Image via CrunchBase
Last year I wrote a post about the prayer of Jabez and about expanding my territories. In the post I talked about a new outlet for my writing, a Bible study I was teaching and a women’s conference I was coordinating. The study and the conference are finished, but I’m continuing to expand my writing outlets. They tell me it’s a good way to catch the eye of the right publisher. (more…)
Proverbs 16:9 says “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” The Yiddish version is something like “Man plans and God laughs.” I wonder if God laughed when I thought today’s plans might include a little writing.
I knew I wouldn’t get anything done before lunch. I always begin the day with prayer and Bible reading, and since we started a ladies’ Bible study at church a few weeks ago, my study time has gotten longer. I thought I’d have time to do a little work in the garden before lunch, but by the time I sent a few e-mails that were overdue, it was time to hit the showers. That was okay. There would be time for gardening this afternoon with time left over to come up with a brilliant post and spend some time on my WIP (that’s work in progress for those not in “the business”). (more…)
Last week’s AgingCare.com newsletter featured a piece by Anne-Marie Botek titled “Daylight Saving Time Can Negatively Affect Senior Health.” I’m glad to have a convenient excuse for being in a fog for at least a day or two, and I’m laying claim to her article as my explanation for missing yet another “posting” day. (more…)
I’m having a real “IT” week, and it’s only Wednesday. It began on Monday morning with a text from my son Christian. If you’re new to my world, you may not know that he’s a writer, a prolific writer, and the Internet is his life. He has published several books and is a frequent contributor to a number of e-publications – and he BLOGS. He gets more views in a couple of weeks than I’ve gotten in the 19 months since I published my first post. So here’s the text he sent me: (more…)
I have all sorts of excuses for not posting a blog on Monday and for not posting one earlier today. Some are interesting and some are not, but the real reason is a little embarrassing. One of my fellow AKA Literary authors mentioned a writing contest, and I decided to give it a shot. It was fiction only, so I took a deep breath and wrote my first work of fiction since I was a sophomore in high school. After tweaking it to my satisfaction, I went to the contest site to check out the submission procedures. The first thing I saw was “OPEN ONLY TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF PENNSYLVANIA WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD AS OF THE DATE OF ENTRY.” Well, duh! The name of the contest is “The 2013 Central PA Magazine Writing Contest.” So, I have a story that’s all dressed up with no place to go. I know it’s not my usual genre, but give it a read and let me know what you think.
New Beginnings | by Linda Brendle
I was sitting in the waiting room of the dentist’s office the day it began – a typical waiting room with nondescript furniture, bland wall prints, the faint smell of lemon-scented cleaning products and antiseptic, the distant sound of a drill. I was looking at a magazine article titled “New Year, New Beginnings” – looking but not reading. I was in the season of endings. My marriage ended after twenty years, and a couple of ill-advised relationships ended much more quickly. My career ended in a corporate downsizing, and my stint as a caregiver ended with the death of my mother, taking half my retirement savings with it. The rest of my plans for a semi-luxurious retirement ended when the stock market and the housing market crashed at about the same time. All my new beginnings had faded, and I’d resolved to make do with what was left. (more…)
Potpourri (Photo credit: Niina C)
Potpourri is defined as “a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent.” That’s not the kind of potpourri this blog is about. It’s about the alternate kind of potpourri: “a miscellaneous collection” or “a combination of incongruous things.” My sister-in-law Jo Lynn recently posted an article on Facebook, and she said it was especially for me to add to my future-blog-material file. It was attributed to a woman named Regina Brett on the occasion of her 90th birthday. After years of internet experience, I’m a little skeptical of the origins, but the humor and wisdom of some of the thoughts are inescapable. I’ve chosen a few of my favorites for further comment.
Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
I think my former employers followed this line of thinking, and unfortunately, they decided that usefulness diminished with age. On or about my 60th birthday, I was informed that my services were no longer required. I can only pray that my husband doesn’t subscribe to the same school of thought. (more…)
From: Zeology The Art + Science of Sleep
I missed my Friday post, partly for the same reasons I’m writing instead of sleeping at 12:30 in the morning and partly for other reasons. First, we were out of data on our WiFi card and our new month didn’t start until Saturday, and even though I have unlimited data on my new iPhone, I wasn’t sure I was up to blogging on a three-inch keyboard. Second, we spent the morning winding up our New Year’s visit with David’s mom and the afternoon driving home. I intended to write on Saturday, but then the real reason kicked in – I was preoccupied. Several months ago our pastor asked if I would consider coordinating a one-day ladies’ conference our church was planning to host. If I had said no right then, I might have posted a blog on Friday, and I might be asleep right now. Instead I said I would think about it and pray about it and let him know. (more…)
English: icon for smartphone (smart phone) related content (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Santa came early to our house this year. I am now the proud owner of a 3GS iPhone. The question now is, am I smart enough to use it?
I got it early because David, in getting the phone ready to use, inadvertently turned off my old phone. I don’t mind the early gift. It gives me more time to play, and by the time we join my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas next week, maybe I’ll know my way around it well enough to use both thumbs on the keyboard. (more…)
Several years ago I co-facilitated a caregiver support group with David and another couple who cared for her mother in their home. When we started the group, we planned programs and invited speakers, but we soon learned that what the caregivers needed most was a safe place to talk. Even so, each week I began with a short devotional or reading to focus the discussion and avoid the chaos that can result when all the hurts and resentments bubble up at once. One of our more successful evenings was when we talked about tributes. (more…)
Earlier this month I posted a status on Facebook that said “I swept the porch less than an hour ago, and it’s already covered with leaves again!” The first comment I received said “It’s futile! Go have a cup of coffee and read instead!!” I took my friend’s advice, but her comment got the writer wheels turning. What other things do we do that are the very definition of futility. Here’s my top ten list: (more…)
