flu bug I caught (probably on my flight to Austin from Tampa). I recovered after a week...well, almost recovered. These viruses are getting stronger every day!

Greetings from the Not-So-Oval Office

President…not a term I thought would ever be associated with my name. CWG/Word Weavers doesn’t elect officers. The founding members decided many years ago elections aren’t much more than a popularity contest or personality clash. When Jan Powell suggested passing the pen to me for this office as her term ended, I confess I took a step back. I don’t have an “A” type personality (more like a “Z” type, if there is one), and never considered myself presidential material. Although I’ve outgrown my fear of speaking to large crowds, thanks to many years in theatre and a leadership position with Tampa Christian Women Club, I do have difficulty in reaching out to form relationships.

When I met Jan at the Florida Christian Writers Conference in 2005, I never dreamed a friendship of this depth would develop. Her kindness and encouragement are a blessing to me to this day. A Little History Jan visited the original Word Weavers group in Orlando for a year before I finally joined her. Until then, we’d had a two-person critique group. She found more writers from Tampa who attended the Orlando group, and soon we had enough members to start our own chapter. Jan took charge as president, Tina Yeager agreed to be our chaplain, Sheryl Young accepted the role of recording secretary, and I became the group division specialist. Under Jan’s leadership, we have grown from four hopeful writers to a chapter of twelve members. And we’re successful! Over one-third of our group has sold stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul. Member Kat Heckenbach’s novel, FINDING ANGEL, is now available on Kindle and will be available in print mid-September. She designed the cover, too! Multi-talented, to say the least. (See it on Amazon.com) Word Weavers grew from a few members sitting around a kitchen table to a merger with Jerry Jenkins’ Christian Writers Guild. New groups are forming in other states, and now with a chapter in Canada, we’ve gone international! In the next two years of service to CWG/Word Weavers - Tampa, my goals are to grow our group to a divisible size, help our unpublished members become published authors, and bring glory to our Lord in our reputation as Christian writers.

The Fight of our Lives by Bennett & Leibsohn

I prefer to read fiction because non-fiction usually serves as a good antidote to insomnia. I struggled to get through this work for that reason only. Unlike other non-fiction list-our-woes type of books, THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES is a true eye-opener. Most books of this ilk merely point out the problem, but this one delves deeply into the cause of our slide into political correctness and directs us to a clear resolution. "Rolling off our couches" is a good first step. In eight short chapters, plus an introduction and epilogue, Bennett & Leibsohn describe the lessons we SHOULD HAVE learned (but didn't) from Viet Nam (which showed Bin Laden our weaknesses) to the Ft. Hood massacre (which underscored our PC standing). Quoting Gen. George Casey of the recent attack: "As horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that's worse." I had to read that line several times, asking myself, "Can a military general REALLY put diversity above his soldiers?" This book clearly identifies our enemies, some of whom are within our own culture. Eleven pages of notes for their voluminous footnotes is indicative of the authors' intense research. THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES isn't based on opinion, but proven facts. I hope it starts a wildfire of couch potatoes getting involved in taking back our country. I will certainly share it, give it as a gift, and recommend it. I received a free copy of this book from BookSneeze®.com in exchange for my review, and am in no way compelled to write flattery for flattery's sake.