Sparkling White Winter

It is finally here; our sparkling white winter. For the last few years, there hasn't been any significant amount of snow. I know, this sounds like a real blessing, doesn't it? However, my daughter is coming home to get married, and one of her dreams is a white wedding and Christmas. Since she hasn't been home for Christmas for several years, she hasn't seen how little snow we have experienced for that time.




So, it was with great joy, that I watched as the snow fell...and fell...and fell! We are now up to about 8 inches of the white stuff. Which is more like what it is supposed to be like here in the frozen north.




This morning, as I left at first light for town and the swimming pool, I was overwhelmed with the beauty of my drive. The temperature had plummeted, through the night, and all of the trees, bushes, and fences were covered with hoar frost. Everything was white and sparkling with the frosty crystals. It was indeed a winter wonderland. How I wished that this was wedding day, and all of my daughters friends and new relatives from New Zealand were here to witness God's winter handiwork.




There was no wind to speak of, nor sunshine,so the beauty of the frost lasted all day. Just having this sparkling beauty around me kept my spirits up as I went through my busy day.

As I was driving home, I remembered when, as a young child, I had asked my father why they call it "horror" frost. My dad's response was, "because everything is so horrified at how cold it has become. They put on this layer of frost, which, like long underwear, protects them from the cold."

Well, I am now 55 years old, and that is still the only explaination I have ever had of hoar frost. So, until someone tells me different, I will continue to view it as the trees and bushes putting on their long underwear to ward off the bitter cold.

I wonder, did you ever ask about one of these winter wonders? What was the response you got? If you have a good "winter" story, will you email it to me at kbhwfe2000@yahoo.ca and I will compile and send them to everyone who has contributed a story.

There is much that is harsh about winter weather, here in Canada's Northland. However, there is much that is beautiful. I wouldn't trade the glistening white snow for all the sand in Florida.




Be blessed, my dear ones. Take a moment to remember the wonder that the white stuff brought to our young hearts. Have a warm cup of hot chocolate, and wrap yourself in the warmth of childhood memories.

Jude

World Rugby

Okay, I have to admit right off that I am not a great sports fan. While I wish our Canadian teams well, I really have not kept up with even our hockey more than I needed to for conversations with my sons. It has been a long time since I sat through a game of anything other than equestrian sports.

With my daughter in New Zealand, and there being so little we are able to share of that experience, I have taken the plunge and began to watch the Rugby World Cup games. At first, it was just so I could witness the New Zealand All Blacks do the Huka, but then I got hooked into the game.

You know how these obsessions begin; first it is just one, then another, and before you know it you are having supper 2 hours late because you didn't want to miss any of the game. Which, would be alright if you lived alone and did not have a husband waiting for his supper.

Next, you find yourself getting up at 6 am so you didn't miss the beginning of a game. This time, I can justify my unusual behaviour because it was the first Canadian game I was able to watch. I sat bleary-eyed and sipped my tea, waiting in half-asleep anticipation for the teams to come out and sing their national anthems. How proud I was feeling that my country's team would be singing 'O Canada' for all the world to hear.

The teams were about a half hour late, from what the listing on my satellite guide said, but I made another cup of tea, and settled to wait. Feeling more awake by now, I decided to flip through the guide to see when and who the next game was going to be.

Then, I heard the announcer say that the teams were coming on to the field. I sat up in my chair, my proud Canadian chest sticking out just a touch further. I closed the guide and found...much to my dismay...Argentina and France were the two teams coming on to the field.

Where was the Canadian team? I wondered. I checked the listing, one more time--making sure that I had the correct day and time. Now, I was wide awake.

As the teams did their pre-game posturing, I went into my office and got online to check out the World Cup game schedule. Only to find that it was indeed scheduled for Argentina and France to be playing. Canada had played the day before. MAN!!!!!

Well, I thought to myself, I was already awake, so might as well watch the game that was on. To my pleasant surprise, it was a great game. The teams were evenly matched, so I was able to really see how the game was played. I learned a lot about the rules, as I watched these two powerful teams battle it out.

A few days later, I actually got to see the last game Canada played. They fought bravely, and I was very proud of them, but unfortunately, they lost and were now out of the tournament. What I was most proud of, though, was the way the announcer kept pointing out how they played a clean game--they played a game respecting the rules, and used the other teams pension for breaking them to its advantage.


Well, since Canada is out, I have decided to put all of my newly-found rugby-fan energy to supporting 1st, the Scottish team (our families ancestors are Scottish), and second to them, the All Blacks.

I do enjoy watching the All Blacks the most. I recognize some of their players, now, and really think they are going to win it all. But, they are so powerful, and such a good team, that most of their games are one-sided, leaving me a little bored, to tell the truth. The Scottish team is a force to be reckoned with and are on a very close level with the other teams left in the competition.

So, now that I am paying extra on my satellite dish to watch the rugby and soccer channel, I plan to get to know the teams and understand the game much better before next years World Cup.

I will still support my Canadian team, but at least I will be able to make a more educated stand on whom else I will be supporting with my viewing hours.

Rugby is a tough game, and I must say that I am very impressed with how gentlemanly it is played. I am utterly impressed with all but one of the referees. And he looses my respect by being the only referee I have watched that did not call blatant penalties when they were right in front of him. It was as if he had an interest in the outcome of the game. That put me off a bit. I also witnessed my first "drama" fall. A fellow was hardly touched and fell down like he was dying. The ref went and chatted with him for a second and they guy smiled and got up. He played the rest of the game with just as much gusto as before, so obviously, he wasn't "dying".

So, there you have it, my new passion. It comes along with my beading, which has been so much fun. I now have 2 dress shops that are purchasing my designs and selling them in their stores. People tell me to sell them online, but I haven't really thought too much about it. This month is Breast Cancer Awareness month. My little sister is a breast cancer survivor, so in her honour, I have made some breast cancer charm bracelets to sell. $5.00 from each one is being donated to Canadian Breast Cancer.

So, that is what I am up to these days. Also, volunteering at The Salvation Army, but that is a subject for another blog. For now, my dear ones, know that God loves you, and so do I.
Jude

Mirrors

There is a woman that I know. She and I are alike in many ways, but in other ways, we rub one another terribly. She gets into certain moods. During these moods, I am constantly made to feel like I am being bullied. Being the product of an abusive life, I don't deal with bullies very well. Usually, I try to let my sense of humour carry me through. If I don't, I know that my Irish temper will make this unruly tongue of mine say things that I will later regret.

Tonight was one of those nights when our personalities did not mesh. After only five minutes in her company, I had been insulted and made to feel lessened. The evening only got worse from there. It was one of those times when a person feels damned if they do and damned if they don't. It seemed that everything I did, as well as what others were doing was wrong in this woman's opinion.

The Spirit in me kept telling me to allow God to be my champion. My Irish temper kept telling me to sock her one and knock her down a peg or two. Thankfully, the Spirit won that mental battle. The evening ended with no one in bruises.

On the ride home, however, I was seething. You know how you go over the things you should have said, would have said, if only the opportunity and courage(or stupidity) had presented itself? Well, I played several scenario over in my mind. Most had to do with something that she said at the end of the evening, which really brought me up short.

She had addressed all present and said that she "didn't mean to" be such a bully. While she has given this backhanded apology before, the words, "I didn't mean to" just struck me with shock this time. The question popped into my mind, “what does that mean...I didn't mean to?"

Unfortunately, this is where reason left me for a moment and I turned to the fellow behind me and asked, "what does this mean; I didn't mean to? If you did it, you obviously meant to."

The unfortunate part was that the fellow I addressed with my query was the woman's husband. Talk about wanting to stuff the words back into your mouth. However, unfortunately, I could not because the space was presently being occupied by my foot.

He, graciously, just shrugged his response and smiled at me. "O Lord, Please make me a mute!" I silently prayed.

"Too late", the voice in my head told me.

Since the rest of the evening did not go any better than the first half had, I left feeling rather beat up, and the joy which I should have felt when spending an evening in the company of Christian friends, praising and worshiping in song, was nowhere to be found. What I did leave with was thoughts of giving up and quitting the group that I so dearly loved. I figured that was the only way that I could prevent myself from loosing it and giving this woman a piece of my mind.

One thought, once it came to me, though, niggled at my mind. I thought, "This woman does not handle positions of authority very well." Then I remembered myself as a boss in a Thrift Store. I was just as demanding, as set on perfection (according to my personal standard) as this woman was in her leadership role. God, once again, had set a mirror up before me.

Never, my friends, if you cherish your blissful ignorance, ask God to help you see where you have erred. Because, believe me, He will!

Now, I not only felt mortified at the revelation, I felt as if I hadn't handled the evening with the amount of grace which God expected me to.

A Double whammy! Oh, that darn mirror! It wasn't the first time that He had held it in front of my unsuspecting face. All I can tell you for sure is that each time, I have been changed for the better...sometimes quite painfully so...but most times...after a bit of prayer and work on my part...I have felt completely blessed.

There are, of course, those times when I choose to decide that the mirror is lying to me, and in my unwillingness, I decide to hold off on whatever change it was pointing out needs to be taken.

I hope that the new revelation will help me to find just a bit more grace for this woman, and will help me to remain in the activity, which means so much to me. If not, I know now how my rubber shoe tastes, maybe that might just be a deterrent to my unruly tongue.

I still am a bit bugged about the "I didn't mean to". Mostly because I realize there is no excuse for bad behaviour. In addition, an apology with an out clause is really no apology at all. Perhaps, if the woman had stopped with "I'm sorry,” I would have felt more gracious towards her—who knows. I could not help but wonder how many trillions of times I had apologized for my bad behaviour with an out clause included.

So, my dear ones, once again, I need your prayers. Only with His help, will I be able to let this new offense go as--as my father used to say--"like water off a duck.” Only through fervent prayer will I be able to learn from this mirror and become one step closer to the person He created me to be.

I will remember, when getting ticked off at someone else's bad behaviour, that I too have had my charming moments, just as they do. It is one of those log/splinter lessons.

Be blessed, my sweets, know that God loves you...and He loves me, even when I screw up big time!

The Journey

Have you ever heard someone repeat a saying, until it begins to sound like a mantra, and wonder if they are trying to convince you, or themselves? Through the years, I have repeated the words, "God's timing is perfect", in just such a fashion.(I often wear a bracelet with the word, "Kairos" on it. Which means, basically, "God's timing"). All the while, I have been working on learning patience, trust, and a deeper faith than the cursory one that predominates my life.

My daughter is getting married in December. While this occasion fills me with great joy, it also has plummeted me into a deep mourning. What I am facing is not the usual things that a mother goes through when her daughter is becoming a married lady and knowing that she will be facing many of the same married-woman struggles that you have gone through. What I am facing is that God has taken her and placed her on the other side of the world. As a married woman, she will be remaining in her new spouse's homeland for the foreseeable future. What I am experiencing is a mourning which comes with drastic change. You see, even though I know that God loves me and Heather and is in control, my humanness is selfish and wants Him to arrange things so that they are more comfortable for me. To me, that is to have my children close. Living in Northwestern Ontario, there is just no jobs on our small town for neither my chef sons, nor my heart-for-souls, Salvation Army daughter.

It was hard for me when she was in Toronto, but I at least had the freedom to hop in the car and travel there for a visit. With her new location, that freedom is beyond what I can afford, and should probably physically do.

So, I keep reminding myself that God is in control, and that His timing is perfect. Then, today, I happened on a blog by Pastor Mike Trimble entitled "The Journey".http://miketrimble.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/06/index.html He talks about change and timing. His blog reminded me of the words Philippians;
"If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care-- then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what." (Philippians 2:1-6 MSG)

In fact, in my desiring God to do things my way; to arrange things so that they are more comfortable for me...like having Heather on this continent so I can easily visit her...am I not pushing my way to the front? In my mourning, am I not being in disagreement with my daughter, who has whole-heartedly accepted His plan for her life; not to mention being in disagreement with Him as He has arranged things? Mostly, though, I realized that I was NOT forgetting myself, putting myself aside, nor helping anyone, most especially Heather and Jono, get ahead.

To "get ahead" we must first be in His plan. Why is it so easy to except His plan for my life, yet howl to the sky when His plan is not what I would like for my children?

After Pastor Mike talks about the journey, he hits me with his whammy, "...no matter what." he reminds me. I remembered, years ago now, when I as a mother, gave my daughter over to God's will...no matter what. Those were the exact words I used. While at the time, the no matter what was whether He allowed her to live or took her home, it was still "no matter what." Lesson: When we make a covenant with God, we have to be prepared for His "no matter what" and not one we want to set in place. Contracts with God do not have small print or hidden codicels. He takes us at our word,and with the full knowledge of our heart.

I now need to recommit to that contract, deal, agreement--whatever you want to call it. I now need to let my daughter go, once again. Through the years, I had not realized that I had been taking her back, one bit at a time. What I was doing, I am sure, is robbing her of some of the joy she should have felt in her obedience to Him. All the while, knowing how her plans upset me, dampened her verve for the work He was calling her to do. For this, I am deeply sorry. God knows that I am still a work in progress, and thankfully, He never gives up. Like the song; "Oh no, you never let go; through the calm and through the storm; Oh no, Lord, you never let go of me!"

So, my dear loved ones, this blog is a confession of yet another sin of selfishness and weakness. Thankfully, I know from where my help comes! I also know that He knew from the beginning how very painful these lessons were going to be for me, and has already covered me with His grace and forgiveness...as well as His strength and courage to overcome. Knowing how very intimately He understands me gives me a joy that erases all of the selfish hurt. I am truly blessed to have my daughter not only serving Him, but being willing to go and do whatever He demands of her. Once again, I am witnessed to by her faith walk. (I say that a lot, don't I?)

So, when life seems to move those you love to the other side of the world..either geographically or in any other way, remember that God is in control and He really does know what He is doing. I know...who am I trying to convince you? Or myself?

Loosing Dear Friends

Sometimes, we loose touch with dear friends. It is a sad fact of living in a time of the world when people move about more than they used to. We form fast friendships that withstand the test of time, though only meeting through the odd card or visit as the years pass. Today, I found out that I lost just such a dear friends. They left about this time last year, and I just now found out about it. The usual Christmas and birthday cards were sent. I never thought much of the fact that I did not receive one from them, as sometimes we missed a year or two, but eventually, would think of each other and send a letter or card, again or phone or even drop in for a visit.

The family I am refering to are the Hill's; Larry, Maureen, Rebecca, and Greg. Rebecca telephoned me tonight to inform me that both of her parents had passed away. Maureen was in the middle of chemo-therapy when they moved to Devlin; what seems like an awful lot of years ago, now. I remember meeting her. She had a bandana on and told me that she had lost her hair. With that said, she whipped off the scarf and showed me. It is her sense of humour that attracted me to her. Nothing seemed to rattle her to the point where she lost that sense of humour.

Maureen succumbed to cancer on May 23, 2006. A few short weeks later, Larry was killed in an accident. His motorcycle was hit by a pickup truck. (the man was charged)

In such a short time, Rebecca and Greg lost both of their parents. No wonder it took her a year to finally be able to call me and let me know. She told me that she had only called a few people. She just could not handle saying the words, "both of my parents are dead." How I remember the difficulty of just breathing in and out when my own parents died, and I had a few years between the losses.

My heart is quite broken over it. Maureen and Larry were very special people, and very special to me. Most especially, Maureen. Since she had cancer when I met her, and for the few years they lived nearby, we shared a lot about our fears, desires, faith, and joys; she has always stood, for me, the perfect example of courage. She never complained, even though I knew she had some very ill and painful days. She just took each day and rejoiced in the gift of it.

Even talking of her now, I can see her radiant smile and hear her laughter.

It all reminds me of how very precious the people in my life are, and how very fragile life really is. My life is much richer because of the blessing of this family in my life. Both Larry and Maureen will live on in my heart. The memory of their loving, teasing relationship will always bring a smile to my lips and a tear to my eye, as I will miss knowing that they are there, with a room, when I am travelling in their direction.

As I sat in my office, and finally let the tears flow, I was taken by a thought of complete joy; Those two loved each other, like no other couple I have ever met. What awesome grace that they did not have to wait long to be together again. Larry always seemed like he would be quite lost without Maureen as his anchor. Maureen always told me that Larry always gave her a reason to smile. So, while I am selfishly mourning them, I am also rejoicing in the thought that they are together. No doubt, Larry has a few jokes to play on the folks in Heaven, and is bringing a smile to many a celestial lip.

So, in closing this note, I want to remind you of how very fragile life is. How very short your time may be to let those around you know how much you love them. How very little time we have to "get our house in order" and how very important it is to keep it that way. Live each day as if it will be your last. Don't let an opportunity to love, help, or improve pass you by.

Love on you all, Jude

Growing Up?

When our children are young, we tend to forget that they are living a life attached to ours. It is not until they become teenagers that we truly realize that they are individuals that are completely separate from the narrow world of our personal life.

We tend to forget or ignore that they are having experiences--bad and good--and having to deal with them, learn from them, and suffer through them.

Not that we are completely oblivious to them, more that our lives seem so huge that our children are more of an aside to the drama of our struggle to live each day and come through it as unscathed as possible.

Now that my children are adults, and I am a grandmother, I think back to the many times when my struggle was so overwhelming that my children were merely swept along in the title-wave of it all.

Understanding this, has given me an overwhelming desire to converse with my children about their childhoods. I want to be able to see it from their point of view. Knowing how my childhood was; remembered often quite differently from the view-point of my 6 siblings; I wonder how the muddle of our life, in those years, looked from their perspective.

Their view helps me to put things into perspective. It helps me to realize and confront issues that need to be confronted. It opens me to learning and growing into a better person. Not that I can go back and fix that which I broke, but I can understand, apologize where needed, and move foreword with my children in a much healthier relationship.

Now, I only need the courage to ask, and the grace to truly listen with a God heart, and not with the old defensive mechanisms kicking in.

Moving foreword, changing and growing is often painful and difficult. But, oh what joy is yours when you win the battle over some of these demons from the past.

Be blessed, and be a blessing!
Jude

Characters

I don't know why my lessons on character development always effect me so powerfully. Maybe it is because I am always on the hunt to figure out exactly who I am. Maybe, it is because I am trying to figure out why I am the way I am. All I know is that every time my courses get to this point, I am overcome with the weight of creating these ficticious beings.

Inside every fiction writer, I am sure, is some desire to recreate themselves through their characters. We can right wrongs which we have no power over changing in real life. We can become--somehow a better person than we truly are. We can be the hero; or the villian, and get away with all of our schemes and deceptions. There is no accountability for our actions, except what we choose to include in the story.

In my writing, I seen to have a tendecy to delve the deepest into the victim characters. I know what makes them tick. I know how they suffer for slights that stronger characters seem to be unaware of. They are often, in some part, mirror images of myself and my life experience.

That being said, I also can identify with many of my strong hero types. In my life I have had experience in facing seeminly unsermountable obstacles, and know what it feels like to come out triumphant on the other side.

Today, I shared with one of my students, an outline and character cast for a novel I am working on. Just explaining the action from my character placement development sheet, I could see that she was completely drawn into the characters as I explained them as well as the story as the synopsis was shared.

This gave me the shove I needed to get on with the writing process. I have obviuosly researched and developed the thing as far as I can go until I am actually writing it.

So, That is what I am going to begin doing, tomorrow. After over 2 years of research and development, I am going to take the brave step of actually writing the story.

Keep me in your prayers. It will be my first novel, as I am basically a short story writer. This story, however, can not be done any justice in short story form.

I also feel a pressing to write a series of short stories about my mother, and things she shared with me about her life. Have you ever had something that you are trying to ignor because you know it will be a hard, painful task, but it just won't leave you in peace? Well, this niggling thing is like that. I can hear my mother's voice in my ear saying, "I can tell you, because I know you will understand."

Well, I did, and do understand. But more than that, I want to tell her story so that someone out there, who has faced the same kinds of hurt will be able to say, "Someone understands."

So, keep me in your prayers for that one, as well. The important thing is that I figure out how to honour my mother's memory and memories, while presenting them as works of fiction. Hmmmmmm I am really not that good, so will need all the prayer support I can get.

God honoured me by allowing me to hear and see my mother from His perspective. My desire is to honour Him by presenting what I heard in a way that is within His design.

As I tell my students, "everyone has a story." All it takes is a writer to care enough to listen and courage enough to write it.

Be Blessed, my dear ones. It is Good Friday, today. I finally understand why it is called Good Friday. Took me years to figure that out. Now I know that it is because of God's ultimate goodness in sacrificing Himself so that we might have a way out from under our sin.

I praise His name!

Have a wonderful Easter full of joy and love.
Jude

Are We There Yet?

Have you ever found yourself wondering when your "life" is going to begin? I have. What I did not realize, for many years, was that while I was thinking that I needed something, someone or some occurance to come along before I could really start living, my life was busy passing me by.

The off-throw of this kind of mentallity is that not only was life passing me by, people and occurances were also passing by without my appreciating them for the blessings that they were. There are some, I know, that passed by completely unnoticed.

Now that God has blessedly given me a good reality check, I mourn the loss of those years wasted in the foolish quest of what I believed to be a part of the magic "happy" formula.

One of the things I regret the most is that I did not completely treasure each and every moment of my children's young lives. When I think back on how many times one or the other of them tried to share something with me, and I did not take the time to listen, my heart breaks. Now, with them all grown and going about their own business, I long for them to want to talk to me.

Just as God's timing is not our timing, so our timing is not the timing of others. Life passes us by while we are ignorantly unaware.

When I am tempted to thrash myself with condemnation, God always reminds me of the things that I did not allow to be lost in my blind pursuit of happiness. While many moments with my children were lost, there are still precious many that I have to treasure. For this, I know I have only God's grace to thank. He constantly blesses me, in spite of myself.

Today, I received an email from my daughter's hostess in New Zealand. She talked about how her elderly mother-in-law was diagnosed with only weeks to life. That was almost a year ago. It reminded me how very relivant time was. Man goes about his foolish way; but the One who designed and created the universe is the only one who really has any control over time. Only He decides who comes and who goes, in this old world.

That being said, I am so extremely grateful to Him for the people my children have grown up to be. My oldest son is now a father. It is my heartfelt prayer that he remember the times that I was too busy or distracted to pay proper attention to him, and take that life-lesson to heart making him a far better parent than any he suffered.

Treasure every moment, my dear ones. Do not waste a single moment, not on regret or recrimination. God knows your heart. He knows your weaknesses, and He knows your strengths. Take time to repent, and as He instructs, "go and sin no more."

God loves you. Yes, even you; just the way you are!
Jude

The Taxman Commeth

It seems odd to me to not have a T-4 slip to present to the accountant when he comes to do our taxes, later today. There have been very few years when I have had no taxable income to report. I could get to like this; except for the being poor part. ha ha

It has been a year of struggling to put a Creative Writing Consultant's business together with some small successes, a lot of learning, a little teaching, and lots of creative and organizational work (which just happens to be my specialty). Now, the website is up and running, (www.awriterstoolbox.com) and affiliates have been and continue to be added. The lessons are almost all done the creation phase, and a few have actually been accessed.

What I am now finding is the benifits of networking with other writing-based web sites and web people. This networking is something I had not realized and it is such a wonderful bonus to the hours and hours of hard work.

This semester, I have the pleasure of teaching a person who is rather influential in the education organizations of our district. Through him, I have learned a lot about what works as a teacher and what does not. He is always encouraging and we have some wonderful talks about his WIP (work-in-progress) and writing in general. Another great joy--to share what I love so much with others who are hungry to learn about it.

When I am tempted to get discouraged; start thinking of the hundreds of hours I have already put into lesson creation, web creation, research, etc., I have decided to concentrate, instead, on the works of fiction that are now in print, on bookstore shelves, that have my fingerprints on them in small or significant ways. Then, I realize that even though I am not becoming a rich and famous author in a quick hurry, I am impacting others with my knowledge and skill. That, I feel, may just be reward enough.

As in all things that God leads me to, my part may be very small, and seem insignificant, when viewed on its own. However, when I step back and look at the larger picture, I can see that my part was important and necessary to make the whole thing come together to God's plan.

Daily, I am thankful that He helps me to realize my worth and value as a person. So, even though I do not have my first million dollars in book sales to report to the tax man, the Man who does my final audit knows that my value is counted in more than dollar bills. Thankfully, through His love and support, I am able to recognize that, as well.

Be blessed, my dear ones. Know that your true value is in the respect, love, appreciation and memories that others have for you. Your value is in Christ Jesus, through whom all these good things come.

Till next time, Jude

Becoming Professional

I never much thought about being a writer as my profession. It is more something that chose me, than something deliberate that I set out to achieve. In the last several months, I have been in the company of, met both in person and online, several writers which fall into both the professional and non-professional category. With these encounters has come the revelation that I am, indeed, numbered amongst the list of professional writers.

Some of the criteria, so I have come to learn, is 1)having an accredited education in the craft of writing 2)having won acclimation for a piece or pieces of work 3)having had something published and 4)having writing as my sole occupation

So, there you have it, me in a nutshell. My entire day is about writing. While I eat, care for my house and husband, and even while I sleep, I am either stopping to jot notes in my writer's journal, stopping to get to the computer, or thinking out story ideas, or my WIP (work in progress). I teach fiction writing to adults at our high school, mentor, edit, brainstorm, fact check and encourage many other professional writers, as well as beginners, trying to get it all figured out.

Writing is my release, my occupation, my therapy, my joy. Being me...a multitasker to the extreme, I am working on two novels, at least 6 short stories, creating several courses to be offered through my website www.awriterstoolbox.com and trying to read everything I can get my hands on that pertains to writing. This last, including as many fiction classics as I can find. Learning from the masters, is always the best course.

Little did I know, when I decided to take a few writing courses, where it would all lead. I am very fortunate. While I waited until I was in my 50's to get things figured out, I am so very grateful that I finally have found what I want to do with my life, and had the courage to go for it.

It is my prayer that you figure it out...long before you are an old gal like me, and have the courage to leave whatever you are doing and move in the direction of your passion, your joy, your therapy, your release from the hum-drum life.

Be blessed, Know that God loves you, and so do I!

I am a blogger

Yes, it is true, I am a blogger. One of the millions of people all around the world, who think that someone, somewhere, might actually be interested in something that I have to say. Hmmm

I don't blog as faithfully as some others. Mostly, just when the fancy hits me, will I sit down and jot it in my blog. There are few people who actually read what I write, so knowing this gives me the freedom to be bold and honest in what I share.

Have you ever done a blog search? Me neither. However, I have wondered about doing it. What would I find on my subjects of choice? Would my Christian search yeild that one bit of wisdom that would make everything fall into place? Would my writing search show me a way to prevent spending hour after hour at this contraption trying to create the great Canadian novel?

What I do know I will find, with certainty, is people who, just like me, long to feel that they have a voice. The din of this world drowns out the voices of the meek. Much like my large family, the ones who did not aggressively voice themselves were given no voice.

Going into this new year, I desire to assure you, you do have a voice. God hears every word you utter. He hears the crying of your heart...the unspoken words, as well. You do have a voice.

Not only does He hear you, He cares about what you are saying, and listens intently. For myself, I would rather know that He is listening than any other ear on the face of the earth. Everything He hears is filtered through his heart of love.

So, my bold blogger friends -- and those of you who only have a voice in this place, know that God is listening, caring, and taking action on your behalf. You have a voice.

Be blessed with the assurance that you are never alone. God is always with you. You are also not alone on this contraption. We bloggers are right by your side, exercising our voices. Some of us will take the time to search the web for bloggers just like us.

That is one of my New Year's resolutions. To search the blogs and get in touch with some people who have the same passions as I do.

Until then, keep talking. God is listening. You have a voice.

Love in Christ, Jude