Lisa M. Buske's Blog, page 82

Thanksgiving and Charlie Brown...Traditiion

One of my favorite shows to watch to prepare for Thanksgiving was "Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving". As kids, Heidi and I looked forward to watching this holiday classic. We were, and I still am, Charlie Brown fans, but it was the activity surrounding this show that we enjoyed the most. 

We watched this as a family, as soon as the TV Guide (do you remember this necessary item?) came, Mom marked the calendar for when each of the holiday shows would be on. The night Charlie Brown was on, Dad was always home to watch it with us. He never worked late because it was one of the special things he liked to do with us. 

Thanksgiving is a very important holiday. Ours was the first country in the world to make a national holiday to give thanks. --Linus"

But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown. --Marcy

This is the childhood memory of why I like this annual tradition. As an adult, Charlie Brown was my mother-in-law's favorite holiday cartoon. Charlie Brown never grows old and the message of love, hope, and thanksgiving fill this show. When I was a kid, we had to wait and it was a special night because it was only on once. In today's society, you can buy all the Charlie Brown shows on DVD and watch them whenever you want. Planning and dedication to family were required when I was a child. In today's society, it's something taken for granted. Tomorrow isn't a a definite so rather than put off until tomorrow, enjoy some family time and watch a classic...

There's enough problems in the world already, Chuck, 
without these stupid misunderstandings. 
--Peppermint Patty

What is your favorite Thanksgiving rerun
or movie to watch each year? 

TOP's Tuesday: HOPE for Heidi Allen

A short and sweet 
TOP's Tuesday - 
Today's image is something you'll see more of in the near future...until then...


We'll always remember
never give up
and keep hope alive!

Are You Weighed Down by Life's Snow?

Last week brought the first snow of the season in beautiful Oswego County, New York. If you aren't familiar with snow, there are different kinds. Some snowflakes fall light and fluffy and you find yourself (regardless of age) walking around with your tongue sticking out of your mouth trying to catch the snowflakes. Then there is the fast, furious, and heavy snow. This is the type that brings your diving speed to a minimum and snow clean up, a challenge. 

The situations in our life are like CNY snow falls. Sometimes they are light and fluffy and other times, they are fast, furious, and heavy. As I looked at my beautiful smoking bush last week, a frown curled on my face. I spoke, "Oh, poor baby, it'll be okay. The snow will melt soon. Hang on.", and smiled. My daughter chuckled because I was talking to my plants again and this triggered a conversation of why it's okay to encourage plants, they are living things after all.  It wasn't the silly conversation about the importance or value in talking to plants I want to share with you though, it's the likeness of this plant and us. There are a couple different levels to look at it.

The first I already mentioned, life's situations, good and bad, are the snow in our lives. Sometimes it weighs us down and other times, we are able to keep our branches high and brilliant in the Sonshine. 

A commonality is our roots, when rooted in a relationship with Jesus, it's easier to shine and it's easier to endure the weight of the snow. Why? Because Jesus is in, and with us, through it all. When will the snow melt? When will the clouds pass so the sun can shine once again? I can't answer these questions but there are words of wisdom about this, and its application to our lives. The Bible reminds us that God isn't "slow" in answering our prayers, it's just in His timing, not ours. 

Like you, there are days I throw my hands in the air and ask, "Why God, why?" When God, When?" yet I know He is listening. When we talk with God, this is prayer. How many of you have been praying daily and didn't even realize it? I don't know when God will answer my prayers, or how He will do it but I know one thing for sure...God answers prayers in His time, in His ways, and for His good. I need only be patient, wait, hope, and move forward in faith.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness,
but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, 
but that all should reach repentance.
Wait for the Lord and keep his way, 
and he will exalt you to inherit the land…
2 Peter 3:9; Psalm 37:34a ESV

Are you focused on your timeline 
or trusting God as you wait?

HOPE for Heidi...We Will Never Give Up!

A hope in my heart I've been low on has returned...I'll never give up hope for my sister, Heidi M Allen, to be found. Christmas is a season of miracles...praying for a miracle, truth, justice, and Heidi. We will NEVER give up...NEVER! HOPE is Eternal...

"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17

I found an article online to illustrate the importance of HOPE for families of the missing. Families of the missing NEVER GIVE UP! There is evidence, miracles happen, and missing loved ones are found - some "recovered" (alive) and others "discovered" (deceased). Yet, each missing loved one found is an answered prayer...

"Smart, in comments on ABC's Good Morning America, urged the Ohio women to focus on the future. Dugard, in a statement, said the events of the past 24 hours suggest that families should not give up hope.

"Every time one of these things happens, for the missing-person community, it's a joyous reminder that this can happen, and people really do have to keep hoping," said Tony Loftis, whose daughter vanished for 12 days in 2011 before being found safe.

"I hope that it reminds every one of them that miracles do happen," said Loftis, whose experience led him to start Find Your Missing Child,"
To read the entire article: Click Here How do you keep HOPE alive in your life? 
Will you share?

TOP's Tuesday: Happy Veteran's Day 2014

Honor Our Military
Let's honor our military,
The men and women who serve,
Whose dedication to our country
Does not falter, halt or swerve.

Let's respect them for their courage;
They're ready to do what's right
To keep America safe,
So we can sleep better at night.

Let's support and defend our soldiers,
Whose hardships are brutal and cruel,
Whose discipline we can't imagine,
Who follow each order and rule.

Here's to those who choose to be warriors
And their helpers good and true;
They're fighting for American values;
They're fighting for me and you.

By Joanna Fuchs

Thanksgiving Brings Out the Thankfulness in All of Us

Are you on Facebook and Social Media? If so, then you are aware of the thirty days of thanks. If you're not, let me explain. The more popular social media becomes, the more opportunities to share with others. One of these ways is the "Thirty Days of Thanks" during the month of November. What does this mean? 

Simply, you share (post) one thing you are thankful for each day and encourage your friends and family to do the same thing. If you miss a day, you just share two the next day. I've participated the past couple years and will probably join the gratefulness parade this week yet as I thought about it last night, after reading a dozen or so "days of thanks", on my friend's post...I asked myself an important question...why do so many wait until November to be thankful? I don't think there is one right answer to this question because we are all unique, and fearfully and wonderfully made by God. 

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Keeping this in mind, doesn't it make sense to give thanks every day? I think so. I'm excited to enter the season of Thanksgiving and transition into Christmas tidings because even those that tend to focus on the negatives in their lives, set aside this tendency and zone in on the hope, joy, and good around them. This is exciting stuff. We need to share at least one thing we are thankful for each day, this helps keep a positive perspective on life and easier to maintain a smile on your face. 

Would it be too lofty a goal to share one thing we are thankful for on social media every day? Maybe, but maybe not. This reminds me of when I started to journal differently during my quiet time. Our pastor's wife at the time shared how she set up her journal and it spoke to me so much, I took an old notebook and attempted this format. A decade later, I still journal this way. Let me share with you... Rather than have everything together, the front and back of this journal have different purposes. My free writing journal is a separate from this and varies but for the initial part of my quiet time, it starts like this.


In the front, the pages are divided into two columns. On the left I lift praises to God. These are things only God could do in my life.


"I will shout for joy
    as I sing Your praises;
    my soul will celebrate because You have rescued me."

Psalm 71:23 Voice The column to the right is for the things I'm thankful for. These are things God is doing in my life through family, friends, strangers, neighbors, at work, the grocery store, and in my life. 

Basically, these are the things I'm thankful for, God is at the root of all that happens in our life yet a lot of the things in my thankful column reflect the people and situations God used to bless me.  So the front of my book has praises and thanks side by side working towards the middle. In the back of the book, after lifting praise and thanks, I write my prayer requests. 

"Pray, and keep praying. Be alert and thankful when you pray."
Colossians 4:2 Voice

So as you share and/or read everyone's daily posts of thanks, start sharing your own every day, not just in the month of November. I know many of us do this throughout the year in writing, verbally, and in prayer yet I wonder...what if...

What if we had "365 Days of Thanks" on social media, how might this change the heart of those reading our posts? You never know when your one shout of thanksgiving might encourage someone ready to give up or in need of a different perspective. Something to think about and consider this month.

I will praise the Eternal in every moment through every situation.
    Whenever I speak, my words will always praise Him.
Everything within me wants to pay tribute to Him.
    Whenever the poor and humble hear of His greatness, they will celebrate too!
Come and lift up the Eternal with me;
    let’s praise His name together!
When I needed the Lord, I looked for Him;
    I called out to Him, and He heard me and responded.
He came and rescued me from everything that made me so afraid.

Psalm 34:1-4; 

Leave a comment below of ONE thing/person you are thankful for and why...you might be the encouragement another reader needs today. Thank you in advance, I'm thankful for all of you each day!

"Elektra"Live in Mexico This Weekend! Friday and Saturday

Are you ready to be...

Amazed?

Intrigued?

Entranced?

Greek Tragedy on stage at Mexico High School This Weekend!
What is this Greek tragedy all about?
A summary from Wikipedia:

"Electra  or  Elektra  (Ancient Greek: Ἠλέκτρα, Ēlektra) is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Its date is not known, but various stylistic similarities with the  Philoctetes  (409 BC) and the  Oedipus at Colonus  (401 BC) lead scholars to suppose that it was written towards the end of Sophocles' career.

Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan war, it is based around the character of Electra, and the vengeance that she and her brother Orestes take on their mother Clytemnestra and step father Aegisthus for the murder of their father, Agamemnon."
To read more - click here:
I would like to thank the Mexico Drama Club and their director, Mr. Coughlin, for allowing me to enter the locked doors of the auditorium for their last couple dress rehearsals to take photographs for this weekend's blog. Your dedication and determination to elevate Mexico High School's Drama department to excellence is evident in this performance.

I never felt like I was watching a high school play, this was intense, riveting, and engaging. I forgot to take pictures a few times because your acting drew me in and I was captivated by the intensity and drama. If you enjoy high school drama, watching children excel, and are looking for something to do this weekend...look no further.

See you tonight (11/7/14) and tomorrow (11/8/14) ~ curtains go up at 7 p.m. Mexico Drama Presents: 
Elektra - Watch live stream

Copy and Paste the UStream address to view Mexico's production of Elektra. 
(or click on the link below or the photo)

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/eye-on-the-tigers

The show will also be archived and available on our site. Break a leg Mexico  ~ You have raised the bar for high school drama!
 Friday~ November 7, 2014 at 7 p.m.
Saturday ~ November 8, 2014 at 7 p.m.

TOP's Tuesday: Emotions on High...Writing Productivity on Low

"The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy."~Jim Rohn

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV

"If you don't manage 
your emotions, then your emotions will manage you."  ~Doc Childre and Deborah Rozman, 
 Transforming Anxiety

As I got up earlier this morning to be sure my TOP's Tuesday blog was written and posted, I realized something - I only blogged once since last week's TOP's Tuesday. And last week's blog was short, sweet, and a little dancing, rather than blogging. The week before, there were only a couple blogs. One a tribute to my friend Laurie and all she does to encourage the families of the missing. Why haven't I blogged daily? Where are the daily posts of encouragement?

A friend once told me, "You can't trust emotions." She is correct, yet when life gets crazy, it seems the emotions take the forefront and start to determine the direction of my days and evenings. As I wake in the morning, I start with a little prayer, "Lord, give me the strength for this new day. Let my thoughts, words, and actions reflect You and not my reactions to the world's going ons. Amen." This may not sound like much of a prayer, yet it helps to get my mind focused on what and Who is important in the midst of the storm.  The past few months have been a challenge and difficult for me and my family as a whole. Our summer went from relaxing to chaotic in the matter of one newspaper article.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are already challenging holidays to transition through, remembering the times with Heidi while praying not to focus on the memories we/she were denied when she was kidnapped on April 3, 1994. A factor many might not realize, something usually happens during the holidays to intensify the raw emotions of loss and grief. Sometimes they are in the news and other times they are not. Regardless, our loss of Heidi, only increases our sensitivity to others and makes us stronger each day. 

Facts are facts though:
Fact One:
Heidi Allen was abducted on April 3, 1994, Easter Sunday and remains missing today! Her parents, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, family, and community remember her smile and pray for her return daily

Fact Two:
A hearing is scheduled for January, and we (Heidi's family, friends, community, and prayer warriors) have a choice - focus on Hope for Heidi Allen or be swallowed in the drama of life

Fact Three:
Heidi Allen is STILL missing! Her parents, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, family, and community remember her smile and pray for her return daily. 

I don't know about you but I MUST choose HOPE and PRAYERS for my sweet sister, Heidi Allen. I choose to FOCUS on my parents. It's the deep pain in their eyes again that weighs on my heart, no one can take this pain away, as they relive losing their youngest daughter all over again. 

If you think of it, would you join me in prayer...
- for Heidi to be found - this was the goal in April 94' and the goal still today...to find Heidi
- for the strength necessary to move forward each day
- for the words and ability to encourage, inspire, and help others
- to spend time daily in the Word and with the Only One strong enough to carry through this
- for truth, justice, understanding, and compassion for all involved
- for a joyful Thanksgiving and Christmas season - may our grief not consume us but be a springboard to make hope, love, and joy the focus and one we share

"Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged,
for the LORD your God 
will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9 NIV

Pardon the ramblings on this TOP's Tuesday, keeping it real.
TOP's Tuesday is about Heidi Allen...Still missing, 7,521 days later

Choosing Hope, Joy, and Love...

Guest Blogger, Martha Conway Shares "Thieving Forest"

About the Author:
Martha Conway’s first novel 12 Bliss Street (St. Martin’s Minotaur) was nominated for an Edgar Award, and her short fiction has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, The Quarterly, Folio, Puerto del Sol, Carolina Quarterly, and other publications. She graduated from Vassar College and received her master’s degree in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. She has reviewed fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle, The San Francisco Review of Books, and The Iowa Review. The recipient of a California Arts Council fellowship in Creative Writing, she has taught at UC Berkeley Extension and Stanford University’s Online Writers’ Studio.            

Martha Conway’s website:
http://www.thievingforest.com/ 
www.marthaconway.com
Synopsis:
On a humid day in June 1806, on the edge of Ohio's Great Black Swamp, seventeen-year-old Susanna Quiner watches from behind a maple tree as a band of Potawatomi Indians kidnaps her four older sisters from their cabin. With both her parents dead from Swamp Fever and all the other settlers out in their fields, Susanna makes the rash decision to pursue them herself. 

What follows is a young woman's quest to find her sisters, and the parallel story of her sisters' new lives.

The frontier wilderness that Susanna must cross in order to find her sisters is filled with dangers, but Susanna, armed with superstition and belief in her own good luck, sets out with a naive optimism. Over the next five months, Susanna tans hides in a Moravian missionary village; escapes down a river with a young native girl; discovers an eccentric white woman raising chickens in the middle of the Great Black Swamp; suffers from snakebite and near starvation; steals elk meat from wolves; and becomes a servant in a Native American village. The vast Great Black Swamp near Toledo, Ohio, which was once nearly the size of Connecticut, proves a formidable enemy. But help comes from unlikely characters, both Native American and white.

Both a quest tale and a tale of personal transformations, Thieving Forest follows five pioneer women and one man as they contend with starvation, slavery, betrayal, and love. It paints a startling new picture of life in frontier Ohio with its mix of European and Native American communities, along with compelling descriptions of their daily lives. Fast-paced, richly detailed, with a panoramic view of cultures and people, this is a story of a bygone era sure to enthrall and delight. Click here to read Chapter 1:
http://www.thievingforest.com/


I planned to write a mini-review to go along with Martha's guest blog but my book hasn't arrived yet due to a hiccup in the world of technology. After reading Martha's guest blog and chapter one, I'm more interested than I was after reading the synopsis. Welcome Martha to the blog today and share something you find interesting or intriguing.  Martha writes:
"Everybody has one conversational show-stopper; mine is the number of sisters I have. Six. Six sisters. That’s right, seven girls —and no boys. My father comes from a family of eleven boys and two girls, and one of my uncles has six boys and one girl, so there may be a genetic component going on here. When I thought about having children, I assumed I would have either all boys or all girls. It came as quite a surprise when I landed with one of each! Even now that seems strange to me.

My novel Thieving Forest revolves around five sisters (I thought seven was too many for the reader to keep track of) who live in the wilds of northwest Ohio in 1806. The novel required a lot of research (what was the landscape like then; what is the Wyandot word for peace; were buffalo still around?) but any scene in which the sisters were interacting with each other was easy to write. Sisterhood, in my opinion, hasn’t really changed much in 200 years.

Sometimes authors talk about the healing process of writing, and I have to say that, for me, writing Thieving Forest was very healing. When I began writing the novel, three of my sisters were estranged from the rest of the family. Part of the impetus for writing Thieving Forest was to help me come to terms with this—although at the time, I didn’t think of it that way. I did not want to be estranged from them; their quarrel was with my parents, not me, but they decided to split from all of us. There were times when I wished that I had enough courage to knock harder at their closed doors. So I created a nineteenth century heroine, Susanna Quiner, who was more courageous than I was.

Susanna alone is spared when a band of Potawatomi Indians kidnaps her sisters. With no immediate help nearby, she decides to go after them herself. Over the course of five months she finds them one by one, but the result is not what she expected. They have changed; they have new lives. Part of Susanna’s transformation is coming to terms with this.

By the end of writing Thieving Forest I felt, like Susanna, that I could accept my sisters’ choices as well as my own. And even more surprising: when I was finally ready to publish Thieving Forest, I’d begun once more to have a relationship with my formerly estranged sisters. We all found the courage to reach out to each other again. And that has been a real blessing.

William Blake famously wrote: “Damn braces. Bless relaxes.” Being relaxed with another person— being able to laugh at and laugh with someone else—is to me the essence of sisterhood, whether you’re related to that person or not. It’s a real gift, and if it disappears it’s worth crossing the wilderness to get back."
Blog Tour Dates
Monday, October 13 @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview with Martha Conway and a chance to win Thieving Forest! http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

Tuesday, October 14 @ Writer with Dogs
Martha Conway shares a little about how important a dog can be to writing research today at Writer with Dogs.
http://writerwithdogs.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, October 15 @ All Things Audry
What is a Quest Novel? Stop by for author Martha Conway’s thoughts on this exciting genre. http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com

Thursday, October 16 @ Book Talk
Looking for something new to read? How about a historical novel set in the rough and wild frontier of Ohio in the early 1800s--Thieving Forest by Martha Conway. http://www.barbarabarthbookblog.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 17 @ Deal Sharing Aunt
Big families…what is that they share, what makes them unique? Learn more about family from Martha Conway and enter to win her novel Thieving Forest. http://dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/

Sunday, October 19 @ Writer Unboxed
Martha Conway will be sharing why she thinks we should embracing heroines, instead of heroes, especially in historical novels. Stop by and tell us your favorite heroine. http://writerunboxed.com

Tuesday, October 21 @ Katherine Hajer
When you’re caught up in the magical world of a book do you ever wonder what DIDN’T make it into the final draft? Martha Conway, author of Thieving Forest, tells about the painful decisions that have to be made.
http://www.katherine-hajer.com/

Wednesday, October 22 @ Caroline Clemmons
What do you know about Native American families? Martha Conway, author of Thieving Forest, shares a few things you never would have guessed. http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com

Thursday, October 23 @ Renee’s Pages
Need some tips on researching historical fiction?Ask Martha Conway, author of Thieving Forest, set in the Ohio frontier during the early 1800s. http://www.reneespages.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 24 @ A Writer’s Devotion
Learn more about author Martha Conway in today’s interview. http://www.awritersdevotion.blogspot.com/

Monday, October 27 @ Katherine Hajer
The Headless Horseman isn’t the only scary thing in the forest this Halloween. Read a review of Thieving Forest and find out what else lurks there. http://www.katherine-hajer.com/

Wednesday, October 29 @ Words by Webb
Get a quick peek at author Martha Conway with a 5Ws interview. http://jodiwebb.com/

Monday, November 3 @ Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
Stop by to learn more about author Martha Conway and her latest historical novel Thieving Forest.
http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com

Thursday, November 6 @ Escaping Reality Within Pages
Win a copy of Thieving Forest, the story of seventeen year old Susanna trying to save her sisters in frontier America, and learn from author Martha Conway what was truth and what was fiction. http://escapingrealitywithinpages.blogspot.com/

Monday, November 10 @ Vickie S. Miller
Stop by for a visit from Martha Conway, author of 12 Bliss Street and Thieving Forest. http://www.vickiesmiller.com/

Tuesday, November 11 @ The Lit Ladies
Stop by for an interview with author Martha Conway and a chance to win her latest novelThieving Forest.
http://www.thelitladies.com/
What intrigues or interest you the most about this book?

TOP's Tuesday: Sometimes You Just Have to Dance...

It's TOP's Tuesday, 
aka - "Tower of Power" Tuesday. 


In honor and celebration of the amazing sister and girl Heidi was...we are dancing this week!


Anyone want to Hokey Pokey? What song makes you smile and your feet move?