Sylvia Brown-Roberts's Blog, page 3
August 29, 2023
The Joy of Giving
One of the ministries at our congregation of the Church of Christ is the Clothing Giveaway. It happens on the 2nd Saturday of the month at our church annex. We give our guests the opportunity to get free clothing. At our August giveaway, one of our new guests came in with her cart. She had two bunches of flowers in her cart, and I commented on the beauty of their colors. We agreed about the beautiful flowers, and I returned to sorting clothing. To my surprise, she said, "These are for you." She handed me a bunch of flowers. She said she'd gotten them at one of her stops on the way to our annex. I was touched. Our team gets joy from helping others. I came to give, yet I also received.Always, Sylvia
sylviabrownroberts.com
March 16, 2023
The Man Reading on the FootpathIt's a beautiful day for ...
The Man Reading on the Footpath
It's a beautiful day for a walk along the footpath. Look at him reading a book and smiling! When I walk by, I'll see the book's title. Wait a minute! The cover has a red door, like the one on the cover of my 4th novel: Church Doors Book 4: Won't Quit!
He's reading my novel! When I'm near him, I get up the nerve to greet him and say I'm the book's author. He smiles at me. "I'm enjoying your novel." He reaches into his pocket and hands me his business card. I note that he's not wearing a wedding band. Hmm, I've got two single sister friends. Possibilities? The fact that he's reading an inspirational novel is a plus. When I apologize because I don't have my business cards with me, he replies, "No worries. Your name is on the cover and inside. I'll check out your website." I thank him and resume my walk. At home, I take out his business card and read it. He has a publishing company that specializes in inspirational fiction books! What do you think? Is this a consequence or a blessing?
Always Sylvia
February 2, 2023
Lovely Hands
She's 90 years old, but she still has these lovely hands. These hands are special to me, and not just to me. They're special to my brothers and my sister. They're special to grandchildren, nieces and nephews, cousins, and the rest of the extended family, "adopted" children, church members, neighbors, colleagues, friends, former students, and so on. These hands are still used to help and to do for others. These are the hands of Mom Brown, and although she moves a bit slower since her stroke in 2022, she still moves quite well. She's become familiar with her cane and calls her walker her "friend"- she says what her mother used to say, "I'm going to do as much as I can for as long as I can." Amen. I know something else about her hands. She clasps them in prayer, day and night.💖Always Sylvia
January 24, 2023
A Tablet Goodbye
I'm not a gadget guru, nor a techie, but I enjoy some of the devices that weren't around when I was growing up. This Baby Boomer came late to the tech party, but I've gotten used to my cell phone, laptop, and my tablet. I usually keep my Kindle next to my desk and use her to watch news and shows while I write and do tasks in my study. Sometimes I use her to watch movies and enjoy word games. Most of all, I read books on my Kindle and use Audible to listen to books. Last week I had three books downloaded. It's great because my room is crowded with books to be read and my Kindle takes up little space, plus she's easy to take while traveling. Today, my Kindle wouldn't start! I called the company and it turns out my warranty expired in 2020 and there have been at least two new versions/generations since my Kindle. Thankfully, the representative gave me good advice on how to proceed. I'll miss my old Kindle, but I'll be happy to meet my new one! Have you ever said goodbye to one of your tablets? Always, Sylvia www.sylviabrownroberts.com
January 17, 2023
A Peek Into My Novel Series
My CHURCH DOORS novel series takes readers on a journey with single female character Nikolis McQuaige (NikkiMac) as she navigates the changes, challenges, victories, and trials that life brings. The first novel starts with NikkiMac's rescue by a church deacon when she's attacked by a man in a nightclub parking lot. The deacon comforts a tipsy NikkiMac in a fatherly way, gets her home safely, and encourages her to attend the local church congregation. The novels reveal her unique perspective of life, her church family members, and the urban community that surrounds the church. Readers say they recognize the characters from their own life experiences in and out of church and their neighborhoods. There are characters that elicit smiles, annoyance, laughter, and compassion. Readers watch NikkiMac grow as she learns faith lessons and discovers that victory over all life's challenges can only be obtained when she lets God lead her. More at: www.sylviabrownroberts.comSmiles,
Always Sylvia
January 9, 2023
Sometimes Giving is Better than Getting
In my last blog post, I revealed that I'm a purse/bag woman. I posted a pic of one of my last 2 bag purchases. I'm happy to announce that I've become more disciplined in this area of my life. Here you see the last purchased bag, but the joy isn't in the purchase or the ownership. The joy came in the person of my daughter, a very stylish young woman in her twenties. She came to visit us during the 2022 holidays and spotted this bag when she came into my study to chat with me.
"Moo, that's a really nice bag! I travel lots for my job and I can see myself with this sharp bag! You know you don't like to carry travel bags, you like the ones with the wheels on them. I like to carry my bags. See how nice it looks on me? The sisters on this bag are so fine!" She paraded around my study with the bag on her shoulder, with the straps in her hand, and so on. I admitted to myself that the bag looked fine on her, and it's true that these days when I travel to book vending events, I do prefer wheels on my bags. I gifted the "Pardon My Fro Squad Travel Bag" to her, and I feel good about it.
Smiles,
Sylvia
info@sylviabrownroberts.com
October 31, 2022
In Purse "TIME OUT"
I'm a purse person. It began when I was in my teens. I couldn't always afford purses so I carried bags that were passed on to me. I enjoyed the rare times I bought a new one. After graduating from college and securing a teaching position, I could afford to buy a few upscale bags. Good times!Now, however, I've put myself in bag "Time Out" because I ordered more bags during the pandemic than I've ordered in years. There are many explanations about the why for this behavior that I won't offer in this space😉. No more purse purchases for a long while. But look at this one: It's the Limited Edition DL Hughley NILA Doctor Bag. It's one of the last two bags I purchased online during the "stay at home as much as possible" time of Covid19 safety behavior. Next time, I'll show you my last purse purchase before my "Time Out." Am I alone in this? Did you purchase more of some item than usual during the pandemic quarantine? Do tell...
Always Sylvia,
September 28, 2022
Encouragement
The young lady in this picture is reading my 4th novel in the Church Doors series. It encourages me.
Today, I spoke with a businesswoman about a dress. Out of the blue, she shared that she saw me in a dream, dressed in a specific dress, sitting at a table signing my novels for many customers. I was encouraged by her words and the fact that she said them to me today. "Sylvia, it's your spirit. Your books are going to be very successful." She didn't know it, but this was a day that I needed some encouragement about my writing work, and I'd prayed about it this morning. Our LORD is able to provide encouragement in many ways!
Always Sylvia
August 31, 2022
Our Humble Worker Ants
Never underestimate those quiet, humble people who don't push to be in the forefront because they enjoy doing their part in the background. These are people who you rarely see on the platform speaking through the microphone. They remind me of the worker ants who keep moving in the colony, doing the work to keep the colony in good functioning mode. There are all kinds of workers in any group, and I sometimes wonder if the "worker ants" are appreciated. God gives us different gifts and strengths and He does all things well. Reflections: Some church workers volunteered to do clothing work today. Two of them came with their canes. One is recovering from knee surgery, so she sat in a chair, put clothes on hangers and folded clothes that others placed on racks and tables. The other worked carefully and effectively at a safe pace, her cane nearby. Another does therapy for back issues, but works like a champ because she knows when to take "sit down" breaks. We got the work done together. We've all been positively influenced by the church workers who did this work before us and we're blessed that some of those are still with us. The LORD will make a way for those who want to serve.Always Sylvia
May 30, 2022
My Imperfect Cup
This is my new cup. When I saw it in the store, the first thing that caught my eye was the message on the outside: Be Happy. It implies that I should put forth some effort in the happiness process. Next,I looked at the cup from the top and saw that it had an imperfect shape. What I call the lip of the cup isn't a perfect circle. It's a bit off, so of course I bought the cup. It's like me, not perfect, but able serve a positive purpose for others. It might not fit in with the regularly shaped cups, but it does the job and brings me a smile when I use it. By contrast, my cup won't grow, but I pray that I continue to grow in the ways that count for good.Always Sylvia@www.sylviabrownroberts.com
