The other day I sat parked at a pharmacy drive-through window waiting for one of the workers to finish with my request. It took a little longer than normal, which happens. I didn’t mind waiting, but learned a lesson when I glanced in the rearview mirror to the car behind me. The lady in the driver’s seat gestured up and down, back and forth intermittently with both hands. At first I thought she was on her cell phone and had one of those habits of talking with her hands. But on further inspection could see she was waving impatiently at me – as if I could hurry the guy in the pharmacy…

The woman’s impatience at first almost amused me. If she could have seen how she looked, she might have thought twice about her curt gestures. But then I thought – how often have I done the same thing? How often am I impatient with people in line ahead of me or drivers who do things that frustrate me? Am I any better? Ugh…

Body language reveals far more than words. And it sends a message to those watching whether I realize they are watching or not.

While the written word can also convey a message, it can sometimes be misconstrued where no body language, no face to face engagement is possible. Something said in innocence, with teasing intent, cannot always be conveyed even by smiley faces and email winks. And a serious tone, however carefully worded, can be taken to mean something more than is intended. How often do I try to read between the lines and attribute motive behind written words where perhaps no motive or a different motive was in the mind of the writer?

How easily we judge each other! And yet not one of us can read minds. Even body language can lie. That woman in the car behind me sure looked like she was impatient and angry with me by her scowl and flicks of her wrist, but maybe she was angry at something else. I don’t know what raised her ire, or how bad her day had been. If she had a sick child at home who was desperately in need of medication, her anxiety would have made sense.

I wonder how often we change our opinions of one another based on things like this – things like motive, which we cannot see in an email or blog post or even in that tell-tale body language we do see face to face. How many mind games do we play trying to assume things that might not be true?

Perhaps this is why God tells us to bear with one another in love. Be a little less quick to judge another’s motives and a little more aware of how my own actions will be judged by those around me. But bearing with others in love means sacrificing my need to be right, my need to be offended, my need to be accepted…and so much more. Bearing with others is hard work.

I suppose if loving were easy, it would be worth far less.

Selah~

We arrived home from California late Wednesday night, raced across town to pick up a veggie pizza at a local Italian restaurant that stayed open seven extra minutes to hold our pizza for us, and came home to a big surprise! Our son, Ryan, with the help of his girlfriend, had painted our kitchen! Ryan had hoped to finish the whole project before we got home, but a few things still remain. It’s nice to be so close to finished. I love the colors! We chose three different shades – light green for two walls, darker green for the one opposite the windows, and dark brown for the drop down ceiling coves. Here’s a picture of the darker wall. I can’t seem to get the picture to upload bigger. Hopefully, the color comes through. Can you see the dark chocolate color near the ceiling?

I have a lithograph picture (in the white frame) that we bought in Israel. Several are spaced about the house – the two in my office still need frames. They were drawn of Hebron and Jerusalem in the 1800s – very inspiring.

The day before we left for California, my dad ended up in the hospital. We were concerned that he could be seriously ill and feared having to cancel the trip. Fortunately, that did not happen. He is back and the nursing home and doing well.

Changing time zones and sleeping on an air mattress wreaked a bit of havoc with my body. Readjusting to meal times and sunlight coming too early, filtering through the supposedly light-blocking blinds has been a challenge. I need the room to stay darker longer – I’m not a morning person. I think I need a sleep mask! :)

One of my former critique partners, Maureen Lang, is coming for a visit next week! She’ll be on her way to a convention, and I just happen to live along the way. I can’t wait to reconnect with her in person. I get to share some new recipes I recently discovered – I just hope they turn out good the second time around. :)

Time to veg and watch a movie – Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Should be interesting…

Shalom~

I’m sitting in my sons’ apartment in Los Angeles, California. We’ve been here for a week now, thus my lack of blog posts. Tomorrow we return to the airport and back home to reality. The weather has been cooler than temperatures in Michigan – not really beach weather, so our visits to the beach have been few. We hiked five miles in Malibu with son, Chris, then ate at a beach cafe nearby. Paradise Cove has the best barbecue and veggie burgers ever! Great coconut shrimp too! (Can you tell we did a lot of eating?)

After five miles uphill and down in Solstice Canyon, over dirt and then traipsing down the beach to put my toes in the water, I think I walked off the calories of the food. We hiked to a small waterfall and saw the ruins of a house that had been built to be “fireproof”, set into the side of the hill. If you look closely in the picture, you can see some of the buildings. The owner had designed all sorts of watering systems to protect the home, building much of it from stone, but after the owner’s death, the home fell into disrepair and succumbed to fire after all. Nothing is “safe” in this life.

On the way home, we stopped at Leonidas Chocolate Cafe, known for their Belgian chocolates. Pricey, but oh, so delicious! Tops even Sees brand, which I am happily bringing home with me. We stopped in Santa Monica again for lunch today and could have stopped once more at Leonidas, but alas, I opted to wait. Perhaps I will request a box for Christmas. :)

On Sunday, we went to church at Mosaic where the guys worship. Erwin McManus is the main pastor/speaker for the church, and he spoke at this campus. The church does not own any buildings, but rather, rents a various locations – a high school, a nightclub, and more. When we pulled into the parking garage, the lights were out. Unfortunately, power was out in the entire building, so a team of workers had set up chairs and sound system outside in a kind of courtyard. Erwin’s daughter Mariah played acoustic guitar and led the singing. She has a beautiful voice. I have followed some of Erwin’s messages on podcast, so it was a treat to hear him in person. We briefly met him afterward.

We saw Predator with the guys and some of their friends for the early evening show on Friday. The show seemed like it carried a bit of Lost and Survivor mixed together. Action adventure with a sci-fi twist. At least the blood was green most of the time, so I only closed my eyes a few times. A girl who lives with all men learns to enjoy strange movies…

It feels like we have driven all over Los Angeles. Some of the architecture reminds me of the home my grandparents lived in in Canoga Park many years ago. I still have cousins in the state, though we did not take time to look them up as we only had a week with our boys. Since the guys moved out here, my heart has been divided between Michigan and California. I have hopes of retiring here someday, but after spending a week in L.A. traffic, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t enjoy living in Los Angeles. Too many people, too little space. And it is true, everything costs more here. They charge you to park most places either in a parking garage or at a meter doing parallel parking. I do not care for parking garages, and I cannot parallel park to save my life.

Today we went back to Venice Beach, the main beach we visited a year ago when we drove the guys out here. We passed the same hotel we stayed at while they looked for an apartment. In my mind’s eye, I could see the Penske truck parked along the side of the road.

We walked along the shore and then traipsed the boardwalk, something I missed last time. Very touristy this time of year. I would not enjoy being a street vendor.

We ate at the Urth Caffe for lunch. I wish we had these back in Michigan. Great food. Organic coffees and teas and specialty sandwiches, soups, and salad made from healthy ingredients. Kind of like Panera only better. I’m finding veggie sandwiches more and more to my liking. The one I tried today had eggplant. Yum!

Los Angeles is a melting pot of cultures with a variety of cuisines. We have tasted southern barbecue, Caribbean, Mexican, unique vegetarian sandwiches and pizza, seafood, and more. Maybe next time we’ll find a good Italian or Chinese place. I have new recipe ideas to experiment with once we’re home. There is a new health food store we visited with some interesting flavored coffees and sprouted breads. Michigan needs some of these stores.

When we left Michigan last week, we escaped some of the heat wave surprised to find it 20 degrees cooler here. But as our plane takes off for home, California is supposed to finally get its summer. We saw more clouds than sunshine – something we are much too used to in Michigan. But I am grateful for every minute here.

Of course, the reason for coming wasn’t the weather. It was to spend time with our guys, enjoying their company. Someone once told me that when your kids move away, the time you do get to see them is more concentrated and quality. I can see how that proved true for us. Though my body is ready for its own bed (air beds are only so comfortable), I’ll miss them so much. It’s been a great vacation!

Now I’m praying for a comfortable seat and an uneventful, safe flight home. Until then~

Selah~

Though it’s the 4th of July, we made no special plans this year. Randy has been working on his classic car – a 1966 Mustang – for years now, removing the rust, sanding, fixing, drilling, and preparing it for paint. Every year time, circumstances, and weather has worked against him finishing the job. This year, I’m praying for grace and favor for him to finish it soon. He’s hoping to take it to car shows this August, and I want to ride alongside him. :) One of our very first dates was in that car when he took me drag racing! Good times!

While Randy has been working on his car, I’ve been painting window frames and sills. We had new windows put in during late May and they replaced the sills and built new frames around them. Of course, they weren’t finished. So I’ve been filling the nail holes, sanding them down, priming, painting and cleaning each one. I finished the downstairs yesterday – wore myself out on the biggest picture window – with a few to go upstairs. Now that the windows look so nice, though, I want to paint all of the walls! We’ll see how much I can done this summer. :)

I spent the afternoon watching the end of BBC’s version of Pride & Prejudice and now I’m watching (for the fourth or fifth time) The Fellowship of the Ring. These are among my favorite all-time stories. I still like the Keira Knightley version of Pride & Prejudice best, but the BBC version was good. I love period pieces – the costumes, the ability to take you to places you can’t travel in this life. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is probably the best movie series ever made.

I decided to get rid of my acrylic nails because the nails underneath them were too thin. Real nails are better, if I can just stop picking at them when I’m trying to think of what to write. I made the mistake of slowing prying them off forgetting that I had bought acrylic nail remover for just such a purpose! I had put it in the cupboard and forgot it was there. Oi! Sometimes I think I have too much going on in my head. Too many worlds, too many words! You know it’s bad when you get on the scale to weigh yourself but forget what it said, or you stand in the shower and can’t remember if you washed your hair! I chalk it up to our brains being like a computer and mine needs more ram. Plenty of hard drive, just not enough memory.

Our family increased by one this past month when a new great-nephew was born! I’ve seen pictures, but have not yet had the chance to hold him. He’s beautiful!

Well, The Fellowship of the Ring is drawing me away and I need to do my sit-ups. I think the exercises are starting to take a little effect.

Happy 4th to all – “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” May our nation return to trust in Him alone.

Selah~

Besides Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, which also released this month (see my Spotlight interview with the author), we have 26 more Christian Fiction releases to celebrate! Going on vacation? Have book, will travel! Look here for some great summer reads!

1. A Shore Thing; Otter Bay, Book 2 by Julie Carobini– A Romance from B&H. A fiery, eco-friendly young woman leads the fight against a large development in her beachfront hometown while falling for the architect assigned to the job.

2. Back on Murder; A Roland March Mystery, Book 1 by J. Mark Bertrand — A Suspense/Mystery/Thriller from Bethany House. Homicide cop Roland March attempts a comeback as corruption and a high profile case threaten to sink him.

3. Beautiful Bandit; The Lone Star Legends Series by Loree Lough — An Historical from Whitaker House. When rancher Josh Neville rescues a terrified woman who calls herself Dinah, she unwittingly leads notorious killers to his door, putting him and everyone at the Lazy N in jeopardy.

4. Beyond Summer; Blue Sky Hills Series, Book 3 by Lisa Wingate — Women’s Fiction from Peguin Group/NAL. Tam Williams discovers the blessings of community when her father is jailed, and the family moves to downscale Blue Sky Hill where her new friend, Shasta might lose her home to her father’s shady mortgage company.

5. Bride in Training; Man’s Best Friend Series by Gail Gaymer Martin — A Romance from Love Inspired. Troubled lives lead to loneliness, Emily and Martin learn, until the Lord teaches them he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

6. Cattleman’s Courtship by Carolyn Aarsen — A Romance from Love Inspired. Cara Morrison has to fix the past before she can face the future.

7. Doctor in Petticoats; Sophie’s Daughters Series, Book 1 by Mary Connealy — A Romance from Barbour. A burned out doctor is called in because he’s a man, while the town’s lady doctor does all the work and keeps the doctor from cracking up.

8. Driftwood Lane; 3rd in Series of Stand Alones by Denise Hunter — A Romance from Thomas Nelson. A love story set on Nantucket Island.

9. Firestorm by Kelly Ann Riley — A Romance from Steeple Hill. A firefighter falls in love while trying to find her father’s killer.

10. Flash Point; Emerald Coast 911 by Stephanie Newtonr — A Suspense/Mystery/Thriller from Love Inspired Suspense. Courage Under Fire.

11. Heart of a Cowboy; Helping Hands Homeschooling Book 2 by Margaret Daley — A Romance from Love Inspired. Zachary Rutgers is perfectly happy with being a loner until he discovers he has a son and must deal with buried feelings concerning Jordan Masterson.

12. Love Finds You in Calico, California by Elizabeth Ludwig — An Historical from Summerside Press. A young seamstress struggling to survive in a booming mining town is pressed into a marriage of convenience with the local livery owner.

13. Minnesota Moonlight 3-in-1 Collection by Becky Melby & Cathy Wienke — Romance from Barbour. An ex-con, a storm chaser, and a footloose musician˜three unlikely heroes for three women learning to trust God…and the men He’s brought into their lives.

14. Nightshade; Discarded Heroes Series Book 1 by Ronie Kendig — A Suspense/Mystery/Thriller from Barbour. This Former Navy SEAL is fighting a new battle–the home front!

15. Prodigal Patriot; Vermont Book 1 by Darlene Franklin — A Romance from Barbour Heartsong. How can Sally and Josiah battle through the barriers separating Tory and Patriot to find love and forgiveness?

16. Ransome’s Crossing; The Ransome Trilogy, Book 2 by Kaye Dacus — A Romance from Harvest House. Disguising herself as a midshipman to get to her secret fiance, Charlotte Ransome faces danger–and love–crossing the Atlantic.

17. Rodeo Redemption; The Rodeo Royalty Series, Book 1 by Teri Wilson — A Romance from White Rose Publishing. Josie Turner would rather forget she was ever crowned Rodeo Queen. Can former rodeo cowboy Luke Anderson mend Josie’s heart and can one rodeo weekend help them both find redemption?

18. Seeds of Summer; Seasons of the Tallgrass – Book 2 by Deborah Vogts — A Romance from Zondervan. When a former Miss Rodeo Kansas queen returns home after her father’s death to care for the family ranch and her two younger siblings, what follows is a summer full of change, life-lessons and an unexpected romance with the new minister in Diamond Falls.

19. So Over It; The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt Series Book 3 by Stephanie Morrill — General Fiction from Revell. Senior year is over and Skylar Hoyt is ready to forgive and forget. Or at least forget.

20. Song of Solomon by Kendra Norman Bellamy — A Romance from Urban Books. How can he convince her that she’s his God-given mate when she’s already wearing a wedding ring?

21. Stars in the Night by Cara Putman — An Historical from Summerside Press. Step back to 1942 Hollywood as Audra Schaeffer tries to find her sister and a killer before it is too late.

22. The Crimson Cipher by Susan Page Davis — An Historical from Summerside Press. When Emma’s father is murdered, she’s hired to do the job he could have had–helping track them down by breaking their ciphers.

23. The Engineered Engagement; Kennebrae Brides Series Book 3 by Erica Vetsch — An Historical from Barbour Heartsong. Sparks fly when a shipbuilder finds himself engaged to the wrong girl.

24. The Seeker; The Shaker Series Book 3 by Ann H. Gabhart — An Historical from Revell. The story brings alive the strikingly different worlds of the Southern gentry, the simple Shakers and the ravages of war in 1860s Kentucky.

25. The Way to a Man’s Heart; The Miller Family Series, Book 3 by Mary Ellis — A Romance from Harvest House. When all the men beat a path to Leah’s diner, her parents don’t breathe a sigh of relief until she narrows her suitors from half a dozen down to one.

26. Where the Dogwoods Bloom by Myra Johnson — A Romance from Barbour Heartsong. Jilly Gardner left Blossom Hills ten years ago, determined never to return, but when Cam Lane calls to ask for her help, she finds she can’t say no.

Happy reading~