Sarah Martin Byrd's Blog, page 4

Solitude

Are you a loner or do you like having someone around you all the time? I must say I’m a little of both. I enjoy people, or most people anyway but there are times when I just need to be left alone. For the past few weeks my husband has been at home. He’s trying out retirement. Unfortunately, for me he’s enjoying it. I am simply not use to having someone under foot 24/7. Normally he would be outside doing his thing but with the weather being so yucky he’s been in the house… with me… all day… all night.

 

It’s hard to get the creative juices flowing when someone is talking to you from the other room. “Hey what’s for lunch? Do you want to play cards? What’s for supper?” Or, he’s standing over my shoulder reading every word I’m typing. Now don’t get me wrong I’m thankful for the old ball and chain, but give me a break. I NEED TO BE ALONE!

 

Most of you probably don’t know it but I’m a groundhog. Born February 2nd, 1959 on Groundhog Day. Lets talk about the groundhog for a few minutes. Groundhogs don’t run in packs like wolves or deer. They live in the ground in a hole mostly by themselves. Except for an occasional run in with the opposite sex the groundhog is by nature a loner. It’s main objective in life is to eat all they can in the spring, summer and fall so they will gain enough weight to hibernate all winter. That sounds sort of like me because I like to stay holed up on these long winter days, snuggled up to a good book or my computer, and Lord knows I do love to eat like the groundhog.

 

The fancy name for groundhog is woodchuck. The woodchuck belongs to the squirrel family. Groundhog Day originated in Germany and Great Britain. According to legend the groundhog or woodchuck awakens every year on February 2nd. He climbs up out of his hole, peeps his little flat head out, looks around and smells the air for danger, then crawls on out and stands up on his hind feet. If the sun is shining and he sees his shadow it scares him and he jumps back in the hole for another six weeks. That sounds like me too, many a morning I look in the mirror and feel like jumping back in bed for the day or six weeks. Now if it is cloudy and that old groundhog doesn’t see the freaky image of himself he knows that spring is just around the corner and he stays out of his hole and starts his search for food.

 

In reality we might not be able to predict the weather by whether or not I see my shadow on February 2nd, (which by the way I did) but there are some things in life that we can predict. I know that the sun will rise every morning and set in the west every evening. I know that babies will be born and all who breathe will some day pass on. I know that some will have more than enough to sustain them from day to day and others will wither in need. I know that there will be good people and bad people, believers and non-believers. Life is ever changing. Each day brings us closer to celebrating eternity.

 

So, while the hands of the future tick to and fro I will listen for the voice of my retired husband calling for me, and I will feel blessed that I have someone to pester me. I will be thankful that I am needed, and I will relish each moment of solitude I can find too. This old groundhog just needs a few quiet moments every day to collect her thoughts, ponder life, pen a few words and pray for patience.

 

 

Mark 1:35

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

 

Stockpiling

Matthew 6:19-21

 

19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

 

20) But lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

 

21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

Wow! What a cold winter we’ve had here at the foothills of The Blue Ridge Mountains. Plummeting temperatures outside aren’t so bad as long as you have a warm place to take shelter. That shelter for me exists in the basement of my house next to the old wood heater. There’s no better feeling than to gather around a wood stove. You can feel the warmth seep right through your skin to your soul, embracing you with sunlit wisps of peace and comfort. The feeling is indescribable.

 

When I was a little girl it was my, and my sister’s job to gather wood every day from the wood shed out back of the house. More times than one the rickety wheelbarrow would tumble over and dump out the wood we’d loaded before we could unload it on the back porch.  At six or seven years old I hated that job. Those sticks of wood were plenty heavy for a little tyke like me. I also had a fear of waking up a hibernating snake in that wood shed. I knew they were there because I’d seen their shed skins. It’s also a miracle that I didn’t get spider bitten too. For some reason spiders just love to hang out in dried wood. It was a happy day when daddy bought, and installed an oil circulator. I felt rich.

 

Other memories of using a wood stove take me to the base of the Brushy Mountains. My Grandpa T.O. not only heated his house with wood, he also cooked his food on the old cast iron stove in the kitchen. It was a fancy little number. I remember it had a warming compartment where a girl could always find a tasty biscuit. And there is no doubt in my mind that stewed potatoes cooked on that stove tasted better than any I’ve ever sampled since.

 

My Grandma Verlie also had a wood cook stove in the kitchen where my daddy grew up. When it was really cold she would build up the fire and open the oven door for us grandchildren to warm by. That oven also roasted many a peanut that she had grown in her garden, and baked more than it’s share of sweet potatoes.

 

As the years passed I watched each one of those old wood heaters get hoisted out of their lifetime resting place and discarded into an old shed or hauled to the junk yard. Left all alone, no longer needed or loved. Forgotten, no good for anything except a place for dust and rust to gather. I thought that was progress. But it was a precious way of life thrown away like an old shoe. Gone were the days you went out into the woods and cut down a tree to use for heat in the winter, or to warm up your food. A time when we didn’t have to worry about a long cold spell and whether or not we’d be able to pay the increasing power bill, or buy enough fuel oil or propane to keep our feet and children warm.

 

Is cutting wood hard work? Of course it is, but what a feeling of accomplishment when you watch that woodpile grow and that power meter slow down. Cutting wood is also a time of companionship, a couple working together using their backs to make ends meet and not just sliding the temperature up on the thermostat and working overtime to pay for it.

 

Something to ponder: While climbing the ladder to success and accumulating all of life’s riches, take into consideration just what rich is. Is it a mansion on the hill, with lofty ceilings and Persian rugs, a place where the power bill is five hundred dollars a month? While trying to lay up treasures here on earth have we forgotten how to live a simple life? To me the definition of rich is being at peace, comfortable in knowing that laying up treasures on earth is a waste of time. Only those treasures that we lay up in heaven count for anything. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Thank goodness my treasure is that woodpile, and what happened on the Old Rugged Cross all those many years ago.

 

 

The less you have… The more precious what you have is.

Author Unknown

 

Prostitute at the Well

For the past few weeks I’ve been querying Literary Agents in hopes that one will take the bait and represent my new novel, The River Keeper. To date I have sent out 47 proposals and out of those I have only received two personal messages back. I took one agent’s suggestion to heart and revised several chapters per her input. I do believe the changes improved the book and I am thankful to that agent.

 

The second personal message sort of hit me in the gut. It read like this: I really like your writing, but the religious elements here I think would make the book a pretty tough sell in the competitive Young Adult market. I love those first few words: I really like your writing. But, I hate the word “but.” B…u…t, those three little letters can simple ruin your day.

 

At the beginning of every chapter of The River Keeper a scripture that is relevant to what will happen in that chapter is written. So of course it is full of religious elements. But, this time I will not take the advice of an agent. I refuse to take the scripture out of The River Keeper. The entire story is woven around God and the fact that He can make good come out of anything. I truly believe this so I won’t back down from my convictions.

 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if The River Keeper was released into the world of young adults and that they would read the scriptures and yearn to learn more about the mysteries that are woven throughout the Bible? Maybe if they read the inspired words of God they would find their place in a world full of uncertainty.

 

I can see the craze now: Young adults everywhere are inspired to read the greatest book ever written. Instead of The Twilight Series or Hunger Games these young people will be reading about miraculous healings, a sea that opens to let thousands of people safely through to the opposite side, a blind man who pastes mud on his eyes and sees for the first time. A Samaritan woman at a well, who may or may not have been a prostitute, is forgiven of all her sins. What about a boy who kills a giant with a stone and a slingshot, sounds sort of like The Hunger Games doesn’t it? Then there’s this story about the biggest zoo in the world inside a boat called an Ark. What about that man named Jonah who lived for three days inside the belly of a huge fish and was then spit out on shore. And, don’t get me started on the complex enigma of angels that walk among us?

 

I could go on and on about all the great stories that are inside the Bible. Are we letting our young people down by not sharing the mysteries of God? Now don’t get me wrong I am not a religious nut. I’m just a sinner who is trying to live a little better everyday and spread the Good News of Jesus. It scares me to think that a young person would become so intrigued by some literary work that promotes vampires and not know what is written inside the greatest Book of all.

 

When I was a teenager I received a copy of The Way, The Living Bible. I truly don’t know how I would have made it through some of the things that happened to me as a youngster if I hadn’t had this Book to turn to. Every answer to every question you might have about life is found in the Bible. You can see by the worn, and tattered cover that my Bible was used.

 

This blog is titled, Prostitute at the Well, got your attention, right? Why is that? Worrisome isn’t it? So, this old gal won’t be prostituting herself out to the world by denying God His say in my work. The scripture, or so-called, religious elements will stay in The River Keeper, whether it ever finds a home at a Literary Agency or not.

 

 

Matthew 10:33

 

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Camper Crazy

Philippians 4:11

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

 

Do you ever get a notion in your head that you’ve just got to have something? Maybe a new car or sofa. What about a big screen TV? A new house, condo at the beach, summer cottage at Martha’s Vineyard. Don’t say you’ve never wanted one or more of these luxuries, of course you have, we all want things we don’t really need.

 

I myself love campers, yes campers, you know RV’s, recreational vehicles. Class A, B’s, and C’s, tagalongs, goosenecks and especially campers with lots of slide-outs. At the RV Show at The Greensboro Coliseum this past weekend I drooled over many a new shiny home on wheels. Some models even have double sinks in the bathroom, one for me and one for him. No more waiting to brush your teeth. I even saw a few with islands in the kitchen just like in a fancy house. Some have electric fireplaces in the living room, and hookups for a washer and dryer. Now that’s camping.

 

I especially liked one camper I saw, it’s a Park Model. You might ask, what’s the difference between a regular camper and a Park Model? Well, let me tell you. A Park Model has a full size refrigerator, a big boy potty, and slide-outs to die for, and… some even have full sized bathtubs.

 

Most of us “Campers” do what we call trading up. You know you start out with a 1972, 14 foot tagalong, then you graduate to a 24 footer, then before you know it you own a 2005, 28 footer with one slide-out. Then one day you decide you just have to have a 41 foot Park Model. Often times our wants get us in trouble, trading up sometimes comes with a whole passel of problems.

 

First, and foremost trading up means spending more money, and believe me these Park Model beauties are not cheap. Second, you can’t put a 41-foot Park Model on a 36-foot lot. I’m sorry it just won’t fit. Third, you can’t hook a 50-amp camper into a 30-amp outlet. Oh yes, you can buy the adaptor that converts your electricity from 50 amps to 30 amps, but you won’t be able to watch TV and use the microwave at the same time. Or, use the hair dryer with the air conditioning running. Okay, maybe it would be worth it to keep running to the breaker box, or would it?

 

We have to realize that some things are just not meant to be. Do I really need a 41-foot Park Model, with ceiling to floor windows that face the New River? No, I don’t need it but honestly I do want it.

 

In my younger day I would have thrown caution to the wind and somehow purchased that Park Model. But with age comes wisdom, and a contentment that can only be found when we realize that in whatsoever state I am to be content.

 

Trust me, trading up is not always what it’s cracked up to be. Be happy with what the Lord has blessed you with.

Hunting, The Big Dawg Way

It’s strange sitting at home on a Sunday morning. The temperature outside is hovering around freezing, the sidewalks, parking lots and porches are covered with a thin sheet of ice so instead of taking a chance that someone might fall and break a hip, or ankle, or wrist, the powers that be have called off Sunday School and Worship Service at my home church, Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, State Road, NC.

 

So what’s a girl to do with herself when she’s got a free morning? She writes of course. I have some exciting news to share with you. My “little brother,” that is by the way not so little will be starring in his first episode of Big Dawg Outdoors. My brother, Scott Martin will be co-hosting with another guy named Scott, Scott Boger that is.

 

My “little brother” is eleven years younger than me so that’s why I call him my “little brother.” Who would have thought when we were snotty nosed kids that he would have his own hunting show? For that matter who would have ever thought I’d have three books published. I reckon the Martin clan is just full of surprises. Next we might bungee jump off the Gauley River Bridge, or climb Mount McKinley? Don’t hold your breath on either one of these things ever happening. My daddy might have raised a couple of pretty adventurous kids but he didn’t raise a nincompoop.

 

My “little brother” who said he would never fly in an airplane has certainly had to step outside of his comfort zone when the new television show took him to Regina, Canada on a duck and goose hunt. Other shows have been shot in Pittsfield Illinois, Alabama, Ohio, Traphill North Carolina, and there is even coverage of a kill shot on our property at the Byrd Farm, Elkin North Carolina. They’ll even be doing some salt-water fishing off the coast of North Carolina on some of the shows.

 

Hunting is not always what it appears. A lot of work goes into every one of these shows. Trust me a big buck does not step out in front of the camera every time the producer says, “roll ‘em.” But tonight you’ll see my nephew; Hunter Martin put the smack down on a pretty good size buck. You’ll also see a bunch of duck and geese fall from the sky, and yes, the birds are eaten and not just thrown away.

 

Big Dawg Outdoors will premier tonight at 7pm on The Hunt Channel, Dish Network, channel 266. I hope you will spend some time out in the wild with my “little brother” tonight. And, give the guy a break if he seems a bit nervous. Remember for now he’s just a Wilkes County country boy… but who knows one day you may see him walk the red carpet.

 

Watch this promo video:

 

 

Another Year Under The Belt (Literally)

Well, another year has come and gone. What will 2014 deliver? Continued good health or will sickness come knocking at my door, or the door of a loved one? Will the world’s economy continue to escalate into more debt? Might this be the year that Jesus calls His children home?

 

I always feel a bit strange at this time of year, hopeful of things to come, but weary of things yet to do. I know that I need to get into a regular exercise program. Not just my casual stroll around the neighborhood. As I’ve told you before I don’t believe in making New Year resolutions but I do believe that the New Year is a good time to examine our lives.

 

My problem is that there are just not enough hours in the day. For the past week I’ve been fighting a sore throat and runny nose. I hardly ever get sick, but with all the rushing around I’ve been doing these past few months I have just worn myself out. This old gal just ain’t got the stamina that she use to. My body can’t keep up with my brain. I want to be able to stay up half the night and get up early to start it all over again. I don’t want to have to think about something before I do it. Like… should I really try to jump over that ditch. If I fall I’ll probably break a hip.

 

What about making commitments that I just don’t have time for? Is it hard for you to tell someone no? Well it is for me. I am a pleaser. I want to be all things to all people. But you know what? No one can live up to that, no matter how hard we try. So this year I’m going to put my health in the forefront. I vow to pull my butt up off this desk chair, to get outside more, to breathe in the fresh air, to work my muscles until they are orbs of steel and not globs of mashed potatoes.

 

You might be thinking how is Sarah going to write me another book to read if she’s out having fun and getting healthy? How will she spend all the hours that need to be spent marketing her books if she’s lollygagging on the riverbank and taking spin classes?

 

Well, let me tell you something. If I’ve learned anything in these 54 years of living it’s that no one is going to take care of you but yourself. So I challenge you, get up with me. Let’s walk, stand, do a jumping jack or two. Let’s give ourselves the gift of good health this year. Will the Byrd house really be affected if supper isn’t on the table one night? Will the world fall apart if I miss posting a blog every once in a while? I think not.

 

This year take time for yourself, live the fullest life you possibly can, because you know what? We’re not guaranteed another moment. No matter what stage of life you’re in, it can be the best year yet. Sometimes all we have to do is believe… and get up off our butts!

 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

 

Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 

At this special time of year I want to take a few minutes to reflect and offer thanks to all who have crossed my path this past year and touched my life. There is no way to name you all I won’t even try. But I do want to list a few people and things that I am especially thankful for:

 

I am first and foremost thankful to my God who sent His son to earth as a wee babe, knowing the pain and suffering this small child would experience as a grown man so that we all may one day live in heaven in the presence of the All Mighty with no pain, cares or worries.

 

I am thankful that Jesus was willing to die on a wooden cross, experiencing more agony than we could humanly imagine just to save a sorry soul like me. Jesus shed his life-blood, it seeped from his torn and beaten body and spread over the cross covering every sin I have committed and will ever commit. If Jesus was willing to suffer so that all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life, shouldn’t we thank Him every minute of every day and praise His Holy Name in all things?

 

I am thankful that God spoke the words into all those men who penned the Bible. That blessed book has been my road map through many curvy, and mountainous trips through life. The Bible has the answer to any question I might have. All I have to do is open the cover, seek, and believe.

 

I am thankful for Jerry, my husband of 37 years. We have walked through the fire together and survived with only a few singes. Sometimes we have gone in different directions but we’ve always found our way home to each other. I heard a lady the other day say, “If I could only do my life over.” Well, not me. I really wouldn’t change a thing, because if I did I would not be where I am today and have the people that I have around me. I have a blessed peace that can only come from being satisfied with wherever life has taken me.

 

I am thankful for my daughter, Wendy. Oh my goodness, when I first looked into her eyes I was scared to death. I didn’t have a clue how I was going to take care of her. But all I really had to do was love her, and change a few diapers and feed her. Loving Wendy has always been easy. She has a precious spirit and gentle soul… that is until you rile her. I am so proud of the woman she has become. Her walk in life has not always been easy, but she has been strong and fearless. I am also so very thankful that Wendy has Marty in her life. Nothing makes a mother happier than to see her child happy.

 

I am so thankful that God blessed Wendy with a child, my granddaughter, Emma. There are no words to describe the love I have for this little angel. We are buddies. I love spending time with her and thankfully she enjoys being with me. The past 9 years have flown by, and Emma is growing up way too fast. She is a beautiful young lady, not only on the outside, but inside too where it really counts. Emma has also had disappointments in her few years, but like her mother she is strong, and courageous.

 

I am thankful for my sister, Gail, my brothers, Steve and Scott and all their spouses and children. I have some really awesome nieces, nephews, a few great cousins, and my uncles are very special to me too. I don’t spend as much time with them as I would like, but they are all in my heart. We have memories that will last a lifetime. They’re not all good, but they’ve made us the people we are today. I am also very thankful for Jerry’s brothers and their wives and children. They are as much a part of me as my own blood kin.

 

I am truly thankful for my special friends, you know who you are. You touch my heart with your kindness toward me and I am blessed to have each one of you in my life. I am also so thankful for my church, Pleasant Ridge Baptist and our new minister, Mitch Smith, our Associate Pastor Jason Lawson, their families, and the extended family that I have there.

 

I am thankful for my eight-year-old iMac that is still working, for my ten-year-old Nissan Sentra that still gets me where I need to go, and for my camper on the New River. I am blessed with a cozy little house with a wood heater in the basement, and I’m also thankful for the wonderful neighbors that surround my home. A good neighbor is a priceless thing to have.

 

I am so, so very thankful that I, and my family are healthy. And I am thankful for those care givers who help keep us this way, Dr. Al and all the other medical and office staff at Elkin Pediatric and Adult Medicine, Dr. Jim Harrell Jr. and staff, Dr. Stephen Harrell and staff, and Dr. Gilreath and his staff, without whom my back would be in bad shape. If we have good health we should not complain about anything.

 

I could go on and on about all the many blessings that I am thankful for. My warm bed, watching Christmas movies with my granddaughter, my cats, Pumpkin, Charcoal, Snowball, who we sometimes call Ding-A-Ling, and Little Brother, my camera, my husband’s old ’70 model Massey Ferguson tractor, homegrown potato’s and canned green beans, country music, good books to read, electricity, running water, hot water, internet, my cell phone, stretchy pants, toilet paper, and my old lavender sweater that reminds me of my Aunt Lafayette.

 

Lastly, I am thankful for all my family and friends who have gone to be with the Lord. My daddy and mama, Jerry’s parents, grandma’s and grandpa’s, aunts and uncles. They may not be with me in body, but their spirit hovers around me always. My memories of them guarantee me I will never be without them.

 

May God bless you all, and please don’t leave Jesus out of your “Christ”mas celebrations.

 

(I probably will not have another blog until after the first of the year. My granddaughter, Emma will be out of school and we’ve got grandma and granddaughter things to do. Happy New Year!)

Whirlwind Affair

Since Matty the manger mouse was dropped off at my door via a FedEx truck almost three months ago I feel like my life has been caught up in a whirlwind. I’ve been blown all across North Carolina and even into parts of Tennessee and Virginia. Four of Matty’s stories were even air mailed to Colorado this week. I feel like Jennifer Grey in the movie Dirty Dancing. One minute you’re on a nice leisure vacation, spending time with your family at a fancy resort on Lake Lure, then all of a sudden you’re falling madly in love with Patrick Swayze, a man know for his “dirty dancing.”

 

Though my relationship with Matty the manger mouse is completely platonic, I have been spending way too much time with him and neglecting my other “affairs.” Such as, finding an agent for, The River Keeper, and marketing my novels, Guardian Spirit, and The Color of My Heart. The worst thing is I have completely had to shut down the creative side of my brain while doing all this traveling around the country peddling my little mouse story.

 

My next children’s book is coming to life in my head, and the characters voices are beginning to shout… write this down, don’t forget this line… what about this plot twist? If I didn’t have this blog for creative release my brain would probably explode and a hundred million words would come flying out of my noggin.

 

I am so very thankful that The Manger Mouse has been well received, but now as we come to the close of the Christmas selling season I can put little Matty to bed, (not literally) and move on to something else for a little while. The Manger Mouse has exceeded all expectations and is considered “sold out” for the season, though I do have a few more copies to finish out the six more events scheduled between now and December 21. My publisher, Ambassador International will begin taking orders for Christmas 2014 starting in January.

 

After leaving Mast General Store in Hendersonville this past Saturday, my husband drove me up to Lake Lure, and then on to one of my favorite spots, Cades Cove. I had a couple of days to relax and reflect. As I looked out over the waters of Lake Lure I thought about the movie that was filmed there, Dirty Dancing. Though the movie was pretty risqué and provocative when it was released back in 1987 it’s underlying message is one we should all embrace.

 

We should never judge a book by its cover. We should open that book up and see what’s on the inside. The outside may seem poor, and look dirty and torn, it might even smell, but should we care what it looks like? Shouldn’t we yearn to see what is written on the inside, in the heart? Matty the manger mouse is just a lowly mouse, but his message is touching people everywhere. If God can use a lowly mouse, then don’t you think He can use you and me?

 

(If you would like to purchase a copy of The Manger Mouse, Debbie Wall, the illustrator and I will be at the Holiday Open House at Fairfield Inn on CC Camp Road, Elkin, NC this Saturday, December 14 from noon until 7.

And, on Sunday, December 15 from 1 until 4 we will be at Salem Creek, located on Hanes Mall Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC.)

Cherish the Moments

James 4:14

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

 

This past weekend I started writing notes inside the Christmas cards that I’ll be sending out this year. Being the word nerd that I am it’s a pretty time consuming task. I suppose I should simply sign my, and Jerry’s name and add a couple of words of love, but no, I have to write what’s in my heart and on my mind. It does take a lot of time, but sending cards is something I really enjoy doing.

 

As I glanced through my Christmas card list from last year I realized there have been some highs and unfortunately some really deep lows in 2013. Six people from my list have passed away this year. Several friends from my list have been battling cancer and a couple have just found out they have the dreaded disease. My nephew’s young wife is facing a lifetime of heart problems, another friends husband was almost killed when he touched some live electrical wires. One neighbor on my list had to be put in a nursing home because of dementia, while another is battling the disease at home under the watchful eyes of family. There has been divorce, jobs lost, family feuds, heartbreaks and disappointments of all kinds.

 

We can dwell on the negatives of the past year or we can look at that Christmas list again and find the good. An upcoming marriage, a new baby, a healed relationship, a niece graduating from nursing school after many hours, months and years of hard work, a dear friend celebrating his 98th birthday.

 

Yes, we can get bogged down with life, it’s worries and stresses, but when the days are cloudy and the nights are long, I choose to look for the good in all things. I choose to cherish each moment with family and loved ones. Who knows which name will be crossed off next years Christmas card list. Live, love and laugh… Cherish each moment, and the people who make up those moments.

 

Now, back to that Christmas card list.

 

(Don’t forget if you’re in Boone, NC this Friday, December 6th or Hendersonville, NC Saturday, December 7th stop by Mast General Store from 1 until 5. Debbie Wall the illustrator of The Manger Mouse and I will be on site signing copies.)

Giving Back

Hebrews 13:1-2

Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

 

Do you feel blessed or beaten down? Are you healthy, living in a home with heat and air conditioning, and have plenty to eat? If you answered yes to all three of these situations then you are truly blessed. Not all are so lucky. What better time of year than Thanksgiving for us to count our blessings and share our good fortune?

 

The highs here in Elkin, North Carolina this week will be hovering in the thirties and forties, with the wind blowing. Can you imagine trying to stay warm if you lived outside… in a box, or under a bridge? Nothing makes me madder than to hear people talk bad about these homeless people.

 

I have heard all kinds of stories about why the homeless are in the shape they’re in. Yes, maybe a drug or alcohol habit put them where they are, but does that make them any less a person? God loves them, even with all their flaws and addictions. I’m sorry world, but God does not see our social status, the finery, or rags that we wear each day. He sees our heart and knows our inner most longings and desires. God is seeking a personal relationship with us, whether we smell like a fresh cut rose or a rotten fish.

 

So this Thanksgiving sit down for a minute and think about the abundance of “things” you have. I probably throw away enough food each day to feed another household. What can we do to give a little of all that has been given to us back? Maybe take food to a community food bank? In my hometown the shelves are almost bear right now at Tri-C, our local food closet. We can also donate time, money, blankets, coats, diapers, and even toilet paper so others might have just a smidgen of what we have been blessed with.

 

There are so many things we can do to help people, sometimes its not monetary items that folks need. What about an aging person who is lonely? Adopt an elderly person and check on them regularly. Spend some time with them and let them know someone cares.

 

The elderly are not the only ones who need love either. There are literally thousands of children out there who need someone to care about them. About a year ago I was asked to mentor a high school senior. Her senior project was to write and illustrate a children’s picture book.

 

After meeting the young lady I realized she had a lot of hurt inside her. She had been a foster child for years and the book she was going to write was about the life of a foster child. I’m not sure how much of the book is truth, or fiction. I didn’t ask. I felt that if the young lady wanted me to know she would tell me.

 

When I said yes to this project I had no idea how much time it would take, if I had I probably would have said no. I am so thankful I didn’t know, and said yes. The author of To Walk In My Shoes has been a blessing to me in lots of ways. To be able to help someone is a wonderful feeling. I found that this young lady and I had much in common. As we got to know one another these past months I found a loving, gentle spirited young adult who simply needed a little help.

 

Isn’t that the way many of us are? Sometimes we just need a little help. It might be something as simple as lifting a friend up to the Lord in prayer when he’s found out he has a rare form of cancer, or throwing a handful of change into the Salvation Army bucket. Maybe you could clean out your closets and garage and donate the things that you’re not using anymore to Goodwill.

 

The list of needs is endless. We must open our eyes and reach into our pockets and share the blessings that God has freely given us. Giving back is the best gift we could ever give to our self.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!