Forever, Until we Meet

Forever Means How Long - Forever, Until We Meet
Author: Vicki M. Taylor

A Review by Barbara J. Robinson of Forever Until We Meet by Vicki M. Taylor
From the mountains of Wyoming to the sunshine of Florida, Taylor spins a web of excitement through the journey of James and Patricia, who meet via the Internet. This book is a must read for women who seek love and companionship over electronic lines, a tale of a woman who didn't give up on love, though each time she laid her heart on the line, it meant more pain and heartbreak.

Refusing to give up on love and knowing that she was a better person than the shallow James who would spend his life looking for a woman who didn't exist, "the perfect woman," existing only in his mind, Patricia finds true love just when she vows to be herself and enjoy life to its fullest. Ironically, she meets true love head on when her heart takes wings back to Wyoming. On the same day she was supposed to have met James for the first time, she realizes he’s the one who is losing and will never have a full, complete life, or a real true love because he is unable to get past "the perfect woman" his mind has created, who is nothing more than a shallow fairy tale.

James is the true loser in this tale because he is destined to a life of disappointment while he plays out his fun and games of chasing his illusion over the Internet, a game of chase he will never win. Patricia prefers a man of depth and reality to a shallow fairy-tale version of the man she thought was the man of her dreams. Giving up her fairy tale, she discovers a man of solid depth with whom she is truly compatible, while James is right back on the Internet searching for a woman who doesn't even exist, except in his mind. Patricia sees that he wastes no time in chasing his next illusion at an even faster pace. Time will run out for James as his Internet fantasy and games catch up with him, while time marches on for Patricia, time worth living in the real world where strong women such as Patricia never give up on making their dreams come true.

Taylor has captured the Internet Romeo in James and the many lonely women seeking true love and companionship in Patricia. This book could be the book that makes a difference for you, if you are one of those lonely women, so don't miss life's lessons on love so cleverly woven in this tale of romantic suspense which has the reader on the edge, wondering if this romance will make it. This is a book the reader won't want to put down until the end.

For you men out there, if you are an Internet Romeo, you might not want to pass this book up because you might find yourselves learning some lessons from dear old James which could prove valuable tools during your Internet fantasies of fairy tales. Ironically, James offers to bring Patricia to Disneyland, a place where fairy tales are supposed to come true, but Patricia's shoe didn't fit. Forever Until we Meet is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. It’s a must-have educational tool for being Internet savy.

The Victor by Marlayne Giron

Author Marlayne Giron spent thirty years writing The Victor. She started writing this epic battle of good versus evil decades ago on a Selectric typewriter and finally fulfilled her life-long dream of seeing it published in April 2009 by Tate Publishing. The language fits the time period of the book, since it's a medieval fantasy. The cover is beautiful, and it's a perfect paperback with 16 chapters of love, hate, betrayal, loyalty, action, and battle between good and evil. If you contact Marlayne, she has a flyer available for teachers and homeschoolers, and the book may be taught as English curriculum. The language of the period is dense at first, but don't let it detour you, or you'll miss a Bible allegory. The fantasy illustrates how poor choices slowly turn a person evil when darkness descends and bad things take place. Though there's redemption, there's also evil that can't be undone. Hope, strength, courage, humor, and love redeem. It's a medieval love story about growing up that contains Christianity and Bible verses in the appendix. I'm not a fan of medieval fantasy, but the author has a command for the language and the time period, and the book rings true. If you like fantasy, kings, knights, and warriors with romance, this book is one you won't want to miss. It offers romance and battles to keep you turning the pages.

The Victor may be purchased at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, or at www.tatepublishing.com, and you can find it by looking under the author's name. You may become a Facebook friend at http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=Marlayne+Giron+&init=quick.

My Own Thin Place: Thin Places Contest

". . . 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.” 1 Thessalonians verses 4:16-18

She and I stood in the front yard of the old apartment house. Lisa wore a pink jacket, and her sad brown eyes looked directly into mine as she said, "I hope it's not cancer. I don't want to die." That visual image is sealed in my mind as vivid today as it was six years ago when I lost my youngest sister. Bird-like hands clutched a shining gold star with a pearl-head pin. She handed it to me, "I want you to wear this, because every time I see a star, I think of you." When Lisa died, the heavens raged. Storm clouds covered the land and hurricanes blew in from the sea. That year, twelve blustery ones battered America's shores. The last, a storm named Lisa, tiny and non-threatening like her, eventually faded out over land. On September 13, a summons came for Lisa. Sent on a mission, angels ferried another angel home. As I fell to my knees beside my bed and cried, I said a silent prayer, opened my Bible, and discovered my own thin place as the Comforter sent me encouragement. I knew then, that even in death, Jesus rose and hope lived--I'd see my sister again in heaven.


I'd like to invite viewers to join this contest. For more information, go to
http://www.blogtourspot.com/2010/02/thin-places-blog-tour/ and don't forget to read the review of Thin Places by Mary DeMuth. Scroll below for the review :).

Thicker than Blood by CJ Darlington

Thicker than Blood by CJ Darlington is 372 pages of Christian fiction published by Tyndale House Publishers, copyrighted 2009. This full-length novel was the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest winner. Darlington has skillfully woven a story of emotional impact that touches on the tough subjects of domestic abuse, abortion, alcoholism, and loss of loved ones through death and separation. Two sisters, Christy and May, haven't seen each other for 15 years. The death of their Aunt Edna brings them together again, but their reunion is beset with problems, pain, and heartache. Christy needs love and acceptance and drowns her sorrows in a bottle. Can May ever forgive her for running? She's run from the ones who've truly loved her all her life, always thinking she was alone and worthless. She's blamed herself for her parent's death. She discovers in the end that she always had someone there, if only she'd have called upon Him. And, she finds that blood is truly thicker than water, when she and her sister share a bond that can't be broken.

When she finally finds a job she loves in a bookstore, a charming man deceives her until he wrecks her position, her apartment, and turns her world inside out and upside down when he frames her for stealing valuable antique books. He's called her worthless so many times that she's begun to believe it. With no place to go, homeless and jobless, she visits the sister she hasn't seen in all those years only to discover her sister has her own problems. The bank is foreclosing on her beloved ranch, but instead of turning to booze for comfort as Christy does to alleviate her problems, May puts her faith and trust in God.

This award-winning novel was so captivating that I started reading it one evening and completed it the next. It's 23 chapters of suspense as Christy weaves her way back into May's life, and Vince stalks her to the ranch. Just as Christy feels she can breathe again, Vince intrudes upon her life and threatens to kill her sister. The author has paid attention to detail and provides excellent descriptions and dialogue. This is a novel you won't want to miss. A friend on Facebook told me she ordered hers today, after I'd told her how much I enjoyed reading it and from my brief description. She asked what the book was about, and I replied, two sisters who haven't seen each other in 15 years. I told her I'd put the review on my blog soon, but she didn't wait and ordered hers through Amazon.com. The author started the Christian entertainment Web site www.TitleTrakk.com in 2006. Check out Christian fiction and author interviews at the site and meet the award-winning author, CJ Darlington. This novel truly showcases well-written Christian fiction. It's my kind of book!

Review of Thin Places: A Memoir by Mary E. DeMuth

Thin Places: A Memoir by Mary DeMuth is 215 pages of prose and poetry gifted as a spiritual memoir published by Zondervan, copyrighted 2010. Full of figurative language, the book allows readers visual images that make them feel like they're watching the action take place. Parts of it will rip your heart wide open and turn your eyes into rivulets of tears. As she explores her past through writing out her heart, she sees God's handiwork throughout the many hardships and obstacles in her life. Tracing her life's journey through writing allows her to experience God. Mary defines "thin places" as the division fading between this world and the external, times she's felt God at work in her life and knew He was with her.


Thin Places is raw, full of powerful emotions, some of the reading is hard to digest as Mary paints a picture of what it's like for a five-year old girl to be molested. She shares the tough subject of sexual abuse in the hopes others won't feel so alone. She says, "I have a feeling my own journey will help others heal." It takes an author and woman of great strength and courage that can only come from God to tell the tale of the horrid childhood that made her who she is today, God's child, who is loved by him unconditionally.


Much of the book reveals what Mary sees as her personal flaws and weaknesses. Too much negative self-talk takes away from the inspirational message it's meant to deliver. I applaud her for being courageous enough to put her life on the page in stark black and white, but when I first started reading the book, I thought it'd be different. At first, I was really into it and couldn't wait to read further, but it ended up taking me a little longer to complete the reading once I got to parts that were hard to digest. She credits God for saving her by grace, and I know exactly what she means by "feeling" God with her and seeing His hand on her life through it all, but it's not a book I'd go back and reread for inspiration. It's hard to put my finger on, but it's something about the wording that pulls me out of the story.

However, I feel rape victims might relate to the story in a different light. They may find it more helpful and even more insightful. I could see the book being used in a class to help them. While she had a hard life, the most difficult part was the sexual abuse at such a tender age. This book will heal and also illustrate how you might help others going through such a crisis. If you or any member of your family has gone through such an ordeal, you'd want to read this book. You may purchase it through Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com. Visit Mary at www.marydemuth.com. or relevantblog.blogspot.com. If you're in need of a speaker on the topic of sexual abuse, Mary's your gift, and she's a special lady and author. Check out her other books. She has some interesting titles: Watching the Tree Limbs and Wishing on Dandelions, which sound more like my type of book, so read the book for yourself. It may be just the book for you!

Scotty's Jeans

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) This piece was written about the days I hung my oldest son's jeans on the line. His name is Scotty, and he was named after the song, "Watching Scotty Grow". When I wrote this piece, I knew nothing of author's craft and word choice. My writing has changed so much in the past five years. I have edited the first chapters in my manuscript so many times. Yet, each time I read it, I find myself changing another word for word choice. Something else jumps out at me, and I think of another way to improve it. By the time I let it go, it should shine for God. At this rate, will I ever let it go? :)

Words to Write By: Author Devotionals

I have a writing devotional in the book Words to Write By: Author Devotionals, complied by Robin Bayne. 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.

Five chapters and 168 pages of inspiration encourage writers and include Encouragement and Motivation, Persistence and Rejections, Publishing and Networking, Success and Sustenance, and Write for Him. I read this nonfiction book while I waited for my husband at the hospital on October 22, 2008. He had to have tests, and I read and prayed. God answered my prayers, and He is fine.

The book includes a variety of well-known authors, and they share favorite scriptures and quotations they find inspiring for writing. My devotional is titled "Why Write When You Keep Getting Rejections?"It describes my experience of receiving the best rejection letter ever. Despite the fact that my writing and characters were praised, the novel was still rejected. It didn't fit in with their line.

I'm still writing for Him, and in His perfect timing, His will, not mine, my work will find a home and an audience. I am the daughter of the King. My Prince has come, and He is not fiction.

Review of Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson

Things Left Unspoken
Author: Eva Marie Everson
Reviewer: Barbara J. Robinson
http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/
Five Stars
To Purchase: Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble (See reviews there also)

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson is three hundred and eighty-one pages of pure Southern delight. The novel allows the reader to adventure through life, romance, true love, wisdom gained with age and life experiences, dealing with life’s curve balls, conflicts of love and life, heartaches that make us stronger, and God’s fingerprints on our lives to make us the people He wants us to become. If you enjoy Southern fiction, you’ll love this novel. I devoured it in a couple of days.

Jo Lynn Hunter and her Aunt Stella make it women’s fiction. Jo Lynn deals with current marriage problems and feels she’s not at home in the life her husband has chosen for them. Something is missing and leaves her feeling empty inside. At life’s crossroads, she takes on a project to rebuild an old Southern family home and finds herself restored in the process. Family secrets reveal their ugly challenges and place Jo Lynn in extreme danger. She rises to the challenge and refuses to be chased from her project of love.

Aunt Stella illustrates true love and the wisdom of ripe old age. Valentine, her teenage love, grows into a wise elderly man, who declares if the foundation is strong, anything can be rebuilt. Jo Lynn learns the secrets of the past and the treasures for a happy future, even as she learns some things are best left unspoken.

Sweet Peace

I relax in sweet peace to the smell of French vanilla coffee and creamer and the music of birds, the prettiest in the world. As milk builds strong bones, I milk God's Word to build a strong soul. Blissful morning surrounds me. I sip coffee and glasp the Good Book, the best one in the world.

Winter Visit 2009

If you look closely, you can see my feathered friends in the background as they leave. Bethany, my little granddaughter was amazed with the tall cranes. My son, her father, snapped this photo of us as we returned from watching them. I'd hoped the Sandhill cranes would grace us with their presence while my children and grandchildren visited, and four visited daily. My family had never seen this type of bird, and my son had to get photos of them, too.

They've come and gone, and their visit is over, but I have pictures to remember our Christmas of 2009. As I look at the large one I placed on my bookcase today, my favorite is a picture that shows us in the family room. It even includes Sunflower, my cocker spaniel. She's sitting by the side of my chair. The entire visit, she was never far from my side. In fact, she stayed right underfoot. Every step I made, she made it, too. I couldn't leave a room without her, but that's normal for her. She wants to be with her mommy.

Son, look closely, you've captured Sunflower; she's part of the family, too. I really miss you guys. We were disappointed with only sleet this morning and no fluffy white stuff. I'd loved to see a few snowflakes drift to the ground, but instead, I glanced out to see rain mixed with sleet, and we had a nasty, cold, miserable day.

I hope we get a chance to go camping this summer together. Meanwhile, I feel close and connected with Facebook. And, yes, Wendy, your mom is watching.

Repost of All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin Book Review

Monday, August 3, 2009
All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin

This was one of my favorite summer reads. Dogwood by Chris Fabry was another. I recently reposted Dogwood. If you scroll to older posts, you'll see comments from the first posting of Dogwood. Of my many summer reads, these two have stuck in my mind. I've read and reviewed books since both, but these two novels stand out and apart from all the others I've reviewed. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend both, and I'm reposting because no one deserves to miss these two great novels!

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin is generational women's fiction,just the type of book I love to devour. The title speaks for what all women truly want and just as the female characters in the novel only want love, women desire true love. The main character, Kathleen Seymoure, discovers hiding the past of how she lived and grew up from her daughter, Joelle, puts an emotional barrier between them. When Kathleen opens up, it enables her daughter to understand her, just as when Kathleen hears her own mother's story, she's able to understand her mother's life.

You might say the females in this novel were unlucky in love, but the truth is they loved and made poor choices because of it. These women have something in common--they left home at an early age and never looked back until Kathleen found the courage to return. Kathleen came through a generation of women who'd made poor decisions strong enough to make right choices and ended up with a good man, while the men in the other characters lives were not so nice--that's putting it mildly. The story is so realistic to life and could be an important book for young girls, since it's thought-provoking and provides great life lessons and much insight.

Once I started reading the novel, I couldn't put it down. It's 35 chapters and 400 pages of life staring you in the face, published by Bethany House and available at bookstores or online through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Love Finds You in Holiday Florida

Love Finds You in Holiday Florida by Sandra D. Bricker is 20 chapters and 328 pages of delightful Christian romance, published in 2009 by Summerside Press. The author spins a tale of humor set in Holiday, Florida, where two pink flamingos become a symbol of learning to live a different lifestyle for widow Cassie Constantine. Used to a brownstone in Boston, she returns to Holiday to ready the summer vacation home for the real estate market. However, during the process of redecorating, she falls in love with the Holiday home and hates to see someone else take over her dream kitchen and bath she worked so hard to design. Not only does she fall in love with the home, but she also falls for the Florida community and a handsome chestnut-haired Richard Dillon, she meets when her dock gets in the way of a boat. When Cassie plants the once-hated flamingos in the front yard and even decorates a palm tree for Christmas, she shows the first signs of loosing up and allowing herself to enjoy life.

Figurative language and great character description make characters come alive, from a disco granny to blue-haired senior citizens who hustle and tango. The canal behind Cassie's vacation home delivers a man, a Florida snake that invades one senior's home, and the threat of alligators. Will Cassie ever enjoy her scenic view of the canal again, once she realizes the danger it may hold?

Following the suggestions of a surprise box, she pulls a card, reads the scripture and recommendation of how to apply the verse to her life, and begins to really live for the first time in years. But, Cassie has a life back in Boston, where her daughter and grandchildren live, and she's expecting her third grandchild. At 56, can she brave throwing away one life to risk another? Will she sell her vacation home, or the Boston brownstone? This delightful novel may be purchased online through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com, or it can be bought at your local Walmart, where I picked up my copy.

Repost The Mystery of the Cross

Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life
Have you ever pondered the mystery of the cross? Judith Couchman's new book The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life provides answers curious minds will want to devour. Forty chapters divided into seven parts explore signs and symbols of faith. The story of Jonah, favored from the Old Testament, and Noah, Moses, Abraham, and Daniel are illustrated. God's ability to deliver his spiritual children are illustrated through images. Popular redemptive images contribute to the overall theme in remembering the Old Testament.

The back cover states, "At the center of Christianity, sits the cross of Christ," and explains how from the beginning, Christ's followers valued the cross as a symbol of their faith. The author describes forty images of the cross from early Christianity and deciphers how the most favorable stories from the Old Testament had a redemptive message. Understanding of Christian tradition will be enriched, as well as deeper appreciation for the cross.

Values in God's Kingdom are not of this earthly world, like power-hungry, power-grabbing people clawing their way to the top. The book points out that Jesus invites us to live in an inverted world, where the first shall be last and the last, first.

I enjoyed reading the many mysteries of the cross and learned so much that I hadn't a clue about before picking up this amazing book. It'd make an excellent Christmas gift and provide the kind of gift that keeps on giving, Jesus. The book may be purchased at local bookstores, online booksellers, or the Inter Varsity Press website at http://www.ivpress.com for the retail price of $17, but many sellers offer discounts. The author's blog is www.judithcouchman.blogspot.com and her Facebook page is www.facebook/judithcouchman.

Book Review Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas

LOVE FINDS YOU IN SNOWBALL, ARKANSAS

First read and reviewed in November 2008, but I'm reading Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida, and I'm over halfway finished, so I decided to repost this review. I'll post the review of Sandie's new novel when I've completed it. Look for it soon! You won't want to miss it. I love her humor.

Love Finds You in Snowball Arkansas by Sandra D. Bricker is 261 pages of page-turning figurative language with a delicately interwoven Christian message of what real love truly is. The main character Lucy illustrates how we can sometimes miss what’s right before our eyes, if we’re too busy looking elsewhere. From Little Rock to Snowball, Arkansas, Lucy delivers laughs, making readers think about their own fun-filled courtship days. Readers will visualize and laugh their way through the novel, as it keeps them guessing who’ll end up with who until the end when God’s grand design controls the scheme of things and Lucy must face her ultimate choice, Matt or Justin. Will she come to her senses before it’s too late? Check out the reviews of this delightful book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can still order in time to provide the readers in your life with a wonderful winter read!


Barbara Robinson
Author
http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/

Dogwood by Chris Fabry - Reposted Book Review

Dogwood by Chris Fabry is a book that emotionally tugs at the reader's heart strings, one of my favorite summer reads. Will Hatfield was my favorite character, a man who takes the blame for crimes he didn't commit, taking the burdens of others on his shoulders,like Jesus.

After spending years in prison,an innocent man whom his hometown condemns,Will returns to Dogwood, West Virginia, and refuses to give up on the woman he loves, Karin, even though the people in the town hate him. While the town harshly judges him and tries to entice him to leave, he struggles to build his dream home, even though the woman he desires to share it with has settled and buried any dreams she's ever had. In a desperate fight for his life, dreams, and the woman he loves, the character Will demonstrates true love in action. This was my first time reading a book by Fabry, but it won't be my last. He writes with a passion for life and love, and I didn't want to put the book down until I finished it. I couldn't wait to see what happened to Will and Karin. While she was unlikable at times, I couldn't help liking Will throughout the entire novel and wanting to see him overcome the many obstacles life threw in his face.

My Anchor is Jesus

For a brief moment, I saw a glimpse of my old shopping partner. A smile played at the corners of her lips, and she said, “I remember the time we spent five hours shopping in Hammond after you got off work. You bought me a gold angel pen and a few other items.”

Transported by sweet, precious memories to another time and place, I remember one of the treasures in my life, my youngest sister, who spent Christmas with Jesus this year. Jesus is the anchor in my world of heartache and pain. When I remember lost loved ones,I remember Him and what He did for us when he suffered on the cross for our sins. Because he loved us so much, He gave His life for us, so we could be saved and blessed with eternal life and see our loved ones again.

Bits and pieces of conversations from the past float through my memories as I recall the lives of my sister and my mother. As the old year ends and the new one begins, I treasure a Christmas of the past, one when we were all together. And, I treasure this year's Christmas celebration with my two sons and their families. My son snapped a picture of me holding Bethany's hand when we were walking back from visiting the Sandhill Cranes. Bethany is my youngest grandchild. The breeze blew back my long tresses as I walked, and I noticed a hint of the girl I used to be smiling at the camera.

These days are all precious hidden treasures that fly as quickly as Sandhill Crane airplanes. I savor each moment and each memory and thank God for the short, but precious visit, as I hold tightly to my treasured anchor, Jesus, the author of my life story.

My Two Sons

The highlight of my Christmas this year was the visit by my two sons and their families. I so enjoyed seeing them and the grands. My grandchildren were astonished with the Sandhill Cranes, birds they'd never before seen. They loved their visit to Disney's Magic Kingdom, the flea markets, putt putting, and riding in a race cart. The only problem was the precious time flew away just as quickly as my feathered friends. My sons headed home, and I woke up missing them for coffee the next morning. I found myself thinking this morning at 7 AM, that this time last week, they were just arriving, and we headed for breakfast at the Golden Corral. As I perked my French Vanilla Dunkin Donut coffee this morning, I couldn't help but look at the two coffee cups that were used along with mine last week, coffee cups that'll not be used for a long time, since no one drinks coffee but me. I touched the red bird on the coffee cup Scotty used and thought of how he stood in the door of the RV and watched me feed my feathered friends. Like me, he had to get pictures of them. And, like me, he said he likes to watch animals. I guess he gets it honestly. The cup Rodney used had a wild duck on it. Christmas is over and with it, all the joy and anticipation of knowing I'd soon see part of my family again, but I thank God for the opportunity I had even if it was a short visit. I felt lonely and relived our time together in my mind. I didn't get to see my two daughters, only my two sons. Now, I pray the Lord works a way for me to see them all this summer, and I thank God for sweet, precious memories. I looked at the Merry Christmas 2009 book my son, Scotty, made for me. He was so smart and crafty to make it. I have pictures of our time together in it and pictures of their trip to Disney. It's one of the best Christmas gifts I received.

My daughter-in-law, Becky, and my son, Rodney, supplied me with facial creams and lotions to last me until next Christmas. I love them, too. Scotty and Melissa gave me a gift card, and I used it to purchase a set of stainless steel Farberware pots. But, it's not the things I received that made Christmas special. It's the people I got to see and enjoy. Rodney and I cooked dinner one night together in the kitchen, and I'll always remember. I also received a scar on my right hand from a burn when he fried turkey that always be a reminder.

Most of all, I remember the reason for the season and thank God for His precious son, Jesus Christ, whom he gave to save us all, so we could enjoy eternal life with Him. I'd hoped to visit the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, but we didn't get to. My daughter wants to go when she makes it down, and it'll be a great mother/daughter experience together. I look forward to her visit. Don't forget to take the time to remember and treasure sweet memories. Most of all, make many more. You'll live on through memories. How do I know? I carry my father, mother, and youngest sister with me in my heart, though they make their home in heaven and spent Christmas with Jesus.

Blessings and sweet, precious memories.

The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life

Have you ever pondered the mystery of the cross? Judith Couchman's new book The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life provides answers curious minds will want to devour. Forty chapters divided into seven parts explore signs and symbols of faith. The story of Jonah, favored from the Old Testament, and Noah, Moses, Abraham, and Daniel are illustrated. God's ability to deliver his spiritual children are illustrated through images. Popular redemptive images contribute to the overall theme in remembering the Old Testament.

The back cover states, "At the center of Christianity, sits the cross of Christ," and explains how from the beginning, Christ's followers valued the cross as a symbol of their faith. The author describes forty images of the cross from early Christianity and deciphers how the most favorable stories from the Old Testament had a redemptive message. Understanding of Christian tradition will be enriched, as well as deeper appreciation for the cross.

Values in God's Kingdom are not of this earthly world, like power-hungry, power-grabbing people clawing their way to the top. The book points out that Jesus invites us to live in an inverted world, where the first shall be last and the last, first.

I enjoyed reading the many mysteries of the cross and learned so much that I hadn't a clue about before picking up this amazing book. It'd make an excellent Christmas gift and provide the kind of gift that keeps on giving, Jesus. The book may be purchased at local bookstores, online booksellers, or the Inter Varsity Press website at http://www.ivpress.com for the retail price of $17, but many sellers offer discounts. The author's blog is www.judithcouchman.blogspot.com and her Facebook page is www.facebook/judithcouchman.

In Loving Memory of Dakota

Dakota J. Robinson, our German Shepherd, was a faithful, loving friend and companion. We enjoyed her company from June 2001 to November 18, 2009. We purchased her from a state trooper who got her for a wedding present. Last Saturday, at a local gun show, we purchased five tickets for a raffle to buy police dogs bullet- proof vests. There was a picture poster of a German Shepherd that looked like her, and we did it in memory of Dakota and to support cannine troopers.

Dakota would have been 10 years old in December. Her sissy, Sunflower, our golden girl, misses her and keeps watching out the door for her. Dakota had German Shepherd hips and lost control of her bowels at the end. She had to drag herself along using only her two front paws and twist her entire hip area. She could no longer meet me at the door when I came home from work. The day before she was put down, I came home, and she tried so hard to run meet me, but flopped down and cried and whinned instead, as she watched Sunflower run greet me.

I had Dakota longer than any other dog my entire life, nearly as long as I've been here. She was Sunflower's big sissy, and those two girls loved each other and were company for one another while we worked. Now, Frankie, a blue-eyed, part Siamese cat, has to be her company.

In loving memory of a faithful companion whose smile lit up her face. Her brown eyes sparked with pure love, but were sad that last morning when I said goodbye, like she knew it was for the last time. My last words to her were, "Your mommy loves you."

I pray you're running again on all four legs in doggie heaven, and I'll see you when I get there. I know God loves animals. He created them for us humans to have true, pure love. There's no love like a faithful dog's, man and woman's best friend. They don't care about your outside shell, only your loving heart.

The Thanksgiving the Garbage Disposal ate the Eggs

My Thanksgiving nonfiction piece will be published on November 25 in the Community Section of "St. Cloud in the News". The editor emailed me about it. It's the story of my youngest son and his wife visiting when my husband had just installed a new garbage disposal. I'd never had one before, so I had to learn about it the hard way by losing my Thanksgiving dinner eggs I'd boiled for a potato salad. Talk about a good laugh and a joyful day, we had one. My son and his wife are visiting again in about a month. His wife, Becky, said she and my son, Rodney, were talking about the incident just the other day. She wants me to save them a copy and have it for them when they come. I'll be sure not to let the garbage disposal have the Christmas eggs, so Becky doesn't have to run to a store for more.

I wrote this piece while taking Long Ridge classes and Christian Writers' Guild classes. I see the need to pull out some of my old lessons and polish them. Also, I see how they can fuel the fire for new ideas.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to this year's Thanksgiving break, though I won't have any company for an egg incident. I will have a fried turkey though. My husband will do the honors.

Here's hoping all of my readers have a blessed, joyful, spirit-filled, happy Thanksgiving.