A Balancing Act

Don’t you hate it when you’re in a hurry to get something done and life gives you a red light? Last week, I made a decision on a publishing avenue and was ready to hit the gas. Then, over the weekend, we found our future home. And it doesn’t make sense to assume the publishing debt just as we’re in the process of securing a home loan.

So the good news is that we’ve found a house all three of us like. If all goes as planned, we’ll put a contract on it this weekend. I’m very excited about the idea of having our own place, and hopefully we can move over the summer before Grace begins her middle school years. (Aaahhh!)

It seems that life is always about waiting for something and balancing all the different priorities. And so now I must put my novel on hold again and wait until we get settled into our new home. We’re also anxiously counting down the days until we can bring our new puppy, Jake, to live with us. He is only a month old and must stay with his momma dog until he is eight weeks old.

We have a lot to be excited about. A new home, a cute little puppy, and finally being able to share my writing with the world. Everything just has to come in its own time.

It’s a shame we can’t fast-forward through the boring parts in life like we can watching a movie.

Signs of True Love

How do you know you share true love? When he’s willing to live with your cats, and you’re willing to let him get a puppy. Thankfully, I have five and a half weeks to prepare myself for this new addition as he’s too little to leave his mama.

During the long years of waiting for Ben, Valentine’s Day was known as “Singles Awareness Day.” It was an opportunity for all my happily married Facebook friends to flaunt their roses, diamonds, and romantic dinners and for me to become even more fully aware of just how lonely I was. So to all of my single friends, I would like to apologize for this sentimental post. You're not required to read any further.

Although I’ve learned that life has a way of taking me by surprise. Or, more precisely, God has a way of taking me by surprise. So, you never know what He has in store for you.

The last few years of my life have been a whirlwind of changes! I went from wondering if I would always be alone, to falling in love with a very unlikely character, getting married, and finding my dream to be a writer rekindled. How quickly the doors that seemed to be closed forever were opened. I’m learning to accept that wherever I am in life is just for now, just a fleeting moment in the story of my life, and that everything can change in a heartbeat. That the direction life is taking now can diverge in a second and take me somewhere completely unexpected!

I don’t know what my future will hold. I can’t predict how this whole writer thing is going to work out or if the cats and the new puppy will get along. But I’m thankful that whatever twists and turns lie ahead, I have Ben to hold my hand as we walk the road together.

Whatever your story may be today, remember that you are precious to God and He will always be at your side.

And because today is a chocolate-eating holiday, you can enjoy it guilt-free!

Fat Pants

When Ben and I were dating, we decided to take Grace to a local beach on a Sunday afternoon. Ben changed into his swim trunks and I found his jeans in the bathroom. On a whim, I decided to put them on. Before I knew it, Ben had placed Grace inside them with me. And we still needed his belt to hold them up.

It reminded me of those weight-loss commercials that show someone skinny in huge pants. Of course, if I ever really needed pants that size, you’d have to roll me down the street. Ben is six and a half feet tall, so it works for him. But we’ve both made commitments to health and fitness, and have worked together to help one another keep going forward. He pushes me on the bike; I push him in the kitchen. And in the arena of life, we push each other to be better, whether it’s in our stress-management skills or parenting.

As I’ve shared my novel with friends and asked them to circle my mistakes with a red pen and write their thoughts in the margins, I’ve had to humble myself and accept their criticisms. If I were to assume that I’ve already written my novel perfectly, I’d miss out on the chance to make it better. All those red circles, underlines, and comments are opportunities to create a better work of fiction. It’s tough to open yourself up and accept the opinions of others, but I’m very thankful for honest friends who were willing to use that red pen!

I’m happy to report that I have completed my revisions based on their input and another read-through of my own. And—exciting news—I have chosen a title (although I always reserve the right to change my mind until it’s in print). I am now in contact with a professional editor and awaiting her estimate on “substantive editing services” and am pursuing graphic design artists for the book cover. Continued prayer is appreciated.

Is there someone in your life who pushes you to be better? Don’t be afraid to accept criticism; instead consider it an opportunity to improve yourself.

And put down the brownie and eat an apple instead.

World's Longest Fingernails

Scented Nail Polish. Who knew?







The other morning my daughter was chattering away about a woman in the Guiness World Records who had the longest fingernails. It sounded disgusting to me, to tell you the truth. I began to think about being known as “the woman with the crazy long fingernails,” and wondering who would put the intentional effort into earning that title. And why.

I started to think about earning a reputation and leaving a legacy. We get one lifetime, and its length varies greatly based upon factors that are mostly beyond our control. And then we die and within a period of time, after those who knew us have all passed on, we’re forgotten completely. Like we never existed. Just one more human being in a long line of those who have lived and died.

But some people leave a legacy that lives on for years, generations, or even centuries after they’re gone. Mother Teresa left a legacy of kindness. Shakespeare left a legacy of words. Aristotle left a legacy of ideas. Jonathon Edwards left a legacy of sermons. Mary Lou Retton left a legacy of gymnastics. And Lee Redmond will leave a legacy of grotesquely long fingernails.

I want to leave something of myself behind, something that will have made my living worthwhile. My hope and prayer is that the legacy I leave will be through the novels that I write, and that they will point people to a deeper, richer relationship with God.

But I plan to keep my fingernails short. Easier for typing. And mountain biking.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? How will you be remembered?

Nerds and Dorks

Feeding "wild" donkeys at Custer State Park in South Dakota

Someone wrote on the white board at church in permanent marker. There were three kingdoms. One of them was labeled “The Kingdom of Dorkness.” I stared at it quizzically for a moment, wondering what spiritual truth I was missing, then realized it was just a poorly written “a” and should have been “Darkness.”

A friend of mine jokingly claimed membership to the Kingdom of Dorkness and I had to laugh. I was never a smart kid growing up in elementary school. I had the imagination and distraction level of Anne of Green Gables, only I didn’t get the grades. The teacher always sounded like the adults in Charlie Brown. I don’t think I ever heard an instruction, but I usually figured out what I needed to do and got by.

In high school, I discovered my love of learning and my grades began to improve. I learned that every bit of information could be used to enrich a story. I started ninth grade wanting to be cool, but by tenth grade realized that I didn’t have a chance at it anyway and would rather just lose myself in a good book. I began skipping lunch so that I could sit in the library and read. True story. I even read the dictionary for fun.

But I never wanted to look like a nerd. I still disguise myself the best I can. But nerds and dorks have their place in life too. During the Russian Revolution of 1905, Boris Pasternak (author of Dr. Zhivago) was considered a threat to the Communist Party simply by virtue of his profession. Pasternak considered himself a poet and a romantic, not a political instigator, but all writers were considered a threat because of their ability to influence.

The first time I read “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers I cried my eyeballs out, but walked away feeling like God had healed another layer of my brokenness. As Angel’s story unfolded, my own emotions were given a voice and I experienced the journey of discovery and healing alongside her.

My prayer is that God can use my love of words and ideas to touch deep chords in the hearts and minds of my readers. Whenever I’m tempted to give up on this dream, I remember why it’s important that I keep going.

I may not be as gifted as Pasternak or Francine Rivers, but God has been known to use donkeys, so I guess He can use me too.