Real Life is Better Than Fiction

My oldest daughter celebrated her 21 st birthday this month. Big milestone for her and another opportunity for me to feel even older than I already do. I recently wrote an article on the fact that it is never too early to begin praying for our children. That article was based on a memory of the day that my oldest daughter was born. She was the first grandchild on my side of the family. My husband called to tell my mother the news that she was now a proud grandmother. When my husband returned to my room I asked what my mother said. He told me, “She didn’t say much of anything. She just cried a lot.” (Yes, I get my sappiness from her!)   After I went home from the hospital my mother came for a week-long visit and I was able to speak to her more as she basked in the glow of being a first-time Grandmother. She relayed this story to me:   “I didn’t want to call anyone or say anything since it was Wednesday night. I thought I would just go into church and announce it when we ...

It’s the start of a new year. This is the perfect time to set some goals for yourself. I much prefer goals over resolutions. Resolutions give me the impression of an everyday task that is soon left by the wayside. A goal to me is something I have 365 days to accomplish – not so much pressure there!    There are definitely some personal goals I have for this year as well as some business goals. As I think and pray about them I get excited to see what God will accomplish. Our church has adopted the theme “Christ magnified through us” this year. I have taken that as a goal for me personally. I want God to be magnified in everything I do. As long as I keep that in mind and work toward that end, all my other goals should fall into place.   With that being said, I have laid out my goals for the upcoming year. I am going to get at least one more book published (three would be nice!). I am going to promote myself more (definitely not my strong suit). I am going to write m...

Please help me welcome Fay Lamb to the blog today. She is guest posting about a Christmas memory that stands out in her mind, even after several years. My husband is the type of father Brad Paisley sings about in his song, “He Didn’t Have To Be.” Marc took my children, Corey and Ethan, into his heart at first sight. Marc was an only child. His mother’s reasoning is that he was such a good child she didn’t want to take the chance that a second child wouldn’t be as wonderful. I used to wave the comment off, but the truth is, she did raise a very good child to be a wonderful husband and father. Not only did Marc accept my children as his own, his mother and his father embraced them as grandchildren. From the first time they met, my boys called the senior Lambs Grandma and Grandpa. One of my favorite memories, and the lesson that came with it, is of our first Christmas together. We were all excited about our initial holiday season as a family. On Christmas morning, the kids ...

In my job as editor I get to meet some amazing people. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE helping people see their work in print through the small publisher that I work for (Pine Haven Press) when they have no chance of being published at a bigger, less personal publishing house. Don’t get me wrong; some of those publishing house do great things. However, many of them do not take authors who do not have a ready platform or a way of selling thousands of books right of the press. To me there is no greater joy than seeing an author hold their book in their hands for the first time. Many thought of it as an impossible dream.    That is why I want to bring to your attention one of the most recent books published by Pine Haven Press. Grandy’s Christmas Stories started years and years ago. It is just now printed for many others to enjoy. The author, Peggy Bennett, wrote a Christmas story to read to her children and grandchildren each year. This book is a compilation of those stories. Some of...

Read Chapter One here . Read Chapter Two Part One here .     Chapter Two Part Two By Ruth O'Neil Not wanting to dwell on that memory, I quickly continued on the winding path through the woods. A breeze swirled around me, chilling me to the bone. I snuggled deep into my coat and remembered how Grammie had once walked down this path on a windy day, holding our two small hands in her own. “Do you hear that?” she had asked. “I hear the leaves in the trees,” Lauren had answered. “That’s right. Do you know what they’re saying?” “Grammie,” I said, “trees don’t actually talk.” “Oh, but they do. They’re singing and praising God, their Creator.” “Grammie, that’s silly.” Even Lauren had a hard time believing it. “I’ll show you the verse that proves it when we get back to the house.” At the end of the path was the hill where we used to take Grammie and Gramps on picnics when they came to visit. In the winter months, we would sled down that same hill and ex...

Chapter Two Part One By Ruth O'Neil I dumped the contents of the envelope onto the table and they fell out with a clunk. I pushed aside the papers and smaller envelope to discover a credit card and key. Instinctively, I knew what it opened, but just in case I hadn’t known, Grammie included a tag with “Home” written on it. The key was for the old farmhouse we had lived in before our parents moved to Boston when I was eight. All the locks used skeleton keys unlike many of today’s modern locks. I took a breath before unfolding the note then looked at Grammie’s familiar handwriting. Dear Gracie, They say, “home is where the heart is.” For this stop in your journey, I want you to go home. I hope you can find the child’s heart you left there. I think you will be surprised at what you discover. Love, Grammie P.S. I think there’s enough on the credit card for your whole trip’s expenses, as long as you don’t start dining at five-star restaurants! The three-acre plot we h...

Christmas is often a time of tradition. I know in our family there are several traditions that we continue each year. This December I thought it would be fun if you shared your family traditions or funny family holiday mishaps. If you would like to be a part of the holiday blog, please let me know via the contact page.   Of course today starts the WIP and PNP The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt story. Tomorrow I will post the first part of my chapter as well as links to chapter 1. Tuesday I will post the second half of my chapter along with links to chapter 3. I invite you all to take part in this story by reading each day’s posts of chapters by some amazing writers.   Later this week I will have a guest post from a couple of writing friends and their Christmas memories.   December is a busy month, both off and online for me. Let’s take each moment to truly celebrate the birth of Christ. If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to my blog to receive notificat...