an afternoon at the doggie expo

What fun, what fun.  A beautiful October afternoon and a parking lot full of dogs.  We took ours but almost wished we hadn't (tug, tug, pull, pull).  But we figured it was her one social event of the year.  Maybe even the decade.  Or, quite possibly, her entire life.  Once she simmered down we had a calmer time.

And despite what you see in these pictures, this was not just a Golden Retriever show.  I'm just partial.

I thought October would never get here....

Happy October 1st!

I wanted to write a little somethin' somethin' to celebrate this new and hopefully cold month.

Sing the following lyrics to the tune, "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things".

(And no, that's not Julie Andrews under the bag.)

Leaves that are falling and rust colored sweaters

Sending my college kids emails, not letters

Seeing how much a used textbook can bring

These are a few of my favorite fall things.

Rainy cold days with hot tea that is brewing

Reading instead of the chores I’m not doing

Wild geese seem smart as they leave until spring

These are a few of my favorite fall things.

No more white dresses or bleach for them needed

Labor Day’s passed so wear skirts dark and pleated.

Snuggling in hoodies with those pesky strings

These are a few of my favorite fall things.

When the dog barks

At the school bus

And my kids look sad

I smile and remember – still nine months of school!

And then I don’t feel.....so bad  :)

It's Thursday, and I'm thankful

Weeks roll by faster than the stuffing at Thanksgiving dinner when I need to have a post up each Thursday!  Believe me, it's a great blogging habit - gets me on a schedule.

It's Thursday again.

I'm thankful for rain - we need it.

I'm thankful for the presence of God in my life- I need Him.

I'm thankful for my kids- they still need me. :)

Your turn, once again.  What are you thankful for today, this week, this moment?

the good, the bad and the ugly

Those three have been my close friends the past few weeks.  If you notice in that phrase, there's only one positive to two negatives.  I think that's because in this life of ours to live, the bad and the ugly are there all the time, even when the good is present.  Each day has its fill and its share of all three. Even Paul talks about this in the Bible, when he speaks about doing the good he wants to do

but the bad is right there with him.

This whole concept is nothing new.  But it seems like the latter two have sure had their hayday recently in my life, and I'm constantly needing to look for the good.

And with God,  I find it.  Somedays it's like hacking through jungle vines to get to it, but it's there.  The bad and the ugly want to turn my thoughts away from the good things in my life and from God himself,  but if I can hack the clearing big enough - and that takes effort and work - righteousness and hope and healing take center stage and I can smile again.

When you're deep into the bad and the ugly, you have to look for the good.  I need to remember that God has already won the war, even when I'm fighting the battle.  And that's a reason to get up in the morning.

I'm thankful it's Thursday...

Keeping in the tradition of stopping by here to leave a comment of what you're thankful for every Thursday, I thought I'd start us out with just one piece of praise from me.

I'm thankful because....

  it's Thursday.

It's been a long week.  But yet a good one, and I'm watching God move and change people and work things out.

But there are times I could still use a nap.

So, what are you thankful for today?

What to write, what to write?

I've been asking Corey Schwartz, a writing partner, that question a lot this past week.  Ugh.  So many ideas- how do I know which to give my hours, time, commitment and devotion to?  What if I slave away for days, dismissing chocolate and all things lovely, only to produce something that won't submit, much less sell?  How much time should one put into any idea before they figure out whether to embrace it or scrap it? 

When do we stop the madness??????? 

Then I read this excellent blog post this morning by Darcy Pattison, and thought I'd share it here with you all.  It helps to answer my rambling brain's question.

"I've started a new novel: it’s plotted, has character sketches, did research for certain aspects of it, and rewrote a first chapter in about 5 different voices until I’m happy with it.

But the new novel never really caught my passion. I’m interested, love the premise, think the characters have great potential and I’d really like to read this book. Really.

But somehow, the passion never came. The drive to get to the computer to see what happens next, to make the next section come to life.

So, one day, I started reading through all the old novels that life in bits and bytes on my computer and — well, one caught my interest. It’s a novel that was too edgy when I wrote it, and now, seems tame in comparison to today’s edgy. But, with some work, some revision, maybe. . .

Last week and this week, I can’t wait to get to the computer and work. This is the right story to be working on right now: its time has come.

Sometimes, we wander through this writing life not knowing what to work on next, where to turn. What story would sell the best, what would please editors or readers? Wrong questions: where’s the passion? I know I”m doing some of the best work I’ve ever done on this story because, finally, I’ve found a story that excites me. Finally, I care."

Love that.

How do you know when to pursue an idea and when to leave it behind?  Leave a comment - I'd love to know!

Take a minute...

...to give thanks this Thursday.  If you are new to my blog, this Thursday thing is a small tradition I started here to remind me and you to pause, take a moment, and count the good stuff going on.  After all, there's always going to be the bad, the undesirable, the un-asked for things in our lives. But in amongst that are pockets of joy, contentment, and peace if we look for them.

The main question we have to ask ourselves is this - Which set of circumstances are we going to focus on?

Your entire day depends on it.

I'll start us off...

  I'm thankful for cooler weather! (really, I am)

  For all the kids I get to work with every day who make me laugh and smile.

  For having a God big enough to handle what's coming my way today, if I'll only I'll get out of the way and let Him.


Leave your thankful comment below. Let's encourage each other with what's going right in our lives!