Personal Corner
My flower bed of day lilies, a crepe myrtle, and a hanging pot of mermaid mix flowers.
My hubby and I unplugged this past Saturday. We fasted, prayed, and turned off our phones, laptops, and TV. We try to have this type of Sabbath on the first Saturday of every month, but we’ve missed a few.
On Saturday morning, I worked on my small flower bed. The mid morning was beautiful, probably around the high 70’s, scant clouds, and slight breeze. Ideal weather for plucking weeds, picking up loose branches, trimming the crepe myrtle, and transplanting my small lavender into a larger pot. And deadheading the lemon yellow day lilies. I enjoy these happy flowers, especially since they’ve experienced a resurrection of sorts.
In February 2021, we had an abnormal frost, destroying many trees and plants. I assumed it killed my lilies, but I waited to uproot them. By March 2022, the day lilies looked like wilted weeds, so I kept reminding myself to dig them up and toss them in the trash.
Then we had a rainy spring. One May morning, the gorgeous yellow blooms on my lilies appeared and the wilted yellowish brown stems were vibrant green. Felt like my lost friend returned! The lilies ushered in a sense of newness and joy to my flower bed.
After spending the time outside, I came inside to read, pray, and chill with my husband. On these Sabbaths, we’d often go to our separate rooms for hours, but we’d reunite throughout the day.
We spent an hour at the condo unit’s pool around 7 p.m. as our last activity before going to bed. We were the only ones there, so felt like we were at a private resort.
Has this monthly Sabbath led me to cut off my habit of lingering too long on my phone? Or caused me to spend less time scrolling social media posts? Unfortunately as not much as I’d like. But I’ve gained an awareness that I can live life at a slower pace, and I’ve witnessed the power of Sabbath rest on my soul, body, mind, and spirit. It was like flushing toxins out of the body and filling it with nutrients. Thus, I’m devoted to having these breaks on a regular basis.
Have you unplugged for a day lately?
Christmas at Sonshine Barn
I finished my revision course where I submitted sections of my Christmas at Sonshine Barn manuscript to the teacher. This course helped me to tighten it, especially focusing on essential elements that capture the reader’s attention and improve the story.
Summary of major and minor changes I made:
- Instead of having a jewelry store employee accidentally give Garrett’s heirloom bracelet to the wrong owner, I have the item stolen at a worse location. This scenario eliminated two minor characters and simplified the plot, but heightened the tension. The possibility of recovery becomes nearly impossible.
- Escalated the conflict between Garrett and his mom. They got into argument over the bracelet, triggering Garrett on lingering issues stemmed from his parents’ separation and near divorce.
- Altered the first chapter to make it more dynamic. He received a vision that prophesied his future while added layers of mystery and uncertainty.
I’m excited to give you sneak peek of this story, but I want to get beta reader feedback first. So, if you’d like to serve as a beta reader for this novella, please let me know. I’ll email you five chapters at a time, then after you provide feedback, I’ll email five more chapters. As of today, I have 25 chapters (around 50,000 words).
Guidelines if you want to serve as a beta reader:
- Willingness to read and provide feedback.
- Ability to meet the deadline for the final submission.
Deadlines:
- You will receive the first five chapters by Thursday, June 30th.
- Feedback for the final five chapters is due by August 31st.
(This image is of the Balsam Fir needles I ordered to inspire me as I wrote the novella. My protagonist, Garrett, enjoys Balsam fir Christmas trees, especially their wonderful scent.)
Marry for Love Update:
I’ve decided to release Marry for Love first (the fictionalized version of my grandparents’ love story) before Love At the Mayo. This was a difficult decision, but I feel peace about this. I’m aiming to have it self-published before the end of the year, so be on the lookout for updates.
Winner of the GoEx giveaway!
Kathy Bailey won the giveaway-congrats. Thanks everyone who shared who their favorite author is and why. Your whys were touching, and I recognized nearly all the authors and have read some of their work.
For this month, I won’t be conducting a giveaway but look out for July. Hopefully, I’ll have something unique!
Featured Image by ANTHR_Photoblog from Pixabay