Okay, I said I’d update this blog more often,
especially in regards to my trip to Poland and Auschwitz. Well, as usual, life
got in the way, just as it so often does. And today is the first day of my
grand adventure. We travel to Chicago’s O’Hare airport, then fly to Warsaw and
switch planes, then fly to Krakow. All very nerve-wrecking for an anxiety-ridden
agoraphobic like me, but exciting none-the-less.
Hopefully I will write a few blog entries about my
journey when I get back home. At least a couple. But if you’re really
interested (the two of you, LOL!) check out my Facebook page. I’ll be posting
pictures and mini-updates there.
I’d like to thank my Mom and sister for helping and
supporting me in this. As well as my aunts who rallied behind me and sent me
much encouragement. I also thank my cousins and friends who were just as excited
as I was. Thank you, I love you all.
Yeah, I’m still here. The
last month and a half has been crazy busy that I’ve slacked off from this blog.
Sorry about that. I know you all are just on pins and needles about my life.
Let’s see…early October I
went to the Emmaus Walk, which for those who aren’t familiar with it, it is a
Christian spiritual retreat. I’ll be honest; I went in there with a sour
attitude. The last thing I wanted to do was cry, do group hugs, sing and dance,
etc. You get the picture. Well, I ended up doing all that and more. I actually
opened up about my personal struggles with anxiety and depression, which is
something I never do. I figured that I’d have nothing in common the ladies
because they would be the perfect Christians and I am horribly flawed. I ended
up finding my soul sisters in Christ. I came out of Emmaus a stronger person.
Since then I have been more vocal and have taken risks. When they say it is a
life changing experience, they really mean it. I think every believer ought to
try it.
I was home for a little bit
and then spent a couple weeks with my cousins and aunts. That may sound simple
to you, but believe me, it is nothing sort of a miracle. Because of my anxiety
and depression, off and on for about ten years I was agoraphobic (had issues
with leaving the house). That’s not to say that I don’t still have struggles; I
don’t think an agoraphobic is ever really cured. Anyway, I had a lovely time
visiting and catching up with loved ones. Meanwhile, our kitchen is being
remodeled. It should be complete next week sometime.
Still writing. HIDDEN PLACES
(got a fan page for it on FB, though haven’t done much with it) is plugging
along. Had to rewrite the ending. Currently working on a Regency Romance, so
that has kept me entertained. And I am having two more short stories published
next year: one on my beloved Basset Gracie Belle and the other on anxiety
attacks. If anyone can write about anxiety attacks, it is yours truly. I am an
expert on the subject. Well, at least my experiences can be fodder for my
writings. More on those later.
I would like to ask that whoever reads this, if they would mind praying for my family. My cousin Mark recently passed away; technically he was my Dad’s cousin, but he was mine too. He served God and man as a Capuchin friar and counseled the lost souls of this world. He wasn’t of the best of health but his sudden death came as a shock. He was visiting a fellow friar who was in the hospital and collapsed in the elevator. It was a massive heart attack. Mark is actually the third male cousin to die this way in the last year and a half. My Dad went first in April 2012, our cousin Harold was the second, and now Mark.
Mark leaves behind four sisters and a mother (my Grandmother’s little sister) who is in her late eighties. Naturally they are all distraught. I know we all need prayer, but it is his sisters and mother that need it the most. His father passed away earlier this year so this just compounds them with extra grief.
Mark was a wonderful man. While he was devout, he had a hilarious sense of humor and was especially close to his family.
Thank you in advance.
For more information about the Capuchin order and Mark’s ministry, please click on the following links:
My
Dad’s uncle Bill died last Friday. If you’re reading this, I am asking you to
remember Uncle Bill’s family in your prayers. He was a great man and will be
sorely missed by all. It seems like wherever I look, friends and family alike
are suffering through something. Loss of a loved one, sickness, unemployment… I
know that this is part of life. I am just eager for life to settle down again.
I
finished the first draft of WIP #3 in a month’s time. That is a record for me.
Usually it takes up to three months for me to complete a first draft. This
first draft is much shorter, approximately 43000 words. And I’m sure it’s
crappy, as most first drafts are. Going to let it set for a couple weeks and do
some research, then I’ll pick it up again and work on draft 2.
Sort
of in limbo with WIP #1 and #2. WIP #1 was rejected by nearly every agent under
the sun. For the heck of it I entered it into a contest for self-publishing
(Crossway Books, a Division of B&H). What do you know, it is one of the 30
semi-finalists. Want to wait to hear the results from that before I do anything
to WIP #2. I did query six agents about it and haven’t heard anything back.
Then I stopped. Do you ever get a Still Small Voice tell you not to do
something? I don’t pretend to hear God’s Voice, but for whatever reason, I feel
like He is telling me not to query. And to wait for Him to provide the right
agent for me. None of that makes sense to me. Logically the thing for a writer
with a manuscript to do is to send it off.
“God’s
foolishness is so much wiser than our wisdom.” So said Corrie ten Boom.
So
I am going to try and wait on Him, though it makes no sense to me. Tell me if
I’m talking crazy or if I’m procrastinating. One thing is for sure, I’m not in
a place where I can receive another 150 rejections. I need to wait a bit and
build up my personal resolve before I try anything.
I am thankful for my family and for being close to them. So many people my age aren't close to their parents or siblings, and I am. Several years ago God surely worked a miracle in our family and we have been close ever since.
