Songs of My Soul: Count Your Blessings

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[image error]Sparky couldn’t handle the excitement and passed out amidst the mess.

We’ve just had a wonderful Christmas holiday. As usual, my children were very blessed (probably a little too blessed, honestly), and my living room still shows the signs of it. I have great children, and they keep swinging by the couch giving us hugs or kisses and saying thank you. They know they’re blessed.

Still, it made me think, though. Sometimes it’s easy to see your blessings, as it was for us when the floor was full of toys, discarded wrapping paper, and cardboard boxes. Other times, it’s not so easy. And that’s when it’s the most important to count your blessings.

In my first novel, Don’t Ask Me to Leave, the main character struggles a lot with that. The novel is based on the story of Ruth and Naomi from the Bible, which means that very early on, the main character loses her husband (and almost her faith). She balks when others point out the blessings that still surround her.

That is how it often happens, isn’t it? “When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost”?

So many of our blessings are easy to ignore or forget. But right now, I am so blessed. I am sitting on a couch, surrounded by family and two very grateful cats inside a warm house while it’s below 20 degrees outside. My refrigerator is full. I live in a country where I am free to express my opinions out loud, online, in just about any way I see fit.

And sometimes, when we think we’re not blessed, it’s because we’re “missing the forest for the trees”.

About thirteen years ago, I was pregnant with our son. To our dismay, it was a high-risk pregnancy, and starting at four months, I started bouncing in and out of the hospital thanks to pre-eclampsia. My husband ended up leaving his job, and for a few days there, we were very worried and stressed.

And then the phone rang.

He had applied for another job months prior (so many months, he’d almost forgotten about the application), and he would start in a few days.

So it ended up that he was off work while I was having my initial hospital stays and diagnosis, and then he started a new job with better insurance, pay, and hours.

Blessings come in many forms, even when you’re not expecting them.

We’re just a few days away from a new year. There’s no telling what it will bring. I’m sure there will be struggles and sorrows, but blessings also abound. I hope that you will be blessed in this new year.

Latest NewsSongs of My Soul: Count Your BlessingsDecember 28, 2017Don't Ask Me to Leave / Songs of the Soul / WritingWe’ve just had a wonderful Christmas holiday. As usual, my children were very blessed (probably a little too blessed, honestly), and my living room still shows the signs of it. I have great children, and they keep swinging by the couch giving us hugs or kisses and saying thank you. They know they’re blessed.
Still, it made me think, though. Sometimes it’s easy to see your blessings, as it was for us when the floor was full of toys, discarded wrapping paper, and cardboard boxes. Other times, it’s not so easy. And that’s when it’s the most important to count your blessings.
In my first novel, Don’t Ask Me to Leave, the main character struggles a lot with that. The novel is based on the story of Ruth and Naomi from the Bible, which means that very early on, the main character loses her husband (and almost her faith). She balks when others point out the blessings that still surround her.
That is how it often happens, isn’t it? “When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost”?
So many of our blessings are easy to ignore or forget. But right now, I am so blessed. I am sitting on a couch, surrounded by family and two very grateful cats inside a warm house while it’s below 20 degrees outside. My refrigerator is full. I live in a country where I am free to express my opinions out loud, online, in just about any way I see fit.
And sometimes, when we think we’re not blessed, it’s because we’re “missing the forest for the trees”.
About thirteen years ago, I was pregnant with our son. To our dismay, it was a high-risk pregnancy, and starting at four months, I started bouncing in and out of the hospital thanks to pre-eclampsia. My husband ended up leaving his job, and for a few days there, we were very worried and stressed.
And then the phone rang.
He had applied for another job months prior (so many months, he’d almost forgotten about the application), and he would start in a few days.
So it ended up that he was off work while I was having my initial hospital stays and diagnosis, and then he started a new job with better insurance, pay, and hours.
Blessings come in many forms, even when you’re not expecting them.
We’re just a few days away from a new year. There’s no telling what it will bring. I’m sure there will be struggles and sorrows, but blessings also abound. I hope that you will be blessed in this new year....

December Book Review: Dead BrokeDecember 27, 2017Monthly Book Review / WritingAnyone who knows me knows that I’m an avid reader. I devour a ridiculous number of books a year. Goodreads tells me that I read 196 electronically so far this year. That doesn’t count the ones I read in print (or that I re-read). So, I thought I’d start sharing with you some reviews of my discoveries.
This month, I’m reviewing Dead Broke, by Linda Fulkerson. Find it on Amazon here.
So, I should explain–I love mysteries and thrillers. What sometimes frustrates me, though, is that mysteries and thrillers can be suuuuuuper inappropriate. I don’t like having them auto-download to my Kindle, because I don’t want my kids to read some of the things in there, and there are several novels that I routinely have to skip ahead a few pages. I didn’t have to do that.
Fulkerson’s protagonist, Andrea Warren (call her Andy) has a fun sense of humor and just the right amount of self-deprecation.
“Some girls get perfect teeth and cute button noses from their moms. I got green eyes, freckles, and enough hair for three more heads.” – Dead Broke
Like most protagonists in the genre, Andy is operating on a shoestring budget, but it’s believable. She’s a photographer in a digital world, where anybody with an iPhone fancies themselves a pro.
There’s just the right mix of characters in the novel; as a reader, you’re not sure whom to trust until almost the very end (and even then, you find yourself wondering if there will be another twist). The story never felt predictable or contrived, and it was a truly pleasant read (and one that I don’t have to worry about showing up on my family’s devices).
I can’t wait to see what she has in store next for Andy. You can get your own copy from Amazon ($3.99 Kindle, $11.99 print), and find out more about her on her website, http://lindafulkerson.com/....

A Christmas Gift – Excerpt of Don’t Ask Me to LeaveDecember 23, 2017Don't Ask Me to Leave / WritingIt’s almost Christmas. My children are beside themselves with excitement (we’ve already baked cookies for Santa). Thank goodness a certain elf is around to help keep them out of Santa’s treats until Sunday night.
In my original drafts of Don’t Ask Me to Leave, the novel opened in the Miller home on Christmas, with the first blended family meal. As I went through the editing process, that changed, but I ended up including a Christmas scene eventually.
As a little “Christmas gift” to blog followers, here’s an excerpt from Chapter 22 of Don’t Ask Me to Leave. Hope you enjoy it! Happy holidays to you and yours!
Rachel balanced an overloaded vegetable tray on one arm as she skirted the bottom of the steps and headed into the living room. Was it already Christmas? Did she really have to go back to work in a week? She sighed and focused on the soft, dazzling lights adorning Nadine’s Christmas tree.
Like everything else in the house, the tree looked straight from the pages of House Beautiful. Blue and silver ornaments sat nestled in the needles, attached with handmade wire ribbon bows. Olivia would approve…wherever she was these days.
Rachel took a deep breath, the glorious pine aroma filling her nose. She’d never had a live Christmas tree before. Gorgeous, yes. Worth the hassle? The jury was still out.
She snagged a carrot stick from the tray and swirled it through the ranch dip. It had been a fun trip back on the farm to cut it down. Beau sang carols as he sawed through the tree trunk, mixing up the words and making Rachel and Nadine laugh until their sides hurt.
It was a good memory. Thankfully, there seemed to be more of those lately–to Beau’s credit.
Rachel picked up another carrot and looked over at the packages that somehow seemed to multiply every time she left the room. Even though Nadine had sworn weeks ago that she’d finished shopping, new boxes kept appearing, labeled with names of people Rachel couldn’t remember even meeting.
LikeGeorge Bivins, the mail carrier, and that one for Kayleigh Foster–wasn’t she the girl at the bank?
Nadine’s generosity was impressive.
Rachel had tucked her meager contributions on the far side, all in gift bags instead of Nadine’s beautifully wrapped boxes. She’d purchased several for Nadine, but only one gift for Beau.
It had taken awhile to come up with that one. Rachel hadn’t planned on getting him anything–they were just friends, after all–but then Nadine invited him over for Christmas dinner.
Rachel grimaced and picked up a celery stalk. He’d like it or he wouldn’t. Hopefully it was okay, though. She shrugged and padded back through the house in her thick white socks to the kitchen. “Hey, Nadine, did you want the candy tray in the living room too?”
Beau nipped a buckeye from the tray and popped it in his mouth. “She might not, but I do. Here you go.” He passed the tray to Rachel with a lopsided grin. “Sit it by my chair.”
Nadine laughed and tossed down her dish towel. “I think we’re done here. Why don’t we go open some presents?”
“All right!” He scampered past Rachel into the hallway.
“I’m glad somebody’s excited.”
Nadine picked up her glass of sweet tea and fell into step beside Rachel. “Are you doing okay, hon?”
Rachel looked up at the ceiling. Surprisingly, she was. Thoughts of David lingered, but she’d accepted his missing presence. “I’m all right. Actually, I was thinking about Olivia.”
“Oh. Yes, I’ve wondered about her too. But I’m sure she’s all right.”
“Yeah. I, uh, I sent her an e-mail the other day.”
Nadine’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know that. Did she reply?”
“She did.” Rachel shifted the heavy plastic tray to her other hand. “She’s fine. Her dad got her a job at a firm down there, and he gave her a contract to redecorate his office building.”
“So she’s keeping busy, then.”
“Apparently. I asked her if she could come visit sometime, but she said she couldn’t get away. I guess I’ll never see her again.” Rachel sighed. “Who’d have thought that I’d miss her?”
“I’m sorry, sweetie. She’ll come around one day. You’ll see.”
“I hope so. I still have her presents under the tree, just in case.”
“We’ll ship them to her.” Nadine kissed Rachel’s cheek. “Now, come on. Let’s go in there before Beau opens everything without us.”
Enjoy that excerpt? Get a copy now from Amazon: Kindle ($3.99) or print ($13.99). Prefer a signed copy? E-mail me and I’ll be happy to make arrangements....

Our Adena Ancestors in KentuckyDecember 22, 2017Don't Ask Me to Leave / WritingIn Don’t Ask Me to Leave, protagonist Rachel Miller is introduced to the Adena culture via burial mounds and artifacts collected by her neighbor, Beau Samuels. The choice to include the Adena was a natural one, since it is a real part of the history of Kentucky–specifically, Montgomery County, where the novel takes place.
The Adena were a society that lived in Kentucky and a few other states (Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, to name a few). While we can’t be exactly sure, we speculate that they originate from the Early Woodland Period. The name Adena comes from the estate of an Ohio governor, Thomas Worthington, that he said came from a Hebrew name (read more about that at the Ohio History Connection).
Around 1792, settlers formed a new town that they named “Little Mountain Town”. The Little Mountain name was in reference to an Adena earthwork that was some twenty-five feet high and 125 feet in diameter, according to Tim Talbot’s Explore Ky. History. Unfortunately, Little Mountain was demolished in the mid-1800s to build a house. The dig revealed several skeletons and various other artifacts.
There were several other mounds in and around “Little Mountain Town”, which eventually came to be called Mount Sterling. The Wright-Greene complex was located a few miles from Mount Sterling and contained three (possibly four) mounds. In 1937, the mounds were excavated by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The University of Kentucky supervised the dig, and many of the artifacts and historical documents relating to it are housed in the William S. Webb Museum at the University.
Want a peek at some of the other locations and history mentioned in Don’t Ask Me to Leave? Check out the video below:...

Heavy is the Head that Wears the CrownDecember 19, 2017The Soldier's Wife / WritingUneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
–Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part II, Act 3, Scene 1
One of the first things most people do when I tell them that my current work-in-progress is a retelling of the story of David and Bathsheba is raise an eyebrow (or two). They assume it’s going to be a salacious love story, a bodice-ripper, or worse. Why would I want to tell that story, they ask?
Because, my friends, Shakespeare had it in one.
I have always had an interest in history, particularly the British monarchy from the Plantagenet line forward. I’ve read quite a few biographies and historical fiction novels, and recently I’ve been terribly interested in both Netflix’s The Crown and PBS’ Victoria. *Fair warning: The Crown has adult themes and occasional nudity–watcher beware.
One thing that I’ve observed in my studies of history and consumption of entertainment related to the monarchy is that “it ain’t easy bein’ Queen”. Sure, we commoners assume that it must be grand, having someone wait on you hand and foot . . . but the life of a monarch is a stressful one at the least.
Rarely is a monarch allowed to have personal feelings. They must act under a set of stringent and often ludicrous guidelines. For example, on one episode of The Crown, Princess Margaret cannot get engaged until the Queen’s baby is born, because no family announcements can be made until the birth of the Sovereign’s child (ostensibly so that no announcement could supersede that one?). For me, the wearing of heels 24/7 would be a deal breaker.
Imagine, then, what it would have been like from Bathsheba. Plucked from the relative obscurity of being a soldier’s wife, she found herself the mistress and then the wife of one of the most powerful men in the world. How wonderful her life must have been, right?
Quite frankly, it sounds terrifying.
She would herself have been powerless, subject to the whims of her husband (and, to a great degree, his advisers and courtiers). She was whisked away from the security of her own home into the bustling activity of a palace, surrounded by people that she did not know and could not be sure she could trust.
How many of her own advisers and courtiers would have been jealous of this beauty, who by their opinion had done nothing to deserve winning the favor of their beloved king?
She experienced such great loss in a short time. The loss of her husband Uriah was followed by the loss of her own freedom and then the loss of her infant child.
Her life with David was less than Paradise. I imagine that she felt deep isolation and pain, and likely fear. She’s a terribly interesting character, and one that I am enjoying exploring and investigating.
I have set her story in modern times, like I did with Ruth and Naomi in Don’t Ask Me to Leave, and it’s also been intriguing to contemplate how that might affect her character–being a soldier’s wife dealing with deployment, a new mother dealing with postpartum depression, and then spun further into that maelstrom with the death of her child. It presents a great challenge for me. How can she redeem herself?
Follow my blog for more previews and sneak peeks of The Soldier’s Wife.

Don’t Ask Me to Leave is available from Amazon and other fine retailers.
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