Amy Lillard's Blog, page 12

And the winner is…

Well, actually, I had such a great response and so many fabulous entries that I decided to draw twice. So…in a random drawing conducted by my very own personal neutral party (my son) the winners are …

Kira Saucedo  and her friend Leighanne
and
Susan Fletcher and her friend Velma

Susan and Kira, congratulations! Send me an email so  I can get your addresses and mail your books!

And to everyone else, I’ll be hosting another contest shortly. So  hold onto your socks. There’s another chance to win Saving Gideon coming up!

A Very Special Christmas

I thought I might take a  break from the norm today–this week  actually–and focus on Christmas. I love Christmas–everything about it. Well, except for the grumpy shoppers.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll get to spend Christmas with my mother this year. The first time in over twenty years! And my big sister, too!  I’m very excited and feeling blessed. Christmas is special every year, but this year it’ll be more special than most.

Is there something extra special happening at your house this year?

Praying for Connecticut

Just wanted to take a minute to say that like all of you, I’m praying for the families of the victims in Newtown. Today I wanted to dedicate my blog to all those suffering. Families, friends, first responders. And to say that there just aren’t enough prayers for those hurting. But we can try.

Feel free to leave a comment and join a prayer chain for this devastated community.

New Program on Discovery

Wednesday night the Discovery channel premiered its new program about the Amish, Amish Mafia. I watched–of course–as I’m sure many of you did. So tell me, what you think about this new show?

Christmas Candy…

I love this time of year. All the peppermint–candy cane kisses, peppermint M&Ms. Yum!

What’s your favorite?

Oh, Christmas Tree!

I love Christmas and I adore my  Christmas tree. All my decorations are one of a kind  and many. It takes me days to decorate it, but instead of a chore, it’s a walk down memory lane. Not all of my ornaments are special. Some are just Christmas balls that I have picked up over the years, but the majority mean something, even if only that shopping trip with my mother and finding another must-have addition to my tree. But others are so special they bring a smile to my face as I get them out of their boxes each year. I have an ornament from every year that my husband and I have been together. There’s one for our first and our first married, the year we lived in Texas, and the year we moved back to Oklahoma. There’s also one for each year we lived in the Caribbean.  I have two for every year since our son was born. That’s one for me and one for him when has a home of his own. I ‘inherited’ a fourth of my mother-in-laws collector Santas from Hallmark.

I say each year that I need Christmas intervention, but is it really so terrible to love the holiday? I think not. But soon I’m going to have to rank the ornaments in order of importance in order to make them all fit. Or buy a bigger tree, which in turn would need a bigger house. Hmmmm…

What’s your favorite part of Christmas?

Amish–What Intrigues You?

We here all love the Amish. At least I assume you do or else you wouldn’t be reading this. But each of us has something special they love most of all about these conservative and inspirational people.

I can remember the first time I heard about the Amish. I was young–still young enough to be living at home–though I can’t remember my exact age. I thought the person who was telling me about the Amish was not telling me the truth. How could these people live without electricity? Wear old-fashioned clothes and drive horse and buggies? In the 20th century even. How was this even possible? But I started reading up on the Amish and found out what I could, which wasn’t a lot. (Keep in mind here this is before the internet and the world was a much larger place.) But I found out one very important thing–the Amish were real.

I still have that same awe about them now–one that makes me nearly tongue-tied whenever I have the opportunity to talk with them. (I know, right? Me speechless!) But to me they are that special, frozen in time. And yet not. They see the world around them , but they (for the most part) choose not to live in that manner. Instead they carve out their life in an old fashion way that is both commendable and charming.

So I’ve asked myself why I find the Amish so intriguing and each day my answer is different. But the gist of it is always the same. Community. I love the fact that they live together, depend on themselves, each other and God for almost all that they need. How much better a place the entire world would be if we paid more attention to community instead of just ourselves.

What is it about the Amish that intrigues you?

Contest Time!

‘Tis the season for giving and I’m giving away books! Just in time for Christmas I’m running a contest. The ‘rules’ are pretty simple. All you have to do is leave me a comment here (on this post) or on FaceBook (Amy Lillard ~ Author) and tell me the name of a friend that you would like to win a copy of Saving Gideon. On December the 18th I’ll draw  one of the names that were submitted. If your friend wins, I’ll send you *both* an autographed copy of Saving Gideon. And just in time for the holidays! Your friend can be your sister, your grandmother, your niece or just the lady down the street. That’s up to you to decide.

Here’s to wishing that everyone has a happy and safe holiday season and a very Merry Christmas!

What Inspires you?

I have to say that I am inspired by many things. Music, the sky, and pictures. I love pictures. Here’s a few pics off my inspiration board. Enjoy!

If you’ve ever been on my blog you’ve seen this image before, but it still one of my favorites.

Magical. It seems to me that this forest holds more than meets the eye.

Do I really need to say anything about this picture? I didn’t think so. ;)

Actually anything by Van Gogh inspires me.

Great friends!

(Left to right–Jennifer Beckstrand, Vannetta Chapman, Kelly Irvin, Mary Ellis, Beth Wiseman, Amy Clipston, Moi, Shelley Shepard Gray, Kelly Long, and Amanda Flower)

What inspires you?

Conversations

I was in a store this past week and overheard a conversation that made me stop and take stock of my life, my attitude, and my perspective. From what I overheard there were two ladies who hadn’t seen each other in a while. The first woman complimented the second’s new hair style. That’s normal right? But Second’s response was the turn that floored me. She thanked First then said, in the most upbeat and positive voice, “It’s been quite a year. After a double mastectomy and chemo, I decided to go natural.”

Her words alone were enough to take my breath  away. But the way she said it. With confidence and style. Like breast cancer had been just a small speed bump in her life that made her change her mind about how she styled her hair.

She didn’t talk about how the chemo made her sick or the months that she had been bald. She didn’t talk about the pain of surgery, how it felt to have a part of her removed, or having to buy new clothes or a bra that would fit her prosthesis.

I was touched by her attitude of positive. Of seeing her new her hair-do as the part of her experience that she wanted to focus on. I walked away wanting to be more like her.

Having been diagnosed with RA, I make changes everyday. I have clothes I can’t wear because they make me hurt, or they’re too small after so many rounds of Prednisone. I own shoes that I can’t wear due to the changes in my feet. I spend most of the year cuddled up to a heating pad and everyday I’m confronted with a new task that I can no longer accomplish.

When people I know see me out, they ask me why I’m not working any longer. I tell them that I have RA and I couldn’t stand to be on my feet so much any more. Then there are explanations and the conversation never ends up like the one I overheard. That makes me sad.

So I have made a decision: From here on out, I will say that I quit work to write. I  will focus more on the positive and what I still have to  give. The things I can do instead of the things that I can’t. Then maybe someone who needs the inspiration will overhear the conversation and find their own way to the positives they need in their life. And hopefully I can pay back  to someone else what Second gave me  that day.