T.I. Lowe's Blog, page 3

Missing Baby Jesus

Two Christmas’s ago, my family had quite a dilemma when it came time to decorate our home for the holidays. Sure, the tree trimming went smoothly. Garlands and an assortment of Santa trinkets were placed with ease. Everything looked fabulous and festive and it really putting us in the holiday spirit. Then we pulled our Nativity set from the storage container, and not just any Nativity set. No, this one had graced our holiday décor for the past twenty years. A gift from my dear friend Christy...

Summertime Blues

I live near the coast of South Carolina where my neighbors are abundant sunshine and briny ocean breezes. Wardrobe must-haves are simple: flip-flops, shorts, some southern-labeled T-shirt, and copious amounts of sunblock.After becoming a published author, I made a promise to my son and daughter: No writing during the summer. I may do busy work such as social media and book research, but no new word docs that begin with Chapter One. Summer is a time to focus on my family, yet I’ve been unable...

Overwhelmed with being Overjoyed!

Overwhelmed with being Overjoyed!Yes, that title is a little odd, but that’s actually how I feel. So much has occurred in the past month that it’s left my mind spinning. You ever feel that way? Overwhelmed but from all good things? I’m so there this morning.I’m back in my office after taking a vacation with my family to celebrate Nathan’s graduation. Within the same week, my son delivered his salutatorian speech, Lulu’s Café was re-released in mass market paperback, we left for a graduation c...

Team Player

My daughter has played ball for seven years now and absolutely loves the sport of softball. In the recreation league, she was a prominent player, spending almost every inning ruling first base, and we named her Queen of the Bunt last season. This year has been a big change after she made the school team, which has a bigger roster and is much more competitive. She now plays right field and has had to come to terms that she will sit on the bench more than she is used to.We had a long talk about...

Could you love me like this?

I stumbled upon this poem on Instagram and the last line of it brought me to a sudden stop. Staring at the simple question—Could you just love me like this?—I was overwhelmed with regret and shame for how poorly I’ve treated myself. As a 42-year-old woman with lifelong weight struggles and body image issues, I’ve never quite accepted myself.Sitting in my office with these weighty thoughts, I reflect back on times I’ve approached myself with cruelty. Muttering put-downs so nasty that I’dnevers...

New Year, New Perspective

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…” Ecclesiastes 9:10I know what you’re thinking.Oh, no! This woman is about to tell me I need to get with it and get busy in this new year.Nope. I’m actually going to challenge you to do less!Confession: In the last few years, my life had gotten to the point that I didn’t know if I was coming or going most days. Every minute of the day was filled with unrealistic expectations and an out-of-control to-do list. Sure, I was accomplishing a...

Until I Decide Sneak Peek

release date: January 12, 2019PrologueThe thought of a dead body underneath a crisp white sheet conjured a different image than the reality of the one before me. Perhaps it had been romanticized in a morbid way, skewed by the fictional world of movies and drama series. Neat and tidy, a tag tied with care around the big toe to declare who the body once was and what he can never be again. There is no tag and there’s nothing neat and tidy in the stark, sterile room frigid in both temperature an...

Quiet Hands

Have you ever tried to talk while holding your tongue? How about this… Have you ever tried to type while pressing your fingers together as demonstrated in the photo? Both of these scenarios make the action you’re wanting to achieve next to impossible. These opening thoughts are due to the recent trend I’ve noticed on social media where holding one’s tongue or fingers should have been practiced. I’m pretty sure the inventors of Facebook, Twitter, etc. invented these sites with the purpose of...

You Are a Letter

I’m only four years into this Writing Journey, but a lot has been learned… There’s so much more to it than simply sitting in front of a computer and typing 85K words. There are hours upon hours of editing, rewrites and revisions, proofing, formatting, and much, much more. Hardest lesson so far—No matter how much effort I put into a manuscript, it will never be flawless. A typo or grammatical error will get past me. I’ve learned to appreciate a good editor and how to heed to their guidance. Ul...

Autism Awareness Month

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, I wanted to share one of my favorite characters with you. His name is Jace Wiles from A Discovery of Hope. He came to be after spending years seeing the world through the eyes of my stepbrother Jamie who is autistic and one extraordinary young man. Below is a small excerpt from the book.Oh, and I’m letting you in on a little secret...You will get to read more of Jace in Duke Harris’s story! Hopefully, I will have more news to share about that book soon! As...