Independence Day

Independence Day weekend

Remember.

Clouds

Beautiful, isn't it?

Beholding Him Ministries has been sharing Moses’ story and The Great I Am. As I read, the thought below grabbed hold of me. I thought about how God is a jealous God and does not relinquish what He has claimed as His own. He is willing to battle, even unto death and resurrection, to rescue His children and did. He is the ultimate warrior, fighting for each and every soul, including mine. He has claimed me, declaring me His, because I chose Him. My stumbling and falling, even when it’s flat on my face, doesn’t diminish His love for me, the tenderness He feels for me. He’s fierce in His determination to save me. The only thing that could separate us is me rejecting Him and battling to destroy His other children. Joining my life to His and choosing to help Him, He seals me His.

Author/artist Donna Keevers Driver provided the lovely picture, pairing it with a message that pierced my heart. It's something I need to remember, especially when I feel unworthy, and especially when I feel like I'm not enough.

Saturday Links

Ashlee McNicol shared a post over at A Writer's Path:
https://ryanlanz.com/2016/06/12/5-things-you-should-know-about-authors/

Author Beth Trissel kindly shares her lovely garden:
https://bethtrissel.wordpress.com/2016/06/19/when-the-world-wearies-and-society-fails-to-satisfy-there-is-always-the-garden-minnie-aumonier/

On her blog, Jenifer M. Eaton hosted Jennifer Bardsley:
https://jennifermeaton.com/2016/06/20/ten-steps-to-building-a-killer-authors-platform/

Yesterday was National Fairy Day. A bit of fun. Katie's Cottage Books shared Twig, who believe also attends our local Renaissance Fair:
https://katiescottagebooks.wordpress.com/2016/06/24/national-fairy-day/

God bless.

A bit of fun...

My adaptation for the 60-second pumpkin cake recipe posted on Pinterest. I tend to heap all the ingredients.

3 Tablespoons of white cake mix

1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. I make my own.

1 Tablespoon pumpkin puree

1 Tablespoon of water

I also add:

1/2 Tablespoon of chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 Tablespoon shredded coconut

Blend and cook in microwave for 60 seconds

Delicious.

Instead of a picture of the cake in the cup, a sunset from this spring.

Clouds

Saturday Links...

Beholding Him Ministries has Wisdom Wednesday:
https://beholdinghimministries.org/2016/06/01/wisdom-wednesday-28/

Team Never Quit podcasts are hosted by David Rutherford (Team FrogLogic) and Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor). This is the first one:
http://teamneverquit.com/podcast/defining-the-never-quit-mindset/

Meg Dowell wrote an interesting post on "What My First Time Ghostwriting Fiction Taught Me:
https://ryanlanz.com/2016/06/11/what-my-first-time-ghostwriting-fiction-taught-me/

Piper Bayard is a guest blogger on Writers In The Storm:
http://writersinthestormblog.com/2016/06/writing-craft-for-lone-wolves-and-authors-on-a-budget/

God bless

Cool clouds

Sometimes, it's important to stop and be aware.

Just Breathe.

"Impossibilities" Quote

From the creative talent of Donna Keevers Driver:

Clouds

"Unexpected Possibilities" meme...

...compliments of Donna Keevers Driver, author of The Path Chosen. Donna uses her pictures and my quotes. This one is James Thorn's musing on Lily Milton, in Unexpected Possibilities, Book 3 of the Endless Possibilities series. Isn't it beautiful?

Posts About Me 10

This is the tenth in a series of posts about me. I hope these help you decide my books are worth the read. I also hope they help save time for those who have no interest in my books. I know there's nothing more disappointing than expecting one kind of book and discovering what I'm reading isn't something I'm interested in reading. Not all books in a single genre are the same. Authors in the same genre are as different as football players on the same team and cupcake bakers. A lot of similarities but no two are alike.

I'm not a fan of exercise. I know I feel better if I do it, but that doesn't mean I like it. I choose walking because it's the easiest on the injured back and leg.

I've followed Rob Dubois since reading his book SEAL of Peace. In a FB post, he talked about the joy of gardening for him. He loves the dirt and sweat and hard work. He feels alive when he does it, completely connected. I commented that I don't feel that way about gardening, but I do about making bread from scratch. No bread machine. I love the process, especially the kneading.

There's something else. Working with horses. I owned one for five years. Every single morning, for five years, I groomed and grained him. I went out on Saturday night to clean his stall so I didn't need to do it Sunday morning. I cleaned his stall every morning, except Sunday. The work was dirty and sweaty, and I loved it. He had a number of health problems, and at 23 I had to put him down. It's been 14 years. I still miss him.

My Younger Brother, SiL, and nieces invited me out to meet the horses they lease. YB picked me up and we met SiL and one niece out there.

The first stop had eight horses, three mamas, three babies, and two geldings. The babies ranged in age from a month to three months. Adorable! I pet all of them, but the babies loved having their rumps scratched, the unreachable itchy spot. My niece invited me to help her groom one of the geldings. Gorgeous animal. I hadn't forgotten how soothing it was for me, but it was so wonderful to revel in it again.

The next stop was letting a few horses out and cleaning stalls. Yes, I enjoy cleaning stalls. There's something about the rhythmic sifting of bedding and ending up with ending up with a tidy stall. My back reminded me I hadn't done it in a while, but it wasn't bad.

I came home sweaty, filthy, and happy. It was a wonderful evening.

This is not my horse, but my sister found a free picture for me of my dream horse:

Share Links Saturday...

Sweethearts of the West shared a post on The Unforgettable Trusty Steeds of the West:
http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-unforgettable-trusty-steeds-of.html

History Imagined, Linda Bennett Pennell's blog, took her readers on an adventure through Norway:
https://historyimagined.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/land-of-the-midnight-sun/

Jean Fischer's Something to Write Home About explores 5 Unusual Ways to Get Your WIP Out of a Slump:
https://jeanfischer.wordpress.com/2016/05/30/5-unusual-ways-to-get-your-wip-out-of-a-slump/

Expressions of Me shared a touching message from a veteran for Memorial Day:
https://aerykah.wordpress.com/2016/05/30/happy-memorial-day-from-a-veteran/

The silly picture Motivating Daily shared makes me smile, and it's true:
https://motivatingdaily.com/2016/05/28/happiness-picture-2/

God bless.

Wordless

Errant Knight is available, today!

The Vicar's Daughter

At six and twenty and unwed, Penny accepts her status of spinster. She helps her father with the local parishioners of the duke's estate, often lending an ear to those too uncomfortable to speak to the vicar. Her simple life satisfies her. Serve the people of the estate, read to her heart's content, and stay out of the duke's way.

The Duke's Son

At six and twenty, Fitzgerald's goal in life is to avoid his father like the plague. That and chase down a ruthless criminal. Nowhere in his strategy is the renewing of a childhood friendship, even if she was his best friend.

The Inescapable Past

A duke desires to protect his secrets at any price. A vicar is helpless to protect his daughter. Is a son willing to defy his father to do what's right?

Quote from "Hidden Possibilities"

The lovely Donna Keevers Driver, author of The Path Chosen, created this lovely picture for Cait's thoughts:

Memorial Day

Never Forget

Shared Links Saturday

Patricia Johns shared a story she read about. May God bless the veteran and the judge.
https://patriciajohnsromance.com/2016/05/09/when-the-law-is-the-law/

I enjoyed the post on History Imaged. Linda Bennett Pennell brought back lovely memories of my visit to Scotland and added.
https://historyimagined.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/travels-through-historical-fiction-my-hearts-is-the-highlands/

A lovely post, "This is Amazing Grace," by Melissa Finnegan over at Genesis 5020:
https://5020genesis.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/this-is-amazing-grace/

God Bless.

Giving over to God

Yes, I was raised Christian. I've claimed the label for my own. I pray my life reflects my faith.

Having said that, I struggle with relying on God, for a number of reasons. I remind myself that they are excuses. However, defining them gives me a place to start in working through them.

As an abuse survivor, trust is a major struggle. How do I trust God when I was left in an abusive environment? Didn't He love me enough to save me?

It required a lot of years and tears to understand Jesus is more interested in saving my soul in the long term. I'm not saying the abuse was for my good. It wasn't. However, Jesus is powerful enough to overcome evil with good.

What I learned: Compassion, strength, courage. I struggled with my faith, but I also discovered my faith. While I didn't believe I trusted God, I came to understand that I trusted God bud I didn't trust me. Not trusting myself required approaching the problem in a different way.

Even as I've come to know I trust God, I struggle to give everything over to Him.

Being an abuse survivor, I need to feel in control. I'm finally accepting that me in control is not the best idea. Here's the amazing blessing: God allowed me to work through this at my own pace. He guided and offered inspiration through His Word and through amazing people who have also traveled my same journey and are willing to share their struggle.

The heart of my storytelling is the need to add my voice. My journey of faith is found within the pages of my stories. My prayer is that others find something of worth within those pages, something that strengthens them, inspires them, gives them hope.

Much of my battle to write each story is to step out of my own way and allow God to guide me.