Tuesday, May 25, 2010

All perked up

First...what a difference a week (and some great advice) makes! This is my Mom's African Violet that I shared with you last week. Pretty sad...

And here it is this week!
Thank you, friends, for your advice on last Tuesday's post. Veronica (who posted a comment on Writes of Passage, where I also blog on Tuesdays), I moved the violet into my bathroom (have it sitting right by the shower and the window where it gets indirect light), and it loves it in there! I'm thrilled! There's something special about seeing this little plant come back to life and thrive.

I heard something in relation to a particular verse this weekend that I'd not heard before. Matthew 10:29-31 reads, "What is the price of two sparrows––one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."

Whenever I'd read "fall to the ground" in the past, I'd thought it referred to the sparrow dying. So I've thought, "Okay, if 240,000 sparrows died today, God knows where each one died, how they died, etc..."

Not so.

In this verse, the meaning behind the Greek word that's translated into English as "fall" actually means "to light upon." Well that changes everything. So what God is saying in his Word here is that every time a sparrow lights on the earth, touches their little feet to the ground, every time, no matter how briefly, He sees. He's aware. The 3, 978,428 times, each and every day, that all the sparrows in the world light upon the earth, He knows. Amazing!

What's even more amazing is how much more He loves you and me. How much more valuable we are to him than flocks of sparrows. And how he sees all the little details of our lives, and moves and works in them to encourage us, to speak to us, to draw us closer to him. Our sermon this past Sunday really touched me. We're in Genesis right now and these familiar passages are coming alive for me in ways they haven't before. God's Word truly is living and active.

So when you see a sparrow "touch down" today, whether you're in the Wal-Mart parking lot or out for a walk, or as you're driving for the carpool or knitting in your sunroom, know that you're not the only one watching them. And that the One watching them, is also watching you, loving you, working in the tiniest details of your life...more than you might realize.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Shrinking Violets and Mystery Glass

I'm loving the house we're in and am enjoying getting settled, finding places for everything. We still have lots of boxes to go through in the garage but at least the house itself is somewhat organized and functional now. Even though a piece of furniture or a vase or a picture may be years old, changing its location gives it a new feel. Wish I could say the same for me. I've got to get back into my exercise routine. I miss those endorphins! Not to mention the calories burned in the process of getting them...

Some of the items I'm treasuring and finding new places for belonged to Mom. Pictured above is a little silver salt and pepper shaker set she kept by her stove. It's now by mine. Pictured to the left is a glass that belonged to my maternal grandmother. I want to call it Depression glass but I don't think that's right. Depression glass is green, right? Help me out, anyone who knows about these dishes. I love history but have never learned much about antique glassware.

Next is a little ceramic piece I painted when I was about nine or ten. It's of Duchie (Duchess), our little Manchester Terrier we had at the time. Below is a picture of Mom's African Violet that has not fared well in recent months. :(  It's been neglected, I'm afraid, but I'm trying to revive it. I repotted it with African Violet potting soil and in a container that "soaks up" the water (the tag on the pot said it was great for violets?), so I'm  hoping it comes back. If you're an African Violet expert, I'd welcome your advice. Its leaves are curling and it looks sickly. (Beside it in the picture is a framed photograph that Mom kept by her sink of her four grandchildren when they were little).

Being born and raised in Atlanta, GA (the Tucker/Stone Mountain area specifically), I have a deep love and appreciation for the South and its history. And though I've really enjoyed setting my stories in Colorado up to now (having lived there for seventeen years), I'm finding a fresh excitement for writing as I begin my new Southern series this week and delve into the history I grew up loving so much. These characters have been whispering to me for months, and getting to know them better is pure joy! It's like meeting a dear old friend that you haven't met yet, if that makes any sense.

Several of you have asked about Jack and how he managed during the move. He's doing great! None the worse for wear. He has "his window" in my office just as he did in our previous house, so he's able to sit and watch the world go by. I'd opened the window the other day to let the cool morning air in, and a foraging squirrel dared to cross the lawn. I thought Jack was going to go through the screen! Squirrels are his passion, though I'm not sure he'd know what to do with one if he caught it. It would probably kill him.


I'm off to continue reading/proofing Within My Heart. My last time to see it before it goes to galleys. Joe's reading it now too. He gave me a thumbs up last night and smiled and said, "It's a Tamera book!" I hope that's a good sign...

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Almost Forever...a book I loved!


My writing critique partner and dear friend Deb Raney has a new release out, and I'm so excited to tell you about it. Almost Forver lives up to all the great press it's getting and far more. Check it out... 

Almost Forever
by Deborah Raney
A Hanover Falls Novel
from Howard/Simon & Schuster

Unearthing a lost memory may cause her to lose everything she holds dear. but could it also set her free?

Volunteer Bryn Hennesey was there at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter the night five heroic firefighters died at the scene. Among them was her husband, Adam.

Now a terrifying absence of memory has her wondering if she might, in some way, be responsible. Garrett Edmonds' wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze. He was supposed to protect the woman he loved.now she's the one who's died a hero. How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss? And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many? Investigators are stumped. But someone knows the answer...

Deborah Raney books always captivate me! Almost Forever is a beautifully written and enthralling read. It made my heart sing, dance, cry, and turn more than a few flips!
~CindyWoodsmallNew York Times best-selling author


As a fan of the very talented Deborah Raney, I expected a great read and I got it in the richly emotional Almost Forever, a story of faith, forgiveness and redemption.  It began with a gripping scene and proceeded to hold me enthralled to the end.  Don't miss this one!
~Karen Young, author of Missing Max and Blood Bayou

DEBORAH RANEY is at work on her 20th novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Almost Forever, first in her new Hanover Falls Novels series, will release in May from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. They are new empty nesters with four grown children and two precious grandsons, all of whom live much too far away.



Visit Deb on the web at www.deborahraney.com
Order her books here: http://snipurl.com/raneybooks

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

To all the moms out there, I hope you've had a wonderful day with family and friends. I sure have. It was a hard one without Mom (our first since she went Home last August), but I've felt her love and her humor all day today, for which I'm especially grateful. (The pic is of me and Mom on our trip to Dallas in 2007 to the RWA Conference. We always had such fun together.)

More later this week, but wanted to get those wishes out before the day slipped away...
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