Hitting the Road

The house is quiet and still, the bags are packed and all is set. It’s been a busy day as we were getting ready for leaving tomorrow morning for the mountains of North Carolina. No, their mountains don’t compare to Colorado’s mountains, but they still are very beautiful.

We are making a quick trip to visit my husband’s grandma, who lives with his aunt and uncle, in a beautiful spot nestled down in the mountains. They are all so precious and his grandma is always wanting us to come down, so we try to get down there when we can. Last year she suffered a stroke. We are all very thankful she is still with us, but she hasn’t been the same since the stroke and it just reminds us more of how precious time is.

Wanted to let all of you know that if you don’t see a post from me over the next few days that nothing is wrong, just relaxing in the mountains and being “unplugged”.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of the week and may none of you get a nail in your tire! Yes, my husband was checking the air in the tires, like he always does before a trip, and he found a nail. It was an unexpected visit to the tire place to fix the hole, but we are just thankful he found it today, before we ended up with a flat tire.

May all your travels be safe this weekend. No flat tires,  just a smooth ride! Oh, and in case any of you are concerned about us traveling because of the magnetic attraction the van has to objects don’t worry! The magnetism apparently is  de-activated when my husband drives. Strange, isn’t it! Just one of those mysterious things.

 

 

 

Tuesday’s Thoughts!

Happy Rainy Tuesday! Keep Smiling through the raindrops. 🙂 How is your week going? I am counting down the days to the beach! Yes, I do realize its Fall now and that we are heading into October which isn’t usually beach weather, but…  The ocean waves can still work their magic charm no matter what time of year it is. Plus you don’t need to fight the crowds at the beach when you go in October. Yes, some people may still think I am crazy, and maybe they are right! 🙂

I just had to share this picture. How many times do you have an owl laugh at you? 🙂

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The Surprising Story

I would like to share some smiles for you to start your week off right.

As we were writing, “The Odessa Chronicles”, Colin came up with one of his creative ideas. He suggested that we visit Moonbeam Farm! Sounded like a great adventure to me. Little did I know what a surprising adventure it would turn out to be!

Here is an excerpt from the story that Colin shared on his blog last week. There is a lot more to this story, so if your curiosity is peaked, just click on the cover of “The Odessa Chronicles” in the right column. You will be able to purchase a copy of the book and enjoy your own visit to Moonbeam Farm, where friendship and laughter abound!

The Surprise Visitors

The man-servant, Odessa, Jaxon, and Dewey were all in the farmhouse late one evening, chatting and generally relaxing, when there was a knock on the door. They all looked at each other. Odessa turned to the man-servant. “Are you expecting a visitor?”

“No,” said the man-servant. “Are you?”

Odessa rolled her eyes. “My visitors are unlikely to be knocking at the door. Come on, Man-Servant, you do have the ability to rationalize, so please use it, and I will save you some embarrassment by assuring you that neither Dewey nor Jaxon have friends who would knock on the door either. That has to be a human on the other side of our door.”

The man-servant was smiling at Odessa, as he got up from his chair and walked over to the door. He opened it, and the other three heard him say, “Well … this is a surprise. What are you guys doing here?”

A male voice with an English accent said, “Hi, Joshua! We thought that we could come to visit you guys, and see Moonbeam Farm for ourselves.”

“Well, you had better come inside and meet the others.” said the man-servant.

When the visitors had made themselves comfortable on the sofa, the man-servant turned to the others. “Well, guys … allow me to introduce two people who know us a lot better than we know them. Meet Carolyn and Colin.”

Dewey stared at the visitors. “You’re the two who write our stories … right?”

“Yes!” said Carolyn.

Jaxon moved closer to the sofa. “So, you knew that you were coming here long before we heard the knock on the door?”

Colin looked at him. “Well yes, Jaxon, this visit was planned some time ago.”

Odessa was just looking at them both, but did not say anything.

“Don’t you have any questions, Odessa?” asked the man-servant.

Odessa stared for a brief moment, but then spoke up. “Given that you guys created Moonbeam Farm, so you know what it is like, why are you here now? And … if you guys really write our stories, and given that you are here now … who is writing THIS story?”

Dewey suddenly jumped up. “How rude of us! We have not offered them a drink.” He turned to Colin and Carolyn. “Would you guys like a drink? Do you both drink tea?” Colin and Carolyn both told Dewey that a tea would be lovely. He turned to the man-servant. “You heard them. Two cups of tea! Chop! Chop!”

While the man-servant was making a pot of tea, Odessa was waiting for some answers to her questions. It was Colin who responded. “Well, Odessa, let me try to explain this. We may have created Moonbeam Farm, but we have never visited it before. We’ve never seen it, so here we are.”

Then Carolyn added, “Yes, and as for who is writing this story? Well … we are.”

Odessa was looking a little perturbed. “How can you be writing stories about us, and yet be here?”

“That’s really not difficult,” said Carolyn, “because we quickly got used to being here and there at the same time.”

Odessa rolled her eyes. “You’re sounding just like the man-servant … generally confusing and incomprehensible.”

As Carolyn and Colin were drinking their tea, Odessa kept glancing around at Carolyn, and suddenly said, “Would you please stand up, Carolyn?”

Carolyn put her tea down and stood up facing Odessa. “Now what?” she asked.

Odessa was pacing backwards and forwards in front of her, and watching her. “Jaxon! Dewey! Come over here and look at Carolyn, and tell me if you notice anything unusual.”

Dewey looked at her. “Well, she is a little bit bigger than you, Odessa.”

Jaxon had been studying her also. “She’s smaller than other humans we have met.”

“That’s the whole thing, isn’t it!” Odessa said. “Are you fully grown, Carolyn?”

Carolyn laughed. “I can assure you, Odessa, that I am fully grown.”

Odessa was deep in thought for a moment. “I heard a saying once, that good things come in small packages. Is that true?”

Carolyn smiled. “Well I think so but then, I guess I am rather biased. Of course humans, like cats and dogs and other creatures, come in all different shapes and sizes. Wouldn’t it be really boring if we were all the same?”

“You are right.” Odessa then turned to Colin. “When did you and Carolyn meet each other?”

Colin laughed. “Not too long ago. We met in Greenwoods at a car rental place.”

Dewey was now sitting next to Odessa and staring at Colin. “When did you start writing our stories then?”

“Oh,” said Colin, “that was a long time ago now.”

Dewey and Odessa stared at each other for a moment, and then Odessa stepped closer to Colin. “There is something wrong with all this. If you have been writing our stories for a long time, and as you two only met each other earlier today, don’t you see a bit of a problem?”

Carolyn decided to try and explain the situation. “Well Odessa, you have to understand that we didn’t have to meet in order to write your stories. We both had lots of ideas and so the stories just happened. Does that help?”

Odessa was struggling to understand that. “Tell me how stories just happen for two people who do not know each other.”

“Well Odessa,” said Colin, “while Carolyn and I had never met before today, we were in regular communication regarding story ideas for you guys. Once the stories started to be written, they then took on a life of their own. I should also mention that even at the time of this story being written, we had not met each other.”

Odessa looked rather stunned at this. “Wait a minute.” she said. “Are you telling me that you meeting Carolyn at Greenwoods is only a part of this story, and you have never really met each other?”

Carolyn decided to intervene. “Listen carefully Odessa. Colin and I only met each other in this story. In our other world, which is a world in which you guys only exist in writing, we have yet to meet each other.”

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Why Do We Judge?

The question should not be whether we believe her or not. The question instead should be why do we feel the need to judge her?

There has been a news story recently that has caused a lot of stir. There is a man who is very close to becoming a Supreme Court judge. There is one thing though that now  has come to light.  A lady has stepped forward saying that this nominee for the Supreme Court sexually assaulted her many years ago.

It has been the topic on all kinds of social media and the one thing that gets said over and over again is “Why did she wait so long to come forward?”  Which is followed by this popular answer, “Well obviously she is lying if she waited this long to say anything.”

This answer has so many problems with it and it brings me back to my first question, “Why do we feel the need to judge her?” And this isn’t just about her, its about every female that has dared to step forward admitting  to being sexually assaulted.

We wonder why more young girls and women don’t step forward, the answer is simple. Who wants to risk getting raked over the coals again and suffer shame and humiliation,  after already going through a traumatic experience!

I think of the women who are reading the discussions on social media about this case, and listening to the news reports about this woman stepping forward. The women who are reading and thinking to themselves, “me too”, “that happened to me”. The women who are silently cringing inside as they read all the negative publicity that this woman is dealing with now.  Do we really have to wonder why more people don’t come forward?

Why are we so quick to judge? So quick to throw that stone. Why are we so quick to say, “well if it would have been me… I would have….”  Really? You know exactly what you would have done if the same thing had happened to you?  We can say all we want about  what we would have done, but until you are in that situation you really don’t know. People respond to traumatic situations in so many different ways!

Where is our compassion instead of our judging heart? That can be said in a lot of other situations as well, not just sexual assault cases.

Why is it that we are so quick to decide what someone’s whole story is when a lot of times we only know half the story?

Can you imagine how much better this world would be if we were as quick to show compassion as we are to judge? As quick to give a helping hand as we are to tear someone down.

I think these 2 quotes sum things up pretty well.

 

 

 

 

Special Moments

Writing “The Odessa Chronicles” with Colin has been an adventure from the very beginning and it continues to be! The book may be finished, but now the job of promoting it is upon us. I have been enjoying doing story time readings at local libraries with children. Their smiles melt my heart.

I had a 9 year old girl come up to me wanting to know how we came up with the characters in the book. That is one question that can always be interesting to answer.  She then went on to tell me how  she writes and that she hopes to be an author someday. I was glad to be able to give her a hug and a word of encouragement  about following her dream.

There was an older lady who pulled me aside after story time, to share some words with me. Her smile was so warm as she took my hand and said how the stories intrigued her. She went on to say that she  wanted to offer her encouragement to Colin and me to not stop writing. How could we not be touched by those words?

These kind of encounters are what its all about. About putting smiles on the faces of others and adding some joy to their hearts. Its a reward all of its own to be able to do that!

Surprises happen at these story times too. A couple weeks ago a lady came up to talk to me. She mentioned that she absolutely loves Barn Owls! She then asked if I lived on a farm and I said “No”, she asked if I had ever seen Barn Owls and I said “No”. I also had to tell her that I didn’t own a cat. Do you see the pattern to these answers? For some reason she did not ask me whether I owned a Jackalope.

I was getting a little worried though about what her next question may be, for I didn’t want to have to say “No” again.  I didn’t have to worry, because what she said next was not a question. Instead she told me something that made my eyes light up. She told me how they have an old rustic barn on their property and there is a family of Barn Owls that live in it! How exciting!

What are the odds that I would meet someone that has a family of Barn Owls?  She talked about how her family enjoys listening  to them chatter to each other at night.  I was listening to her and wanting to be in the barn with  the owls. I may not have been real fascinated with owls before I wrote this book, but Odessa sure had a way of changing that!

Stay tuned, for I may have a post to share about a possible upcoming visit to the barn. You just never know what may happen, what magic Jaxon might weave,  when you share stories about the gang from Moonbeam Farm!

 

 

Friday’s Super Short Stories!

When you need a new decorating committee for your local road. You just really aren’t into the color orange and driving between cones anymore!

The times that you can keep laughing at the same thing over and over again!

The times that “I love you” is said, without speaking it.

 

Where Beauty is Found

In life we all go through a lot of things that can cause us to feel anger, bitterness and guilt. There are things that happen to us and to our loved ones that we cannot control.  There is something though that we can control.  We can control how we let ourselves be affected by what happened. We alone can make the choice to decide whether to hold onto the negative emotions or to let them go.

I have met many people throughout life and heard their stories. Stories about their joys, but also stories of their struggles. Stories of things that had brought them pain.  What has stood out to me the most as I listened, was their attitude when sharing the painful things. How with some, no matter how sad their story may be, a gentle, tender spirit shined through their words.  There was an inner joy, not based on past or present circumstances. An inner joy because they had made the decision to shine. They chose to  not carry around the heavy load of bitterness, anger or guilt. They had let it go.  I could see the softness in their eyes and yes, some tears they may shed when sharing, but the beauty of peace still radiated from them.

I heard a story on the radio that touched my heart and  it made me realize again how important your attitude is. It also showed how once again we really can learn from children.

A Mom was sharing the story about how her husband had left her and her 5 year old son and then ended up in jail, which meant no child support. She had to move her and her son into an old camper to live. One day she went to the school to pick him up and she overheard him talking to his new friends. They asked him where he lived and he told them in a camper. The Mom cringed in shame, embarrassed for her son. Then one child said to her son that he bets he wishes that he had a home to live in. The Mom again felt her heart ache as she waited for his answer. Than she cried at his response. Her son replied that he already has a home because his Mommy loves him and that’s what makes a home!

I want to be like that precious little boy, don’t  you?

 

Every year Autumn shows us a visual reminder of the beauty that can be found in letting go. Enjoy this short video clip.

 

 

 

 

 

Into the Woods … (Part 3)

At last, Part 3, the ending of the story! I hope you all enjoy it. Here is the link to Part 2, if you missed it. Into the Wood … (Part 2)

 

Out of the Woods

Samantha squinted her eyes against the bright lights. Everything was white.  Who were the people staring down at her?

“Samantha, Samantha, can you hear me? It’s Dr. Richards, can you move your fingers?”

Move her fingers? Why does she need to do that, of course she can do that. She was surprised to find out that it did actually take some effort, but she did move them a little. Why was she in a hospital room?  Why did her Mom have tears in her eyes and her Dad looked like he was losing his composure as well. What was going on? Her mind was in a whirl.

“Mom! What happened? Why am I here?”

Her Mom came over to her giving her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“You are at the hospital dear, we were so worried about you. You were involved in a serious car accident, we didn’t know if you were going to pull through! You have been in a coma for the past 3 days.”

At these words her Mom’s voice broke,  and her Dad reached out and pulled Samantha close to him enveloping her in a big hug. Samantha felt the wetness on his cheek.

Wow! A serious car accident, comatose for 3 days! As Samantha was trying to wrap her mind around all that she heard Dr. Richards speaking again.

“I am sure this feels very overwhelming to you right now. Do you have memories of the accident at all? What do you remember?”

“I was in the woods, I remember I had the need to run as hard and fast I could to the woods. That my lungs craved oxygen. I made it to the woods and everything felt so silent and still.

“Do you remember anything before the woods? ”

“No.”

“Everyone has different experiences when they are comatose. Its my guess that your memory of being in the woods was your mind’s way of reacting to the severe trauma that your body was going through. In your mind you were running desperately, needing to breathe. While you can vividly recall being in the woods, it is very normal for you  to not remember the traumatic event that led to you being in a coma.

The memories of the car accident may come back to you and they may not, the important part is that now you are  “out of the woods” he said, with a wink and a smile.

“We will need to run some tests, but I am very glad to say that I believe you will make a full recovery.  It will take time though, you will need a lot of patience and your body will need a lot of rest.”

Dr.Richards patted Samantha’s shoulder as he walked out of the room. Her Mom took Samantha’s hand in hers giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I don’t have the words to say how full my heart feels right now. I was so scared. I love you!

Samantha felt the tears come to her eyes as she slowly moved her fingers again in her Mom’s hand. Her head started feeling heavy as she lied back down on her bed. Her eyes closed and she was at peace. She wasn’t running, gasping for air, and there was no hole. There was only a peaceful feeling, as if she was at the ocean, listening to the waves. Their soothing sound made her fall into a deep sleep.

 

 

Tuesday’s Thoughts!

How is your week going so far? Hopefully you aren’t feeling like the woman who just appeared in one of those short 30 second ads that pop up on the internet. It was advertising some cough medicine. She had been awake all night coughing and was sitting with her kids on the couch pointing the remote at the TV and wondering why it wasn’t working. Meanwhile their garage door is going up and down! Oops! I do believe she needs some sleep. Not sure how effective the commercial was though, for I don’t remember the name of the medicine. I hope that as you go throughout the week that you do remember some or even just one of these quotes and that when you do, you smile.

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Into the Wood … (Part 2)

Here is a link to Part one, in case you missed it. Into the Woods …. (Part 1)

Samantha laid there feeling the dampness of the ground sinking  through her clothing. She tried to move her arm and though it hurt she did manage to slip it out from under her, fortunately she didn’t think she had broken it. Slowly she stood up and gazed upwards at the shaft of light coming in. She had fallen quite a way down, how was she ever supposed to climb out? There had to be another way for her to get out.

Samantha tried yelling for help until her throat was raw. She did manage to attract the attention of 2 rabbits and a deer looking down into the hole at her. She  smiled as she thought to herself how nice it was to see Thumper and Bambi.  Her happy feeling was mixed with relief that Bambi and Thumper’s friend, Flower was not also staring down the hole at her. She definitely did not need a skunk to spray any of its “perfume” into the hole!  They watched her for a little while and then ran away to find something more interesting to do.

It wouldn’t be daylight for much longer so she had to find some way out.  Samantha was not feeling too keen about spending the night trapped in a hole. There was a tunnel ahead of her and though she was a little worried about where it might lead, she decided to check it out. It wasn’t like there were a whole lot of other possibilities for her to choose from in order to find a way out. Why were holes always so much easier to fall into than to get out of?

She stood in one spot for just a little thinking. It would probably get darker as she walked farther away, but sometimes you just had to take a deep breath and take a step forward and so she did.

Gradually her fear started fading and she gained more confidence with each step she took. There was a relieved feeling that so far nothing had jumped out of her as she rounded the corners.  She really hoped that if an animal did happen to share this hole with her, that it would be a cute bunny and not any creepy crawly creatures.

How long was this tunnel? She would have thought that surely she would have  found another opening by now leading out of the tunnel, but the tunnel appeared to be endless. She was afraid she was just going to come to a dead end and have to turn around the way she came, which would mean that she would be back to square one!

Samantha suddenly stopped in her tracks.  It had just dawned on her that she had left that heavy bag back where she had fallen. She had taken it off her back when she stood up and had forgotten about it. Should she go back and retrieve it in case this tunnel would lead to a way out? Did she really need the bag?  Taking a little time to think she came to a decision. She continued walking on, letting curiosity lead as the thought of her bag fell to the back of her mind.

While she walked she was trying to remember again all the events that happened before she entered the woods. Why did she run into the woods? What was she running from? She wished her brain wasn’t so hazy when it came to remembering details.

Oh No! Her heart sank! Straight ahead of her was what she feared … a dead end! A wall of dirt. She would have to turn around, but then what?  Fatigue overcame her and she felt the need to sit down. Adrenaline had been building in her at the anticipation of the tunnel leading to a way out,but now it was gone. She sat down with her back against the wall as she let out a big sigh of frustration.

Suddenly the wall gave away and she felt herself fall backwards.  Once she caught her breath she scrambled to her feet  and she was shocked by what she saw!