As you know, here on the blog and generally as I navigate life, I love to speak positivity. It’s my happy place. The reality is, though, life isn’t always fair, kind or happy. Sometimes, there are ways we can juggle bad things or tiptoe around them. Sometimes, there’s no other way but to just plow right through the situation. As …
When Dreams Die via Janalyn Voigt
I think if we’re honest, everyone has dreams. We dream different things, but each of us has an intrinsic desire to see our goals come to fruition. We long to see those little seeds of hope, our most fervent desires, sprout and blossom into something beautiful. Something successful. Today please welcome my friend Janalyn Voigt as she shares what happened when …
Five Things to Encourage You in Your Journey
From the moment we’re born, encouragement takes root. Mom and Dad cheer as we try and succeed at new things. Friends motivate us with kind words and recognition. Our influential sphere—confidantes and colleagues—inspire us to persevere and think beyond the comfortable. During our life journey, as we mature, we realize the value of encouragement. It buoys us during life-stretching seasons. …
So… What Next?
For a writer, there’s nothing quite as thrilling as landing your first book deal. Toss in a three-book deal and the series of your heart and you’re convinced you’ve just been showered with fairy dust. From the moment your agent delivers the news that an editor loves your project and has made an offer, to signing your name on the dotted …
Baby, It’s Cold Outside…But I Have Great News!
Brrr. Here in my little corner of the world, it’s cold! Though we’ve started a slow warming trend, for the past week or so, winter’s locked us in the deep freeze. I’m a born-and-raised Ozarks gal, but I’m not a fan of cold weather. Never have been, never will be. The good thing? It can’t last forever! And despite the …
Revisiting Hope
Have you ever experienced those moments you knew you’d remember with vivid clarity? Maybe it’s your wedding day. Your children’s births. A family celebration or a special holiday. Maybe, though, it’s more specific than that. Maybe it’s that sixty-second encounter, a fleeting impression, or a few fractured seconds in your twenty-four hour day. Perhaps, it’s that one thing—the thing that …
When Spring Came With Growing Pains (Part Four – Final Installment)
I have to be honest. Actually, fall is my favorite season. When these old hills and hollows are awash with saffron, red, and orange, there’s nothing more beautiful…except maybe the month of spring. I can think of only one time I wished fall would hurry and pass—when color gave way to dormant browns and grays and stayed that way, at least …
When Spring Came With Growing Pains (Part Three)
Ahh. Spring. I sense it. Can all but touch it. Last week we hit the upper seventies in my little corner of the Ozarks. Yesterday? We struggled to make it past the freezing mark. Last night? A hard freeze. My poor crabapple trees, laden with fresh, new buds and ready to bloom, may not—at least, this spring. Alas. There’s a …
Spring is Coming (Part Two)
Spring is a marvelous season ripe with promise and new opportunities. After long, cold months of sun-starved days and muted browns and grays, we’re more than ready to discard Old Man Winter and move on. We’re excited about what’s up ahead. The past is behind us and the world is our oyster. And yet—sometimes, new seasons don’t come without growing pains. …
Exhausted? Buckle Up. Spring is Coming.
By the time March arrives, I’m a little battle-worn. I’m tired of cold, dreary days, limited sunshine, and colorless landscapes. I’m ready for that glorious new season brimming with beauty and blossoms—spring. A friend voiced the same sentiment. “You know, I’m exhausted. I think the winter must be a writer’s bane. We hibernate in our caves so much that we …