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When the World Stopped

It took a couple hours to get through the cobwebs to find this page. It’s been a little over a year since I wrote my last blog post. I figured it was a waste of time, and I had better things to do. Better things to spend my time on. Time was precious.And now there…
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And So We Plant

It’s been a hard season. A scary few months. We began May with much joy, still celebrating the birth of our first granddaughter, Annabel Rose, born at the end of April. And she is everything we and her parents prayed for. She is beautiful. Perfect. All amazing baby cuddles and snuggles and sleepy smiles and…
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It's ACFW Conference Time!

I know, it’s been an age. And honestly, I’m not sure you’ll hear much from me around here anymore. I haven’t quite ‘hit’ the formulae that keeps people hooked. So this is more of a fun post that my friend Laurie Tomlinson has going, so I thought I’d join in the fun. It’s almost time…
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And So We Choose This Thing

Thirty one years. Today. I stood before him in a long white gown that cost more than my father wanted to spend, but he bought it for me anyway, because it was the one and he was ‘the one’ and my Dad would have bought me the moon if I said I wanted it. I stood…
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Is It Supposed To Hurt This Much?

That was a text I got from my daughter a few hours into labour. “Is it supposed to hurt this much?” I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t. Because, yes. It is. And it does. And it will continue to. With every challenge that comes with being a parent. Being a mother or father or…
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We're Waiting For You!

Dear Baby E, You’re late. I suspect this may be a good indication that we will get along well. (I think this trait may come from both sides!). As your grandmother, I reserve the right to tell you what’s up, and rest assured I probably will, whether you like it or not. Heads up –…
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Onward to 2017!

I hope your Christmas was fabulous! We spent a quiet day together, and then, in a shocking break from tradition, we went to a restaurant for Christmas dinner! It was lovely not having to spend the day chopping, peeling and cooking, constantly checking the clock to make sure everything was running on time. I’ll admit,…
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Where Is Your Identity?

I’ve just returned from a few days in Nashville, where I attended the American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference. I was trying to figure out dates in my head and I think this must be at least the eighth conference I’ve attended, and still, I’ll be honest, it’s the best of times and it’s the…
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Grace Awards 2015 Winners ~ in Faith Based Fiction

So honored to be a recipient of this year’s Grace Awards! And since I’m knee deep in edits this week, it gives me something to celebrate! And blog about. 😛
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Guarding The Writer’s Heart

Source: Guarding The Writer’s Heart
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Over in A Day

December 26, 2013 |

If you’re anything like me, your house probably resembles a war zone this morning. Dishes to be put away. Forgot to turn on the dishwasher. Stray glasses hiding here and there. And let’s not talk about the living room. Presents, garbage bag overflowing with wrapping paper, so easily discarded after being so painstakingly applied. It’s…

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Dreams, Death and Daring To Live…

December 16, 2013 |

We are about a week away from the end of 2013. My head is still spinning a little. As we rang in the new year for 2013, I looked forward to a busy year of happy planning and family celebration. I was already preparing for two bridal showers, the wedding and a reception in Bermuda…

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Shooting For The Moon…Or Somewhere In The General Vicinity.

November 18, 2013 |

Do you remember what it was like to dream? Remember laying on your back on a summer star-lit night, a warm wind caressing your cheeks, studying the sky and listening to the sound of your own heartbeat through the excitement charged darkness? Remember staring up at all those small shimmering stars, wondering how many there…

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The Waiting Room (aka Climbing The Walls)

November 4, 2013 |

We’ve all been there. Whether it’s the dentist, doctor, veterinary clinic…waiting is no fun. Especially when you don’t know the outcome. Ever been called back to run more tests, had to wait to speak to the doctor, trembling inside, wondering what news you will be given? Ever had to wait on news of a loved…

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Sunsets

October 19, 2013 |

One of my very favorite things is watching the sun go down. I don’t know why, but there’s just something majestic about a sunset. When I was at university in Ontario, I would go to the top of our res building and stand at the window in the corner and watch the sky change from…

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Family

October 17, 2013 |

* This past summer with my daughter and new hubby, his mom, (Dad was taking the photo) and my Dad and stepmom, and my son on the end. I don’t know about you, but family is the most important thing in my life. I am so grateful to God, every day, for blessing me with…

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In All Things…

October 16, 2013 |

I turned 48 on Sunday. I celebrate birthdays. Always have, always will. I love getting together with family and friends, a large group or small, doesn’t matter. I really don’t need a birthday, a reason, to celebrate. At least that’s what I’ve always thought. Lately, that hasn’t been true. Lately, life hasn’t been easy. Lately,…

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When Every Word Counts…Why I Do What I Do

October 9, 2013 |

A little over ten days or so ago, I wrote The End. The book is called First Harvest, and it’s been brewing since, oh, 2011 I suppose. I remember because that summer my mother in law was ill and we were driving back and forth from our cottage to her town, where she was hospitalized, about…

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Addendum To Today's Post

September 4, 2013 |

Well, I had a problem. After today’s blog, I began to receive comments that I wasn’t comfortable with. I decided not to post them. And then an astute blogger quoted my own words back to me. If we refuse to discuss the sin, how can point people toward the cross. Um, yeah. Point taken. So,…

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What In The World?

August 9, 2013 |

The past few days I’ve been reading news stories, blogs, Facebook posts and Tweets, and I shake my head. The first story that grabbed my attention and won’t let go is this one – African Rock Python Escapes, Kills Two Boys. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2013/08/09/nb-illegal-animals-campbellton-snake.html Say what? How the heck does this kind of thing happen? It’s so tragic…

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When the World Stopped

It took a couple hours to get through the cobwebs to find this page. It’s been a little over a year since I wrote my last blog post. I figured it was a waste of time, and I had better things to do. Better things to spend my time on. Time was precious.
And now there seems to be so much of it.
Seems like we’re just crawling through the days, trying to get through one, only to do the same tomorrow. Trying to make it through without losing our ever loving minds.
For anyone living under a rock, or for the reader who may inadvertently stumble over this post ten years from now, the world is in the midst of a Pandemic. COVID19 launched its attack a few months back, and now most of us around the globe are on lockdown in one form or another.
Social Distancing. Self-isolation. Quarantine. Curfews.
Ventilators.
Death toll.
These are words we have all become uncomfortably familiar with.
Borders are closed. Flights grounded. Storefronts shuttered.
And so many many people wondering how they’re going to make it through the year.
If they’re going to make it through the year.

That’s the kicker with this thing. You can be walking around with it for days before showing any symptoms. By then you’ve already infected a whole bunch of people, and they’ve infected a whole bunch of people, and on and on and on it goes.
I don’t need to tell you that. You’re living it with me.
And I guess if there are any beautiful moments to be found amidst this ongoing horror movie that has no off button, it’s the knowing that we’re not alone.
We’re all in this together.
For better or for worse.
Let’s not make it worse. Yeah, it’s easy to freak out. We worry about our elderly parents and grandparents. We worry about our teens and young adults and grown adults. We worry about our healthcare worker relatives and friends. We worry and we worry and we worry. Because none are spared. We are all at risk.
Raise you’re hand if you’re NOT having trouble sleeping.I’m getting in the habit of taking deep calming breaths, at least once or twice every hour. If I didn’t, I’d let my thoughts run wild. It’s easy to do, right?
Last year was a tough one for me. I cheered on 2020 with an exuberance I scoff at now. Because, what the heck is this?? This is not what we signed up for!!
Yet here we are.
Where is the good?

Well. We have more time to think. To talk. To listen.
To be creative.

Okay, I have to be honest. Being creative right now? It’s not really happening for me. These are the first words I’ve written in weeks. My anxiety level has been a bit off the charts and I can’t seem to concentrate on anything for long. But maybe this is a start. Maybe I’ll write more tomorrow. 

We also have more time to spend with our loved ones. Maybe more time than we want, but we can still go for walks, alone. Right?
And let’s thank Jesus for the Internet, because if you mute all the garbage, there’s good stuff to be had too. My husband and I chatted with my brother-in-law and his wife for an hour on Saturday on Facetime. Don’t think we’ve done that in a long time and it was awesome. We’re having to do Facetimes with our granddaughter right now because my husband is a pediatrician and he doesn’t know if he’s putting her at risk by seeing her. I’m seeing my less of my dad and stepmother because I’m afraid of putting them at risk. So that’s how we’re doing life right now. Online. Which is a whole lot better than nothing.

I’m spending a lot of time outdoors. I’m thankful that it’s Spring and we can leave the windows open, flooding the house with fresh air. We can go for walks. The birds are louder this year. I can hear the tree frogs at night because there is no traffic. The sky seems bluer. The sun warmer.

I have time to notice these things.
I have a lot of time. So do you.
How are you spending it?

I would encourage you by saying something I am sure you’ve heard a million times already; this too shall pass. At what cost, I couldn’t say, but I do know that at some point, this will end. And life will resume.
But it will never be the same.
This will have changed us.

I think we’ll all come out of this with a different perspective, but perhaps we may be a little kinder. A little slower to anger. A little less inclined to judge. A little more willing to stop, and give, rather than wonder what’s in it for me. Imagine what our world would be like with more love and less hate.

We have learned quickly how to protect ourselves. How to wash our hands. How to not touch our face. How to reach out to those in need.
How to love our neighbor. From six feet away.

Let us remember the good things that are happening in the midst of this hard hard time. Let us all learn from it.
Let us remember that when the world stopped, we carried on.
And survived.

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