Free for all Wed: I am your Personal Trainer . . . get off your ass.

As always, before beginning any exercise program, please consult your physician. When’s the last time you had a good “check up” or “physical” . . . hmmm? When’s the last time you tuned in and listened to your body’s signals? Hmmm?

Now. While flailing about with my ‘treadmill aerobics,” I listen to music on my iPod Nano to help set the tempo and distract me from anything “outward” other than Me, My Body, Movement. After an hour on the treadmill, I do resistance training for my muscles, and then yoga to stretch—three times a week without fail unless the failing cannot be helped. On the “non-treadmill days,” GMR and I walk—not leisurely walks in a la tee dah, but at least a good strong 30 – 45 minute walk, or occasionally a longer more strenuous hike.

I do this because I have come to love it and my body has come to accept and embrace it. I do this because I’ll be 55 this month and though I don’t want to look 25 or even 35, I want to be strong and supple. I do not want anyone in my family to have to care for me in my “olden age” because I did not care for myself. Do you see/understand that? You out there who are smoking and eating shit-that-ain’t-good-for-nothing-but-nasty and sitting on your butt never moving, etc etc etc? *Personal Trainer Kat gives stern look* When our bodies fail us, someone has to pick up the slack, whether financially or physically/emotionally, or all of those things. I do not want this. Yes, I do understand how sometimes things do happen that are not under our control and we need help, but you know this is not what I am talking about, right? Right. I’m talking about Choices. Choices that we make every moment of our lives that we do control.

Folks, if you really do want to stay healthy. If you really do want to age well. If you really do want to have energy and stamina and strength, then you must work for it. WHAAAAA? You may say. But . . . but . . .  so and so said all I need to do is take a pill, or eat this bar, or drink this elixir, or put this contraption on my abdominals and sit on my ass, and all those things will do the work for me! Lawd y’all! All the research dollars wasted (to me it is a waste) on finding some magical pill or device so people can sit on their couches and eat crap and not be affected/effected by it. My personal trainer heart just squeezes at this. Ungh! Ungh!

I wrote some “work-out writer” posts and in one of them I asked, “How bad do you want this?” Well, it applies to life; it applies to love; it applies to work; it applies to our health—how bad do you want this? And if you do not want it, then why? Are you kidding yourself? We humans are expert at Justifications(/Excuses). Oh, yes, we are!

Sometimes we have to feel some “discomfort” to achieve our goals. Sometimes things are not easy. Sometimes life is just haaaaarrrrd *pouting whine.* Well, Personal Trainer Kat is here to tell you to Suck It UP, because nothing easy ever really lasts, or nothing easy is really appreciated to its fullest, or nothing easy makes us feel Accomplished and Proud.

Okay, maybe I never told my clients to suck it up (in those words . . . teeheehee). Because I have empathy, and because I understand how difficult making life-decisions are. How it really is hard to stop an old comfy habit and replace it with a sucky habit like working out and eating healthfully—unless you are as I am and love to work out, and if you are as I am and most times enjoy eating healthfully. When I eat crap, I feel like crap. When I don’t move, I feel like crap. When I sit on my arse and whine about how hard life is, I feel like crap. Who wants to feel like crap? Children move with such abandon: when did we lose this?

Off your ass—it’s the only way. Pay attention to what you put into your mouth and make healthier choices—it’s the only way. Or maybe I should write: It’s the only sure way to stay healthy and strong for the duration. Magical pills and quick fixes and most every “Diet” on the planet may help you in the short-term, but if it is not something you will do for Life, then you just may fail, or do things half-heartedly and only reach a tiny bit of your goals. Small changes make for later larger ones—

Do you drink soft drinks/soda/pop/Cokes? What if you replaced even one of those with a glass of water? Do you have a candy bar for your “afternoon slump” snack? What if you replaced that one snack with something healthier—a little fruit and a little low-fat cheese, or, oh, shoot, there’s so much information on healthy snacks out there that surely you can find something besides a candy bar? Save the candy bar for a “dessert treat,” or better yet, eat something really decadent that you will savor and enjoy for your “dessert treat” instead of quickly gobbling down whatever is in easy reach. Do you ever park farther out to walk to your building/shopping mall/grocery? When’s the last time you took the dog for a walk? Played outside with your kids? When’s the last time you felt really good?

How we think about ourselves and our bodies becomes our reality. I believe this. Of course, yes, as I wrote above, bad things happen to us that are not in our control—this too is life. But while we do have that control, why not use it to our advantage?

So, I’m on the treadmill, and there is a cardio song that starts off at a nice energetic tempo that I jog to, but near the end of the music, there is a deep but barely there voice that simply says: now—I can almost miss it if I’m not paying attention. Up until that point, my heart rate is pretty steady, but when I hear that deep but soft now I know the tempo/beat is about to rise, rise, rise, rise soar rise—asking me to give it all I have. I then speed up the treadmill to where I am running full out for nothing, near as fast as my legs will go; I am sprinting on that treadmill. I am near to flying on it. My heart rate soars. I am flying.

But what interests me is this: right as I know that now is coming, my heart rate picks up a little. Then when he says now and I know the music is going to ask me to Kick It Up, my heart rate picks up even more so—even though I have not yet increased my speed.

My brain asks my heart to prepare for what it knows is coming based on my expectation/anticipation. My brain hears that now and sends a “Hey! Here we go! Get ready!” to my heart, and it begins to pick up its beat even before I change my action. We control much by our thoughts. Our brains send signals based on how we anticipate what comes next. I think there must be a metaphor/analogy in there, don’t you?

How do you want to live the rest of your life?

Monday’s Classroom: Following the thought, the character is everything, point of view, own it . . .

Oh I miss this cup that I broke one sad morning.

Morning Y’all!

“I often think that the best writing is done after you’ve forgotten what you wanted to say, but end up putting something down anyway just as though it were the actual evidence of your original intention.”—Clarence Major

This has happened to me. When I sat down to write, the idea would not come, the original thought stalled. The words stuck. But if I keep writing, put down the words that do come, soon something else emerges, something that does work and that I can be excited about.

I follow the new thought without letting the original thought tie me to a post, simple (and as complicated) as that.

Sometimes our mind is changed before even we know it needs to be changed. There are many times when we must follow where we are led. What a journey! This is living, folks. This is writing. This is manipulating the language and words without constant constraint—ah.

The use of point of view is to bring the reader into immediate and continuous contact with the heart of the story and sustain him there.”—Tom Jenks

Your reader will see, feel/experience, and be through the “eyes” of the character who speaks. To me, the characters are not just the heart of the story—they ARE the story; although for me, the setting is so important it is also “character.”

A bit about Point of View: think of a camera and the person in control of that camera. When I have the camera, I am the controller of that camera lens. I see and interpret through the lens and then I take snapshots so that others may see, or experience, what I have—this is the point of view “first person: I” experience. Until I explain it or show the image I have captured, no one can know what I am thinking or feeling. I show them. I tell them.

If I hand the camera to George, he then sees everything through his own eyes/interpretations—this is “third person-limited: George/he” point of view. I can’t know what he sees and what he is thinking, what has captured his imagination/interest, until he relays it to me by showing me the photo, or telling me about it—and through both the showing and the telling, I see and experience through his eyes/experience.

(painting by Lorelle Bacon)

Or, consider you are painting a portrait—you are in control of the paintbrush and what appears on the page as you interpret the model before you. You do not know what your subject is thinking—you cannot read her mind—but you can guess by her movements, her facial expressions, her body language, what “props” she may have, or, if she speaks, by tone of voice or by words or both.

It is about who controls the paintbrush or the camera, then showing and telling what is captured/experienced so others may experience it as well.

Surely the test of a novel’s characters is that you feel a strong interest in them and their affairs,—the good to be successful, the bad to suffer failure.”—Mark Twain

If you are not interested in your characters and what they do and say and are, why should anyone else be? If you do not believe in your work, why should anyone else?—believe me, it will show. The reader always knows.

Give readers your best. Give them the truths—and this word “truth” sometimes means more than what may first appear to you. Writing what you know doesn’t have to be so literal, so concrete, for we can interpret it in as many ways as we allow ourselves to, as long as we speak a truth at the kernel of it, or even the whole of it.

“….You start out putting words down and there are three things—you, the pen, and the page. Then gradually the three things merge until they are one and you feel about the page as you do about your arm. Only you love it more than you love your arm.”—John Steinbeck.

This quote resonates with me more than people may know. I’ve sacrificed family, friends, time “out in the world,” and ignored the dust and disorder about my little log house here at Killian knob, all for this thing I do. All without knowing how it will turn out for me and for my words and characters. The writing, the language, is everything. The love of my life, and oh, writing that phrase feels both exciting and sad. But to give it up means a death, something rotting away from the inside out. I will sacrifice those things, and more, to do this thing I love. I don’t give up because I have fought so hard to do this thing I love.

There are those times when the world as we know it goes away and our own inner world takes over, and soon the words come and the characters speak and the story or essay forms and there is nothing else but this world, this place, this feeling we as writers are creating. Hours pass and at last we lift our heads and—wait! It can’t be three o’clock; just a moment ago it was eleven o’clock. We have been to other-worlds, alternate universes, going gone, and the coming back is surreal—at times seemingly less real than the created world we’ve just come back from.

Not every writer loves his craft, and that is something I do not understand, but yet I respect each writer’s experience. Not every writer enjoys manipulating the language. Not every writer (and I doubt any of them, including me) is deliriously happy every time they sit down to work—especially when it comes to the umpteenth round of revisions revisions revisions and more revisions.

Well, if you do not always love it, so what? If you want to write, then write. Write what excites you and motivates you and makes you happy—be that a novel, a short story, essay, a blog, letters, family memoirs, journals, technical papers, recipes.

Find your comfortable space, or challenge that comfy spot if you want to. Consider just why you do this thing you do, whatever it is you want to do. It is Yours. It is This Thing You Do. Yours. Even when you push it out into the world, strange and surreal and terrrible and exciting birth, it is still Your Work. Be proud of it.

Own it.

Have any quotes you relate to or can relate your writing life to?

(and Rose & Thorn Journal is now live – links below! We appreciate your support, as do our authors, poets, artist!)

Stop. Sit in your chair. Open a word doc (or pull out pen and paper) and Begin

We not only have holiday company for a few days at the little log house at Killian Knob, but I am up against a deadline, or two! The post below is a repeat post from 2009 but bears repeating. And it applies to more than just writing!

As for me, I am right now doing some last minute edits on the final Graces novel in the Graces Trilogy. The contract is signed. A date of March/April is planned for its release, and as well, Bellebooks/Bell Bridge Books is re-doing Secret Graces’s cover so that all three Graces Sagas bookcovers are similar, so they look like a trilogy (I had a lot of mixed letters/comments on the original cover for SG-some hated/some loved). I can’t wait to see what SG and the third Graces novel covers will look like – I still become excited; I still am giddy about it all.

And as well, Rose & Thorn will go live January 15 – we are busy preparing the winter issue. My New Years Holiday will be busy, but in a good kind of way.

So now –

What someone wrote in a comment one day: “You know all that is what kind of halts mein writing. It just overwhelms me and then I block. I like blogging because Ihave the feel of freely writing. I guess it is a bit of a quirk.”

Never never never never never never never never never nevernever never never never never NEVER NEVER NEVER let anything stop you fromwriting if this is what you want to doand you are ready to discipline yourself to it—no one else on this earth orbeyond should stand in your way: no advice from well-meaning writers, no rules,no nuttin’.

 Trust me when I say that if you really want to write anovel, or stories, then you must practice your craft and the only way topractice is to just sit down and write. As you practice, you will figure outwhat works for you, what your “voice” is, what your “tics” are, what yourweaknesses and strengths are, what delights you and urges you on and whatfrustrates you and makes you want to stop writing. You will find out your ownpersonal style of writing in both how you write and what you write.

 But listen! If you are happy writing blog posts, what iswrong with that? If you write a successful blog and people come to your siteand leave happy interested comments, areyou not a success? Are you not writing for an audience who loves coming byand seeing what you have written?

 When I began writing Tender Graces, I didn’t have a clue whatI was doing; I didn’t even know how to write dialogue! But I had desire. I haddiscipline. I had want. I just wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and thingsbegan to come clear as to my own style and voice and what made me feelcomfortable. I wrote 200,000 words and most of those had to be trashed orre-cast or fiddle-dee-deed, but, boy did I have fun, and boy did I learn muchabout what kind of writer I’d be. I was writing for an audience of one: Me.That is free-ing, let me tell you!

 Don’t let the “rules” or advice of others stop you or scareyou or make you feel as if you are somehow lacking if you don’t write in acertain way—just write and in the writing find out who you are, what kind ofwriter you are, what you love to write, and how you will write. I can’t stressthis enough. Find what makes you happy and do it.

 If the writing feels strained and you want to back away fromit, then find out what is hindering you: Are you writing for someone else? Areyou listening to too many writers (like me!) give advice and it confuses you?Are you straining towards something that isn’t meant for you?

 Stop. Sit in your chair. Open a word doc (or pull out penand paper) and Begin. Just have some fun, see what comes out. Who cares if youhave so-just-very-little; who caresif there are many adverbs and presentparticiples and dangling participles andsimiles and blah blah blah blah—how will you know what you want, or whereyou want to go, or how far you will take things, until you sit down and begin?How will you know what makes you happy until you write it without restraint?

I had to get to acertain point in my writing before the advice I read made sense –Hear that:I had to know how to sit down and writeand find out what kind of writer I’d be before all the “rules” began to makesense, and only then could I use them, manipulate them, have fun withthem—and I’m still having fun, and I’m still learning my craft—there is alwaysroom for growth, never become complacent even if you are a best-seller.

You all would laugh your arses off if you could see some ofmy first attempts at writing stories. So what? I laugh too! Haw! But I also seehow far I’ve come, how much I’ve learned and how much more I can learn.  Lawd, even some of the works I’ve had published I want to go in and change the heck out of them!

Sit. Breathe. Tune out the voices. Have fun. And, write howand what you want, and where and for whom you want. Be sincere.

Dig it out from the you that is uniquely you.

See y’all Friday for Links Day! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday.

Holiday Linky Love & Last Day for Sweetie deal

South Louisiana – LSU Lakes – Birds as Ornaments flocking the trees

For the holidays, here is some linky love. I’ll be back to “regular links” next Friday, but for today, I am posting those I happened upon this morning that had a holiday theme. I didn’t come across any with any other holidays besides Christmas, and if I had, I’d link to them as well – so if you have a different holiday tradition than Christmas, link it in the comments and I’ll update my post!

Despite my Grinchy post below, today I am feeling full of holiday cheer – and no, not because of vodka *sigh* oh, I still have not received my Crystal Head Vodka — I want that skull *laughing* to help my cheer along – dang it all! :-D

Then, there is the annual posting of the link for my Moonshine & Santy Claus – a quirky Santy and menopausal appalachian woman story, published by Vagabondage Press. And how interesting to see my bio then when I was ‘in the query process’ – well, dreams do come true, y’all *gratitude*

I love this blog – full of Appalachian everything and always positive: Blind Pig and the Acorn – Appalachia through my eyes – Christmas folklore

Michelle Teacress has a short video that made me tear up – *still sniffling* – it struck my heart: The Coat: A story of charity - it will warm your heart.

saw this in South Louisiana near LSU – laughing! love it -you can’t see the picture of the LSU coach Miles in that shiny square:-D

Speaking of charity – Every year I do Toys for Tots, and as well, I do the Angel Tree (look for those Christmas trees with “ornaments” hanging that have information on children you can purchase clothing and toys for), and another place I like to give memorial gifts on behalf of my brother, granny, and now my father, is Heifer International - I’m linking you to Nathan Bransford site, for he information there and an incentive. These are the things that take me outside of myself and remind me what this season is about: giving and charity and loving and remembering. It’s especially for the children. You may have your own charities, but if not, these are wonderful places to think about giving. But, yes, people need us all year round, no matter the season – however, during the holidays, harder times are oft-times more keenly felt.

And the Pudgy Penguin has on his santy suit  (so cute) and is having a book give-away. Even if you don’t enter, just a look at that penguin makes a smile.

And, last time I’ll be mentioning my book like a used car salesman (no offense to any car salesmen *laugh*), but it’s the last day of the One-Week Deal at Amazon where SWEETIE is discounted for this promo. (Firefly Dance, the anthology, is on that same deal.)

Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

And now, I will leave you with an oldie but goodie – Christmas Lights Gone Wild

All those whos in whoville and their noise noise noise! Am I a Grinch?

I fear I am turning into the Grinch. You know, scowlingabout Christmas commercialism and all the Whos in Whoville’s noise wearing on my nerves.What’s happened to me? When Christmas was always the most perfect, mostwonderful time of the year? Somewhere along the way I’ve let some kind ofmagic go, some kind of beauty of the season. I want it back. Lawdy be, can youhelp me? How? you may ask. Well . . . I’m open to suggestions. Perhaps: leave me Christmassycomments that enlighten and lighten? Email me cute Christmas cards? Post wonderfulholiday thoughts and send me the link? Then my heart will grow umpteen sizes too big and I’ll be full of Christmas Cheer – whoop!

 I want to look forward to decorating the tree with glee and fiddledeedee. I want toinhale the scents that come only this time of year – spices and sweet and fresh. I want to gasp at the wonders.I will have no child running in breathlessly to tear open gifts, for my son andgranddaughter are many miles away in Oregon.Maybe that’s part of it, too—my friends and family are far from me. Oh, I hatewhiners! Whos in Whoville and all that noise, noise, noise!

What do I want for Christmas this year? I want that spiritto come back with a big Bam-a-lammo. I can’t force it, so I’m asking you all,anyone of you at all, to help me find that Christmas-Holiday Doodledeedahday. I knowit’s somewhere. I must have just misplaced it in a corner, under a pile ofsweaters, in the sock drawer, in the hollowed out tree, behind the dresser,under the couch . . . somewhere, it’s here somewhere.

 There is a Christmas special on Lifetime television where this jadedbook editor hates Christmas and is grumpy and yada yada the same old; but, as I watch it, I tear up a bit, as if I am seeing parts of myself in thiswoman. Thing is, at the end of the movie, I know she’ll have found what she ismissing—will I find it along with her? Gee, I hope so.

 I think perhaps I will need to do something different,something to take me outside of myself. Yes. That’s it. Outside of myself. And, I’ll keep searching thoselittle corners and places for that old feeling—I just know it’s there. It risesup and quickly flies away just out of my grasp. Maybe you’ve seen it? Floatingaround, my Holiday Spirit. If you do see it,grab hold of it and bring it back to me, and for that, I’ll be filled withgratitude.

Perhaps I’ll fly like the hawk over a jeweled city ofholiday shine and there I will find what I need . . . yes, right in Whoville. Yes. There it is . .. just ahead.

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Now, off with my bad elf-self, and I’ll see you all on Friday with Linky Love.

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(and SWEETIE is doing well in the Amazon weekly deals – Friday is the last day to find it at this special before it goes back to its regular price – same with Firefly Dance. Thank you all for your support! Hmm, that’s something to be grateful for this holiday season! – MY READERS! *heart is starting to grow* After this promo is over, I won’t be mentioning it as I have been – you know how I like my “car salesman-free zone” here *laughing* :-D )

Where’d Monday go? Discombobulation abounds. No photos/videos: Bad Kat

Morning y’all. I’m late with my Monday post – I have been out of town to South Louisiana to visit family and friends. It was a quick trip, but here it is Tuesday morning and I don’t have my photos/images/videos! *Bad Kat* I even woke up in my iron bed in the little log house in the cove at Killian Knob thinking this was Monday. Lawd.

So pardon my lateness and zippity do dah diggity didn’t do-it-ness as I unpack and unwind and decompress. I will see you on Wednesday with my regular blog post!

By the way, SWEETIE is inching up the “Amazon Kindle Best Seller List” – she’s at this moment no 29 in literary fiction. I’d love to see her head up to No 1 of course *haw!* but even the top 50 is very nice. THANK YOU for your support. She’ll, Sweetie that is, will be on this “Amazon Weekly Deals” for a mere .99cents until Friday and then it’s over and she’s the regular price. (Firefly Dance is on that same deal.) Appreciate all of you.

See you Wednesday!

Linky Love – Blogger Community

Time for links, y’all! And today’s links are from the blogger community.

And a big Thank You to blogspot Blogger for making it easy to open links to a new page – at last! yay!

Jessica Nelson BookingIt. Whenever I see her profile photo, it makes me smile. There is a sweetness about Jessica and it comes out in her blog and in her comments she leaves.

Diane Estrella “That’s what I’m here for“ has a fun Christmas quiz going on. She also reviews books and products, and her energy bounds off her blog page.

I have a new Blogger friend whose blog I am exploring - From Sarah, With Joy. And “joy” does describe what I’ve experienced stopping by her place.

Hilary Melton-Butcher has such an interesting blog “Positive Letters . . . Inspirational Stories,” chock full of information on things you don’t realize you longed to know until you get there, and Voila! She’s told you all about something so interesting, you leave feeling smarter and more wordly.

I laughed when I watched Carolyn V’s “Checkboard Squares” video on Zombie Love – and I HATE zombies . . .  ungh – but danged if I couldn’t get that song out of my mind.

Reader Unboxed – it’s all about books and reading and it’s the sister site of Writer Unboxed. I love both of these blogs, and am a member of Writer Unboxed, for which I’ve linked to before.

Folks, if you haven’t stopped by John Bord’s Ink Spots, then slip on over there. His writings are starkly beautiful, and he’s just a nice guy to boot. Sometimes he writes of social issues and whether I agree or do not, I always leave his blog thinking.

Colby Marshall Spittin’ out words like a llama is quirky and fun, and, ohhh!, I do believe she has a form of synesthesia, so that makes her my new “writing interest” – I want to study her, for I have a character who will probably be in my next book who has synesthesia.

Click on over to Eryl at The Kitchen Bitch Ponders . . . because she’s just cool and I like her and I love that title, too.

And finally, last one for this Friday’s Linky Love is Titus the Dog – I have two of her poetry collections and have ordered the latest. The words are gorgeous and profound, yes, but, the covers are exceptional as well.

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As an aside – I am writing this on Wednesday because I have to unplug all of Thursday and perhaps into Friday. However, from what I understand, beginning on Saturday the 17th is the Amazon Kindle Promo for Sweetie (and as well for the anthology The Firefly Dance). Sweetie, and Firefly, will be priced by Amazon for $.99 for one week only – through the 23rd. After that, it goes back to regular price. So, there you go, a Christmas Kindle Book Promo. Thank you for your support – without my readers, my writing is lonely and unloved :-D .

Just found out this, apparently Amazon has Sweetie and FD at .99cents instead of what I thought! lawd! wow. Far as I know, just for the week still. Firefly is priced the same.

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See y’all on Monday!

Finding the Rest of Your (life) Story – Don’t Give Up

As my brother and I left Blanchard Cavernson our Odyssey trip, one of the tour guides called out, “Watch out for deer.They come out this time of the evening.”

It wasn’t ten minutes later, as we carefully drove along anunfamiliar road in the soon-to-be-coming dusky dark, that I saw a deer by theside of the road and said, “There’s one; be careful.” We passed thedeer without incident, both laughing at how we were just warned and then there adeer was.

 A few miles more, and I saw her. She darted out quickly andin the time it took me to open my mouth and yell, “Watch out!” she’d alreadyran right into Tommy’s truck. The sickening sound of WHAM! against metal, andour cries of “Oh no!”

Tommy said, “I can’t go back. I just can’t.” The strickenlook that formed his features into grief must have mirrored my own.

 I said, “I know, Tommy. I understand.”

Yet, despite our words, he’d already slowed topull to the side of the road. We both knew we couldn’t leave a sufferinganimal. We’d just lost our father and the thought of dealing with death of anykind caused our faces to fall into folds of worry and sick and sad. And if she was suffering, what could we do? How to help her? The Odysseyhad barely begun and already we were ready to call it Done. It was all toomuch. Too much. Too much.

 Tommy looked into his rearview and said, “Hey wait! She’sup! She’s running into the woods.”

“That means she’s probably okay. Oh I hope so. And Tommy,” Isaid, “even if she’s not, we can’t go searching for her in unfamiliar woods,especially with dark coming soon.”

 “Yeah, I know,” he said. And we went on our way down that lonelydarkening road. The night tainted, unfamiliar. Grieved. It felt as if Tommy andI were the only humans left in the world. Visions of the beautiful animal hurtin the woods pummeled my thoughts. I know Tommy was feeling that too.

We drove in a silent dark that became a deeper dark, nothing around except for a smattering of farm houses here andthere far back from the road. Then, at last! There! Lights in the distance. We soon came to a gas-stationand stopped to fill up. As Tommy went inside, I looked around, trying togauge my bearings, feeling disoriented and exhausted. There were a few menstanding around but they didn’t look approachable. Another woman filled hercar, but she had an angry expression. I felt uncomfortable there, as if I werean interloper upon their space and place and time.

A young woman pulled up to fill her tank. Her friendly face calmed me, so I made my decision and walked up to her, “Excuse me,” Isaid, “But where are we?”

She laughed, and told me.

“Is there a hotel nearby?”

She laughed again, then said, “Not one you’d want to stay in, that’s for sure.”

 At my stricken look her face softened. “Hey, look. You cango to Hardy. It’s a little town but it has a couple of decent hotels. And!” Shesmiled and said with mock excitement, “it has a Wal-mart anda McDonalds!”

 “Sold!” I grinned at her, then said, “Thank you so verymuch.”

 “No problem. Drive safely. There’s some construction on theway.”

We followed the woman’s directions and soon Tommy and I were checked-in toa hotel. We set out to the McDonalds for salads and to Wal-mart for a fewsupplies. Our moods were lighter, our faces lit in relief. I told Tommy I wished I’d have thought to ask her name, for she didn’t know what her kindness meant to me, and to my brother.

The next morning was bright and beautiful. Tommy and I preparedagain for our Odyssey, our faces as bright and beautiful as the morning. “Offwe go!, I cried, “into the wild blue yonder!” We laughed, speeding off to thenext adventure.

 I often think what if we’d have given up because of that eveningwe were so tired and sad and distraught? I think, what if we’d have consultedtechnology and sped our way to an interstate where everything is The Same,given up the discovery we had been so excited about—the old back roads usingonly our sense of direction and a paper map. I think what if we’d have said thetrip was too hard, and we were too tired and disoriented and defeated. We’d have missed theRest of the Story. We’d have never known the days ahead of that evening. We’dhave slapped the face of the evenings before The Deer & Lost in the Darkincident, when everything was about that discovery.

 Everything doesn’t have to be easy. Everything doesn’talways go our way, or the right way. Everything we do has ups and downs, hasdisappointments and successes. It’s when we decide to keep going, to let thedark times teach us to reach out to someone, and to find The Rest of The Story, that welive the life we were meant to live—one well-lived.

 Will you give up? Or will you drive through the scary dark to a friendly face, right into the bright and beautiful to find The Rest of Your Story?

Time for Video/Photos No/Few Words: Jingle Dogs Reunion & Secret Places & etc

Morning Y’all! Time for video/photos no/few words!Now this is just silly but it still made me laugh:-D

My Secret Place – this made it into the SWEETIE novel *shhh* very secret

What I can see on way to Secret Place and where Sweetie and Melissa sometimes ran to hide

close up

ice crystals in the grass

mushrooms on a log

wasp nest in our Christmas tree – we have “nature things” and regular ornaments – our tree is on the porch

“Not Quite Fat Dog” Jake helped decorate by looking cute

the christmas decorations made shadows which kept the frost in same pattern -at Lake Junaluska

Friday Linky Love in this wonderful Community of Bloggers we are!

bffs are wunnerful – in blogland too!

Yes, folks – I am back to three days a week posting, after months  of wailing and gnashing my teeth over my deadline I thought I’d never make (of course I will and the final in the Graces Trilogy will be out in a few months!), and after my father’s illness and passing – oh how wonderful you all are and were for supporting me, and for your understanding I am appreciative.

Which takes me to how much of a community Blogger Land is, and why I have missed my thrice-weekly posting, and my visiting your  blogs. What a wonderful community of people there are out there in Blogger Land!

Friday is Linky Love day, so here are a few offerings. As always, I invite you to tell me about any gooey noughty goodness you find out there so I can share it – yes, even if it is your own site.

What brought me back to excitement over my blog? Why Kristen Lamb’s blog and her book “Are you there blog, it’s me, Writer.” I’ve mentioned Kristen before, but she bears mentioning again if this whole Social Networking thang has you beating your head against the wall (as the bruises on said pea-head of mine will attest).

I was curious what would happen if I clicked on “Next Blog” – something I never think to do, and it brought me to The Simple Woman’s Day Book blog – where “thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity…beauty of the everyday moments.” Looks interesting, so I think I’ll check it out further.

Jan O’Hara is one of the blogs I miss visiting regularly – she makes me laugh and think and giggle and go “hmmmmm.” Miz Tart at Tartitude is wunnerful.

I have also missed the Amazing Voyages of the Turtle, Sandra Leigh’s blog about her travels here there and yonder. She is amazing.

Author Jody Hedlund always has interesting and informative posts for writers. I learn a lot about myself as it pertains to my writing life from these posts and sometimes find I am writing much too long comments! lawd!

Hungry? Like to “pass a good time” with music and food and a really nice person down in the Louisiana Swampland? Then visit Marguerite at Cajun Delights. I lived in South Louisiana many years and her blog reminds me of the food and fun and people there.

Deb Shucka’s blog “Catbird Scout“ is another for whom I have missed reading regularly - her intimate, poignant, and beatifully-written blog never ceases to amaze me with just how lovely a person, and a writer, Deb is. She’s also an editor at our Rose & Thorn journal.

Anita from Life with a Cherry on Top is one of those quiet blogs that doesn’t announce itself and make a lot of noise, just as Anita herself is! But I adore Anita and her blog. Visiting her makes me feel calmed and warm and toasty.

Another of our Rose & Thorn editors is Janna Qualman over at Something She Wrote. We both stumbled upon Rod McKeun’s poetry books and that makes me smile. She is also one of those quiet writers who doesn’t shout out, but she should!

Terri Tiffani’s blog is titled “Inspirational Writer” and that is just what she is, which is why she has such a loyal following, and I’ve missed reading her blog.

And there are many more – and I will be linking to those in the coming Fridays.

Ah, feels good to be back, y’all!

You all have a wonderful weekend!