Colored Jeans on the Clothesline: Such Precious Days Don't Last

Up early every morning, cleaning house and taking care of the family duties with the spirit, vitality, and energy of youth, far too busy to treasure the day, with a son in the first grade. She took pride in the fact that she kept a spotless house and had dinner on the table when her husband returned from work. She hung her son’s jeans out in the sunshine and fresh air, glad he had a pair of each color for school. They hung neatly, all in a row, jeans of brown, black, green, navy, maroon, and blue.

Where did those days go? Before she knew it, her son was grown and gone, with kids of his own. Those precious family days were a treasure that didn’t last. All too soon, spring turns to summer, and kids grow up too fast, leave home, and are gone. Summer turns to fall. Fall turns to winter. What you wouldn’t give to hang those precious little jeans of every color on the clothesline and watch them blow in the wind! Such precious days don’t last.

Those were the days, the best days in life. Such precious days fly by with the speed of lightening. Suddenly, she wonders where did the time go? How did she get to be this old? She no longer cleans her house with the spirit, energy, and vitality of her youth. What she once took pride in, is dull, boring, and humdrum, just another ordinary, routine day. Now, there are no little jeans blowing in the wind. No first grader will come home to excitedly tell her about his school day. Those are all things of the past, things she didn’t treasure when she had them, because she was always in such a hurry, things that didn’t last.

Now, her little grandson’s mother throws his bluejeans in the dryer as she rushes to get ready for work each morning. The hands of time slip by like a silent thief. Off to work. Off to school. School years fly. No little colored jeans blow in the wind, days of the past, treasured days that just don’t last.

First published at USA.DeepSouth.com
Author retains copyright
(I have an idea for revising again and making this into a full story)

Raining on the River

I look at the picture from last June and remember how it rained when we were camping, but the river was still beautiful. I know why I've always loved natural water like the river and the ocean so much. It flows freely. I've been reading Beth Moore again. I loved her book Believing God. Now, I'm reading Breaking Free. God makes Himself known through the glory He created. I understand why I love looking at water and sky. They both declare God's glory. Mountains, beautiful woods, streams, lakes, have all made me feel free and closer to God. I enjoy God's presence in all He created. It's no wonder I love nature.

My idea of resting, relaxing, being restored, and renewed has always been through enjoying peaceful scenes and nature. I realize this has brought me peace and renewal because I took my quiet time with God and enjoyed HIS presence. I drew closer to God and felt closer to Him.

I look at this picture of a rainy day last summer and miss being able to gaze out upon that river with the raindrops dotting its surface. Instead, I have to settle for the raindrops dotting the surface of our swimming pool this summer, and it's not the same. But, I thank God for the blessed rainy summer day of 2008 when I captured this picture and a memory in my heart of Summer 2008. I thank Him for all the blessings in my life. Most of all, I thank Him for His unconditional love and for sending His only son to save me.

I have a personal relationship with God, so I know Him, love Him, and believe Him. God has made Himself known to me through his glory. I look all around me and see Him everywhere. I find satisfaction in God and in His Word, the Bible. I know His Word is our instruction manual for an abundant, productive, blessed life. I have experienced God's peace many times throughout my life when the storms of life have tried to wash me away. Like a rock, I held on to God and His Word, and I've enjoyed God's presence so many times. I've felt the gift of the Holy Spirit wash over me, and I realized though my earthly father died when I was four years old on Christmas Day, I've always had my Heavenly Father. He never leaves or forsakes me. Thank you God for always being there for me. Jesus is my best friend, and I'm glad to have a friend I can always believe in and count on.

May God bless you and yours. My heartfelt wish for you is to have a close,loving relationship with your creator. Such a relationship brings so many benefits. Peace of mind is only one. Beth Moore talks about five in Breaking Free, and she also discusses five obstacles that can keep you from obtaining those five benefits. I love reading her books and have gained so much understanding from them.

Remember, even if it is a rainy summer day, God is showing Himself to you through His glory. My eyes only have to look at the picture to realize the beauty and treasure the memory of the peace and content that fell with each raindrop. Be blessed.

Publishing on Demand? What's to Gain?

Check out the March 2009 edition of Christian Fiction Online if you're considering Publishing on Demand (POD) or self publishing your own book. My article Publishing on Demand? What's to Gain? features the views of Eva Marie Everson, recently published author of a new Southern novel, THINGS LEFT UNSPOKEN, publihsed by Revell, and Janet Perez Eckles, who published TRIALS OF TODAY, TREASURES FOR TOMORROW with Xulon. Click on the picture of the magazine or this link to take you to my article. http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/mar-09-biz_pod.html. I've read Everson's novel and if you scroll below, you'll find the picture of it with a book review I've posted. It's well worth reading. If you like Southern fiction, you won't want to miss this one. If you scroll down, you'll also find a review I've written of Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow, a nonfiction book about how Mrs. Eckles overcame the loss of her sight and was gifted with pure insight. She has the ability to see more than most sighted people and continues to write inspirational stories with the help of special computer software. She is also able to critique my work with the same software. We have shared critiquing one another's work, and I've found her to be an inspring treasure herself. You will need to click on older posts and scroll and scan to find the book review, but the pictures of both books are still showing on this page. Mrs. Everson's review still shows as well, but it's been quite some time since I did the one for Mrs. Eckles, so it's in the older posts. Enjoy!

I greatly admire both of these wonderful, talented Christian authors and speakers. Mrs. Everson is my mentor with the Christian Writers Guild, and Mrs. Eckles is a dear friend I met through my critique group with American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). I owe by blossoming talent to God, Mrs. Everson, Mrs. Eckles, and my ACFW critique group. I've completed the Apprentice Class and have only nine assignments to wrap up the Journeyman Level with the Christian Writers Guild. Long Ridge classes have also aided in honing my craft. I learned so much through hands-on, trial-and-error with the ACFW critique group that I highly recommend networking and joining a critique group if you're serious about honing your skills.

A Hershey Sweet Summer

We visited Hershey’s Chocolate World Visitor Center, Hershey Park, and Zoo America one June and took a simulated tour of the Chocolate Factory on the Chocolate Ride. We walked through a tropical jungle where the cocoa beans were harvested and viewed the chocolate-making process during the ride. At the end, we received a free sample. We explored the gift shops and restaurants and had ice cream Hershey style.

The Really Big 3D Show provided a glimpse of the history of Hershey’s chocolate. The show was designed and produced by Landmark Entertainment, the group who designed Universal Studios “Terminator 2/3D”. Free candy samples made the show even sweeter.

We took in 11 acres of wildlife, Zoo America, with park admission, but the most amazing adventure for my husband and stepdaughter was Storm Runner in Hershey Park. It was the first hydraulic launch coaster with inversions. It sped off at 72 miles per hour. I rode a lot of coasters, but I waited on the ground for this one. However, I joined my husband and stepdaughter for the thrills of Great Bear, an inverted coaster. The four inversions, vertical loop, camelback twist, and wing over gave us the sensation of flying through the air as our feet dangled.

I got lots of great pictures, even some of Hershey Kiss traffic lights. The streets are named after Hershey candy. I even found out where my favorite Jolly Rancher candy is made. It, too, is a Hershey product though it is not chocolate. My husband had to stock up on his favorite white chocolate Hershey bars with almonds and white Kit Kat bars which are so hard to find, but delicious. Hershey, Pennsylvania, is the sweetest place on earth, just as they say. My husband, Scott, thought Storm Runner and his candy bars made it so. As for my stepdaughter and I, we found Great Bear and Jolly Ranchers sweeter. She and I shared the same taste in coasters back then, but she's gone on to ride the swiftest, tallest, and longest with her father since our Hershey sweet summer.

God's Love is Grander

Below is a short poem I wrote after our Summer 2007 vacation to Las Vegas to visit Paula and to the Grand Canyon. Enjoy.

God’s Love is Grander than the Grand Canyon!!
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God’s love is as wide and deep and great as the Grand Canyon He made.
His love flows like a Niagara Falls waterfall.
His light shines like a Key West sunrise.
His love sparkles more than all the lights in Las Vegas.
But His love is true and steady, instead of glittering and flickering false hope.
Nothing is grander than our own Lord, not even the Grand Canyon He personally created!
Like an expansive-canyon view, or an ocean-front view, His love spreads and expands throughout all eternity with no end in sight.
All you have to do is invite Him in as your personal Lord and savior, trust Him, and He will be your guiding light, outshining the glitter of Hollywood and Vegas.

©Barbara Robinson, July 19, 2007

The Birds Still Sing

THE BIRDS STILL SING
by Barbara Robinson

The birds still sing wtih the morning sun.

Life has a way of going on, even when your world is coming undone.

Daddy was buried on a cold, winter day.

I was four years old when he died that Christmas Day.

Buried a husband one bright, sunny day.

Wondered how the world could be so bright and shiny on my sad day.

Buried a mother, and the sun smiled down.

Buried a baby sister, and life went on.

How could the world still be so beautiful with my own personal clouds raining down?

The birds still sing; time moves on.

Death nor lost love, the world still turns.

The birds still sing because they know life goes on.


Time won't stop, and the world will still turn, even when you're dead and gone.

So, don't waste your life spending it all alone.

Love someone and be loved in return.

Make someone's day as you make your own.

To make this old world a better place, we all have to do our parts.

We all have to have a heart.

Make someone's day; be special in your own sweet way.

The birds will still sing; the sun will still shine.

Difference is you can make your own heart rhyme before you run out of time!

1 Thessalonians verses 4:16-18 is one of my favorite Bible verses, because it helped me when Mom and my youngest sister passed: 1 Thessalonians 4: 6-18, NIV

. . . and the dead in Christ will rise first: After that, we who are still alive and left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

This verse tells us we'll see our loved ones again. Life goes on eternally. No wonder the birds still sing. I'm not a poet and usually write poems to write out my heart and soul and express my feelings. Writing and Bible verses, faith in God, and His Word, got me through the earthly loss of my loved ones. I hope you'll let this verse speak to your heart and comfort you as it has me. God bless.

The Power of Prayer

I strongly believe in God and the power of prayer, because He always answers my prayers. My little sister was sick a few years ago. Something she ate made her have problems with her liver. She was weak, felt as though she had no energy, and the doctor told her he did not know if her liver would ever be normal again. I told her I would pray for her and for her to pray, too. She said she was. Gradually, over a period of a few weeks, her liver began to get better and better. She went to the doctor, and he said the tests showed her liver was back to normal. I prayed to God to give my sister back her spirit, strength, and beauty of her youth and for her liver to heal and for her to be back to her normal self. Thank God, He once again answered my prayers, and she is back to normal and so is her liver!

There have been many times in my life when I have had no one to turn to but God, and I have found He is the most important one to turn to. He is the only one you can truly depend on, but you must have faith! When I pray, I pray with faith that He will hear and answer my prayers, and I go about my daily routine as normal and expect Him to answer them because he always does, but you must ask. I've found myself in bad situations, and I have had to call upon God numerous times. He has never failed me, and He has always answered me. Once, my husband slung me from a boat when he took off, and I slid out of the boat and into the river in water way over my head. I had been riding in the back of the boat near the motor, and I was afraid of the motor hitting me. When I felt myself slipping from the boat, I put everything into the Lord's hands and began praying that the motor would not hit me, and I would not drown. As the water closed over my head, I felt at peace and knew I'd be rescued. I could feel God there with me. There have been many times and many situations in my life I know if not for prayers and God, I would not be here today, or be where I am today, literally, and in life. God has always seen me through. Put your faith and trust in God, and He will always be there for you!I've traveled a long way through life with Him.

I have a writing devotional in the book Words to Write By. The book is full of devotionals for writers, and I've found it very inspiring. It motivates me to continue my writing journey for the Lord.