Remember

When someone asks me about people I admire or respect or even consider a hero, a few come to mind. I tend to admire people who have faith in what they believe. Especially folks who trust God for their strength and guidance. 

Today as I think about people who made a difference, I remember Harriet Tubman, who took numerous chances on her life to rescue her fellow men and women from slavery. Continuing in that vein, Martin Luther King, Jr. spent his short life working to make life better for others. As we remember this man and the efforts he put forth, I want to share a few of his quotes:

• “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
• “Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a permanent attitude.”
• “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
• “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
• “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Pure Delight

Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay

It’s hard to believe this is Katherine Reay’s debut novel. Written as if she’s penned stories for a lifetime, Dear Mr. Knightley delights as it reveals a young woman’s journey into adulthood.

Through letters to her benefactor, Samantha is required to detail her life as she works through a graduate program at Medill School of Journalism. Along the way, Sam meets an array of quirky and interesting characters. I wanted to visit with the Muirs, a kind, older couple and have lunch with handsome, charming Alex Powell. Along with the fascinating characters, the honesty that pours on the pages from Samantha’s life pulls the reader in.  Katherine writes with humor, reality, sadness and triumph. If you love Jane Austen, Elizabeth Bennet, or Jane Eyre, you’ll enjoy this delightful modern tale.

Anyone who enjoys a tale of growing up and finding love will lose themselves in Dear Mr. Knightley. You may even wish you had a Mr. Knightley of your own.

Wait in Hope

Hot Tea Month

January is hot tea month. I found a new tea that I enjoy. I'm usually one who sticks with black tea, such as English Breakfast, Earl Grey and good old Lipton. But I read that green tea is good for me. I had tasted green tea before and didn't like it. I'm trying to take better care of myself so I thought I'd give it another chance. Thanks to the many varieties at my local Kroger, I came across green tea infused with honey. Yum. This is a great afternoon treat with biscotti.

What's your favorite hot tea?

The Peace of Winter

I've always loved January. In Ohio, the first month of the year is usually cold and sometimes we are blessed with snow. Ideally, I like to stay home and write or spend the day reading, snuggled under a warm blanket, with a cup of tea. But like most folks, I go to work each day.

Nevertheless, I find ways to relish the beauty of winter. I appreciate the frozen scenery as I trek to work after a winter snow. I nestle in my living room after supper and share the time at home with my husband and dogs. And I write. I don't spend as much time outside, so that gives me more time
to rattle the keyboard and bring my ideas to life.

This January is no different. I'm working on my new work-in-progress, Faith, Hope and Hot Chocolate. I've returned to Turtle Creek to see what God has in store for Lily June and Finn.

I hope you stay warm and enjoy the peace of winter.

I Don't Usually Write this Kind of Blog Post...but this is important

Sirens blared as I waited on my husband to meet me at McDonald’s. We’d driven separately to attend the Christmas Eve-eve service at church. I’d gotten ahead of him in the chaos of traffic.

By the time I heard the sirens, several minutes had passed and he’d not arrived. That feeling of fear hit the pit of my stomach. If you’ve never felt that sick twist to the gut, I can tell you it’s not good. Just as panic seeped through me, the phone rang. Thankfully Tim said, “I’m okay. I’ve been in an accident, but I’m okay.” Even though I knew in my head he was okay, the fear still gripped my heart. I wanted to go to him but couldn’t because of the congested traffic. Instead, I met him at the hospital where he was checked for injury. He ended up sore and bruised.

The car didn’t fare as well. The other driver, distracted by who knows what, plowed into the back of Tim’s Honda CRV. The car was totaled.

I write this because I want to remind everyone of the dangers of texting, using an iPad, or any other distracting device while driving. I don’t know what the driver was doing or what distracted him. But I do know that driving without paying full attention to the road can be devastating. We are thankful that Tim’s injuries are not life threatening. But they could have been. The car was wrapped around him. The back of his seat broke and threw him backwards, which probably kept him from head injury. And thank goodness he wore his seatbelt.

If you get nothing else out of this, please use common sense, pay full attention and don’t text while you drive.