Blog Archives

Just Don't Get It

3/30/2014

I thought today would be a good day for a fun entry, so I thought I’d take a lighthearted look at some things that I just don’t get. Feel free to explain it to me, because there’s plenty in life that makes me go “hmm” and I just don’t seem to have the mental energy to work it out. For example:

Divas. Lord save us, I fight to fly below the radar, and I can’t believe there are people that want to be the center of attention all the time. Really, life has enough problems and aren’t there enough demands on you? Why create more? Hearing that scientists found the center of the universe and that it’s not me was actually a tremendous relief , as it should be to everybody. Nobody’s got time for people scrambling after them and bugging them about every little thing, all the time!

Cliques. What’s wrong with being unique, with letting friendships happen naturally, or with embracing the multiple things that make you who you are and letting them connect you with lots of different people? Maybe it’s the writer in me that’s always wanting to hear new, different stories and finding out about how different people live, but I don’t see why you’d want to narrow the definition of yourself. Cliques and stereotypes just don’t work for me. Now if you’re in one, don’t worry. I’m not the kind of raging non-conformist that bashes the norm and thinks “the man” is out to get us all. I’m just not the type that can bond to certain standards and exclude everything else because frankly life (and the world) is too big to be bound.

Faking on Facebook. Ok, I used that terminology because it’s a clever use of alliteration, and I thought it sounded fun, but this applies to any social media outlet. Folks, we know your life isn’t sunshine and unicorns farting rainbows every day, so when every post is “I’m super, thanks for asking!” we know you’ve got a closet full of skeletons and a cellar full of coffins. We can find fake crap anywhere on the Internet. Please, if you’re doing social media, do it for real. That’s what really sticks out – the people that have good days and bad days and aren’t afraid to share it with a dose of discernment and an ability to find some humor in themselves or some hope for tomorrow. You don’t need to fake it. I once heard some advice to “share your best self,” and this applies to social media as well as to writing endeavors, or presentations, or interviews, or anything else.

Exclusivity. Getting stuck on certain types, brands, or “names” blows my mind, because one size (or way) never really and truly fits all. Brand loyalty is good, and if you have some preferences based on prior experience then that’s one thing. But saying “I’ll only accept this” or “I’ll only buy that” just because you want to flaunt it is poor reasoning. I want to use what works for me, and sometimes it takes a scattershot approach to find it. Really, tell me you notice that I use Dove shampoo and conditioner and White Rain hairspray, or Avon foundation and Almay eyeliner. I bet you didn’t!

Paper fixations. All paper is good for in my life is cleaning bird cages. Otherwise, blah. I don’t understand why people get so hung up on “wanting to hold a book/newspaper/magazine in my hands” when it’s printed material that goes from the eyes to the brain. It says the same thing on a computer, tablet, phone, ereader, or sheet of paper – it’s just a delivery method. Plus, electronic delivery methods are usually good for multiple uses, whereas paper is useful for one thing and a mess otherwise (newspapers do have some alternate uses with caged pets and arts and crafts projects, but how many people actually use it as such?). Does it really matter as long as you get what its saying? And I call b.s. on people that read the paper AND watch the news, because you know you’re double dipping the same information. Busted! Come on, folks. Save shelf space and mess in your house. Make a onetime investment in a digital device that lets you do so much more than just read. Go digital.

Spending big bucks on consumable items. Like exclusivity, I’ve known people that would blow money on things that are gone all too soon just for show, and it doesn’t make sense to me. Why do you want to spend $6 on designer soap that will be washed down the drain? Or buy expensive bottled water when you can get a nice mug and refill it for free? I can understand wanting to splurge and treat yourself or your family every now and then, but do you really want to spend that much money on consumable items? This is money in your wallet we’re talking about. Think it over.

I’ll be the first to say that maybe I just don’t get it. Perhaps there’s a bigger picture or point that I completely miss here, or maybe I’m oversimplifying things. By all means, feel free to chime in with comments if I’m way off on these things, because while some may agree with me, I see plenty of evidence that there are many others that do not.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

Fiction Vs. Reality

3/27/2014

Have you seen those posts on social media that say “You’re living in the last scene your read. Where are you?” Or “your life is the last TV show you watched. Where are you?” I know what my answer to both questions would be: someplace that makes a heck of a lot more sense than reality!

I don’t know about you, but I wholeheartedly agree that reality is stranger than fiction. Or at least, it’s more interesting. If only people were as clever as the Winchester brothers on Supernatural, or Lord Baleish and Tyrion Lannister on Game on Thrones. If only you should put on a hood and shoot arrows at people that don’t do what’s right. If only S.H.I.E.L.D. were really watching over us (but then again, perhaps it’s best that we don’t need to worry about interstellar and alien intruders!). It would be a lot more interesting if Thor and Iron Man were in the back woods instead of wildlife squabbling over scraps. Three dragons following me around would be absolutely amazing, as would vacations on the moons of Jupiter or Saturn. And oh, wouldn’t you rather have an exciting headline about terraforming Mars, or finding and exploring an Earth-like planet galexies away instead of the same old things about wars, rumors of wars, missing planes, and conspiracy theories?

One thing’s for certain: people tend to figure things out faster in fiction than in reality. The Winchester brothers on Supernatural have fighting demons down to an art, but in reality most of us don’t do well taking our own thoughts captive – much less demons! I don’t see my next door neighbors as Russian Spies from the 80’s when they can’t figure out that the dog is gonna bark all night if they put it out with the raccoons, opossums, owls, and feral cats pestering it. And who’s going to take an Iron Throne over seven kingdoms they keep putting money in the vending machine with “U O ME” sticky notes all over it? In fiction, people reason. In reality, people react. And not always in the wisest manner. Especially when they don’t read the instructions.

Oh well, it is what it is. Then again, that’s why we read: because the drama that’s made up is often more sensible than the drama we create in real life!

That’s all today. Have a Happy Friday and a great weekend.

Bye!

My Lenten Journey 4 - Internal Motivation

3/26/2014

This week’s stop on my Lenten journey finds me pondering on the issue of internal motivation. Now folks, that doesn’t have to be a dirty word, because the truth is that we all have internal motivation. The question is, how do we apply it to how we live everyday – or do we apply it at all? Do we apply it to building a life of substance, a life of pride, or a life of leisure?

I think that the true test of character (and faith) is internal motivation. Do you still do right when there’s no reward for it? Do you do your best? Or do you take the quick and easy way out if there’s no chance of being reciprocated for your efforts?

Too often, we don’t realize that reality isn’t a tit-for-tat exchange. Why put in the time and effort if nobody knows you did it? And then, these are the types that get jealous at what they see as a “windfall of luck” that’s in reality the result of long, hard work that was ignored or unrecognized until now. We don’t get that there’s no such thing as luck. You get what you give, and it might take a long time for the exchange to occur. Mediocrity is fine if you just want to get by, but it’s never going to lift you beyond to the glory you could have. Too many people expect to shine with mediocrity and don’t realize that it’s a foundation of sand that washes away at the first sign of wind – and the wind of change is always blowing, folks. That’s a topic that I’ve covered in this blog more times than I can count. So many, that I’m sick of it, in fact. But why? Why are so few people motivated to do their very best at everything they do? Isn’t that our charge as believers?

A lot of this goes back to impatience. We’re quick to quit because there’s no time to waste, when in fact the time will pass and we’ll get back what we invest. No investment means no return. People want what’s coming to them right now, but they don’t realize is that they’re getting just that – if you don’t patiently work and strive toward anything, then there’s nothing to get back! So they really are getting back exactly what they put in, which is absolutely nothing. No investment, no profit.

This reminds me of the story Jesus told about the prayers of the priest shouting his own praise for all to hear versus the prayers of the sinning tax collector quietly humbling himself before the Lord. If you only do things for show, then you have your reward already. It’s the seeds you sow in faith, perhaps when nobody’s looking, that really sprout a harvest.

Nobody’s going to pat you on the back for doing what you’re supposed to do. Furthermore, they may not even realize if you do go above and beyond. A lot is taken for granted in this world, and sometimes we must accept that the reward won’t come in it. Can you be OK with that? Because often, the only encouragement you’ve got is a crown in eternity and bumkus in this reality.

We as a society have become too motivated by “atta-boys” and not used to “because it’s right.” Our priorities are badly out of place, and we need to get it right if we want a life that really matters in the grand scheme of things. It may not be a glorious life, but which would you rather have: glory on Earth or glory in Eternity? It’s a choice we all make, consciously or not.

That’s all today. Take care and have a great rest of the week.

Bye!

Brain Benders

3/24/2014

I might be the only person in the world that still prefers a laptop to a tablet. From a practicality standpoint, it just works better for me, and frankly I find it to be more useful and functional than tablets are. And those combination laptops/tablets – yea, I looked at those once and they still have some work to do on them before I’m impressed. I don’t rush after every new thing without considering what real use it has in my life. It took me until the iPhone 4S before I caved in and got a smartphone. I love it, true, but I had to be convinced that this was a device that would have daily in my life. Otherwise, the high cost wasn’t justified.

I know, it’s a weird quirk to have. Believe me, I blow more minds by thinking with logic instead of my feelings on a fairly regular basis. Girls don’t usually do that. You can tell me what’s popular, but you can’t make me want it. Nanny nanny boo boo!

Refusing to jump on trends isn’t the only way I bend brains. I’m also an usher at church during the month of March. Yes, you heard me right – an usher, not a greeter. I don’t do the “standing around and looking pretty” or the “welcome to church, visitors please sign the guess book” things well. I pass the offering plate, hand out bulletins, and help with communion. I found myself helping with these duties as a greeter more often than not in recent years, so this year I decided to call it what it is. You can call an apple an orange all day, but you aren’t fooling anybody. I still get occasional icy glares – mostly from other women in the congregation, ironically (or not) – but the show goes on and everybody walks out of there the same as they do every other month of the year.

I think I’m also the only person that doesn’t believe in the “name dropping” or “traveling in entourage” thing. I don’t need a whole bunch of people following me around, and I certainly don’t need to justify myself with others. Forget that crap. Big groups = big drama. No thanks! I don’t understand why so many people are afraid of themselves. What’s wrong with being unique? What’s wrong with stepping out on your own? Character isn’t built by blending in; it’s built by standing out. And sometimes, the truest test isn’t your ability to run blindly after the crowd, but to stand alone for what you know and believe in. Sadly, this test is failed too often.

Yes, I have a few rough edges on me, but perhaps they exist for a reason. There are plenty of conformists in the world. What we really need are people that stand out, and aren’t afraid of themselves or of what truly matters to them. But alas, that just doesn’t make enough noise or get enough attention, so people call it weird and turn their noses up at it. Well, it’s your loss. You aren’t cheating others by being exclusive – you’re cheating yourself by being fake. Us weirdoes lose nothing but your bad attitude, and we don’t have time for that.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a good week.

Bye!

Experimenting

3/22/2014

Every now and then, I like to experiment with things to see if I can get them working better or more efficiently. This week, I've been experimenting with social media. I took a good, hard look at where I see more feedback, and decided to try a few new things.

One thing I noticed is that Twitter and Goodreads seem to be the best sites for me. That's where I seem to have interactions and feedback that are, to put it delicately, more relevant and sincere. More common ground is covered there, so to speak. So I've cut back on my Facebook activity and put more effort in my Goodreads groups and Twitter interactions. Another thing I did was to post brief reflections I have throughout my day on Twitter. So far, so good. There's been a slight increase in activity on those sites, so I'll continue with this method.

Another thing I'm trying is to be more interactive on Google+. I'll be brutally honest here - I've noticed of late that Facebook is a great, big time suck, and I get very little out of it. In fact, there are a lot of "lurkers" over there, and I know that one of the "information leaks" in my life is at Facebook (and playing with them just isn't fun to me anymore). I wondered if redirecting some online efforts to Google+ would be more productive. This experiment is still in progress, as it's difficult to access if it's working yet. There are different people on Google+ and their groups are good. We'll see how it goes.

A lot of people think I'm just on social media to sell books, or to brag about life. That's not true. The purpose of social media is to connect to people, and the reason I'm "tweaking" is to make sure that my interactions with online friends remain sincere, relevant, and that they have substance. Because I realize a real human being is behind that avatar, and I respect that. There's enough crap online.I'm striving to keep my online presence real, balanced, and a true reflection of my true life that can connect with other true people. It's supposed to enhance and add blessing to life, not to be a burden or a curse.

We'll see how these experiments go. If you follow me online, let me know what you think. I'm SherritheWriter pretty much everywhere online. Yea, I know, it's the world worst alias, but it is what it is.

That's all today. Take care and have a great rest of the weekend.

Bye!

My Lenten Journey 3 - Obedience

3/20/2014

This week’s Lenten journey brought me to the issue of obedience.

I know, I just heard my entire audience log off. Seriously, I once heard a popular minister say their sermons on this topic were not only their least popular, but least attended as well. And that alone should tell you something.

Seriously, the topic comes about based on my current Bible reading. It’s the final instructions Moses gave the Israelites before they conquered the Promised Land. Over and over, he exhorts them to follow God’s commands and to be obedient to the Lord’s leading. Well, if you’ve read the Bible, then you know exactly how that goes – straight into a downward spiral to 70 years of Babylonian captivity. It seems that obedience is an issue that people struggle with. All people. All throughout history. In all circumstances. None of us are exempt. Let’s face it – you know you feel that you have a right to master your own fate, and that nobody is “the boss of you.”

Ironically, a life of peace is beyond our grasp unless we are obedient. I won’t ask you to admit this to anybody out loud, but for just a moment, be brutally honest with yourself: how many times have you known, deep down inside, that you should do something, but didn’t do it – and then came to regret it later? Or worse yet, you knew you weren’t supposed to do something and God was screaming “NO!!!” so loud that everybody around you heard it and warned you off the path, but you stubbornly pursued it, straight into disaster? You know you’ve done it. We’ve all done it. It’s a big source of the one thing we say we don’t want in life – regret. And yet, we still ignore the Holy Spirit within us trying to keep us on the right path, because WE want to make the decisions. WE want to steer this ship and take it where WE want to go, whether we have any business there or not.

I think we’re all familiar with the saying “I’d rather be free in hell than a slave in Heaven,” but people with this attitude (and yes, it’s an attitude that our actions say if our words do not) don’t fully grasp the horror they’re embracing. Our every idea of freedom is skewed. We don’t fully realize what it means, because only God is free. The rest of His creation is bound one way or another, and our freedom is limited to choosing which way it’s going to be. Simply stated, there’s nowhere else to go. We’re free to choose whether to remain His, but we aren’t free to choose to BE Him. That throne is already taken, and He isn’t stepping aside to hand it to any mortal. So our freedom is limited to a very simple choice: to belong to Him and obey His will for our lives, or to break free of Him and live in the consequences of our choices.

We don’t like this. We want to believe we’re beholden to no one, but in the end we are responsible for our actions and where they lead. You can have your way, but you have to work to stay there, and do it without Holy protection of an unordained purpose. Or you can have God’s way and live under His protection, knowing that you can weather the storms because He’s got you. Some don’t mind this. They’re perfectly OK with struggling their whole life if it means that they have control of their life – but deep down, they’re miserable from constant struggles and pains they can’t rise above because they can’t do it alone and have forsaken the only One that can help them rise above to a new place they couldn’t have imagined. It reminds me of what Castiel asked Dean on Supernatural several years ago: “Do you want freedom, or do you want peace?” You can’t have it both ways. If you want freedom, you have to constantly work and struggle to keep people and circumstances from intruding on your will. If you want peace, you must be obedient to the Lord: obey His commands, and following the prompting of the Holy Spirit in your life in every way. This is a place where there’s no sitting on the fence. You’re obedient or you aren’t – and the rest of it follows from there.

We don’t like this. Just like the Israelites, we’re stiff necked people. Hard headed and hard hearted, and yet, Jesus still came. He still lived and loved and walked amongst us and chose to die for us. And to me, that’s the greatest demonstration of love of all – and the greatest mystery of the universe!

It’s amazing, really, that the key to happiness is so simple, and yet so hard to do. Pride really is a leech that sucks the life out of us.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a good rest of the week.

Bye!

Bad Advice

3/18/2014

I read an article in Psychology Today about more evolved ways to convince people to see things your way. It said that when we’re young, people usually convince through unabashed flattery, but this trick usually doesn’t work on those in their 30’s and older because they’re smart enough to see through it. The article had tips on “sneaky” ways to persuade people that aren’t so obvious.

That article inspired me to put the magazine right back on the rack and not buy it. (It also reminded me why I quit reading magazines in the first place – because they’re full of crap!) I couldn’t believe that a magazine touting itself for being up on the latest advancements in the mental health field missed it so badly on this issue. Why? Here again, we have another case where The Bible had the right answer centuries before modern science came up with the wrong one. And it’s such a simple answer that it’s pathetic.

You act like a civilized human being.

That’s it. Use wisdom and discernment in all your dealings, and it’s all a whole lot easier. You don’t have to wonder how to “get through.” You don’t have to wonder what will sweeten them up to you. If you have enough humility to realize that people aren’t going to always agree with you and enough wisdom to respect that, then you find working with others a lot easier. They may even be willing to help you out in other ways, even if they can’t or won’t deliver exactly what you want. And even if you lose, you usually find ways to work things out through that ugly word called compromise. You have to respect others as unique human beings with thoughts and feelings as valid as your own.

It amazes me, because people are usually looking for the easy way out of things, and yet on this they choose to struggle needlessly because of pride. I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to act like they give a crap. I don’t understand how playing games is easier to some than being genuine and building good, honest relationships based on mutual trust. I don’t know why it’s a stretch to try to care about what matters to others. One recent experience that drove this home was how people treated me and Rick when Ollie died a few weeks ago. People were very kind and compassionate – for 10 days. Yep, in a little over a week, people went right back to being themselves and pulling the same old stunts. Sad, but not shocking. A lot of things could be so much better if that were the norm instead of the mask.

I’m aware that none of us are perfect. I have enough of my own rough edges to remember that. But what most people don’t realize is that when it comes to using wisdom and discernment, you do get an ‘A’ for effort. Even if you miss the mark, people grant more grace for misjudging in an effort to do right than they will for the knife in the back. It’s one of the few areas in life where trying matters, and people can tell if you’re really trying, or just slathering on the margarine for what you want out of them next.

It seems to me that the Book of Proverbs has it right on this one. And I chose The Bible over Psychology Today every time. Sorry, science. I like you, but you lose this round.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a good week.

Bye!

Writing Advice I Ignore

3/15/2014

Recently, I read the book Write. Publish. Repeat. I really liked this book, because it was filled with good, practical advice about how indie authors can build an audience and sustain themselves in the growing world of ebooks and self publishing. One big thing I picked up was the 80/20 rule they had, which I've seen other places. Basically, this is to find what yields the most results, and to spend 80% of your time doing it. Everything else, reduce to 20% so you aren't wasting too much time on things that aren't really helping. I've actually considered this over the past week, and it's already helped me to take a good, honest look at what works and what doesn't, and to rearrange my priorities accordingly. This may be good advice to apply to other areas of life as well!

There was one piece of advice there, though, that I simply can't take. I've seen it other places, and every time I run across it, it strikes me as absolute nonsense. It's the advice that writer's block is a myth, that there is no such thing as bad writing, and that you should power through it by writing every day until you produce a viable product because, with enough work, anything can be good.

And that's total crap. I have a hard drive full of reasons for it, if you want to see the proof.

Frankly, the "write every day even if you don't feel like it" advice is advice that I have to ignore because I don't believe it. Writer's block is quite real, folks, and any writer that actually has a life can tell you otherwise. In fact, writer's that have a life and livelihood besides their writing can tell you the truth about writer's block: not only is it real, but it exists in every other area of life too, just by a different name. Outside of the writing world, people call it "burnout." It happens when you've been working too hard and too long at something, and you need to step away from it for a while to get a new perspective and new ideas on how to move forward. We all need to rest, from time to time, and replenish our well of energy and creativity. Forcing yourself to power through this burnout doesn't lead to good, quality work that can be made good with any amount of revising, rewriting, or proofreading. Well, maybe it can be made better by rewriting, but for me that usually means utilizing the all-powerful "Delete" key, opening a new document, and starting over. Which I have done. A lot.

I think when they say that writer's block is a myth, they're referring to a kind of paralysis caused by fear of starting a new project. This is a different thing, because it's not really writer's block, it's a defense mechanism. When used as such then yes, it's a myth. But true writer's block that comes about after working on or completing a large projects (or a lot of other projects) is quite real, because the human mind can only produce so much before it needs a break from the same old, same old. The trick is to know what form you're really talking about: the form caused by burnout, or the form caused by defense mechanisms.

And alternately, not every piece of writing can be redeemed. Believe it or not, I actually wrote a sequel to Battleground Earth many years ago. Trust me, you don't ever want that piece to see the light of day. I tried twice to redeem that book, and it just sucks too bad to be done. I actually keep it to remind me of the reality of the fact that not everything can be saved.

I guess the point is that you have to find what works for you, because advice is just that: advice. Not everything works for everybody. Maybe "powering through" and forcing the writing works for some people, but it just doesn't for me. Seems I'm a kind that has to step back and experience life every now and then for the muse to keep working. That's what works for me, so that's what I'll do.

That's all today. Take care and have a great rest of the weekend.

Bye!

My Lenten Journey 2 - Personal Responsibility

3/12/2014

I finished the rough draft of Rearview Mirror yesterday. This novel is the sequel to Move, which I published last year. If you follow this blog regularly or follow me on social media, you know that the idea for this book started at me last December, when I felt a strong sense of dissatisfaction over the conclusion to Move and an obligation to “finish out” the story right. At the time, it struck me as curious, because I typically don’t do sequels, but for some reason, I felt that things weren’t properly dealt with in Move. So I researched, and I brainstormed, and I started a rough draft on New Year’s Day – a draft that really poked along, because I only got the inspiration for it in bits and pieces, writing perhaps 3-4 chapters per week. Then the whole thing exploded last week, and suddenly I knew exactly what needed to happen and how to pull it off. I went on a writing binge from late last week until yesterday and lo and behold, the draft is done.

The really amazing thing about this book is that I didn’t fully realize why I wrote it until I finished it yesterday. All along, I thought I was finishing an incomplete story, but as I typed the final sentence, it occurred to me: it wasn’t just about tying up loose ends; it was about personal responsibility. Almost every character in Move made poor judgments that followed through with bad decisions, and it was time for them to stand up to it – because really, that’s the only way any of them could really and truly move on.

Personal responsibility – what an unpopular topic! I probably just scared away my entire readership by saying my current work in progress is about that dirty concept!

I don’t think any of us would argue that personal responsibility is an issue that a lot of people have a problem with. We all know people that cast the blame for everything wrong with their life on others and how they’ve failed. If only this person did this, or that person did that, or these people were more attentive to my needs, or if I could finally get the upper hand on that uppity person, then my life would be better. Many people have too many expectations and too little acceptance in life, and as a result, they’re perpetually miserable, constantly in conflict with others, and angry at the world.

Personal responsibility isn’t a popular subject because it points to the one inevitable fact that none of us like: scientists have found the center of the universe, and it’s not me. It's not you. It's not any human being. The throne we think we sit on in our life is already occupied, and God isn't moving over for any mere mortal.

I heard the DJ on BBN this morning talking about how Christians are supposed to live wanting to serve God’s will. I think this is the core of personal responsibility. You’re living in God’s will, and there’s nothing you can do to change it. Veer off the path, and He’ll rewrite it to what He wants, but it will be harder. Because doing what’s wrong never leads to what’s right.

Certainly, there are times when we find ourselves at odds with other people, circumstances, or situations. Life isn’t perfect and in fact, we’re promised that problems will come. But we don’t have to make it worse with bad decisions that create unnecessary drama. Life will give you enough problems. I know I’m not in the market for any more problems, especially self-imposed ones or ones that aren’t my business. Are you?

One amazing thing I saw as Rearview Mirror developed is how four characters who were loosely connected and often at odds in Move came together to face the culmination of their problems. Throughout Move, these characters were in conflict, trying to one up, set up, or dodge one another in an isolated scramble to get what they wanted. Rearview Mirror brought them back together and forced them confront a new antagonist that took advantage of the chaos their poor choices created. They had to make a decision: keep fighting and go down one by one, or work together to make things right. Even I was surprised by some of the decisions they made, given their unbreakable stubbornness in Move. But I have to stop here, lest I give too much away. You’ll just have to wait until it’s published to find out what happened!

And so, on this second week of Lent, I ponder what personal responsibility means to me, and how my journey through Rearview Mirror reflects my own life. Certainly, we’ve all had times when we stubbornly pursued our own way, just to be broken by the very thing we hoped to defeat. We don’t understand that everything has bigger reasons, and that being part of a bigger plan means that sometimes things help and sometimes they hurt. Humility comes at a high price if you place any value on pride. Ah, but pride is one of the deadly sins, so is breaking it really a loss?

Jesus spent 40 days in the desert being tempted by Satan and standing for what He knew was right, but in reality that battle isn’t limited to times and seasons. It’s something we face every day, in situations big and small, and we alone are responsible for which way we decide. C.S. Lewis once wrote that every decision we make takes us one step closer to Heaven or one step closer to hell, but the decision is ours to make each and every time. This is what personal responsibility is really about. Are your decisions taking you in the direction you want to go? If not, only you can reset the sails. In the end, each of us is ultimately responsible for our own soul.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a good rest of the week.

Bye!

Miscellaneous Fun Stuff

3/8/2014

Look at that group! It must be trouble! No seriously, that's my family. Dad retired last week, and they had his retirement party yesterday. This is the first picture of the whole family since Rick and I got married, and that will be 16 years ago this may! Seated left to right is Rick, me, Mom & Dad. Standing left to right is my sister-in-law, Nicole, and my brother, Stephen (he looks serious because he's a CPA). We're really happy for Dad. If anybody deserves a good retirement, it's him. He's worked since he was 12 years old, and has spent at least my entire lifetime building his business. He's the perfect example of self discipline. I tell you, those three guys in that picture are the hardest working, most dedicated, and most self-disciplined people I know. They inspire people, no doubt. It's why I'm plugging on with my dream of being an independent author even with a full time job - because I've seen that good things happen when you work hard and don't give up!

On the other hand, I also feel for the employees left behind. It's tough when the boss leaves. Things always change. I've been to a lot of retirement parties, but it was so obvious that those guys were sad to see him go. I could tell they were genuine in their praise and well wishes, and that they miss him. But they're in good hands. Great hands, really, because Dad's partner is every bit the hard worker and has the dedication to keep it going well. They're a great group and I know they'll do well.

In other news, my writing exploded this week. No, my laptop didn't spontaneously combust! I mean, the inspiration and ideas blew up and I accomplished a lot - probably more this week than in the previous month! My story for the Writer's Co-op Anthology, Nonstop to Nowhere, is finally in a form that I'm happy with, and I did some great revisions on it this week. I plan to have it ready for professional editing by April, but I want to do some more work on that between now and then. In other words, I'm not done tinkering with it yet! For now, take a look at this great promotional cover they released recently! I'm excited about this project and will keep you updated on the progress.

My other writing project, the sequel to Move titled Rearview Mirror, really took off this week. I wrote 4 chapters, and planned out the rest of the plot. God willing, if creeks don't rise, with luck, knock on wood, I hope to have the rough draft done by the end of March. It's finally taking off and moving in a direction I like. I've been a little frustrated with this one, because it's only been coming to me in bits and pieces since I started it on New Year's Day, but thank the Lord, I finally had the breakthrough to see the bigger picture and get it together this week! So far, so good. I'm running with it while I can. And, of course, I'll keep you posted.

If you've been on Facebook, then you probably noticed that this picture of Zack and Chloe was the profile picture at the Feathered Friends page. They're the birds of the week and are entered in a monthly contest for Parrots magazine. I'm so proud of my little winners! I put them on the steering wheel of my parents golf cart so they'd stand close enough together for me to take it. In reality, these guys have "personal space" issues - as in, they usually stay at least 2 inches apart. They do chatter back and forth a lot. Who can explain it! But I am happy they won that. It was a good pick-me-up after losing their baby brother last week. They've done good, except they've been a lot more clingy lately. But then again, we cling to them too, so it's kind of a "chicken or the egg" situation.

So that's it - the miscellaneous fun stuff that was my week. Maybe not as interesting and photogenic as my Misc Fun Stuff board on Pintrest but meh, that's life for you. Maybe this silly video from days gone by will make it all more interesting.

That's all today. I hope you have a great rest of the weekend and an excellent start to the new week.

Bye!

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