This and That

This past week has been both good and challenging. I must say that I thank God for praying friends, because sometimes you just need a friend to hold you up in prayer and see you through tough times. Not that my birthday or Valentine’s Day was too difficult – I felt very blessed. But each day, as Jesus said, “has enough trouble of its own.” And a few of these past days have surely had their share of trouble. A lot of that trouble probably has to do with change and me accepting that it’s coming. Have you noticed how hard change can be? In my younger days, I loved new things. I was sixteen going on twenty-one, a young wife wanting to be a young mom, a young mom wanting to do everything possible with our kids, while at the same time exhausted with some of those things three boys can lead you to do.

Now, I find change a challenge. (Sometimes it’s an adventure too – don’t get me wrong!) I’m just one of those girls who needs time to think it through, but I also love to have something new to set my sights on. I guess, I actually do enjoy a challenge, but more of the type that I seek out for myself. Not those that are handed to me without warning. I suspect you understand.

Some changes for me of late have been:

That’s more than you probably wanted to know. Amid all of this, I’ve been soaking up some encouraging devotional books, journal praying a lot (winter is hard on me), and learning to trust the Lord and thank Him for what He is doing that I can’t see. I know that He is behind the scenes in our lives just as every author is behind the scenes in creating a new story. The great part about God is that He is the ultimate story-teller, and we are guaranteed an ending that is beyond anything we could ask or imagine.

• I’m researching a new book. So the next month or two will be devoted to reading, reading, reading, and buying a few more research books on Ruth so I can get a good feel for her story.
• I’m waiting on edits for one novel (The Prophetess, Deborah’s Story), and the next novella in Solomon’s series.
• I’ve goten a sneak peek on some preliminary work for the cover of The Prophetess, and can’t wait to see it completed!
• We have a son’s wedding coming up in April in what will be a two-part ceremony/reception. (Long story.)
• We decided we weren’t busy enough so Randy is tearing apart another room in the house for remodeling. (It sorely needs it!)
• Tiger had his first vet visit in far too long. He did not appreciate the visit, but we are happy to report he is healthy and up to date on all necessary shots…which means…
• We are torn between adopting another cat or two and taking Tiger on some future road trips. Though I suppose that if it is possible to travel with one cat, we could travel with more than one…

Sometimes I want to help the Lord write my story or write the stories of the people I love. But even my story isn’t entirely mine to tell. I’m simply ink in the Author’s pen, who writes His love on the pages of my heart.

May we all allow Him to write our stories with grateful hearts, even during the troubling times when we can’t see the next plot point or around the next bend. Know that God is a far better writer than we could ever be, and He has the ability to create and mold our character to make us into the best person we could ever be.

Until next time~