Pandemic Thoughts

      It will probably not come as a surprise to anyone, but I have stressed a lot about writing any posts about this pandemic situation. I have composed so many things in my head and never actually typed them. Mentally deleted them if you will. There are simply too many things and too many ways to offend people. But I think the time has come, at least for me, that my words have to come out, and if someone is offended by them, so be it. 

     We are living in an unusual time. A historic time. And obviously history is often not fun or pretty. We end up finding the shiny parts, and sometimes turning a blind eye to some of the messier parts (a whole OTHER thing going on right now), and I wonder how this time will look 50 years from now. Will we have Pandemic recipes like we have Depression era pie recipes? Will we tell our great grandchildren how we "suffered"? The reality is that for most people, the pandemic has resulted in many things that have been uncomfortable, but they have not suffered. Not in a true sense of the word. Worried, yes. Stressed, absolutely. But suffered, not so much.

     I do not in any way mean to discount people who have been ill, and of course those who have lost their lives. I am aware that this illness can be deadly. My mil is a nurse, believe me, I know. I've had friends who have lost family members (not Covid related) who have not been able to have a "normal" funeral service. I've seen on the internet where some people were extremely upset about not being able to attend a prenatal checkup with their person. All upsetting, for sure. But I think that with the perspective of time, we will see that these things are not as critical to our lives as they seem right now. During previous epidemics when hundreds of thousands of people died, funerals were not even held. People were buried in mass graves. We are so much farther ahead than we realize sometimes. 

     Social media can be both the best and worst things in a time of crisis. We can get up to the minute information, and make informed decisions. But if the effort is not taken to make sure the info is from a reliable source, that decision may not have been for the best. And every move you make is up for criticism and debate depending on how much you post, tweet, and blog. (Yes, I am aware of the irony here.) There will always be someone to tell you how right you are, or how wrong you are, and sometimes both at the same time. 

     So. My point. Everything is always changing. What is a disaster today will be history tomorrow. Our perspectives will change, our stories will change. The world is fluid, and things like politics, equality, the pandemic, social justice, and religion will always be debated. My personal goal is to try to extend grace in the conversations. 

     The above is solely MY opinion. 'Cause it's my blog. Get your own and you can say what YOU want. ((Wink))

I'm a Bookstagrammer

     So I recently decided to add another aspect to my social media world that I have every intention of keeping current and very well may not. I am now a Bookstagrammer, For the uninitiated, that is an Instagram account that is dedicated to all things books. I learned really quickly that there are a lot of accounts that are promoting "giveaways" for following their pages, and some that are only for self promotion. But the are many that are simply about sharing what they are enjoying reading. And even when they share about books they didn't enjoy, the reviews and reasons are helpful. It's only been a week, but I've enjoyed the adventure so far. If you want to follow, I'm at @haloheartspages.

      Onto the most recent reads.
I have always been fascinated by all things JFK and JKO, and this book did not disappoint. Although it is plainly stated that it is a novel, it is written from the point of view of Jackie, starting from the time that Jack and Jackie meet. The book is written so well that Jackie's voice as narrator is very believable. I found myself hoping that this is actually how she felt about things, and that these conversations did in fact happen. The author does take liberties with some facts, but she explains when and why at the end of the book, and those changes do make sense. Overall, I felt this novel was an enjoyable read, and added a human aspect to historical figures.


I also listened to The Goldfinch on Audible. It was a loooong 32 hours. I have started this book 3 times and finally finished. The Goldfinch received a lot of reviews and so I thought I should try to finish it. Sometimes I rebel and don't finish a book that many people find amazing, just because I don't like it. Life is just too short. But The Goldfinch had just enough to keep me coming back, and the freaking pandemic gave me 32 hours. So I finished it. And I am glad I got through it. It turns out that the Goldfinch is a painting. There are so many twists and turns in this story, but they are well done, and just when you think you know what will happen, something else occurs. The bottom line, in my opinion, this is a long story, but hang in there, it is worth it.


         That is what is what I'm reading now.

What I've Been Reading

      Since we have been quarantined for 643 years, I have been doing even more reading than usual, but I decided not to post all of the books I was reading since some of them are old trashy novels. Nobody wants to read about that. Or maybe you do. Nora Roberts hasn't sold 6 billion books to just me. 

     Anyway, I've read a few books that are due to be released in a week or so. Reviewing books, and writing a blog gets you some perks like that. Sometime you get some garbage books too, but luckily that hasn't happened in a while. 

     Brave Girl, Quiet Girl is a book about a little girl that is taken in a carjacking. She is then found by a homeless teenage girl, and the ensuing story is about how the mother, the child, and the teen are all linked from that point. Or are they? It was a good read, and was on point with one of my pet peeves. If a story is going to address police matters, I want the research done correctly. This book had the facts pretty straight as far as police procedure would go. 

 

     I have read Ann Rule's true crime book's since I was in high school. Many of them were made into movies. Specifically ones about Ted Bundy and Diane Downs. Leslie Rule is her daughter, and grew up as her research assistant, and wrote a different genre. I was several chapters into A Tangled Web when I realized I had seen this exact story on 48 Hours less than a week before. I am not quite through with this book, because honestly it is a difficult read. I don't believe it has much to do with poor writing, but more to do with the fact that this story is very convoluted. It truly was a tangled web. I know how it ends, because I saw it on TV, but the book does have a lot of details that were left out, I imagine purely for time. Leslie Rule's writing style will no doubt be compared to her mother's, but I think she can hold her own. 

      I also listened to a few new Audible books, Me Before You by JoJo Moyes (very good), and When She Returned by Lucinda Berry (also very good). 

    

    Be well!

 

What I'm Reading

     I'm not real sure how I managed to get all the way to March without blogging anything since I write pretty consistently in my head. I guess there is a glitch in the system. Anyway, I'm going to ease into 2020 blogging by telling you about what I'm reading now.

     This was available on Netgalley, and was a pre-release. It will be published next month, and if you are a fan of island stories, or families, or the Irish, then I suggest you read it. It drew me in, and I finished it in about 2 days, with A LOT going on in my house.
      This one is a book launch I am part of, and I have not finished it yet. I am getting a lot out of it. If you know me at all, you know that so much has happened in our lives in the last 10 years and I do feel that I should write about it at some point. This book really seems like it will help me do that in the best way possible. So many people don't realize that reading books about writing is a thing. Writing is a skill that can be honed, and hopefully I will get better. Reading books like this one helps ( I think!), and I'm glad to have it in my arsenal. It releases April 7th.

     I also bought a copy of The Great Gatsby. Somehow I never read it in high school. We will see.

You'll Get It or You Won't

   Within the last week, 2 of my favorite writers have passed away, and I have been quite simply, distraught. If you are a reader, you will understand. To put it in perspective, these two ladies are two of the three authors of whom I have always purchased hardcover books, full price. Hardcovers today run about $25. Dorothea Benton-Frank wrote 19 novels. So that tells you how invested I have been in her career. And I am really sad that 19 is the limit. Anne Rivers-Siddons wrote a non-fiction that I did not read, but I read all 19 of her novels, again, buying them in hardcover. Ray even bought one for me one time as a surprise because he saw it at the mall when he was working in New Orleans before I could get it. This was before Amazon Prime. That shows how much I adored her, even my non-book reading husband recognized her name and bought me her book.

   Last year, Amanda drove me to New Orleans with my mom, and I got to meet Dorothea Benton-Frank, who was releasing a new book, and was awaiting her new grandchild. She was so excited, and was a delight to talk to. The gathering was small, so it really felt like I got to have a conversation with her, and we discussed her writing process. It was such a cool evening, and I will never forget meeting her.

   The first book I read by Anne Rivers-Siddons was called Outer Banks and I read it on a trip with my mother-in-law to Florida. She was not my MIL at the time, but my boyfriend's mom, and we had a great time. It was our first road trip together by ourselves, and since we both liked to read, that's what we did in the evenings. We piled up in our hotel room, and read. I had grabbed a new book at Sam's and found myself intrigued by a new favorite author.

   If you read a lot, fiction or non fiction, you begin to learn about the author. Even before we could follow the writer's private lives on Facebook and Twitter, there were the little bios on the back flap. And you learned about them by their style, their word usage, and their choice of topics. I really felt like I knew these two ladies. Even though I was only given the edited glimpses into their lives, I am so glad to have been given that. I will miss their work, and I will miss them.

The Things I'm Reading

   I have so much to share about that I will have to ease into blogging with something a little frivolous. But really, it's not frivolous at all because books and reading are what keeps all my spinning  plates from crashing to the floor. So, this is what I've been reading, and what I think about it. Thanks for asking!

1. High Achiever, by Tiffany Jenkins (no relation, lol)
     If you are on FB AT ALL, you've  probably seen some of her super funny yet super accurate videos about family and motherhood today. She is also very vocal about her issues with anxiety, depression, self worth, post-partum depression, just all the things that people DON'T talk about enough.
But High Achiever is about Tiffany's past in the drug world, her time in jail, how she got there, and how she got out. I should mention I got the audio book and it was AHMAZING. Tiffany narrated the book herself, so its really just her telling you her story. And what a story. I just want the follow up story. And I want to see her live. And I want to go hang out at her house. But for now, the book is totally worth it.




2. This Is What You'll Remember, by Holly Waugh
    This is a memoir by a FB friend of my . We were connected by being on a few book launches together, and share a lot of the same friends. When offered the option of helping to launch her new book I jumped at the chance, and I loved it. Her book is so intense and so raw. Holly lays bare the things that have happened to her in her life, and how she not only recovers, but flourishes. anyone can take away something from the beautiful story of redemption no matter where you are in your story.
This Is What You'll Remember: A Memoir by Holly Waugh https://www.amazon.com/dp/1097509044/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_.6lxDbGZNS2A3 via @amazon

Unresolved relationships: What's on My MInd

   Lately I have been struggling with some unresolved relationships in my life. Not the kind you'd normally think, like my dad's death or anything like that. But the kind where you think you have a certain standing or place in a relationship and then suddenly the relationship is over, or you learn that you are not as important to the other person as you thought. I have always tended to make work-friends that I thought were actually friend-friends, and it took me literally years to learn that some friends at work are just that. Friends at work. And some of my work-friends have been my long time friends and will continue to be. But they are not always the same. And that's a hard lesson, and watching my grown kids learn that lesson is hard too.

   The relationships I am referring to have more to do with outside friendships that just end with no context. "We used to be such close friends," What happened? No idea. When you invest your time and your heart into a relationship, the kind where you do family things, campouts, dinners, babysitting, etc. and then suddenly you never hear from them, that hurts. And I have tried to get over it. I really have. But its a struggle. Because when this happens, our human brains says it is us. We did something, said something. But as my grandmother said, "Sweep your own side of the street.' I think I've swept mine pretty well, and if I did something, I am truly not aware of it. I was supportive, available, and pro-active.

   In hindsight, I can see that this friendship was never really what it should have been anyway. I was pretty good at following through when I committed to something. I was honest. I was there, which in my mind is the key to a good friendship. I often didn't receive the same treatment. Now I see how often I was relegated to the side, inadvertently made to feel less than, and used to bolster an ego when it was never reciprocated.

   After realizing all of this, in the passage of time, you'd think I wouldn't care why this person dropped me like a hot rock. But I do. I want to know if there was any point at which we felt the same levels of friendship. Was I always meant to be a temporary friend? And the dumb questions, why wasn't I good enough? It feels like a breakup where the other person just ghosts you. And it really should not matter that much, but it does matter to me in this case.
 
   Eventually I will let this go, but it really bothers me right now. I've thought about reaching out and just asking, "What's up?", but I don't think it will help. Because of past actions I don't think I'll get an honest answer, which is just as hurtful. So, I'm left to stew in the what-if's. The why didn't I see that befores. I wonder why this all happened and if I could have fixed it even though logically I can see that I could not. One person pouring into a friendship will only work for so long. And then I guess you are left feeling used and stupid, like I feel. And still no resolution.

   

What I'm Reading

     Hi all! I've been MIA for a bit, but I'm constantly updating this blog in my head, so figure that out. A while back I posted about having conversations with people when we disagree. This situation has only intensified as far as social media goes, in my opinion. This makes me hesitant to blog about anything terribly important, because chances are good that someone will have a differing opinion. I'm not afraid of having a different opinion, or even of offending someone, if the position I need to take is worth it, but I don't want to lose friends or followers because we simply see things differently. When I have a strong opinion on something, I will let you know, otherwise, you can assume I am voting, researching, talking about, or reading about the important matters in our lives. I just think there are more things to be gained by using social media as a tool for loving on people than by using it to alienate others. If you need to know where I stand on a topic, ask me. I will tell you.

    SO. Moving on. As I have been doing for a few years now, I have recently participated in 2 new book launches. 

"How The Light Gets In" by Jolina Petersheim is a sort of modern Amish story, based on the book of Ruth in the Bible. In my opinion, very loosely based, but I can see the correlations. I liked it a lot and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. There are several plot twists that make getting through the first little bit very much worth it. The beginning is a little confusing and slowly paced, but you learn why this is necessary. It was a treat from memoirs, and "self-help" which are what most of my last few launches were. I enjoyed it so much I bought the Audible version.

"A Grateful American" by Gary Sinise. Man. There aren't enough words to describe this book, and the story that has brought "Lt Dan" to the place he is now. I titled my 5 star review, "This book will change your life.", and I stand by that. Gary Sinise was involved in getting Shot Baton Rouge police officer Nick Tullier a wheelchair accessible van, and I have been more aware of him since then. I know the military, and veterans are his heart, but he has a BIG heart, and loves to serve LEO's also. The book is so good, and I hope one day, it becomes it's own movie.

"Can't Make This Stuff Up! Finding the Upside's to Life's Downs" by Susannah B Lewis, known all over the FB as Whoa Susannah is one of the sweetest little things I've read in a while. Her stories are so personal, and you can tell by her writing, that she is sharing her heart with you. As part of her launch team, I received the first 1/3rd or so of the book to read and review. I gave it 5 stars too, because this book feels like sitting down with an old friend, and that can never happen enough. I can hardly wait until April to get the rest of the book!

NOW. I'm starting a new book and study by Lysa Terkeurst "It's Not Supposed To Be This Way- finding unexpected strength when disappointment leaves you shattered" I'm looking forward to learning a bit more about recovering from disappointment, but at the same time, I'm pretty sure it's going to come down to my attitude. That's never fun. But, our goal in life should always be to keep moving forward. 

     So, in closing. Keep your minds open. Keep your books open. Keep your hearts open. Nothing bad can come from being open and communicating with our fellow man. It takes work, but isn't it worth it?

NaNoWriMo

   As I've done for the past three years, this November I am participating in NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writers Month. A group challenge to write a novel with a minimum of 50,000 words in 30 days. It is tough. And I wish it was not in November because there is just so much going on in this month. Thanksgiving, all the prep for that, and then general holiday stuff. Decorating and things like that. I lost 4 writing days doing family things. That is not a bad thing, the family stuff was important and I enjoyed it (mostly;). But that equals almost 7,000 words behind schedule, and that gets intimidating. So now I am plugging away, trying to meet a challenge I set for myself. There is no other reason. I'm not obligated to finish. But now I've started a story and I want to see how it ends. So, I will plod on.

Frustrated Tears

    I am fighting tears of frustration at this moment. I could probably avoid the whole mess if I cut out all social media, but I like to see pics of people's dogs and plants, and falls. I want to know how big your babies and grand babies are and what great things they are doing. And something is screwing it up.

    I take pride in the fact that I have friends of every race, color, political view, sexual orientation, religion, you name it, I probably know one. I love to have conversations with people different from me, about whatever topic comes. Key word CONVERSATIONS. And I can with most of my people. But lately, it seems that people have lost the ability to communicate without generalizing, and blaming. Yes, I am a middle aged white woman, so I would have presumably never felt the sting of racism, right? WRONG. I'm not a lesbian, or transgender, or the child of lesbian parents, so I must be unable to empathize with the struggles, private and public of people living their lives this way, right? WRONG.

     Let me just tell you, no one gets a pass anymore. I've been judged for not breast feeding, for being a working mom, for being in law enforcement, for being married to a cop, for being a gun owner, for being a dog owner, just to name a few. Living in this country means that we get to do A LOT of what we want to. Everything, no, of course not. But for the most part, I believe that our country gets it right more than it gets it wrong. It just seems to me that when it gets it wrong, people are WAY MORE WILLING to point fingers and place blame. And that gets nothing fixed.

      My main point is this, if you see something wrong, do something to fix it. Posting a blame and hate filled diatribe on an Instagram post from your safe home with power, water, Internet, and the significant other that you get to choose, doesn't make a difference. Educate yourself at the very least.

     Finally, we all have those things we are unbending about, and we should. I don't post on social media about most of my political views. I don't give my opinion on vaccines. BUT. I will forever support properly trained and supported law enforcement. Without it, we are a lost nation.
And I am a Christian. The Jeses I love and believe in loves and died for EVERY SINGLE PERSON. His command was simply. love everyone. If you have a conflict with this, then you have a conflict with a church, or a religion, or were treated badly by a person. But Jesus said to love everyone. Not the ones like you, or that agree with you. Any church t aching this is wrong. Try another church.

     I'm just exhausted by everyone looking for someone to blame ALL THE TIME.

Two Handed Again!🙌 (Sort-of)

     On December 21st, I did what I had been putting off for literally years, and had my torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder repaired. After the trauma from surgery before, I had previously said that my arm could just fall right off and I would just deal with it. The passage of time and the increase of the pain changed my mind. The procedure went fine, but as would be my luck, the line for the nerve block that is supposed to keep you "comfortable", and keep your whole shoulder and neck numb for like 36 hours, came out. Not only was my pain relief gone, but the line was leaking fluid all up under my packing where we had been told it needed to stay DRY DRY DRY. So at about 11:30 or so that same night, we had to go back to the ER. They can't re-insert that line, it's an anesthesiologist problem.😩😩 So I'm just basically screwed. I did have pretty good oral pain meds that were supposed to be for the breakthrough pain, so I was ok. And most of the time it only got to the point where I was practically doing labor breathing and mediation and visualization techniques to get to the next dose age time. But I got through that bad part, and am getting ready to start PT. I think that will go good because I have some decent motion with my lower arm and hand now. I'm typing again.👍

     In the downtime, I have been involved in launching two really great books. The first one is called Girl, Was Your Face by Rachel Hollis.  The tag line on the cover says "Stop believing the lies abowho are so you can become who you were meant to be." Who does not need that their life? The book addresses common lies that women believe, and breaks them down one by one, with some suggestions to find YOUR TRUTH about the subject at the end of the chapter. Some examples: I'm bad at sex; I'll never be a great mom; I'm defined by my weight; I should be further along by now. The suggestions at the end of each chapter are kind of open ended, because it's really up to you to figure out your truth once you confront the lie. Sounds tough, but such satisfying work. Read this book. Then get one for every woman you love. 

     The second one is called A Midwife in Amish Country. It is just an amazingly heartfelt memoir of bringing babies into the world and the good, the scary, the sad, the exhilaration of having this calling on your life. I'm still reading it, but I know it's one I will suggest for anyone interested in memoirs, and women's interest books. I'll finish my reviews when I finish the book.

NaNoWriMo is coming up!

       NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is coming up again! For those that don't remember, in November, a group of people set a goal to each write a book consisting of a minimum of 50,000 words in less than 30 days. There is an online support community with lots of reference materials, as well as just cheer leading in general. You set up a profile and can choose writing buddies, people who have similar writing styles, or are in the same genre as you. It's all super supportive. Last year I did it, and finished my book with about an hour to spare. I then promptly burst into tears because I could not believe I had actually done it. It was awesome. I am now in the middle of editing that book, which is frankly not as much of a hassle as I thought it would be. Much like writing, you just sit down and do it. Of course, I'm not done, so maybe ask me in another month and the answer may be different.

     So for NaNoWriMo this year, I may go back to the piece I originally started. It's not a 50,000 word novel, so I won't "win", but this story has been in my head for so long. I dream about these people. I only stopped writing that book to write my NaNoWriMo book, and I haven't started it up again. I don't think that was supposed to be how that went.

     I said all of that to say this. Last year I started a few days late, then got DYSENTERY half way through. I finished. If you have ever though about writing a book, do this. It's fun. It's hard. It's rewarding. If you just sit down with an idea, any idea, the words will come. Even if you never publish it, YOU WILL HAVE WRITTEN A BOOK!  

What's been going on.....

     They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I think that may also be the road to a fully developed, often updated blog. I can tell you that I often lay in bed at night writing blog posts in my head. Reviewing books, imparting wisdom, making people laugh. In the daylight I end up doing other stuff, or doing nothing, but NOT updating my blog. And it's unfortunate because I really do have a lot to say. I think it is partially fear of offending people, which is ironic, because that is not really a major fear for me in my daily life.
     So. What's been going on. I have been doing a lot of reading. I am a part of the launch team for Jen Hatmaker's new book, Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life. More to follow about that. If you know me, you know I adore Jen and all of her writing, and this book is amazing. Jen gets women. She just gets us. I also read Anna LeBaron's book, The Polygamist's Daughter. Talk about stunning. I had to remind myself frequently that this book was not a work of fiction. Anna was raised in a polygamist family, a cult basically, and tells her story of escape and creating her own life after that difficult beginning. It's so good and so intriguing that I ended up buying it in paperback, and on my Kindle so I could read it at night. My eyes are so impaired that it is difficult to read paper at night. I also read The Sound of Gravel, by Ruth Wariner. This is another polygamist cult memoir. Anna and Ruth are actually first cousins, and Anna's father allegedly had Ruth's father (his brother) killed in a power struggle over the "church". Again, it was difficult to remember that this is a real life, current day story. The love and redemption that comes through, despite the pain in both of the books is amazing, and is a testament to the true power of forgiveness.
     I have also been working on my own writing, revising and editing my one finished piece, and researching for the other. Writing is something I enjoy, but it is harder with my physical limitations. I have found a few tricks on my Chromebook to help, but I still struggle with just wanting to see the words as I type them. I have the voice recognition software, but it is slower than I talk, or the dog will bark, then I spend more time cleaning up mistakes and end up more frustrated. Really I am just making excuses, I think. Writing, or any form of personal expression can be scary.
     So that's what's up with me, or what I am ready and willing to share right now.

I Did It!

In my previous blog post, I explained NaNoWriMo, and my goal of writing a 50,000 word (minimum) novel in 30 days. As many of you know, I did complete it, finishing at about 11:15 pm on November 30th. I really wanted to quit at about 9:00 when I was about 3000 words down , but my family would not let me and I am grateful for that.
What is not exactly common knowledge is that I somehow contracted dysentery the week of Thanksgiving, even earning a visit to the hospital. I haven't been out of the country, and don't know how I got this lovely illness, but let me say it was just as miserable as you can imagine. AND I was at the mall in Metairie when I initially became ill, so that was a delight. I kept thinking about the Civil War and how widely reported dysentery was. Honestly, I don't know how there was a war. Just trying to sit up and type became extremely difficult.
My point is this. In the last few years, by necessity, my bucket list has changed dramatically. But I still have one. And I do want to work at attaining the things on that list. I burst into tears when I finished writing the book , and I didn't expect that. I was emotional when I finished running my 5k a few years ago, that the dr said may have helped save my life. DO THE THINGS.
Thank you to everyone who was so happy for me finishing. I was touched by every comment of congratulations that was left on my post. I am in editing mode, so I still need the good thoughts. I fully plan on submitting it to agents, and continuing to work on my original manuscript that I already had in the works. Stay tuned!

NaNoWriMo

     For the month of November, I have been and will be participating in NaNoWriMo, which is a program set up to challenge you to write a novel in one month. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writer's Month.
It;s mainly a way to hold yourself accountable, and also to cheer on other writers who are trying to reach the same goal. It has already been a great experience, and has shown me that if I just sit down and put the time in, the words come to me.
     The only apparent downside is that I think I am using all of words in my work, because when I try to talk, I sound like an idiot. I keep flubbing my words, and switching them around. But for every piece of great literature, a price must be paid. Har, har. So, until December.

Review:A Mile Wide, by Brandon Hatmaker

     Being a huge fan of Jen Hatmaker and her writing, and essentially the entire Hatmaker family, I was more than excited to hear what the topic of her husband Brandon's newest book was going to be. The title says it all. "A Mile Wide:Trading Shallow Beliefs For A Deeper Faith". As a fairly established Christian, I am comfortable recognizing that we can always search for a deeper relationship. I just wasn't clear how to go about doing that. Hatmaker gives you clear, concise, and BIBLICAL ways to grow your faith.

     The part that resonated with me the most is that there are 3 communities in which the believer will interact and hopefully serve. Your faith community (church), your missional community (get one!), and your secular community (where you live). The bottom line is that if you are living on target, and seeking a deeper faith, these 3 communities will overlap in some way. You have to be the same person in all these communities, and that is a person choosing God's love, and showing that to others. 

     Hatmaker's book is written from the heart, and you feel it. He truly wants to grow God's kingdom in a relevant way. It's not often that you interact with a tattoo covered biker preacher, but when you do, he will probably have some very valid words of wisdom to share with you. Just like this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Mile-Wide-Trading-Shallow-Religion/dp/0718078500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477532591&sr=8-1&keywords=a+mile+wide

New Stuff

     Hi all! I can't tell you how many blog post I have written in my head, then I come TO my blog only to learn that they did not make the transmission to the page. Ah, technology, letting me down once more. Then again, I probably don't want all of the things that go through my head making themselves known without my knowledge. 

     So, something new that I have been involved with lately has been book launching. Basically you participate in social media groups, talk about the book, if you are lucky there are live events, or giveaways. All of this is to promote a new book. Some authors and /or publishers send out Advanced Reader Copies for you to read and review. I love this!! So every now and then I will be reviewing some books here, mostly because I find myself sharing what I am reading anyway. I have one that I want to do right away, but I want to do it in a separate post. 

      In other news, health has been ok. Kids have been ok. The hubby is fine. Politics suck, but the Indians are in the World Series which makes my mother happy. Stay tuned! 

Disasters and such.....

     So we've had massive flooding here in Louisiana. It has been tragic, with many, many homes lost, quite a few deaths, and just a huge mess that will take a lot of time and money to clean up. On top of this, we had major flooding back in March, and some of the same areas were affected resulting in homes that were just rebuilt being flooded again. It takes a lot of strength, physical, mental and emotional to get through this, but they don't come tougher than those Cajuns. 

     We were fortunate, and are high and dry. We have donated supplies, and Ray made several trips to a nearby flooded area to help clean out the home of a couple in their 90's. I am not telling of our actions to brag, but to make a point. Every time I think I have come to terms with my vision limits, something else rears it's head. Before Ray and I were married, there were some tornadoes that flattened a city in WAY South Louisiana. We went with a group of volunteers from the fire department to help the local department. We cleared trees off houses, cleared access to streets, just a lot of hard dirty work. We loved it. In 2004, when Hurricane Ivan hit Florida, with the help of our church we loaded up the bed of our truck with cases of water, ice chests, cleaning stuff, and just drove into the middle of the aftermath. We drove into a flattened neighborhood and started serving people. Now we have had a few natural disasters around us, and I can't do that anymore. I can't be in the thick of things. I know that I can help in other ways, and I do try to be satisfied with that, but sometimes I want to stomp my feet and say it's not fair. 

     I hope to always have a servant's heart, just sometimes I'd like to have the options that I used to have. I guess we always want what don't have anymore.   

I've got a lot on my mind......

O.K We are going to start with the BLM movement, the protests, police involved shootings, and all that. It's a mess. Much like your Christmas lights when you finally get them down from the attic each year, this is all tangled together and you can't clearly tell where one issue ends and one begins sometimes. Unfortunately, we can't chunk this mess in the trash can and just go get a new set. We are stuck with unraveling what we got. And it has to be done. So screaming about it, and throwing fits won't help,

Now, Black Lives Matter. Of course they do. All lives matter. As a Christian I have the luxury of having that decision made for me. And I choose to take full advantage of that fact. Jesus died because his father decided that ALL lives mattered enough to be redeemed by Jesus. This is not a decision I have to make or question. It just is. Now that of course is speaking of people groups. As I interact with any one person, i make decisions on a case by case, sometimes, minute by minute basis. And race is often not the first thing I factor. As a female, I fear male first. Anyway.

On to the cop killing. This is just reprehensible to me. When the sniper was on the building in Dallas SHOOTING OFFICERS, officers were running into gunfire to save people, drag them from danger, cover them, And those people, there AT THAT RALLY to protest the police accepted that help, and followed those officers commands to get out safely. Credit where do, several people have come to the media to tell their stories of being helped by those they were protesting. I just don't know if those realize that's the heart of a law officer and not an isolated incident.

The other incidents. I'm stating RIGHT NOW, I was not at any of them. I can only speak from news reports, videos, personal knowledge of past incidents, and reading synopsis reports of pros. I'v ridden with officers on calls. I've listened to their voices on the radio when the "subject" is just not right. And I am a big believer in the theory espoused,( but NOT the Tactics) in the movie Grosse Pointe Blanke, about a hit man.

"If I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there."- Martin Blank

Meaning that in almost every police involved shooting I've seen or heard about, SOMETHING brought them to that crossroads. What was it? prove to me how many times it was a racist cop with an agenda and nothing else that caused the interaction, and I will say, "Fire him, and arrest him, now." Until then.

In our town last week we had a BLM protest/rally whatever it's called. No one looted. no one was arrested, Black officer saw some old friends and took selfies. Politicos spoke. Black ones and white ones.  Then they went home.
A few days later we had a Police Lives Matter rally in the park. People visited a bit. Politicos spoke, everyone lit some blue candles, prayed, and went home.

The bottom line is that we have the right to gather peacefully to protest anything we want. it's guaranteed by the Constitution. Remember that little scrap of paper? It still works if we let it.

Just what's been on my mind.

You just never know.

     As we passed the last days of May and went into early June, I didn't post about it but I was really aware of the two year mark of my medical SNAFU. I think that because I'm pretty stubborn, and want to appear as normal as possible, that people don't realize how affected I am. Particularly on "bad eye days". And it's not just my vision, but the constant vertigo, which kind of ebbs and flows. Think like on the tilt-a-whirl, sometimes it's a gentle spin, and then you SPIN one way really fast, then the other. That's my life. Girlfriends have wanted to go get dinner and drinks, and I always say yes to eating, and not to drinks because I'm always feeling about 3 drinks in. I'm seriously waiting for someone to ask me if I'm ok when I go weaving down the aisle at Walgreen's or wherever. It can be embarassing. 

     Anyway, in that time, we thought we'd be planning a wedding. That is not happening. Time and clarity reveal this to be a blessing in disguise. Amanda had to leave school, which was a hard adaption, emotionally and physically. She got a good job, what she thought was her dream job, then got somewhat screwed out of it. Very hurtful time. Now she has another job, making decent money, but is not what she is interested in at all. However, her big time, big girl, job is on the horizon, and she has peace waiting for it, knowing God has her best interests at heart

     Sarah started at Aveda Institute, two weeks ago. She likes it but is already tired of the classroom portions. She's raring to go. She just hates it when anyone says "beauty school", and I agree. It is so much more than that. and the program is 1 year long!  I can say that we did have some fun when she came home with 4 heads in a bag. She has natural talent for this and will do well, I know.

     Emily turned 15 a week ago and got her cell phone. I know, I'm one of those mean moms. She was very excited and I and very excited that I have unlimited data on my phone plan.

     The point of this post is that two years ago, or even one year ago we all had different plans. Plans change. You just don't know what the path ahead of you will lead you to. I can say that with the things that have happened to our family, my girls have learned that flexibility is an invaluable character trait. And when things get rough, you don't bail out. You buckle down and do your part. And I love each of them for that.