Ode to Olive

Losing a pet is hard. 

This little lady came to live with us when she was about six or seven years old.

By then she'd had several litters of puppies 

and been abandoned with her last litter of eight.

She was a survivor, determined to be a good mom, 

as she journeyed to a neighbor's farm

and ate cat food, then she would return to her pups and nurse them.

The farmer with the cat food followed her one day 

and found she'd been left behind, to fend for herself.

His sister took Olive to a dog rescue. 

After needed surgeries, Olive went up for adoption. 

By the time we met her at Petsmart, all her puppies 

but one were adopted. 

We fell in love with this cranky little dog 

and shared a home with her for more than eight years. 

We'll miss the clip-clop of her toes on the floor and her funny bark. 

Olive taught us to be patient and to share.

She loved eating toast with me :)

Is having a pet worth the grief you feel when they pass on? 

Yes, it is. 

RIP Miss Olive.

 

Contemporary Romance Review: What Remains True by Nancy Naigle

Book Description:
Working at a little shop on Main Street in a small town is exactly the break that executive Merry Anna Foster needs following her divorce. She’s made a bet with her ex-husband that she can live on the amount of money she’s giving him in alimony. If she can do it, then Kevin will have to stop complaining and leave her alone. But after three months of this new life, will she even want to leave Antler Creek? 

Adam Lockwood, bull rider and owner of the local feedstore, is having the best year of his rodeo career. He’s also a bit distracted by the pretty new neighbor living in his old bunkhouse. But Adam has no time for matters of the heart. He’s got his future all mapped out, and that future doesn’t involve a woman just yet. It doesn’t involve parenting a little girl either. However, Carly Fowler still suddenly leaves five-year-old Zan—the daughter Adam didn’t know he had—in his care. 

Is it possible that the future holds a life even better than what Merry Anna and Adam had each dreamed of? One that includes both tenderness and even love—not just for each other but for Zan too.

My Thoughts:
A story of second chances, folks who take care of each other, and small-town charm are at the heart of What Remains True. Merry Anna (I love her name) sets out to figure out her life after she steps away from the family business and the man who broke her heart. She lands in a charming town with people who want the best for her. Adam is dead set on making his mark on the rodeo circuit, but when he finds out he may have a daughter, his life is turned upside down. I love that Merry Anna's determination to try new things gives her courage as she learns to stand up for herself, and the way Zan wraps Adam around her heart. If you enjoy a sweet romance set in a small town, this one is for you. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Called Into Light

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 

When I was a child, I was afraid of the dark.

My neighbors, cousins, and I played outside and caught fireflies. We played hide and seek while the adults chatted in their lawn chairs, and the light shined from the porch. I felt safe as long as a glow shined over the yard, and the sound of grown-up voices echoed through the air.

When the cousins, aunts, uncles, and neighbors left for home, the dark overwhelmed me. The porch light clicked off, and I made a bee line for the house. Even as a young adult, I didn't like being outside by myself in the dark cover of night.

As I've grown older, I've learned to appreciate the light of night, the stars overhead, and the moon, for those lights shine through the darkness.

As a believer and follower of Jesus, I'm called to God's light. He doesn't want me to be afraid of the dark or stay in the shadows. The King of Kings has called me to step out of the gloom and doom of the world and step into the beautiful, wonderful light of grace. God calls his children his special possession, a people he encourages, and loves. He guards our hearts and radiates His light as a guide away from the dark corners of the world.

My family experienced a great amount of loss the first three months of the year. Times were dark and sad. We clung to each other and to God, and His light and love have carried us through. Some days will still be rough, but peace comes from knowing the One who created the sun and moon and calls us to His light.

Seek God's light as He calls your name.

Book Launch Party with Prizes!

I hope you'll join me on Friday evening! 

I'll be giving away a signed copy of 

Home Where She Belongs, a fun book tote, 

and my publisher is giving away a $25 gift card.

Click the Zoom Link to join.

 

Peace in Difficulties

Life is hard sometimes. 

Being a believer in God, a follower of Jesus, and receiver of the Holy Spirit

equips me with the tools I need to navigate this crazy life.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

 James 1:2-3

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Psalm 29:11

 

Book Review: Once Upon A Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

Book Description:
Megs Devonshire sets out to fulfill her younger brother George's last wish by uncovering the truth behind his favorite story. The answer provides hope and healing and a magical journey for anyone whose life has ever been changed by a book.

1950: Margaret Devonshire (Megs) is a seventeen-year-old student of

mathematics and physics at Oxford University. When her beloved eight-year-old brother asks Megs if Narnia is real, logical Megs tells him it’s just a book for children, and certainly not true. Homebound due to his illness, and remaining fixated on his favorite books, George presses her to ask the author of the recently released novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a question: “Where did Narnia come from?”

Despite her fear about approaching the famous author, who is a professor at her school, Megs soon finds herself taking tea with C.S. Lewis and his own brother Warnie, begging them for answers.

Rather than directly telling her where Narnia came from, Lewis encourages Megs to form her own conclusion as he slowly tells her the little-known stories from his own life that led to his inspiration. As she takes these stories home to George, the little boy travels farther in his imagination than he ever could in real life.

Lewis’s answers will reveal to Megs and her family many truths that science and math cannot, and the gift she thought she was giving to her brother—the story behind Narnia—turns out to be his gift to her, instead: hope.

My Thoughts:
Once Upon a Wardrobe took me on the most amazing journey along with Megs and her endearing brother George. What a wonderful visit with C.S. Lewis and his brother Warnie. It's 1950 and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has just been published and eight-year-old George requires answers to the questions he has about Narnia and Aslam, and Megs is determined to find them. Patti Callahan has penned a beautiful work of art with her storytelling, characters, and adaptation of C.S. Lewis world in Oxford. If you are a fan of Lewis, Narnia, or excellent literature, you'll love this story. I plan to read it again and to read Callahan's Becoming Mrs. Lewis. I highly recommend this lovely story. 5+ stars. I purchased my copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

One More Week!

Oh Wow! It's only one week until release day!

If you have preordered, your book should arrive on May 1 or soon after.

Deborah Raney was kind enough to read

Home Where She Belongs and share an endorsement.

If you haven't read her books, check out her stories. They are wonderful!