Spider in a Blue House

            All I could say was “Wow!”  What I stood and watched was like something out of a children’s movie. 

It all started on my mother’s covered front porch where she has hung many wind chimes.  On one particular day, my family and I were all standing on the front porch and talking. I was standing next to a wind chime that had a little blue house with white trim.  It also had two stories with its own miniature front porch.  A brown spider had built a web from the bottom of the blue house’s porch down to the porch hand railing.

As I’m sure most of you know I am terrified of spiders.  So I kept my distance from it as we all stood and talked.  A small storm was approaching and the wind picked up.  The spider’s web danced in the wind and the chimes rang out.  That little brown spider crawled up its web to the house.  Then it climbed up the little white porch and went in through the door frame to inside the house as if it actually lived in the house. It was truly like seeing something out of a children’s story.

 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1(NIV)

            That little spider knew where to go when a storm came up.  Do you?  If not, may I suggest turning to God for safety.  He can ride out any storm.  Nothing is beyond is Him. And I think God made you smarter than a spider. 

 

Vacation Time

                Not to rub it in, but I had my vacation last week.  Tim and I mainly worked around the house and ran a few errands, but we did take one day and visited The Biltmore House in Asheville North Carolina.  It was awesome.  If you have never visited there, I would suggest going at least once.  Its beauty and opulence are breath taking. I can’t imagine calling a place like that home.  Being a klutz, I would be afraid to touch anything.  But as believers in Christ, we have our own mansion awaiting us.

“The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.” Revelation 21:18-21 (NIV)

                I don’t think we can truly appreciate the beauty of Heaven this side of eternity.  But there are other appeals to Heaven as well. 

“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4 (NIV)

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” Revelation 21:23 (NIV)

                I hope these verses will give you all little encouragement this week.  Nothing on Earth can compare to what is awaiting us one day in Heaven!

Geroge and Wheezy

As a kid in the 70s, I loved to watch George and Wheezy on “The Jeffersons.” I thought it was hilarious and never missed a show!  For those of you who still don’t know who I’m talking about, George and Wheezy (Louise) Jefferson were the main characters of the TV show.  George started a dry cleaning business that became so successful that he and Wheezy were able to move from their old neighborhood to an upscale high rise apartment. In the older episodes, there’s a shot of a moving van in the show’s opening sequence. 

Have any of you ever moved?  Chances are you have at least once in your life.  What did you take when you moved?  What did you leave behind? I don’t know about you, but when we moved 3 years ago, I went through all my stuff and I was amazed that I had accumulated so much over the years.  I was even more amazed at how much of it was trash or stuff I didn’t need any more that I was still hanging on to.

 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV)

            When we become Christians, we are new creatures.  We are reborn.  So we need to let go of the old stuff that is hampering our walk with Him and bringing us down.  Take it to the dump and don’t look back!  And by the way, we also have our own high rise upscale home waiting for us. And the best part is Jesus has paid for it in full.

Blog Hop!

My writer  friend Paula Mowery and I are participating in a blog hop.  We are talking about our
works in progress.  I have questions about my first mystery project listed below.  Please go to the link below to see Paula's blog about her latest project.  She's a very talented writer.  You know what they say, "Birds of a feather flock together."

http://paulamowery.blogspot.com/

What is the working title of your book? 


Anointed With Uniqueness. I am still thinking of other title options.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

It just came to me.  I had been talking to my co-workers about how different and unique I am compared to the rest of my family.

What genre does your book fall under?

Cozy mystery with a little bit of romance and suspense sprinkled in.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 


For the main character, I would pick Alyson Hannigan.  Her best friend would be played by Kaley Cuoco, and the love interest would be Taylor Lautner.

 What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A young woman, who is the family misfit, uses her uniqueness and her imagination when she uncovers a family mystery that led to murders.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I hope represented by an agency, but I am open to self-publishing.  Like most writers, I believe in my story and I want to see it make a difference.  It’s not always easy being the “different” one.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

Still working on it.  I’m tying in family history with real history and trying to get it all to fit.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 

Murder on the Ol' Bunions by S Dionne Moore

Fudge Lace Felonies by  Cynthia Hicky

Death Gets an F by Terri Main

  

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

My own experiences of being “unique.”  I want people to know its okay to be the person God made you to be.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

It takes place in early 80s before there were cell phones, iphones, internet, or lap tops.  Lot of leg work and adventure along the way

Schleprock

            Schleprock had something unique about him, besides his name.  No matter where he went, he had a rain cloud over his head.  In case you’re not familiar with Schleprock, he was a cartoon character on Hanna-Barbera’s Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show.  He was the one who always had bad luck, hence his rain cloud.

            Ever feel like Schleprock when you have a run of bad luck?  I felt like it on Mother’s Day.  Actually, the day started off well with cards and candy.  It went downhill from there.  I cracked my car window about 9 inches while at my mother’s house for lunch.  When I went to leave, a bird had managed to fly into the cracked window and had gotten trapped in my car. Once I managed to get the frazzled bird out, it took me a while to clean my car on the inside.

            I’m not done yet.  That morning I was running late for Sunday school and forgot to take the trash out to the garage.  While I was gone, my dog, Little John, got in the trash and had a hay day!  So I got to clean that mess up too.  Later on I opened up a Diet Dr. Pepper and it spewed everywhere!  It was as if a small volcano was erupting. God had placed a rain cloud over my head that day, or did He?

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Job 1:22(NIV)           

I’m the one who cracked a window big enough for a bird to fly in.  I’m the one who forgot to take out the trash.  I’m the one who went be-bopping through the house with a carbonated drink in my hand. I’m not going to blame God when I’m the one who made the wrong choices.  By the end of the day, I had to laugh. At that point, my cloud became a rainbow.

Flowers and a Grape Nehi

            On May 8^th, 1982, Tim and I had our first date and we’ve been together ever since.  I want to commensurate that occasion with a sweet story. 

            We had been married about 3 years when Tim came in from work one day with a surprise for me.  He asked me to close my eyes and hold out my hands.  What he placed in my hands meant the world to me.  It was a grape Nehi can full of beautiful little pink and purple flowers. At that point, I realized just how much I was on his mind and in his heart.

            Tim used to work next to a railroad track.  On this fateful day, he noticed the beautiful little flowers growing next to the track and thought of me.  He picked them, but he knew he needed to put them in something.  The only thing he had was an empty grape Nehi can.  So he cut the top off, cleaned it, and put water and the flowers in it.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)

            He could have shrugged and walked away. He could have picked up the phone and called a florist.  But he didn’t.  He loved me enough to take the time to pick the flowers especially for me.  You see, it’s not the big things that really matter, but the little thoughtful things.  The little things that say, “I love you and I’m always thinking of you.”  What “little thing” have you done for somebody you love?  It may mean the world to them.

Gumball Machines

            I am still a kid at heart and I can prove it.  I took my grandmother out to lunch Sunday and we had to wait in the restaurant’s lobby for a table.  That’s where I saw the gumball machines.  My heart skipped a beat.  What wondrous prizes those glass spheres hold. There were bubblegum balls, bouncy balls, and my favorite, jewelry. It was all I could do not put quarters in them and turn the handles.

            I grew up on a farm and we had a well for our water supply. Anytime we had a problem with the well, my mom and mamaw (grandmother) would take the laundry to the laundry mat. I loved to do that.  In the back of the building were rows of gumball machines. Oh my goodness!  I couldn’t wait to waste their quarters.  It was so exciting to put the quarter in the slot and turn the handle.  What exotic prize awaited me? 

             Of course I went to different machines, but I always got a bouncy ball first.  If there were other kids there, we would play together with them.  Sometimes we wreaked a little havoc.  The ones that held jewelry were a different story.  Very rarely did I get the pretty piece of jewelry I saw on the front of the machine.  Then I would have to beg and plead for another quarter as I tried for the prize I wanted.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21(NIV)

            Aren’t life’s happenings like the prizes in the gumball machines?  We see the pretty prizes we want and try our best to get them.  Sometimes we do get the little piece of jewelry or the pink glittery bouncy ball we want.  At other times, we never get the prize that we want regardless of how many quarters we may spend. God knows what prizes are best for us and which ones are not.  Thankfully, His plans will always prevail and not ours.  Besides, I don’t know about you, but I don’t have that many quarters.