LeBlog--The Blog about life…writing, raising kids, chasing dogs, handling life and all its bit parts.

August 30, 2012

 

Once in a Blue Moon

Once in a blue moon. You've heard the phrase. It really means something that's rare. Tomorrow, Friday, August 31st will be one of those rare occurrences where there is a blue moon, which is actually the second full moon of the month. It won't happen again until 2018. So be on the lookout for it. It's also the day of Neil Armstrong's memorial service. Once in a blue moon, an individual comes along who changes our thinking. Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon in 1969 opened up our minds to so many possibilities. He inspired so many. And that event impacted so many lives.

When I was five years old, I remember lying on our gold shag carpet and watching our Zenith television as the event unfolded. It inspired me in ways I'm still not sure I fully realize.

One day a few years ago, I was thinking about that event and how so many people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when that space suit boot touched the lunar surface. What a moment! But I wondered, 'what if that moment wasn't a happy memory." And so my crazy brain started going on a weird and wacky plot, challenging me about my own beliefs, skepticisms, and gullibilities.

Recently there was a post on The Huffington Post about the Roswell, New Mexico crash in 1947. Was it a UFO or not?

Aliens. Do you believe they exist or don't you?

Elvis. Is he dead or alive?

Kennedy's assassination. One man or conspiracy?

Conspiracy theories abound in the American culture. What do they say about you if you believe or don't believe? Are you by nature a sceptic or are you easily able to take a leap of faith. Or do you consider the leap of faith the equivalent of jumping off a cliff without benefit of parachute or parasail?

Maybe you are a sceptic of the suspicion that all these things are working together for one world dominance. Or maybe you doubt everything that comes from government bureaucracy.

Sceptic. Gullible. Believers. Where are the fine lines that define these character traits? And where do you fall?

In my book, Once in a Blue Moon, (Click on the link to read chapter one) I explored these questions and much more, challenging my non-believing character Bryn to take a leap of faith. So what about you? Does this article on Roswell affirm your beliefs that there are aliens or does it make you more of a sceptic?


Shrouded in clouds, the observatory in Marfa, Texas, where I visited for research for Once in a Blue Moon.

I need to give away a copy of Once in a Blue Moon! So leave a comment, and I'll draw a name Friday night.

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August 28, 2012

 

Five Lessons from the Olympics

The Olympics are over. Even though not having the Olympics on what seemed like 24/7 frees up much of my time, I still miss it. One of my favorite commercials during the Olympics was seeing the wannabe swimmer, who watched a race on her iPad and then wrote the time her hero achieved on a write-on board. Here are the five ways the Olympics help me.

1. Inspiration spurs us to make goals. Goal setting is important and watching these athletes is like watching goals in action. Sometimes those goals are not met, and yet sometimes more is achieved than anyone thought possible. But watching these athletes reach for their goals, reassessing and readjusting those goals, is a great lesson for all of us. For me, it is truly inspiring to see an athlete standing on the podium, receiving a gold medal, and becoming teary eyed during the Star Spangled Banner. My goals may not be their goals, but learning from these amazing individuals can push me to be better than I ever thought I could be.

2. Even though I’m fairly sure I’ll never be an Olympic athlete, watching the Olympics can push me to workout just a little harder, push through those times when I’d rather get off the treadmill or forget about lifting weights or turn back for home sooner than I should. These athletes amaze me. They push through tough times, heartache, depression, and difficulties. They fall off an apparatus, dust themselves off, and get back up. Sometimes I’m too ready to give up. Watching these amazing athletes pushes me forward when I’m ready to give up.

3. The Olympics remind me that ordinary people can reach the extraordinary. And it can be amazing.

4. Behind all those amazing moments seen on television when it all comes together for an athlete are hours upon hours of preparation, hard work, and dedication. They didn’t decide that week to be an Olympic athlete. They made the commitment to their goal years and years before that moment. They dedicated thousands of hours of work to their goal. They sacrificed many things. It takes commitment, dedication, and sacrifices to achieve so much.

5. Setting measurable goals help us reach for the seemingly impossible and make them possible. Start small and build. Once you reach a small, measurable goal, then make the next step. One at a time. Goals build upon each other.


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August 21, 2012

 

Sharpen Your Pencils, Rev Your Engines

It's time for the new school year to start! Both of my children started school yesterday and are diligently at work today on their homework.


This year will feel like a race toward the finish line in May, with the occasional pit stop for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break, as we speed through many wonderful activities and events and milestones.

Thinking back to my own school days, memories sharpen like a No. 2 pencil. I remember friends who were in classes, activities of retro sock hops in sixth grade, selling ribbons on Fridays for the football games, and Homecoming dances and mums. I remember being separated from my best friend in first grade, being moved to the higher reading class and crying all weekend over not being with my favorite teacher Mrs. Lutz in second grade, and not making drill team the first year I tried out in high school. I remember having a crush on a certain cute boy named John, being asked to marry another boy in kindergarten while doing the duck walk, and listening to Mrs. Hudson read aloud the Little House books.

I can't say I remember all the dates I had to memorize for history or Latin phrases or all the math. Learning often takes place outside the lines and pages of text books--in the understanding of human nature and interactions with teachers and other students. One thing I learned throughout my years in school is that learning is important and it doesn't end with graduation. Whether you're older than your teachers or younger, learning is a lifelong pursuit.

One of my favorite teachers was Dr. Buchanan. She was a history teacher in my high school. She made me think and question. She pushed me harder than any teacher ever had. She wouldn't settle for mediocre. She didn't settle for thinking inside the box. She was wise and funny and thought-provoking. I remember having an 89.8 in her class, and I argued she should raise it to a 90 so I wouldn't have to take the final. She said I needed to take the final. No argument worked to change her mind. For the first time in high school, I actually had to study. She knew what I needed. And I learned. And I loved her for pushing me to beyond what I thought I could do. She was a great teacher.

I also remember my years of teaching school. The last year I taught, I had a student named…Paul. I changed his name to protect the innocent…or not so innocent. I was teaching Pre-first grade. He was in first grade for exactly one week before his teacher transferred him to my class. Paul had a problem. He was scared. Immature. And freaked out by school. So he would try to escape from school everyday and run home. Some days, I would have to hold Paul in my lap to keep him from bolting out the door. After two weeks of that, Paul finally settled down and realized he could do this work. He was smart and turned out to be my best student that year. I have such fond memories of him and so many other students I taught.

Now my children are accumulating memories as they move through their school years. I pray they will have happy memories and that the inevitable hard ones will build character and understanding. There is more to learn than what is written in their text books and all their learning will shape them into who they will become and how they will act and react in the future. I pray for their teachers, for wisdom and understanding. I pray for all teachers, for protection and encouragement, that they will be a blessing to their students and be blessed in return for their efforts and patience. I pray for all the students, both young and old, to do their best and gain not just knowledge but wisdom.


As we speed through the new year, take time to enjoy the moments.


Celebrate the good grades, hug and learn from the less than perfect scores, and know that there is so much more to life than a report card. Celebrate the little accomplishments as well as the bigger ones. Celebrate learning. Celebrate growth. Celebrate truth. Have a blessed school year, all you teachers and lifelong students!

Do you have a student going to school? Or are you a teacher? Do you have a special memory of another student or a teacher? What was your favorite subject? History?
English? Recess?


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August 16, 2012

 

Elvis Front and Center

Thirty-five years. Seems unreal that much time has passed since Elvis's death. I distinctly remember that day. It was a hot, August day in Dallas, where I lived. I was still a schoolgirl, but my older brother had introduced me to Elvis's music that summer.

My brother was home that summer from college. He'd call me into his bedroom and play You Ain't Nothing But a Hound Dog for me. Then he'd call his girlfriend (who later became his wife) and without saying 'hello' or 'how are you?' he'd signal for me to put the needle on the right groove. Elvis's voice would boom out of the speakers, and we'd laugh together. It was one of those rare moments, a bit silly now looking back and of course very immature, and yet I treasure it. My brother and I, separated by seven years, were not all that close growing up. I idolized him, cheered for him at all his football, baseball, and basketball games, and yet he was off doing teenage things from the time I was little. To me, he and his friends were like rock stars, and I had crushes on all of his friends. So somehow my love for Elvis's music is tied up in all of that childhood adoration for my brother.

That adolescent love for my brother and for Elvis was like a shiny toy, glittery and sparkly. When on August 16, 1977 I heard the tragic news of Elvis's death, it felt like that pretty gift, wrapped in the innocence of childhood, was smashed.

I remember going to a school event that day and saying to someone, "Did you hear the news?" But most of my friends hadn't. And to most of them it meant nothing. Some didn't even know about Elvis. It would take me thirty-five years to understand how Elvis was tied up with my own emotions for my brother. I even wrote a book about Elvis called Elvis Takes a Back Seat, and looking back at the metaphors and symbolism in that book, I can see now that the death of Elvis began the dethroning of my innocence.

Do you remember when Elvis died? Did it impact you? What event shattered your world as a child?


Here I am paying homage to Elvis a few years ago when I visited Graceland for research for Elvis Takes a Back Seat. For a peek at chapter one of Elvis Takes a Back Seat click here.

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August 9, 2012

 

Do You or Don't You Believe?

Once in a blue moon. You've heard the phrase. It really means something that's rare. Tomorrow, Friday, August 31st will be one of those rare occurrences where there is a blue moon, which is actually the second full moon of the month. It won't happen again until 2018. So be on the lookout for it. It's also the day of Neil Armstrong's memorial service. Once in a blue moon, an individual comes along who changes our thinking. Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon in 1969 opened up our minds to so many possibilities. He inspired so many. And that event impacted so many lives.

When I was five years old, I remember lying on our gold shag carpet and watching our Zenith television as the event unfolded. It inspired me in ways I'm still not sure I fully realize.

One day a few years ago, I was thinking about that event and how so many people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when that space suit boot touched the lunar surface. What a moment! But I wondered, 'what if that moment wasn't a happy memory." And so my crazy brain started going on a weird and wacky plot, challenging me about my own beliefs, skepticisms, and gullibilities.

Recently there was a post on The Huffington Post about the Roswell, New Mexico crash in 1947. Was it a UFO or not?

Aliens. Do you believe they exist or don't you?

Elvis. Is he dead or alive?

Kennedy's assassination. One man or conspiracy?

Conspiracy theories abound in the American culture. What do they say about you if you believe or don't believe? Are you by nature a sceptic or are you easily able to take a leap of faith. Or do you consider the leap of faith the equivalent of jumping off a cliff without benefit of parachute or parasail?

Maybe you are a sceptic of the suspicion that all these things are working together for one world dominance. Or maybe you doubt everything that comes from government bureaucracy.

Sceptic. Gullible. Believers. Where are the fine lines that define these character traits? And where do you fall?

In my book, Once in a Blue Moon, I explored these questions and much more, challenging my non-believing character Bryn to take a leap of faith. So what about you? Does this article on Roswell affirm your beliefs that there are aliens or does it make you more of a sceptic?


Shrouded in clouds, the observatory in Marfa, Texas, where I visited for research for Once in a Blue Moon.

I need to give away a copy of Once in a Blue Moon! So leave a comment, and I'll draw a name Friday night.

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August 7, 2012

 

A New Heart, A New View

This morning, my husband and I went out early to walk on the beach. The waves were rough and as we headed west toward storm clouds we thought we might get rained on. The clouds darkened and swelled. Finally, long after we’d passed our turn-around point, we stopped and headed back for the rental house. When we did, we saw a beautiful sunrise in the east, the sun pushing away a thin layer of pale clouds.



Sometimes life seems dark and ominous and yet when we turn, when we gain a new perspective, we see the promise and hope coming over the horizon.

Not too many years ago, my husband called me one evening and I could hear something in his voice. Something was wrong. He’d been laid off. Of course, we immediately saw the dark storm clouds threatening our lives. Yet, that devastating change, painful as it was, also brought us new opportunities. Looking back, we can both see it was a blessing.

But it’s often hard to get a new perspective when we’re in the midst of a storm, when the wind is churning around us and thunder is rumbling, when we’re suffering and in pain. If we look for God’s perspective in the situation, it can help us to see the storm for what it is. Maybe it’s helping us grow. Maybe it’s bringing a change and a blessing. Maybe we can’t understand why but we can see that it’s brief.



How do we get God’s perspective? For me, I read the bible and through reading God’s word I gain better understanding of myself and the situations I’m going through.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

What storm have you weathered that when you gained God’s perspective or looked at the sky from a different perspective you garnered a new appreciation for what you were going through?

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August 2, 2012

 

Storms of Life

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Matt 7:24-26

There have been times in my life when my footing was not on solid rock, and I was easily tossed to and fro by whatever prevailing philosophy came along. This week while I’ve been walking (or trying to walk) along the beach, I’ve been thinking of this verse. The sand is so deceptive. At times it looks as if it’s solid and packed hard but it can fool me and suddenly the ground shifts beneath me. Thankfully, I’ve got good balance. But it’s one reason my 81 year old mother isn’t walking on the beach. I want to keep her safe. Because out there on the sandy shore, there may not be anything for her to cling to when the sand shifts beneath her or a wave rushes shore.




There are times in our lives when storms hit, when winds blow, driving rain pounds us, and lightning strikes. If we are out on the beach we’re in the danger zone. But if we have a rock, a solid faith to cling to, then we can make it through. I have experienced times in my life when all I had was my faith. When the winds finally died down and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, I realized not only did I have a solid rock beneath me but also God sheltered me from the storm.

For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. Psalm 61:3




Are you in a storm now? Are you clinging to faith or struggling to find solid footing? Or maybe you’ve recently been through a storm. How did you withstand the winds and rains?

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August 1, 2012

 

Release day!

It's release day for my book Plain Fear: Forbidden! This is book #2 of my series.

Rachel Schmidt Nussbaum, a young Amish widow, is now seven-and-a-half months pregnant with her first child. She blames herself for her husband Josef’s death, and believes she is being punished by God for her past sins.
So when a stranger arrives claiming to be an old friend from her wilder years, saying only she can fix things for him, for Josef, and for herself, she makes an impulsive decision to follow him. It is a decision that will send Rachel on a dangerous journey—one that will lead her to the depths of ultimate danger, the potential for new love, and a battle that will decide both the fate of her soul and the life of her unborn child.

I loved one review, which said Rachel had a heart of a lioness. And she does!




Also I'm visiting another blog today where I'm telling 10 things you may not know about me. Hope you'll drop by for a chance to win a copy of Forbidden.

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