Potpourri of thoughts

It’s late at night. Ray and Leah are in bed asleep. Our house is quiet, save for the faint sound of the neighbor’s dog barking. There’s a nearly full moon, hazy with clouds tonight.

Tomorrow is the Strawberry Full Moon, so named because the Algonquin tribes knew it as a signal to gather ripening fruit, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

It will also be Friday the 13th, and combined with the full moon, people are freaking out, thinking that it’s going to be a double bad luck day. Full moons have been said to be connected with earth quakes, and superstitious teachers and parents say they are a cause of kids acting out badly. My sister Maria swears by a full moon for a prediction of her sons’ worst behavior. It’s either that or the fact that they are just rambunctious boys! (I love them dearly, even if they are rambunctious, and don’t get to see them enough, living so far away!)

The last several days have been full, my desk an avalanche of papers (seriously), and now I finally get a chance to sit down and blog. This post will be a potpourri of thoughts, since it’s been awhile.

I’ve been busy working on speaking presentation notes, and creating handouts and training videos for the Just Write No Excuses Virtual Summer Bootcamp. Just 3 more days and the doors close!

If you’ve been saying, “I want to write a book,” but have been procrastinating, struggle with perfectionism or fears, don’t have confidence, or don’t know how to write a book, this bootcamp is for you!

Including myself, there are 20 aspiring authors in this bootcamp. It’s been amazing watching God bring these writers together in one place to be encouraged and motivated to write.

The first training call was great, and I love seeing the writers’ stories shared in the private Facebook group for feedback, encouragement, and writing critiques. Real life, true stories. One in a fiction setting, of childhood sexual abuse. A woman diagnosed with Lyme’s disease, her health problems complicated by prescription drug interactions called Serotonin Syndrome. Deep poems about God. A male college student’s fiction story about  a futuristic society, in which the world was ravaged by war and viruses,where medical supplies are more valuable than gold. Bible studies about Godly womanhood and marriage. A book about sanctification, a word we rarely hear today. Books from the heart of these anointed, creative writers, ready to be born!

There’s still time to join; hurry, though, because the doors close after June 15! You can save your seat now by clicking here.

Tomorrow 

Tomorrow, or should I say today since it’s well past midnight, I am babysitting our grandkids, Annabelle and Violet. (Yes, you are SO right, I look TOO young to have grandchildren! Heehee. I’m often told when Heather introduces me to people as her mom that we look more like sisters and I look way too young to be her mother. No joke. I’ll take these kinds of compliments while I still can.)

Anyhoo,they don’t call me grandma; they call me “Nana.” It sounds better, doesn’t it? One day about a week ago, I was babysitting and we went inside McDonald’s for Violet to go to the restroom. A woman eating her cheeseburger and fries observed their hyper behavior, mistaked me for the mom, and said, “Just wait until they get to be teens!”

Then she heard Annabelle call me, “Nana.” She did a double-take and asked, “You’re a nana? A grandma? You don’t look old enough to be a grandmother! Did you start having kids when you were 12 or what?” I laughed, and told her I had gotten pregnant with Heather when I was 18.

She then turned to Annabelle and asked, “Is this really your grandmother?” Annabelle, about as literal as you can get (like me and Heather) shook her head no. The woman looked surprised and maybe a little concerned….was I kidnapping these kids?  I laughed again and explained they didn’t call me “grandma.” Annabelle said, “She’s our nana!” I’m glad I fit into such a special category with them; there’s only ONE Nana! (Their paternal grandmother and paternal step-grandmother are both called “Grandma.”)

Mystery solved. The woman told me before I left that I looked good for my age and must have good genes. Made my whole day; I wanted to hug her! 

The single mom – hardest job in the world

Violet was diagnosed with strep throat this week, but supposedly she’s no longer contagious. (I’m praying no one else gets it!) I feel fairly sure that they’ll be begging me to go to McDonald’s again for lunch, their fave place for food and fun, but Violet needs to rest. She’s had a high fever even on Tylenol. Poor baby! Today on Facebook, my friend Brenda Wilson suggested Sovereign Silver for her. I will check the herb store in town tomorrow. Have you used it? Did it help?

When your child is sick and you’re a working single mom, it’s so hard to find reliable childcare. Heather is a single mother, what I believe to be THE hardest job in the world.

The bulk of the weight of the responsibility for taking care of the child, especially those middle of the night fever checks and doctor visits, falls on her shoulders. If she misses work due to a sick child, it’s usually taken out of her pay – which is already often a struggle. If she misses too much work, her boss gets upset and she worries about her job security. Many babysitters/childcare providers don’t want you bringing a child to the center or their home if the child might be contagious, exposing others to sickness. It’s very stressful for the mom!

Finding reliable childcare is THE hardest part of being a single mom. Unfortunately, both our grown daughters Heather and Eden have gone through a painful divorce in recent years and are single moms – something Ray and I never wanted for them. Please keep them and all single moms in your prayers!

Other than a brief second marriage, I was a single mom for nearly a decade, a challenging journey that I share about in my upcoming book, Promises In The Dark: One Woman’s Search for Authentic Love. 

My book, Promises In The Dark

My graphic designer, Christine Dupre´, has made the most amazing, beautiful cover for it – I LOVE it! Can’t wait til you see it!

My formatter, Hanne Moon, has been working on the formatting since yesterday and is doing an INCREDIBLE job. They make an excellent team and are THE professionals I will recommend for any author publishing her/his book!

Hanne just emailed me the PDF tonight for approval. When it’s ready, then she will prepare the ebook, too, which will be available for sale at Amazon. I’m working on my sales page for the book and book launch plans.

My launch date is supposed to be June 15 – Father’s Day, which I didn’t realize until later, but I feel that is significant. I praise God my Heavenly Father for His grace and goodness to me. His promises are true and forever. He is faithful!

On June 16, I have a radio interview by a show host in Jacksonville, FL, so I’m hoping everything will be ready by then and it will be a timely interview, coinciding with my book launch. I’ll let you know the radio interview details asap!

That’s about it, for now. I need to go to bed to be able to get up on time to pick up Annabelle and Violet. 

I hope you have a blessed week. 

 

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