Beyond the Boundaries

Jan 12, 2013 by

I was walking downtown the other day and came across this: By “came across” I mean nearly tripped over. There, in the middle of the sidewalk, protruded the robust roots of a very tall, very confident tree. Its age was betrayed by the cement buckling on top of it. Clearly, when this tree was first planted, it must have been more agreeable with its surroundings. I imagine that at one point in its life it behaved and lived peacefully within the 4×6 plot of land it had been given. But then, it just kept growing—spreading wider, reaching higher, living freer—until its boundaries became more of a suggestion than a rule. Its pursuits undoubtedly spurred on by Seattle’s abundant rain and occasional sunshine. I’m feeling a little bit like that tree these days. I’m growing...

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What Say You, People?

Jan 10, 2013 by

Hey friends! In need your help. Don’t worry, it’s not painful. Promise. I’ve narrowed the picture I’ll use for the book cover of my debut novel, Charis: Journey to Pandora’s Jar (published soon by Booktrope), down to two favorite possibilities. Can you weigh in and help me choose which one to use? Here we go. Option 1: Option...

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Mail-in Miracle

Jan 1, 2013 by

First, happy new year to you and yours. I almost don’t want to write this post for fear it represents some resolution that I know I simply won’t keep.  Write more. Yes, I wish I had the time to.  No, I don’t. But, I had to write it, because what happened to me, in me, on this first day of the new year, is simply too beautiful to ignore. So, on with it. Around a year ago a good friend of mine lost her mother. She’d battled cancer, went into what seemed like a true remission, and then ultimately fell victim to the heartless disease.  My heart was broken for this friend.  She was as close to her mom as I am to mine, and was very effective in communicating how, suddenly, alone she...

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Thanks Giving

Nov 21, 2012 by

As I bustled around the condo preparing for work this morning, I noticed my husband staring at his laptop, his brow knitted in worry. “What are you fretting about?” He sighed. He suddenly not only discovered that he had to attend an overnight conference immediately following the Thanksgiving holiday, but that, along with a childhood picture of himself, he needed to provide the hosts some anecdotal, pithy “fun fact” about himself to be shared too. Three of them. I couldn’t believe he was racking his brain about it. After asking him what he’d already written, I rattled off at least five additional intriguing things in five seconds. “Babe,” I rolled my eyes. “You’re one of the most interesting people I know!” That I say it and mean it after a lifetime together is more...

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