Candee Fick's Blog, page 28

One Word for 2015 – Balance

Since itseems to be the “thing” now to avoid a list of New Year’s Resolutions and instead focus on a single word, I spent much of the past week thinking and praying about what this new year held. With one child graduating and needing job support as she transitions to life after school … and another child in the middle of a college search … and guardianship reports coming due … and aflood of day job work to finance those future tuition bills… AND my first contracted book to edit, launch, and m...

Reflections on 2014

Nothing quite spurs a reflection on life’s journey like the end of the calendar year … or a funeral. In many ways, the month of December encapsulated my goals for the year (see Looking Ahead to a New Year) as I determined to push my writing dream to the forefront while balancing my personalmission statement of Faith, Family, and Fiction.

In pursuit of publication, I: wrote a novel, continued to blog weekly and interact on social media daily, entered two manuscripts into the ACFW Genesis contes...

The Gift of Hope

The kids are out of school for a couple weeks. The tree is decorated and wrapped gifts wait underneath the branches. Our family’s traditional homemade salami and cheese balls are made. All that remains is the countdown to Christmas Day. This year I’m giving myself the gift of space, the gift of time, the gift of grace, and lastly the gift of hope.

To be honest, this last stretch has been rough emotionally as we’ve adjusted to the permanence of life caring for an adult with disabilities while b...

The Gift of Grace

Ever have one of those days where plans de-rail, tasks go undone, and the lack of forward progress makes you want to crawl back into bed and try again tomorrow? Because I’ve had several of those days lately, in addition to wanting the gift of space and the gift of time this Christmas, I’m alsolooking for the gift of grace.

I’ve been reading a wonderfully encouraging book by Max Lucado titled Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine and appreciate anew this amazing gift from God. Gr...

The Gift of Time

My Christmas wish list has just four things on it. First was the gift of space to make room for a new office. Second is the gift of time.

Don’t we all wish for more time? Time to get our to-do lists done and abandoned projects finished. Time to rest and recharge. Time to invest in the relationships that matter most. Time to enjoy a hobby or the latest bestseller. In fact, if you suddenly had an extra hour freed up in your schedule, I’m sure that hour would get filled very quickly.

I wish I had...

The Gift of Space

It’s the first of December, the house is decorated,and I already have almost half of my Christmas shopping done. Mostly because I took action when I had a great idea and the opportunity. Ideas, of course, being the key. So, as my mindleans toward celebrating the season as a family, I started thinking about what I want this Christmas. And I came up with four special gifts I would love to receive.

First, the gift of space.

I wrote my first non-fiction book longhand, typing each chapter on the fam...

A Lot To Be Thankful For

In honor of Thanksgiving this week and the fact my family will have three days off from school, I’m taking today off from blogging to think about the many blessings God has given this year.

I have a lot to be thankful for. What about you?

The post A Lot To Be Thankful For appeared first on Author Candee Fick.

Related posts:
Thankful – Part 1
Thankful – Part 2
Living Thankful

Just Do It

Have you ever met people who talk big but never produce results? I know those who know all the statistics and strategies of a sport … from the couch. Or those who browse hobby and craft stores for amazing projects … that remain undone collecting dust on a shelf. Or those who have a drawer full of clipped recipes to wow their family with … and cook the same three meals every week. Or those who plan to start a new diet or exercise plan … and spend more time memorizing the research than sticking...

No Distractions

I used to think I was a focused person. A bit of a type-A personality with a to-do list and the determination to knock off the tasks as quickly as possible. But lately I’ve found it harder and harder to get started and stick with the things that matter most.

Email messages need checking. Facebook statuses need updating (and relationships require maintenance like skimming the news feed, liking, and commenting.) The puzzles app on my iPad beckons with a dose of stress-relief and the teetering st...

Why I Write

A week or so ago, I had one ofthosedays. The kind of day that started when my special-needs daughter wet the bed so I had extra laundry to process. Meanwhile I was buried under a mountain of asbestos depositions for my day job and could write my next story in the dust on the bookshelves. Not to mention the normal juggling of home and family activities and feeling like I was falling further and further behind with no hope in sight.

All I wanted was a long nap. Or a large Diet Dr. Pepper. Or a g...