Who Decided?

It was once

 a peaceful day, a family day.

It was togetherness.

 

We loved the smells,

the delicious conversation.

We enjoyed each other.

 

We once gave thanks.

And counted our

gifts, our blessings.

 

Who decided?

Who chose commerce

over family?

 

The feast,

once unhurried,

is now gobbled.

 

The conversation,

once delightful,

is now hushed.

 

And I am Alone

with the mess

and the silence.

 

 

Hurry shoppers!

You may save

 a dollar or two.

 

In exchange

For mere conversation

And precious connections.

 

 

Linda Garner

 

Book Signings

Marketing is not my favorite activity. I love being out with the public and meeting people. I love to talk to others, but setting up book signings and speaking engagements feels like pushing myself forward, and that's hard for me.

Courage is resistance of fear, mastery of fear, not absence of it. Mark Twain.

So I soldier on with wonderful friends and books that I believe in, and maybe the marking gets easier, but I still feel fear as I go about doing the initial set up.

Here Lori Nawyn and I are having our book launch for Love, Hugs, and Hope When Scary Things Happen. Our good friends Patricia Bossano and Driene Hattingh have joined us.

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
Mark Twain
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_courage.html#uJ05ZczLL8x5KEsC.99

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
Mark Twain
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_courage.html#uJ05ZczLL8x5KEsC.99

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
Mark Twain
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_courage.html#uJ05ZczLL8x5KEsC.99

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
Mark Twain
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_courage.html#uJ05ZczLL8x5KEsC.99

More than Sisters

Inseparable as children

We shared everything.

Not just parents.

 

We didn’t look alike.

We didn't have

the same ideas.

 

We whispered secrets,

 giggled, told stories,

 and talked in the dark.

 

Separated by school,

We made our own friends

and chose our own paths.

 

Things change.

We grew up together,

Separately.

 

Distance separates us.

Our lives are full.

We stay connected.

 

Sometimes we can

slow down time.

And find space for each other.

 

We choose to

be together

in spite of distance.

 

We whisper secrets,

giggle, share stories,

and talk in the dark.

 

It ends too soon.

There is never

enough time.

 

We treasure

each other.

We are connected.

 

We are more

than sisters.

We are friends.


Linda Garner

 

 

Sweet Connections

I found a treasure today.  It wasn’t lost or hidden.  It was carefully shelved for another day.  I found it while looking for something else.  It slipped from its spot into my hands, as though someone had placed it there.  I was delighted to see it again.  It was an old friend, a message from someone special.

The message was never meant for me, but it was given to me, though not by her.  I treasure it. 

She’s gone now, that sweet cousin of mine, but her words remain. Her poetry, her voice, her thoughts live on.  She recorded joy and pain with pen and paper.  She filled white pages with meaning.  In the day of typewriters her fingers tapped the words that spoke of loneliness and connections. 
 
I feel I know her better now than I ever did when she was here.  It would be lovely to have her drop by and visit with me.  Instead I’ll listen to her whisper from the pages that she kept.

Her words are beautiful.  She had a gift.  I wonder if her daughters have her words.  I don’t even know their names, but I’d love to share.  Until I find a way, I’ll share with you.  Enjoy.

Embrace your sweet connections.

 

Linda Garner

I Had Forgotten

by Renee Bosch

 

Dear Father,
 

I had forgotten

the beauty and wonder of your love.

I had forgotten

the sweet fragrance of your flowers.

I had forgotten

the gentle warmth of your spring rains.

I had forgotten

the flittering colors of your butterflies and birds.

I had forgotten

the wonder of your sun on my face after a long winter.

I had forgotten

the sweet mystery of the life you gave me.

 

And then, dear Lord,

You let me see these things

Through the eyes of my children,

And I remembered.

Thank You, Lord,

for your loving kindness,

And for not forgetting me.

(italics added)

 

Letting a Rejected Manuscript Go

Have you ever written something that editors reject and tell you to rewrite? Well, I have. I’ve been writing some self-help picture books. They have been rejected by agent after agent. Will I ever find someone to promote the books?

I've rewritten the manuscripts according to the suggestions of my critique group, and I feel a little sad changing the focus of the writing. Making the text funnier and move at a quicker pace. All the things that make it better.

The things that has been interesting to me is that there is a grieving process that goes with letting the old manuscript rest, hidden in the documents of my computer. I am sad to not spend time with it every day. It’s almost as if it had a life of its own, and we were very good friends. It has moved on and so have I.

At first the new manuscript and I didn’t know if we ever liked each other. We struggled to get to know one another and begin our friendship. We are better acquainted now and find each other more than tolerable at this point. The story is showing me the way to go, and I’m getting to like it.

I still grieve for my old friend, for it is part of me and I’m part of it. My life is better for having connected with it, and I’m grateful. Sadness still cradles itself in my heart, but it lessens as the days go by.

So here’s a tribute to my rejected writing. I am better for having written. And happy that the manuscript and I can look at the synergism that we created and know we are both standing on higher ground.

Christy

A Magical Space

          

I just finished reading Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan. It was written in 1942, and is about Norwegian children outwitting German soldiers during World War II. The children save millions of dollars of gold from falling into German hands.

When I posted it on Goodreads, I was shocked to find that Snow Treasure is still in print. (My copy is from the library, and our library is known to have some pretty old books.)

How would it be to have your book in print for almost 70 years? Seventy years!

Since it was written in 1942, there are some things that wouldn’t make it past editors today. Ms. McSwigan gets on her hobby horse a couple of times. There is some ‘telling’ that could be shown, but as a whole the book is full of tension and keeps the reader engaged.

Chapter endings are cliff-hangers, as they should be. There are adults in the story, but the kids are the ones that save the day. The adults empower the kids to solve the problem and get out of the way so they can do it.

How many children in seventy years have enjoyed this book? I love that magical time when a child is drawn into a story (or even when I’m involved in a story myself). As mothers we see it with little children when we read to them. As a child grows older and learns to read, he engages himself in that magical place by himself. As a writer, my one wish is that I might charm a child into that magical time with one of my stories.

I have this secret wish that I want to be invited into special space and be part of a child’s magic. To me, that’s the ultimate goal of writing.

What’s your secret wish about writing? Do you have one?

Christy

In Tune

I’m having my granddaughter’s piano worked on today.  It’s old and needs a little face lift.  It’s amazing what a little TLC will do.  Face lift is probably not the right word choice, because it’s the inner workings of the piano that we are exploring.  To put it bluntly, we are working on the guts of the piano.  It’s an inside job.

Last week the tuner replaced a broken string and then did a thorough tuning.  Today he is regulating the piano, which means filing the hammers down, making them round and smooth again.  He’ll probably have to tune again.

Piano hammers take a beating.  Piano playing gradually wears away at them, and not in a good way.  Eventually those hammers become worn out. They still work but the sound gets muddy. 

 I get wrinkles in my face.  Piano hammers get grooves in the fleshy felt.  It’s similar, only I can’t file away my wrinkles.  The difference in the sound of the piano after having it tuned and regulated is huge.

Pianos should be tuned about every 6 months.  Most of us put it off too long.

While we were inside the piano regulating, the tuner removed the keys and cleaned out the bed underneath the keys.  It was disgusting.  A lot of dust and dirt accumulate there over the years.  This piano had been stored in a garage for a number of years.  A very nice garage, but a garage, nevertheless.

In the key bed, we found a lot of icky stuff, most notably a mouse’s nest and all that goes with it.  No mice thankfully.

It felt good to clean that up.  No one could see it, but it was nice to have it gone.

I have some icky stuff stored inside of me.  Like the hammers on a piano, I have grooves where I would like to be smooth.  Like the bed underneath the keys, I have accumulated some gunk.  It isn’t pretty, and it doesn’t serve me well.  You can’t see it, but it would be nice to have it gone. 

I need a different sort of tuner for this work.  A face lift would be nice, but I would like to go deeper.  This is an inside job.  I’d call it a work of heart or soul.

My soul tuner is available 24/7.  His rates are reasonable.  All I have to do is call.  

He does good work too.  I try to see Him regularly, but sometimes I put it off too long. 

I recommend Him highly.  I love the difference He makes in my life.  

“Oh, may my heart in tune be found, like David’s harp of solemn sound.”

Linda Garner

p.s.

If you need a good piano tuner try Eric Harmson.  Contact him at 801-492-3608, 801-808-0276 or  eric@eric harmsen.com.  To get a discount log in to www.pianostress.com.

 

The Emerald Ring Book Review and Giveaway

Congratulations to LeAnn Williams, winner of the book.

Sara Bogus's life turns upside down when she discovers an emerald ring that once belonged to Cleopatra. With the help of her BFF, Heidi,  she discovers an unsettling connection between the recent burglaries in her neighborhood and her new piece of jewelry.

The fun of discovering the ring's unique abilities turns to fear when Sara finds out a dangerous cult bent on restoring Rome to power is after the ring. Forced to choose between keeping the ring and saving her friends, Sara learns the price of bravery in this electrifying read!

A great action-packed read the will thrill children everywhere, this book has an intriguing twist that all readers will enjoy.

Purchase this book as a great Christmas gift for children in your life. Follow this blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of the book.

About the author

Dorine White is a children's author and a book reviewer. I grew up back East in Maryland and attended BYU in Utah. I have a BA in Humanities with an interest in Art History and French. Currently I live in the beautiful, yet rainy Northwest with my husband and 6 children.

My first book in The Cleopatra's Legacy series, The Emerald Ring, was published by Cedar Fort Books on May 14, 2013. It is a middle grade fantasy novel that involves Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra, and a magic emerald ring.

You can find me online at www.dorinewhite.com or check out my book blog at www.dorinewhite.blogspot.com.