Laura V. Hilton's Blog, page 147

A Hibiscus "Hug from Heaven" by: Margaret McSweeney

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!
Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.



We’re giving away a pearl necklace in celebration of the holidays, as well as some items from the contributors! Enter now below. The winner will be announced on January 2, 2014, at the Pearl Girls blog.



If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl, Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace , or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.


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A Hibiscus "Hug from Heaven"
by: Margaret McSweeney
The flurry of festivities during Thanksgiving weekend came to an abrupt halt as I began the first week of December 2013 with an empty nest. My husband was back at work. My daughters were back at college. And my brother, Claude, and niece, Mary, were back in Alabama and Tennessee.Bare branches accentuated the overcast gloom in the Chicago suburbs on what marked the third anniversary of my brother Randy’s passing. Randy had been feeding a stray cat on his deck when the fatal heart attack struck.



Walking downstairs, I whispered a prayer. “Lord, I am feeling really sad right now. Please help me experience your joy.” As I walked into the family room, my heart smiled. The pruned hibiscus plant balanced a solitary flower that had blossomed overnight! This was truly a hibiscus “hug from heaven.”



In her book <em>When Grief Is Your Constant Companion</em>, my late mother shared her poignant poem about a hibiscus plant. She wrote this following poem several years after losing my dad to a sudden heart attack while he was in Paris on a business trip.



TEARDROPS: EVERLASTING JOY

By Carolyn Rhea



My love, how can it be

That I no longer think of you

Almost every waking moment

And grieve for your loving presence?



There are small spaces of time

When my life is so absorbed in present living

That you are not in my thoughts at all.

How unthinkable!

How sad that I should forget you even for an hour!



But I have not forgotten you, my dear.

You are forever a part of me.

You helped God shape my life

Into my present self.

I carry your love in my heart.

I miss you so very much and always will.



But now I’m caught up in trying to reconstruct

With God’s guidance

A meaningful life for myself.

One in which I can help,

Serve, share, love, grow.



I remember the hibiscus plant

We bought at the annual show.

It was called Teardrops,

For several perfectly-shaped white teardrops

Spattered the broad expanse

Of its gorgeous pink blooms.

How we loved it!



Then later, after it had grown much taller,

We saw a different kind of bloom:

Multitudes of small, sturdy, happy pink blossoms

Swaying merrily in the Florida breeze!

Teardrops had been grafted onto a stronger plant!



We named it Everlasting Joy.



Teardrops still bloomed at the lower level,

But as the plant grew ever upward and outward,

Everlasting Joy bloomed in profusion!



Lord Jesus, when teardrops fall,

Help me remember that through faith

I have been grafted in You –

You, the vine;

I, a branch –

Eternally secure in God’s love through Thee!

Blessed with Thy fullness of joy on earth

And the promise of everlasting joy in heaven!



Thank you, dear Father for sharing your everlasting joy with me today in my solitude. We are not alone in our grief. You are with us.“Ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” John 16:20






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Margaret McSweeney is well-published author (A Mother’s Heart Knows, Go Back and Be Happy, Pearl Girls, Mother of Pearl, Aftermath), host of Kitchen Chat, and the founder of Pearl Girls™. Through Pearl Girls™, Margaret collaborates with other writers on projects to help fund a safe house for WINGS, an organization that helps women and their children who are victims of domestic violence, and to build wells for schoolchildren in Uganda through Hands of Hope. For the past twelve years she has served on the board of directors and leadership advisory board for WINGS. Margaret lives with her husband and 2 daughters in the Chicago suburbs. Learn more at Margaret's website.




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Galatians 5:22-23

Psalm 10:17 / New December releases

ACFW New Releases: December 2013Posted on December 1, 2013 by ACFWDecember 2013 New ReleasesMore in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Contemporary Romance: Her Holiday Hero  by Margaret Daley –Together, Jake and Emma will discover it takes a different kind of bravery to open themselves to love-and to healing. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired) A Cowboy Christmas  by Delia Latham and Tanya Stowe — A mom on the run; a child and her “imaginary” friend; a Cowboy; and God. – Heart’s Haven is at it again. (Contemporary Romance from White Rose Publishing) The Firefighter’s New Family  by Gail Gaymer Martin — A widow with small son will never find love again, but God has other plans when a firefighter rescues her from benath a fallen tree and takes her and her toddler into his heart. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired) Tempest’s Course: Quilts of Love Series  by Lynette Sowell– Kelly Frost, a textiles conservator, is invited to the Massachusetts coastal city of New Bedford to restore a 150-year-old Mariner’s Compass quilt. There she meets Army veteran Tom Pereira, the caretaker of Gray House, whose heart seems as hard as the rocky Massachusetts coastline. Over the long-lit months as Kelly works to restore the quilt, she and Tom grow closer. Then Tom learns secrets of his own family’s past, and both Tom and Kelly learn they are tied to Gray House in ways they never imagined. (Contemporary Romance from Abingdon Press) An Amish Miracle  by Beth Wiseman, Mary Ellis, Ruth Reid — Three wonderful new stories by three of the top authors in Amish fiction. (Romance Novella from Thomas Nelson) Contemporary: A Ruby Christmas  by Jerusha Agen, Dianne E. Butts, Jennifer Fromke, Marji Laine, Fay Lamb, J.A. Marx, Ruth O’Neil, Phee Paradise, Debbie Roome — Ruby Buckner travels the world at her father’s request, picking up nativity pieces along the way. But she returns with far more than an eclectic creche. (General Contemporary from Write Integrity Press) Historical: The Sheep Walker’s Daughter  by Sydney Avey — A Korean War widow’s difficult mother dies before revealing the identity of her daughter’s father and his cultural heritage. As Dee sorts through what little her mother left, she unearths puzzling clues that raise more questions: Why did Leora send money every month to the Basque Relief Agency? Why is her own daughter so secretive about her soon-to-be published book? And what does an Anglican priest know that he isn’t telling? All this head-spinning breaks a long, dry period in Dee’s life. She might just as well lose her job and see where the counsel of her new spiritual adviser and the attentions of an enigmatic ex-coworker lead her. (Historical Women’s Fiction from HopeSprings Books) Marriage by Arrangement  by Anne Greene — Lady Cailin MacMurry marries the Fifth Duke of Avondale, honoring the arranged marriage her parents ordered. But Avondale’s shadowy past and strange disappearances threaten their marriage. Can she discover his secret, or must she arrange his accidental death to protect her unborn child? (General Historical from White Rose Publishing) Historical Romance: The Professor’s Heart  by Laurie Alice Eakes –Long ago, Mia and Ayden chose their careers over love. But God, it seems, may have other plans for them… (Historical Romance from Heartsong Presents) Return of the Cowboy Doctor  by Lacy Williams — The Cowboy’s Reluctant Sweetheart Two years shy of his medical degree, cowboy Maxwell White is out of money. So, he’s back in Bear Creek, Wyoming, working part-time for the local physician. Though he is immediately drawn to the doctor’s lovely, whip-smart daughter, she seems to be irritated by Maxwell’s very existence. Hattie Powell can’t quash her feelings for the town’s new would-be doctor. But that’s exactly why she must keep him at a distance. Hattie is closer than ever to fulfilling her lifelong wish of becoming a doctor. Now, the only thing standing in her way is the man of her dreams. (Historical Romance from Love Inspired) Alaska Brides Collection  by Mary Connealy, Tracie Peterson, Kathleen Y’Barbo, Cathy Marie Hake — Six Romances Persevere in the Alaska Wilderness. (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing) Romantic Suspense: Yuletide Jeopardy  by Sandra Robbins — A TV anchorwoman will stop at nothing to solve the cold case surrounding her high school friend’s death. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired)

Psalm 10:17

Ephesians 2:8-9

Philippians 4:19

Genesis 1:27

Psalm 112:1 / Gingerbread Waffles

Gingerbread WafflesYield: 4 large wafflesCrisp, spicy Gingerbread Waffles made with ginger, cinnamon, and molasses. Adapted from Annie's Eats.Ingredients1 cup all-purpose flour1 cup whole wheat flour2 tablespoons sugar1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda¾ teaspoon salt1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger¼ teaspoon nutmeg¼ teaspoon ground cloves4 eggs6 tablespoons butter, melted1 cup milk½ cup plain Greek yogurt3 tablespoons molassesInstructionsPreheat a waffle iron. Spray the iron with nonstick spray, if needed.In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, milk, Greek yogurt, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until completely incorporated.Fill your waffle iron with batter according to the manufacturer's instructions. Cook until crisp and browned. Serve immediately with pure maple syrup, butter, and powdered sugar. Repeat with remaining batter.NotesAll white flour can be used, opposed to a combination of wheat and all-purpose (as the recipe states).Sour cream can be used in place of the Greek yogurt, if preferred.

Isaiah 9:6

Isaiah 9:6 and giveaway!

Merry Christmas! To celebrate my readers, I'm giving away an autographed copy of one of my books (your choice), a Christmas towel, a mug full of goodies, and maybe other things if I find anything exciting. To enter - share or tweet about one of my books, tell you did, which book, and where, and I'll throw your name into a hat....