J.J. Devine's Blog, page 42

Willow Tree attraction...

Good afternoon, everyone!!!

Two days this week I've gone to school for grandparents lunch day. Twice this week my grandchildren have led me to a tree at recess they play under each day. Yes, a little willow tree still working to grow into a full fledge beauty.

I remember as a child moving into a new home in the country to find one of these beauties in our front yard. It remained there until a lightening strike one summer. I remember loving to play under it and had to smile when I seen my grandchildren also enjoyed the calmness of playing under a willow tree :)

Today, I know that willow trees attract a spiritual connection with the heart. Allowing one to contemplate their past to allow it to help their future. It inspires dreams, with their long flowing branches and graceful appearance. Hiding beneath its long concealing branches one can seek out inner vision and understand how to apply it to one's life.

As I watched the youngsters play this week, I had to smile. To them, it's just a tree. Somewhere to gather with friends or sit against and read a book. To me, I saw a place full of laughter, secrets to be told, and a place to bond with others. A place where dreams are formed, ideas followed out.

This was the third time this week willow trees had come to mind. As I walked around my sister's pond, I mentioned how beautiful a willow tree would look on the banks. Her massive oak tree (her tree of life) filling one side and a willow filling another corner would be oh so amazing.

When something comes to mind once, I smile and believe it is just a passing thought to brighten my day. If something comes a second time, I take a bit more notice but still smile at the thought. When something comes to mind a third time, I know there is a message from my dearest Lady and I must pay heed to what this message is.

So today, when I found myself yet again under the branches of a willow tree, I took notice.

First, I am an air sign, so watching the breeze move through the branches of a willow tree reminds me to be flexible yet stay strong.

With these reminders showing themselves the week of the full moon, makes me take heed a bit more. Ancient Celtics use willow wood in ritual to enhance psychic abilities, which makes perfect sense to me during this time in my life.

I often get my most creative ideas around water. What is more beautiful than a willow tree on the banks of lake, pond, or river. So I know to be ready for the creative energy to flow.

With the symbolism of the willow and the full moon, I also know to be more aware of my intuition. I need to carefully listen to my gut over the course of the next month and act and react accordingly.

I'm a firm believer in things don't just happen, they happen for a reason. With everything transpiring in my life right now, everything about this makes sense to me. Being more playful, as well as, allowing things to flow through me and from me. The willow tree, the full moon, all of this holds meaning in my life.

They say to truly learn in this world one must sit still and listen to what is around them. This does not always mean the chatter of those around us, but sometimes it means what the Spirit is trying to tell us.

Growing in faith is not always book learning, but learning to sit quietly and listen with your heart, regardless of the faith you follow. Strengthening your bond with your Lord and Lady, your Creator, your God, or Goddess is what is the most important for your soul.

There comes a time in our lives when we crave this teaching from our spiritual side. Heeding to its call is all that matters. We take tiny steps, absorb the teachings, and then apply them to our lives.

As I grow within my spiritual self I can clearly see those things of my past that no longer serve me. When they try to creep back into my world, which I believe firmly are tests to see how much we've learned, I recognize them and also their outcomes more easily today than I once did and realize I've outgrown them.

What is most important to me today is the peace this life has to offer. Sure, chaos tries to break through, and for a moment I allow it to have it's time, it's called balance :) But today, I don't live there for months upon months. I seek out my peace and reclaim it.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Trying very hard to focus on the positive...

Good evening, everyone!!!

Staying positive is sometimes a hard task to handle especially when chaos is trying to break down your door. However, just as my flow card stated I need to say what is on my mind versus just let it go, because sometimes what needs to be said needs to be said.

Ahhhh, I have to say the flow card was absolutely right. I refuse to apologize for working hard to achieve my goals and dreams. For that would deflate the satisfaction that comes with working hard to watch them go from dream to reality.

Nothing in this life is easy and sure as hell nothing in this life is free. By no means has anything in this life been handed to me. In fact, I've worked my ass off to get where I am today.

Becoming a published author does not fall into your lap, no matter what one might think. Time, energy, sleepless nights and insanity take up a good portion of the trip from writing the first word to publication. People will ask why do you do it if you have to still work outside your home? That's simple, I write because I love writing, reading, and the created word.

No, I never consider it a hobby, I consider it a second full time job. It takes a great deal to write, promote, and cover all aspects of writing business. I'm fortunate enough to have the time to put into two jobs. With my husband gone over the road for long stretches and my children all grown. Not all authors have this luxury. Such as spending a whole day off listening to and approving an audio book for publication. Most have to stop what their doing to clean the house and feed it's occupants, not me, I can let the housework slide to focus my attention on my second job and give it the time I need to put into making it successful, and when I remember to eat, well, I remember to eat.

People have such a misconception of what being an author is all about. They think we get this big check to sit and write stories and never have to think about another thing. Well, that doesn't happen these days. You spend hours in front of a computer writing that story. You hope to the Goddess people will love your story. You pound away at the keyboard, day in and day out. You send it off only to receive rejection after rejection. Or you decide to self publish which is a whole new ballgame. Many hours of research only to find in mid edits you've gotten the entire time frame wrong, or the wrong war, or the wrong... well you get the picture.

I often hear, well, with social media so popular it must be easy to promote your books. I get the biggest kick out of that. Sure social media is a wonderful tool, but it is also a time drain from writing. Every hour we spend on social media is an hour we aren't writing. Would we change it? No, not one bit, we love socializing with our readers. We schedule it just like the rest of our days.

The pay, well, unless you're a well known author, the pay... well, let's just say we don't make millions an hour or even close to that a year. So what do we get out of writing stories if the pay isn't what people believe it is? We get to spend our days and nights engrossed in a world of our own making. With characters we grow to love with each word typed. We get to know people we would not get to meet if we weren't writers. Being an author is rewarding in its own right.

Outside jobs, well, let's just say, I'm the type of person who does not believe in doing anything half assed. A man once told me way back in the day that a job worth doing is worth doing right the first time. Don't tell yourself I can do it this way right now and come back later to fix it, because later never comes. He was right. So when I do a job, I do a job. I take it seriously. I put my heart and soul into it. Because I know no other way to work. Maybe that's the author in me, who knows. I love writing with passion and living with the same passion.

So, I guess you could say I have no room in my life for negative, for bullshit, for the unnecessary. My focus needs to be centered at all times on the day ahead. I must maintain my positive outlook on each day to achieve what I must, because my job doesn't do itself, nor does my writing. I get aggravated if the negative tries to creep in and take over because frankly I have no time for other people's self inflicted drama nor do I like being sucked into it.

Everyone have a lovely night!!!

Blessings to all!!!

A new week a new beginning...

Good morning, everyone!!!

Good news!!! The Porch Swing is now out in iTunes, Kobo, and Kindle and should be live in paperback anytime soon!!!

I'm still listening and approving chapters for Into the Darkness audio, which I am hopeful to finish listening to tomorrow so it can go live this week!!!

The Cheyenne Bride is four years old today!!!

So much to start off the new week with :) My work schedule is all evenings this week, with the exception of today, so am looking forward to having a few productive writing days before work each day. I have to start preparing for NaNoWriMo ya know :) So I figure a few daily sprints should do the trick, hopefully :)

I had a wonderful weekend even though my work schedule was very early mornings. It helped me get refreshed for the week ahead. Nothing like waking up on a Monday morning ready to take on the world :) The nights here are starting to get cooler, and even though I have not yet closed all the windows in the house, it has made for the most perfect sleeping weather :) In turn means I've actually felt well rested when I awake so that is a big plus!!!

There is nothing more comforting than slipping under the comforter and sliding into the warmth of a bed. For the first time in quite awhile I am not plagued with being too hot to sleep good. (Yes, since all of this has begun, this is the first time in years I've not had to throw the blankets off even in the winter months due to those horrible night sweats that come with age).

For the first time in a long while I finally feel somewhat balanced. Unless you've been there you have no idea how good this feels. Releasing myself from the responsibility of being the 'fixer' the 'peacemaker' has given me such a freeing feeling within. Focusing on doing me, just understanding what I need to do and doing it, has helped in more ways than I ever imagined it would.

And guess what... the world did not stop because I wasn't there to 'fix' it. It moved on just as I have.

This week I have so many plans to accomplish. If I don't get them all done (because I tend to overload myself), I know its okay that the plans will still be there another day. The object is to have goals and work toward those goals. So just because they aren't completed in one day doesn't mean I should throw in the towel, but look upon them as a work in progress.

I'm responsible for me. I can watch from the sidelines the chaos of others without having to be involved. This is my motto and one I chose to live by :)

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Early days ahead...

Good morning, everyone!!!

The next several days will be early and earlier :) Then will be topped off with some late nights after that, which will be awesome :) I guess you could say it makes things not look so bad when you can see a few sleep in days ahead :)

I started thinking yesterday a little bit about all this down in the dumps attitudes I am seeing all around me lately and basically I told myself no matter what I refuse to allow this to bleed into my daily life. I have too much on the brain to resort to this sort of downer.

It is like I said earlier in a post, with so much negative going around in daily life and on social media there is a much better way to spend your day than dragging yourself down.

With these early days comes finding myself dragging at the end of the day, however, I just deal with it. I refuse to not make the most out of each day because frankly it is another day to live, find the beauty, and be happy.

I think about all that I've been able to accomplish so far this week and am grateful for it all. Sure I've fallen into bed at night exhausted. I've had those moments this week where I've said, I can't go another minute. Yet, I look back on the day and smile knowing there is still more to do, but happy with what I've done.

It saddens me to see so many who just trudge through their day just waiting for it to be over. I want to shake them and say, you're here, your alive, make this day what you want it to be. I remember being this way at one time and when I look back all I can think is why did I waste so much time allowing the energies around me to bring me down?

I remember the moment I became free. The day someone told me I have a choice. It was so freeing. It is also something I will never regret working to change in my daily life.

Sure, I still get agitated. Who doesn't. I still have my days where I would rather spend the entire day vegging, which is okay :) But I refuse to reside there for long. Nothing productive comes from that attitude.

Over the course of this week, even with taking time out to let life flow and have some playtime, I've managed to have a productive week. The housework is almost complete :) Life hasn't ceased to exist because I chose to enjoy the day each day instead of wallowing in self pity because I only see what I haven't completed. One thing is always for certain, tomorrow is another day to do what needs done :)

These early mornings are truly something I enjoy. I love the quiet of my home for a few hours before the hustle and bustle of the day. It starts my energy on the right level to accomplish what I need to get done.

My challenge to you today is to seek out the beauty in this day. Find a moment to just let life flow through you, not bog you down. Don't forget to throw some playtime in there somewhere :)

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Pondering life...

Good morning, everyone!!!

This week has been a reminder that no one is immortal in this world. Everyone has their time and when their time on this plane is over they move to the next one, sometimes with warning sometimes without.

My heart goes out to all those who have lost someone special in their life. For losing a loved one is never easy and the memories they leave behind are all we have left to last our lifetime.

As I sat in a funeral this week I listened to all the tales of a life well lived. How even in death this mother was letting her family know it is still okay to smile, be happy, and laugh. What really started me thinking was hearing so many talk about how this woman found time to live life even though sometimes her trials were great and the heartache had to be overwhelming.

The stories of her favorite things and how much she loved not only her family but the little traditions she'd brought to her loved ones. Life for her was lived and lived well.

I think back to my own family members who've passed on and realize they still live within me through the time we'd spent together. How their loved shined through in everything they did.

It is these times that made me realize long ago it is those little things in life that are remembered by our loved ones when we've gone on. The fun things in life that help to bond us together as people.

I walk away from a day intermingling with people and wonder if the time meant as much to them as it did me. If I were to die that day what kind of memories would my loved ones and friends think of when they think of me?

One thing I hope my grandchildren remember is the time I spent with them. How much I adore them and love our little treasure hunts, our craft nights, and yes, even those nights when no one wants to fall asleep until well after the midnight hour.

With our children things are different. We were the parent, the guardian, the disciplinarian. We hope we instilled values into them for when they start their own families. With grandchildren, well, we can relax and be a bit more fun, because yes, we're the grandparents :)

I guess this week has reminded me how important it is to live each day to its fullest and never take a moment for granted. I think about, will this even matter after I'm gone, then I think, does it matter? This is who I am, this is what I do, and as long as I am happy with the outcome of the life I've lead it's all okay.

It isn't about competition, it is about being myself and doing what I feel is right in my heart. It is about the love shining in the eyes of a loved one at the end of our time with them and seeing the happiness that springs forth from the moments shared.

What I hope to leave behind when my time comes is that my loved ones know that I loved them with every ounce of my being. I treasured the moments shared. One day when they think of me long after I'm gone, I hope they can smile at the memory and say, "I remember when..."

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Why not celebrate the beauty around you???

Good evening, everyone!!!

As I surfed the social media, looked around me, and thought about my latest reading at Camp Chesterfield, I realized there is so much hate spewing about these days that I have to wonder, why people do not focus at least some of their energy on the beauty this world has to offer...

So, tonight, it's all about the beauty that surrounds my world.

This morning I was blessed to spend some precious moments with my youngest granddaughter and my ever so lovely daughter-in-law. I treasure these moments in my life. My youngest granddaughter is picking up so many new things every day that it makes my heart smile whenever I am with her and she shows off her latest accomplishment, like waving 'hi' or throwing her little arms in the air for 'touchdown'.

Just visiting with my daughter-in-law, who is truly a beautiful woman inside and out, makes for a wonderful day whenever we chance to have a moment or two together. I love her compassion and caring for the people around her. She has a heart of gold and I will be forever grateful my oldest son found his soul mate within this extraordinary woman.

Listening to the laughter of the two oldest grandchildren as they piddle around the house and yard helping grandpa and I with our chores. The oldest granddaughter has a wonderful conversational piece for when she has dinner with grandpa and I. It is called, Sharing our Feelings. Each person has a turn to tell something they are feeling. Of course as the dinner goes forward, so does the feelings conversation :)

Spending time with some of our oldest and dearest friends this week reminded me, we are not getting any younger, but the friendships that were made all those years ago, are still as strong as ever, even though life has taken us all in different directions.

Firming up friendships, which is very delightful to say the least. I treasure certain friendships with all my being, and the ones I've been deepening over the course of the last month, are friendships I realized recently are some of the ones that I need in my life. They strengthen me, keep me on my toes, and are some of the biggest blessings of my life.

I had a few days off this week. The first day was spent with my writer pals, brainstorming new ideas and making the bond we share even more solid than it was before.

Then a dear friend of mine and I took off to Camp Chesterfield for their Saturday evening service. During my reading I was told to be more playful and take time out of life to be playful. This combined with my reading before of letting things flow, really gave me some food for thought.

So when Monday rolled around after taking Sunday completely off of life, my sister asked me to go shopping with her. I was so tempted to say, I have laundry to do, dishes to do, vacuuming that really shouldn't be put off... you know all those responsible things one should be doing as a full grown adult woman who has a million things to do on her plate. Instead, I caught myself preparing to say such things, and realized there is time to go play :)

I have to say I'm glad I did. Guess what, the dishes and laundry they were still there when I got back. The vacuum still needed run. And sure, I still had it to do later, BUT, the fun and memories made playing hooky, that would not still be there :)

I look at social media, hear the chatter around me, and see so much hatred and anger being spread around and I take pause and assess the things I read and hear and see. But when everything quiets down and I sit quietly in my own little world, I shake my head and wonder how much hate would still be out there if everyone took a few moments each day to focus as much energy into the beauty around them as they do the hate and bitterness???

Everyone have a lovely night!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Definitely a different kind of day...

Good evening, everyone!!!

Well it's my first night of third shift and I tortured myself all day about sleep. Funny thing to torture oneself over considering I should have thought this thing through better.

In the past I've worked what I have fondly referred to as 'fifth' shift for many years. What I did not take into consideration when I tortured myself trying to sleep on and off today was, I'm good to go with staying up all night for a job without mixing up my sleep pattern.

How often in the past have I written to well into the night, gotten up at a decent hour the next morning, and then carried on the day and back at it until the wee hours of the night???

Then there was my cleaning job. I worked until the wee hours of the night many a time on that one and a good deal of the time put in twelve and sixteen hours doing that in a night.

So what was the big fuss today??? Because in my mind I thought I needed to sleep this day away instead of just treating it like any other day. I will make a mental note of this for tomorrow :) It's not like this is going to be a regular thing, so why did I spend the day sweating it??? Because I allowed myself too, that's why.

Funny the things you think about after the fact.

I'm actually looking forward to it. I haven't done this shift at my current job and figured why not? To make an effective assistant manager one needs to know what happens on all shifts not just the ones you're used to. My father-in-law once told me management should always know the jobs they expect of others. He was absolutely right. One should not be afraid to get their hands dirty and be able to pick up the job if necessary. This has stuck with me for many years now.

So, I guess lesson learned here. Treat this like any other day. I know its a bit too late currently, seeing as I wasted this whole day obsessing over sleep, when I should have just went on with life. I will make it through this shift and tomorrow's shift without issue I'm sure. I've done it before on many occasions with other jobs :)

I had a few instances this week where I was given trials on my go with the flow attitude. I did find myself obsessing over it for a moment, then I reminded myself, let it flow. What is bad is this letting it flow thing is also creating some crazy dreams which is waking me up in the night thinking where in the hell did that come from??? Sometimes, it makes me not want to go back to sleep and other times it makes me pray sleep will return. See what happens when you let your subconscious flow without restraint???

Oh well, I'm still anxious to see where this takes me. I know it is truly helping the creativity within me. It's been a long time since I felt this writing energetic :)

Well I guess I should hit the shower and prepare for the night ahead :)

Everyone have a lovely night!!!

Blessings to all!!!

When I let go of old habits...

Good morning, everyone!!!

It's a pretty amazing thing when you finally decide to shake things up in life. When you're aware of old habits that did not serve you well in the past, and recognize when you happen to be falling back into old patterns.

The best part of this is being firm with yourself and saying, "No, I won't go back there. It never served any other purpose in life other than bringing worry, stress, and hardship."

I sat myself down a few weeks back and made a firm decision I would not try to control any situation that was beyond my control. I cannot tell you how freeing this is, not to mention it also frees up the flow of life.

I love the fact that letting life flow through me versus trying to control every aspect of my life. When you try to control everything around you there is only more that presents itself for you to try to control. Situations arise seemingly out of nowhere. Then you find yourself feeling bogged down with all these problems, issues, and you become negative, worrisome, and stressed.

I guess you can say we all reach a point in our lives when we just want things to go smoothly. Not that problems don't arise, because everyone has their problems in every day life. However, we can and do have the ability to chose how we allow things to course through us.

What I've found happening over the course of these last few weeks is a much calmer me. Allowing life's every day issues to flow through me versus trying to control every situation has allowed me a more peaceful me.

This past weekend I was involved in a whole weekend situation of chaos. I knew going in the 'normal' would not be a part of the equation, and I also knew every situation is how we perceive it. So, I decided before things began to just let the weekend flow, have fun with it, don't stress over it, and live each day in the moment.

What happened was, I found myself rather enjoying all of the insanity that entered our normally routine weekend. Something that doesn't happen very often when I'm under a good deal of stress. Freeing myself from the responsibility to be stressed allowed me to just go with the flow and lighten up. Which person do I like better, well of course, the less stressed person I am :)

I often hear people say, there are things in this life that directly effect us that bring stress into our lives. It's these things that keep me on edge. I was like that once too. In fact, I still have those moments in life that rile me, but I chose not to live there.

Everything should be allowed it's moment in your thoughts, your actions, your moods. It is a part of our life to help us grow as a person. It's not meant for us to stay there, stuck, brooding, and feeling sorry for ourselves. It is meant to teach us how to grow inwardly, to make a better person of ourselves.

So the next time you feel overwhelmed in this life. Stop, listen to your heart, and then let it flow through you. Give yourself the opportunity to grow within and see what lies in wait for you in the world around you.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Where did the time go???

Good morning, everyone!!!

I signed onto my website this morning and realized some time had passed since I was on here. It really doesn't seem like it was that long ago really. I'm in the process of finishing up this year's harvest, working like a mad woman, and prepping some publications for next month. I guess things just tend to get away from me when I'm not looking.

I'm super stoked to show off the audio cover for Into the Darkness!!! It's the top picture :) I'm hoping to finish listening to the audio chapters this weekend my reader has finished up for me so we can move right into the next process once he's finished :) I'm hoping for a release date of sometime around October 31st!!!

I've also decided to rerelease Come Home With Me my short story in The Hope Chest once we've taken it down in January. So if you haven't grabbed your copy of The Hope Chest grab it soon, it comes off the shelves January 2017!!!

Porch Swing goes live next month also!!! In this one I have a different sort of vampire/witch story, my own warped version of a Beauty and the Beast ordeal :) Prisoner of the Night. The idea for this story started right here in these blogs!!! I do hope you enjoy it :)

Besides working on all these publications, I've also been working my full time job and this weekend is our hell week. We have three festivals going on in and around our tiny town and we stay super busy. So we've not only been preparing mentally for this time, but physically with so much stock our little store is busting at the seems. Of course in the midst of this we also had audit yesterday, which was my day off thankfully :) because I'm sure they weren't happy with how much product we had in the store.

With all of this going on who would have thought I would have time for canning, but of course I made some time because I have found this year I really enjoy this aspect of life :) Last night alone we canned 17 jars of applesauce :) I'm excited to get the rest of the tomatoes put up for this year and the rest of the apple butter :) Then it is onto drying the corn out for cornmeal and then trying my hand at acorn flour :) Yeah, then the harvest season should be about over other than putting up pumpkin for pumpkin pies in October :)

November brings NaNoWriMo which I am seriously considering again this year. I need to finish up Unfinished Business and I want to push the mark and get Destiny's Price and Passionate Pursuit ready for release as well. Then for my vampire/witch fans I want to begin the editing process on Darkness Brings Desire and Kiss of Darkness and get those ready for publication next year!!!

So yes, somewhere between life and insanity is where I plan to live for the next year and three months. I also want to get my cookbook and prayer book ready for publication in 2017 as well. Wish me luck!!!

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!

Observation...

Good evening, everyone!!!

The full moon is rising and with it comes the insanity of the world.

I long ago learned to stop trying to figure people out however old habits die hard and over the course of the last few months I've found myself wondering over a few things.

Then I realized this afternoon this was yet another lesson in life I needed to learn. Not that I needed to figure things out so to speak, but I needed to learn the affects it has on others. The pain simple actions can inflict upon the hearts of someone and it really saddened me.

In fact, I actually found myself angry for a few moments over it all. How people walk over kind souls without a second thought. It made me realize and wake up to a few things in my surroundings.

Be careful who you befriend. Not everyone who smiles your way is a friend. In fact, sometimes people are so lost within themselves they really don't see what's right in front of them. For they are still seeking their happiness outside of themselves for one reason or another.

Don't seek the approval of someone who has difficulty seeing their own worth. You will never get approval from them for they cannot see their own value yet. They are still on their own inner journey.

Sure, I can blame it on the full moon rising. But, that would be a lie. Everyone is on a journey in this lifetime and sometimes on this journey we step on the ones we care about and love.

Other times, its been so long since they've had a friend, they've forgotten what it's like to actually be a friend. Life has worn them down so much and they've lost themselves somewhere along the line. These are the people we have difficulty liking or even loving, but they are the ones who need it the most.

People are put into our lives for a reason. I know this as sure as I'm sitting here typing this blog tonight. Sometimes I sit and ask why??? Other times I smile because of the people who've entered my life. Sometimes, its to show us something about ourselves we don't like to see, other times it is to show us how strong we can be.

Years ago I bought a book, How to get along with difficult people. I realized this is nothing new to me, otherwise I would not have gotten that book so many years ago LOL.

I ask myself these days, am I the difficult person? I assess my thoughts, my words, and my actions, then I decide if it is something I can change or something I just need to accept.

I guess that flow card is really presenting itself in my daily life these days. What I am learning from it, well, let's just say it's pretty amazing!!!

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!