I watched as one teenager after another climbed the high platform, hooked into the harness, and jumped with a whoosh into the trees. This was the last course at T Bar M camp, where I volunteered with a youth ministry and mentored a group of girls. All mine had been through it and survived, so had the boys. My feet were very happy planted firmly on the ground. “It’s called the Screamer or the Breath-Taker. You see, people either scream their lungs out or not make a sound at all. Which one do you think you are?” The camp supervisor…
Camp Grateful
With summer about to descend and everyone discussing plans, my son Joey nervously waited to see if he’d need surgery on his hand. I saw us all skimming the edge of wishing away the next month due to his injury and the holding pattern we’ve been in. Perhaps you know what that’s like, to be on hold while the world around starts to move faster and you’re chief of “it’ll be Okay” and “we’ll get through it together.” It’s not my favorite place to be, but here I am once more. Facing a summer with an altered flight path again,…
The Blog Machine
A Year Ago… Touched By Sticky Grace I was trailing through the grocery store with my adventurous nine-year-old son Joey and he pointed toward the blood pressure machine, loving all things with buttons. “Mom, can I please play with the blog machine?” I love when he trips on an “oops” word still. There aren’t many these days. And I smiled ear-to-ear that he even knows what a blog is. As we continued through the store, I kept thinking that less than a year ago, really nine months ago, this fun journey through blogging began for me. Then the big AHA….
Guest Blogging At Seriously Write!
Today I’m guest blogging at the wonderful blog to encourage writers, Seriously Write. My thanks to Dawn Kinzer for inviting me to share tips on how to share gems from your heart about being resilient in difficult times, without sharing the “rough.” Come join me there! http://seriouslywrite.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-to-only-share-your-written-gems-not.html
Can Fantasy Teach Good Lessons?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ObaHCXJ5y0&w=560&h=315] Today I’m sharing five reasons to encourage your child’s imagination. I’ve just finished writing the first in a gem adventure series for kids, and I often get asked why I wrote it. For me, having survived real emergencies like a wildfire and medical traumas with my family, I’m all for a great story with a good premise. We’ve lived direct application of each of these five reasons. Testing boundaries safely Fantasy provides a safe arena to test boundaries and find out what kids really believe. In a world where things like gravity or flowers don’t operate the same…
Are You A Bit Unhinged?
Unfortunately, sudden crises or unexpected traumas are a part of life. A child needs medical attention. A friend wants extra support. Your finances require retuning. Clutter becomes an unwanted guest. The car falls apart at an intersection. Death comes knocking and decisions need to be made. So, what do you do when life throws a significant, unwanted curve ball? What if you try to open a door, and it comes right off the wall? In that moment, do you panic? Do you know how to get immediate resources and parse through key decisions? I confess, this is an area I…
Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award
I’ve been nominated for the Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award by a writing friend, Jodie Wolfe. Jodie and I met through the Craftsman’s courses with the Christian Writer’s Guild. I was pleasantly surprised to find an email in my inbox this morning saying she had nominated me. I love the way Jodie encourages readers with her true-life stories and book reviews. You should check out her blog at Digging For Pearls (http://diggingforpearls.blogspot.com/) and her updates and features here (http://www.jodiewolfe.com/). There are some rules with this nomination. The Rules: 1. Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their…
Grace Bombs
I was stacking plastic bowls where the kids have easy access. At the back of the drawer, sat a wad of old pretzels. How did they get there? And this after two drives to school with forgotten items this morning. It’s definitely looking like we need some grace bombs around our home today. I have two tween-aged boys, and so everything around here is very boy-friendly. Especially when we need to learn a lesson. So we developed the question, ”Does this need a grace bomb?” to apply to the little mistakes. Grace fills me with forgiveness and hope, a readiness…
Your Invitation To Seekerville This Friday
Returning from the ACFW conference this year, I got to sit next to Tina Radcliffe on the plane and learn about Seekerville, a great place for authors to congregate, be encouraged in the writing journey, and get tips for advancing your career. She asked me to write a blog and “The Power of the Right Turn,” When life throws you a major hurdle, how do you survive, not give up, and create a memorable moment in the midst of difficulties? will appear this Friday, January 23, 2015. Please join me for the active discussion on their blog, located here: http://seekerville.blogspot.com/…
Happy New Year!
Find a way to make the cleaning out more fun by bringing in your favorite inspiritions. Here’s some of mine. Favorite English movies ready to roll, check! Hot coffee from Kauai, check! Mug with resilient saying, check! Bins and collection areas ready, check! End-of-the-world picture from vacation, check! I’m ready to dig in and make plans for new chapters in life this year. Are you? I have 85 plus kids in my Silvers readers group finishing my first novel as beta readers. No nail biting allowed here, but I’m very tempted. So while I’m waiting, I’m cleaning out the old…
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