What inspired you to write the Aspiring Hearts Series? I met a woman (only 4 years older than I) who was the daughter of a Czech immigrant sharecropper. Her education was limited because she was forced to stay home from school until the crops were in and all the food preservation completed in the fall. In March, she had to leave school to plant and care for the fields. Her
Welcome to my garden and a bit of the good old days! The good old days is not a time, you know. It’s actually a place, a place we can create. How do we do that? By slowing down enough to notice that the real world is full of people to hug and chat with. It’s a beautiful physical space full of plants, sky, scenic water–all kinds of things that
Playing It Grand! “Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. . . . We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.” (Nelson Mandela) Every life is full of possibilities, and consequently we are presented with endless opportunities to choose. We are not only making the obvious external choices—what to do on any given day, what to wear, what to
I was often told when I was growing up that I was too much of a dreamer. But how could I not be a person of dreams, I wondered. To me a dreamer was simply someone who believed in the possible. All around me I saw examples of the possible. Spring came even though the cold wind of winter had seemingly killed warmth. The pine trees shot straight up to
Human imagination is such a grand gift from God! When I’m busy writing my novels, I’m privileged to exchange my actual circumstances for imagined ones, and sometimes that exchange can be a lovely vacation from difficulties. Certainly I hope I’m helping you, my readers, take a little vacation for an hour or two through my books. Additionally, I hope you return to your “real world” with a bit of wisdom
I awoke this morning with the lyrics of a favorite hymn playing over and over in my head. Perhaps you recognize them: “I serve a living Savior; He’s in the world today. I know that He is living whatever men man say. I see His hand of mercy; I hear His voice of cheer. And every time I need Him, He’s always near.” If you know this grand song, you
God was definitely playing it grand when He created the Rosario Beach Park area. When you first arrive, you are surrounded by towering firs and hemlocks reaching for heaven. As you begin your walk, your feet are cushioned by a carpet made of centuries of evergreen needles. A woodsy scent swirls around you as tiny songbirds sing overhead. Walk fifty yards more and hear the surf. Another fifty yards and all the elements are
“Your playing small doesn’t serve the world… We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.” – Nelson Mandela Why settle for a little lavender when there are fields of lavender close by? And why decorate your cute little shop with a few flowers when you can turn the front into a wonderful garden? And