Spring Cleaning, Oh, the Joy of Life!

It’s that time of year. Winter is over—though here in Virginia, we wonder if it ever really arrived. Temperatures have warmed up quite a bit; in fact the frequent seventies are reminiscent of summer’s early arrival. And that brings to mind spring cleaning.

My husband has already launched in by doing a major work in our basement. Since our son moved out and is on his own, the area was still inundated with toys, games, and other reminders of childhood now long passed. He cleaned the area out and boxed up what might be good for grandkids one day and tossed out the rest.  To the curbside for pick-up went an old storage unit, bags of broken toys and other objects. The area looks beautiful now and quite livable, I must say.

Now I am tackling the outside. New vegetation is already emerging. I take away lots of leaves once used to shield the ground from snows that hardly even came this year. 

 I also dug up the ground to plant new seeds for a vegetable garden. We already have radishes, spinach and peas showing, the common fruits of springtime since they can withstand frost if it appears again. By late April we will turn to planting the hot weather crop of tomatoes, cucumbers and squashes.

Spring is also a time of new life for a Christian when we celebrate Easter and life when there was death. Just as winter seems so drab and barren, life quickly springs forth under warmth and light. Just as Jesus emerged from the grave in the newness of life, so we too can share in that same joy of the resurrection. 

What was once old and dirty, filled with debris and garbage, can be made whole again with God’s thorough cleaning.

Spring. A time for cleaning house. A time for renewed life in our hearts.

Dragons, Devotions, and Donita K Paul! Day 1

You are in for a real treat! I am so blessed to have Donita K. Paul as a special blogger all this week. I knew Donita back when we were authors together for Heartsong Presents, and it's wonderful to see how God has expanded her gifted writing talents in the area of fantasy.

Every day she will share a special writing devotion with you as well as information about her new releases, including her first-ever picture book, The Dragon and the Turtle, just for children! Donita has always had a special heart for children's picture books, so this is a true answer to prayer for her. AND she will introduce her new book coming in October - Dragons of the Watch.

Devotion for Day One

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."
                                                                                             - Robert Louis Stevenson (a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.)

This is a good maxim to remember at all times, but especially if you are an author. We don’t reap a harvest every day. In fact, that moment when you hold a new book in your hands for the first time is very rare. But we plant seeds a lot! Every time we knock out a dynamite sentence, or piece together a perfect paragraph, or conquer a transition, we have sown in the literary field. Okay, that’s a bit over the top. But really, when you are an author, you can’t label the hours you are working. You may spend 2 hours at the computer, and accomplish little. Fifteen minutes in the doctor’s waiting room may flesh out a character, provide dialog for arguing siblings, or firsthand knowledge of CPR. Thinking of the right word while washing dishes is part of your “work.” There are little seeds of writing all over the place, so learn to celebrate the small things. They arrive in abundance whereas the harvest can be a long time coming.

Stay tuned for a new devotion every day as well as news about Donita's books and jewelry line! On Day Two -Donita has a special announcement to make!

**THERE is still time!!** To enter my book giveaway for my very first ever Heartsong Presents novel, Mountaintop! 
(Jenny was the winner. Thanks!)

Dauntless Resolution

I had the opportunity to spend my Thanksgiving down at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. On one of those days, I toured the Wright Brothers National Monument. I had been to the Outer Banks numerous times, but never felt led to see this place, until this year. Having just come off an arduous adventure on the Appalachian Trail of which my sights were set on a goal, I was interested to learn of these two brothers whose goal it was to have a machine powered flight. And I was amazed to learn of their tenacity, their willingness not to give up, no matter how difficult the task, their sheer energy and will to accomplish a feat that only lasted a mere 80 plus seconds, but a feat that changed our nation and the world.

The above monument speaks of a goal "achieved by dauntless resolution." Oh how we need that in our lives. Each of us has dreams and goals, something we wish to achieve. But it can take years of hard work. It may look as if it will fail (one of the brothers, having witnessed failure after failure, said not in 1,000 years will man be able to fly - but yet he went on trying to make it happen!). One must persevere to see the fruit come forth. And we can take heart in those who have gone before us, like the Wright brothers. They had a goal of flight. They worked day and night on that goal. They suffered setbacks, one after the other. But they never gave up. And they saw their dream finally realized one December day at Kitty Hawk, at the foot of a sand dune called Kill Devil Hill. May stories like this give you courage to press on, no matter what.

Lessons Learned from the Oregon Trail

Take a look at the pictures from our recent trip to Oregon. We think we have it hard on the path of life! Here we learned about the pioneers who traveled the long and difficult path to Oregon country. They had come so far, thousands of miles, reaching the Mt Hood region of Oregon country, when suddenly they are confronted by another obstacle - a steep and dangerous mountainside unlike any they have encountered before (the one pictured above).

Now you may wonder, what did they do so they did not lose control of their wagons and all their possessions weren't lost? They did several things, such as anchor the wagon to a rope tied to a tree and slowly drove the wagon down the hillside. Another way was to tie a rope around a large cut spruce tree and allow the tree's limbs to snag the brush along the way and thus slow the descent. All of it was to prevent them from going too fast and avoiding catastrophe.

What an interesting lesson to learn in our walk in life. Sometimes we face steep hillsides and just want to race down them. But God has a way of slowing us down. Sometimes He ties obstacles on to us so we travel steady and sure, and not fall headlong away from His will. He wants us to arrive at our destination intact, our spirits strong, our faith in Him alone.

And so we learn a valuable lesson from the pioneers of old. Don't be afraid if God seems to have tied a dead weight on you at the moment. He has your best interest at heart. And it may be keeping you from a disasterous fall.

Words to Write By... Author Devotions

This week I am highlighting a wonderful devotional book that I was privileged to be a part of - a meaningful work for writers in every season of their lives. The book is "Words To Write By" by good friend and author Robin Bayne. In it are treasures for every writer by well known authors such as Robin Lee Hatcher, Deborah Raney, Jill Eileen Smith, Cecil Murphy, Margaret Daly, among others. It includes devotions in the areas of persistence and rejections, publishing and networking, encouragement and motivation, and many other important topics.

I asked Robin to share a little about this valuable resource that every writer (and reader, too!) should own.

Why did you decide to compile a book like this?

Because I enjoyed reading devotionals, and I loved finding interesting writing tips from my favorite Christian authors. So I decided to invite some of them to contribute a writer's devotional, and the results became "Words to Write By."

Can you give us a summary of the book?

Many writers keep a favorite quote or Bible verse taped to their computer monitors, or as part of their e-mail signature or website theme. Why do they do this? As a constant reminder of a principle or value which aids their writing production or their sanity. The words can serve as task-master, guidance counselor or just plain comforter.

I find this practice fascinating. Each one reflects a bit of my personality and beliefs, as do every writer’s choice selections. I have asked some of the best writers in the business to share their inspiration with us, their favorite words of wisdom, and explain why they find them so special.

Tell us about yourself.

Robin Bayne is the award-winning author of five novels and three novellas, and is a regular contributor to the “Spirit Led Writer” ezine. Her essays, articles and devotionals have been published in the God’s Way Book series, Cup of Comfort Devotionals, The Secret Place, Christian Communicator, Writer’s Journal and many other publications. She has given workshops at regional and online romance writing conferences and the Writer’s Digest World’s Largest Writing Workshop. She lives in Maryland with her husband of nineteen years and works a "day job" as a mortgage underwriter. Visit her at: http://www.robinbayne.com/

A blurb about the book from the publisher's web site -

Join a variety of well-known authors as they share the scripture or quotations they find inspiring to their writing. The devotionals they’ve contributed reflect all aspects of the writing life: basic motivation, rejection, publishing and succeeding. Spend some time with the writers you love and discover what words they write by.

Order this excellent book here.