A Moment of Beauty at Filoli Gardens I received the most wonderful email last week saying, with precautions in place, a local historic garden I love to visit (and want to write about some day) was opening this week. You can bet I was there the day and moment they opened with my mask (that makes me look like a gangster) and took a walk through their beautiful paths that twist around the historic home. In case you also need a moment of beauty while on lockdown or as things ease and open in your area (we are at over…
2020 Updates!
Thank you for your support during an exciting year and happy new year 2020! I wanted to give an update about some neat things in the works and what will be coming in the months that follow. Upcoming and recent appearances I wrote a science/devotional about the amazing inner world of diamonds and gems for Clubhouse magazine for children with Focus on the Family, and it will be out in February, 2020! I just received this preview and have to share how rewarding it was working with the Gemology community in researching the specialty of Photomicrography – taking very detailed…
Repost: Actress Amanda McDonough’s Journey From Deafness To A Loud Voice For Change
In honor of #storieswithstephfeb19 – An encouraging friend – When I think of someone inspiring, I consider actress Amanda McDonough and her new book #readytobeheard – How I lost my hearing and found my voice. Amanda and I met at a writer’s conference and I was immediately drawn to her sunshine personality and positivity. It was only when she moved her hands with sign language that I realized she had hearing issues. 🤘🏻 The main character in my middle grade fantasy is hard of hearing, so I felt honored when Amanda shared her story of waking one day to complete…
The Air We Breathe – Caught In The Bay Area Smoke Out
Our family lives in Northern California in the Bay Area and we’ve been caught in an unusual situation, covered with smoke. As wildfire survivors who lost our home and all our possessions eleven years ago, it’s been a challenging couple of weeks as smoke from the Camp Fire rolled in and, like a stealthy dragon, wound its tail around our beautiful area. I was already having trouble with the news and praying fervently for friends’ relatives who were threatened in different fires throughout California. But suddenly… We awoke hearing sirens and seeing complete smoke outside the windows on a Saturday…
Happy Birthday Narnia and Everything C.S. Lewis
In honor of it being the birthday of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Narnia, which is sixty-eight years old this week, under the magical gazebo for MMGM I wanted to share some memories of my summer C.S. Lewis study abroad program. I also have some great Narnia-themed products and books to share. When I was a young girl, I discovered the world of Narnia and wonderful books by C.S. Lewis, never suspecting that those wondrous moments stepping through the wardrobe would shape my writing and love for portal fantasy stories. I didn’t know about the spiritual allegory…
Starting From Scratch by Author Sara Ella
This holiday season, I’m sure you can relate to the high expectations we all have, and those moments when things take a turn we’d never expected, and it’s time to scratch our plans and chart a new path forward. In the midst of the craziness, take a break and enjoy some refreshment from my friend, very talented Author Sara Ella. Starting from Scratch by Sara Ella Do you ever buy those baking mixes from the grocery store? You know, the ones that basically come with everything you need except for oil, water, and eggs? They’re so easy to use, my…
Author Patricia Beal shares her nuggets of resilience – Giveaway and Blog Tour!
As a special part of the Just Commonly blog tour, I asked Author Patricia Beal to share her story of resilience, knowing she’s earned her stripes in terms of having a wonderful outlook despite very difficult circumstances such as the “biggies” she mentions below. When you meet her, all you see is her dazzling smile, witty sparkle, and you can feel the power packed in such a special person, like a gem with petite elegance and grace. I’m thrilled to share about her new novel, A Season To Dance, and host her giveaways below. And she’s been even more generous,…
Every Little Crumb Counts – How To Not Waste Lessons From Loss
In the wake of recent wildfires, floods, and disasters I want to encourage any of you in the midst of these tragedies, or supporting families who are affected by them. You’ve found yourself suddenly thrust into the center of a stage you never wanted to be on—one filled with sadness and hurt. Reflecting on the last ten years since we lost everything in a wildfire and also went through rough medical challenges with family, I’ve gathered some thoughts about how a similar series of losses have helped us in unusual ways. Every crumb of lessons we’ve learned has been helpful…
Our 10-Year Wildfire Anniversary
Today is our 10 year anniversary from the Witch Creek wildfire in San Diego. My son Jonathan wrote this for our MakeUsSmile.com thank-you website a few years ago. This year, we’ve moved to the Bay Area and again lost 1/3 of our possessions (somehow the movers misplaced them!) so we keep learning to hold “things” loosely and remain resilient in the face of challenges. That Night…What Happened With The Fires You can focus on the worst, or you can focus on the best We try not to focus on the bad part, but in case you’re wondering, here’s some of…
Through The Friendship Storms with Author Jodie Wolfe
I have enjoyed knowing Author Jodie Wolfe for several years, after we took a writing class together with Author Jerry Jenkins and met in the Colorado mountains to share our love for words and creating stories. I can really relate to Jodie’s story today, of surviving a particularly low point after losing a key friendship. What I really appreciate was her intentional approach to learning from the situation and giving herself room to mourn and feel revived. In a world that’s all about fixing and perfectionism, her candor is refreshing and writing, and faith, is as well. I hope you’ll…
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