To pin online

And there I spent my day.

I searched the Web

For this and that

That I could there display.

And as I did

I thought of things

That fill my heart with glee.

The tastes and smells

The sights and sounds

The things I like to see.

From falling leaves

To paintings grand

I pinned away the hours.

I’d fill my home

With Seuss-like flare

And decorate with flowers.

With Chai in hand

And books beside

I’d follow pathways bright.

In autumn’s crunch

And winter’s snow

I found my heart grow light.

The sky ablaze

With fireworks

And bridges there to cross.

I pinned until

My heart’s content

And I was getting lost.

But it’s okay

From time to time

To lose yourself, my friend.

For I returned

Again refreshed

From this new fun-filled trend.

At least I hope you do.

You’re the ones who help me fly.

You come alongside me

When I’m losing altitude.

You challenge me to reach

New Heights.

When I disappear from the radar

You come looking.

When I do something goofy

Like inflight barrel rolls

You laugh with me

Not at me.

When my eyes turn inward

You remind me that we fly

In a big, open sky.

And in that vastness

Though I don’t know

You are watching me

Even from miles away.

I know I must set a good example.

For I too

Am one of your

Companions in Flight.

 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you (2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV).

Editing

The first edits of J’s & A’s work should be done by the end of the week.

I have a little info to add to Deb’s manuscript.

Carolyn and I are going to go through her manuscript one last time to fix a few things. She won’t be getting it back from someone who wants to read it for about a month, so that’s on hold for now.

Writing

Even my blog posts are a little behind. Sigh!

Submissions

I’m sure you’re tired of hiring about my failure to submit my work, so I’m not going to mention it again…until I can shout from the rooftops, “I SUBMITTED SOMETHING.”

That said, my co-author and I plan to meet with a publisher next Wednesday, so I might be shouting then. (grin)

Reading

I’m reading Life, In Spite of Me for Blogging for Books. Powerful stuff!

I’m reading Dawn Comes Early for Booksneeze. I’m really liking it.

I should start reading The Other Baby Book. The author sent the PDF file so I could review it. I best get at it.

I have done a little skills development reading and have gotten back to reading for my course.

Volunteer Work

I’m doin’ okay.

Exercise & Fitness

Push Up Challenge – officially ditched because of this cold

Full-body Workout – Despite the cold, I did a brief full body workout today and hope to do one or two others this week.

Cardio – It’ll have to wait until this bug flies away.

Sessions with Workout Buddy – next week maybe

Housekeeping

Things aren’t lookin’ too bad, considering.

Job Applications

- off the list for now

ROW Specific Goals

Check in twice per week – yepper

Visit fellow ROWers’ sites – hit and miss (mostly miss)

Continue connecting with my writing buddy regularly – Julie has been wandering the countryside again. Way to go, Julie!

Today’s Thought

Despite how you feel, writing a little is better than not writing at all.

I’ll grab my pen

And plan the week ahead.

I’ll settle in

And then begin

To do what I have said.

I’ve lots to do,

So very true,

My list is oh, so long.

But I am glad,

With praises clad,

My heart is filled with song.

To God above,

For His great love

Will carry me always.

When I am weak,

Not at my peak,

Through all my nights and days.

For blessings named,

I will proclaim,

Are not for me alone.

He’s reaching out,

I have no doubt

He hears your every groan.

He sees your smiles,

He knows your trials,

His love for you is great.

Just reach for Him

And then begin,

It is not up to fate.

For Jesus cried,

He suffered, died

To make the Way for us,

His bitter pain

Was for our gain,

The power of the cross.

That’s not the end,

My precious friend,

He rose again, it’s true.

To set us free,

Both you and me,

Eternity in view.

You must accept

This treasure kept

For those who will believe.

Your sin lay down

And turn around,

Your burden He’ll relieve.

He’ll welcome you,

Oh, yes, it’s true,

A brand new life is yours,

That life will start,

Give Him your heart,

He’ll lead through open doors.

Your list of plans

Give to His hands

And trust Him all your days.

Live life for God

Each step you trod

And He will guide your ways.

A Round of Words in 80 Days,

I share my goals with you,

I write and edit and I read,

All of this is true.

But I would like to do more things,

This bug has held me back,

So much work I’ve left undone,

I didn’t mean to slack.

I’ve won some victories, it’s true,

I’m thankful for each one,

Hopeful for the days ahead,

When this cold is done.

Until the time when it is gone

And I am on my feet,

I’ll keep plugging right along

’til my work’s complete.

Sure I kid around about my tendency to be a horrible housekeeper, but sometimes I would like things to be different.

So, let’s see. What do I have to complain about?

A place to house myself and my family? Nope, not that.

Enough room for our stuff and our three grown children? Nah.

A mortgage for about the same price as an apartment? Not that either.

A furnace to keep us warm in the winter? Hydro to run all our electronics and keep us cool in the summer? Don’t think I should complain about that.

A hard-working hubby who bears most of the financial burden? I should say not.

So, yes…

I would like to declutter – severely.

I would also like to at least give the inside of the house a fresh coat of paint and replace the downstairs tub and tub surround and fix the plumbing in the upstairs bathroom.

But seriously…

I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

And long before I simplify and update my surroundings, I must simplify my attitude. Remembering to give thanks will go a l-o-n-g way.

I confess my workout schedule has gone by the wayside. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but I have to be careful not to get out of the habit all together.

So, if I’m experiencing shortness of breath and coughing fits, pushing myself to do cardio is not the best idea.

Lifting heavy weights might also be a bad idea.

My workout buddy hurt her back, and I came down with whatever this is. We’re going to have to schedule something for this coming week or the week after. It’s too easy to get out of the habit.

It’s hard to eat well when food isn’t appealing and I have no energy to make anything. Mind you, I should still feed my body nutritious foods in order to fight the bug.

The alternatives…

I’m not so bad that I couldn’t go for a walk, and it’s really not all that cold out.

I can do bodyweight exercises or use small handweights. Something is often better than nothing.

As I said, if we at least schedule our workouts, they might actually happen.

And eating…I can grab easy-to-prepare foods, but I must do my best not to fall into the highly processed, fast food trap.

So, if you’re not feeling up to par, I encourage you to get the rest you need, but also eat well and stay as active as you can.

Think. Think. Think. As they used to say in the candy bar commercial, “That’s all I ever do.”

Goal – Declutter

Obstacles – Laziness; busyness; lethargy; and TOO MUCH STUFF (I guess that’s the reason I want to declutter.)

Goal – Keep the main floor tidy.

Obstacles – That would be my tendency to use the dining room table as a catch-all. And have I mentioned TOO MUCH STUFF?

Goal – Keep the kitchen reasonably tidy.

Obstacles – Laziness, busyness, and that crazy habit called eating.

Goal – Have clean and tidy bathrooms

Obstacles – It isn’t too hard to keep the upstairs bathroom clean. There isn’t enough water pressure to have a shower. The downstairs bathroom, on the other hand, gets used often because it does have adequate water pressure. The sad things are a tub surround and bathtub that cannot be scrubbed clean and, currently, no means to replace them. (Not complaining. Just sayin’.)

Goal – Have a relaxing, inviting master bedroom.

Obstacles – My hubby, the collector – of odds and ends he empties from his pockets at the end of the workday, crunched up Kleenex, and a wide variety of clothes (mostly dirty…I think). Okay, so before you think it’s all Dave’s fault, there would be that pile of my things just inside the door and piles of books and magazines and accumulated dust on the headboard. Sigh!

Goal – Paint the walls.

Obstacles – Lack of time; lack of funds; a fear that once we start we will see all the things that need repairing (It happens when you have a house that’s over 80 years old and construction done by people who obviously had no training or skills in that area.)

Am I complaining? Absolutely not. I am thankful for our house, our in-need-of-painting-and-repair, overstuffed, untidy house.

And just so you know, our friends are welcome here anytime. And with an hour’s notice, it might even look reasonable…if you don’t open any closed doors.

Ghosts. A cursed Civil War estate. Lost letters. Hidden journals. Buried soldiers.  Have I piqued your interest yet?

Susan Meissner breathed life into well rounded, three dimensional characters. She also presented a story I could see unfolding before my eyes. (Being a visual learner, that’s a very good thing.)

As I’ve said countless times before, I’m all about relationships. And this book is filled with the dynamics of many different relationships – among the living, the dead, and a combination thereof.

I don’t want to give too much away, but as a Christian, I don’t typically read “ghost stories,” but just as this isn’t a typical historical fiction, it isn’t a typical ghost story either.

This book is definitely written for a female audience. The cast is made up almost entirely of women.

I highly recommend this book and would give it a four or four and a half out of five.

If you would like to read chapter one, check it out here.

I received this e-book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

A blessed gift

For which I am thankful

So many treasured connections

My thanks!