life. faithful.

I pulled out my quote notebook this morning (yes, I have an entire notebook dedicated to the quotes I find and love and just have to write down somewhere--doesn't everybody do that?). I was looking for a very specific quote, and I had a post planned that would fit nicely with it. The thing is, my quotes aren't organized. Kind of like in my life, physics and writing and Bible verses are all jumbled together with no real rhyme or reason. I can usually remember which side of the page a specific quote is on, but that still means I have to scan through at least half the book before I can find what I'm looking for. This morning, while looking for the Mark Twain quote I was going to write about, I came across this: The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; Your love, O LORD, endures forever-- do not abandon the works of Your hands. ~Psalm 138:8 I've struggled a lot with not knowing what's in store for me. Here in just over a month, I'll finish my Mas...

This past week, my family said goodbye to one of the best men I've ever known, Charles Edward DeLozier. I've been trying to find the right words, but they don't come. Last summer I wrote about both my grandfathers and how blessed I am to be part of the legacy of each of them, and those words are no less true now that both those men have stepped from this world to the next.   While there were tears at Papaw's, there was also something that might come as a bit of a surprise--laughter. Lots of it. It filled Papaw's house as old friends told stories and family dropped by to reminisce. It came from tales of stock car races, mowing escapades, and rescues from possums. It came from finding trays from t.v. dinners, bowls from frozen pot pies, and popsicle sticks--all neatly organized and saved just because you never know when you might need them (popsicle sticks make great splints for broken fingers, you know). It was at the funeral home office when they were stra...

On the ground looking up, the sky was gray and dreary. The forecast was calling for thunderstorms with damage possible from hail and wind gusts. It looked like it could get rough, something every farmer was hurrying to get ahead of. It was supposed to be time for the sunrise, but the clouds kept it hidden from view. We flew up into those clouds, and the pilot warned that we were about to hit some weather. Out the window, all you could see was gray. But then, we passed through the clouds. The sky all around was bright blue, the sun shining so brightly that t was almost blinding to look out the window. Below us were those clouds, that ones that seemed so dreary from below. From above, they were thick and fluffy and white, the sun reflecting off them with a brightness seldom seen from the ground. In the midst of the storm it was ugly, but above the storm there was incredible beauty. It didn't stop with the fluffy clouds, though. We rose higher, and the clouds spread to f...

So, I want to start a project (there's nothing like adding another pot to the stove, right?). This one's different, though, because I'll need your help to make it happen. Growing up, my mom taught me that I would grow up to be a woman simply because I was born a girl, but that it takes more than that to become a lady. These days, it seems like people have lost sight of that. The world seems to depict ladies as weak, powerless, and insignificant, when those things couldn't be further from the truth. My own little girl is growing up now, and I want her to know what it means to be a lady. That's where you come in--I want your stories. I'm sure you know someone who is the epitome of a lady (because I know some of the ladies you all know!), and I want to hear about her. I want your stories of women who are ladies because of their strength, dignity, compassion, perseverance, kindness, hospitality--all those character traits that set them apart from...

So, I haven't been keeping up with things here on the blog for a while--sorry about that. I'll try to do better! To be honest, I don't really have a lot to say today, either. I just wanted to drop a quick note to let you in on what I've been up to lately. As tends to be the case, I've got a few irons in the fire (maybe too many, but that's pretty par for the course around here)... I've started working on book 2 of the Sons of Tundyel series. It's called The Darkness and continues the story of Paodin and Syndria where The Prophecy left off. I'm enjoying writing it, even though I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised by where this story has taken me. Here's the tentative cover: I'm also in the planning stages of a new devotional. Right now it's called Walking with Peter: following the Way when you can't see the path. Kind of a long title when you include the subtitle, but things could change. Here's a tentative cover...