I sincerely hope all mothers had a lovely Mother’s Day. Ours was quite special this year because we got to celebrate with our new daughter-in-law, Carolina. Even though it’s supposed to be a day where Moms are off the hook with the cooking, serving, and cleaning up, I planned a family dinner so my mama could meet her new granddaughter-in-law.
I plowed my way through a fairly crowded HEB on Saturday, thankful that my list was short. Later that afternoon, I prepped the dishes I planned to make so it would make for less to do on Sunday. Dave was helpful, as always, and grilled the meat, made guacamole and a wonderful blackberry cobbler.
Sunday afternoon, when everyone arrived, one of my grandsons handed me a gift bag with a mischievous grin. He had included a tiny rubber ducky, most likely because his dad told him not to. I smiled. That particular apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Carolina and I visited on the back porch until Gigi came with her “special friend” Les. They didn’t stay for dinner, just a short visit. But Gigi didn’t come empty handed. She brought the boys each a bag of snacks, which, of course, they wanted to eat right then—and later—and a drawing book that they were supposed to take turns with, but it wound up in a turf battle. I have complete faith their parents will sort it out.
Naturally, it was special to snap a photo of Gigi with her grandson and his wife. These kind of memories are the best.
Otherwise, it was a week of playing catch up with writing projects so I can focus on writing Book 4, the last book in the Valiant series. The book cover questionnaire for Book 3 took the better part of three days. This particular document has several parts. I’m tasked with relating my ideas about the book cover. No easy chore to start with, but most writers don’t have a lot of graphic experience, so it’s not unusual to ask for something that’s difficult to make happen. I have to create the other items that go in the book besides the story—the tagline and back cover blurb, the acknowledgements, dedication, and the author’s note.
After many years, I submitted another short story to Chicken Soup for the Soul. When I saw the topic was dogs, I realized we had a special experience with Lacey’s adoption, so I worked up a story. I enjoy writing short stories but must set them aside when I’m working on a novel. Novels take ALL my head space and then some.
That said, I wrote the back story for my series as two short stories to help generate reader interest. It’s called a reader magnet, and I use it as a giveaway for readers to sign up for my newsletter. It’s a foolproof way for readers to check out an author’s writing style and genre. Visit my website, www.marypatjohns.com, and download the giveaway.
The rest of the week was filled with unusual happenings. At the top of the list was the honeybee invasion at our house. It was alarming how quickly it happened. We hated to terminate them, there was no other choice. Once the bug man sprayed the perimeter, they vanished as quickly as they came.
Two friends I’ve been praying for have been declared free of cancer. An author acquaintance has received a good report from her doctor. Another friend stays steady, and still another has gone home to heaven.
In Joshua 1:9, the Lord called the Israelites to be strong and courageous. It’s still a call to action for Christians in today’s world. Weak, wimpy warriors who are all talk and no action simply won’t get the job done.
We need to pray, love, and fight for what we believe.