A Driving Lesson

Don't you just hate it when you're toolin' down the road, on your way to somewhere important, with just enough time to get there right on time and you suddenly find yourself stuck at a light behind a big old semi that is so slow getting through the intersection when the light turns green, that the light turns red again before you can get through it? So annoying!

I recently found myself in a similar situation. There I was, sailing down the highway, feeling rather smug at my success of hitting all the lights green and making it to my appointment in record time. The last light before my turn-off turned green and I knew that if I took my foot off the gas for a bit, the traffic ahead of me would have time to clear and I wouldn't even have to step on my brakes. Woohoo! Wrong. The humongous truck in my lane crawled through the intersection. I had to come to a complete stop and then creep behind him at an impressive 5 miles per hour. Grrrrrrr....One, two, then three cars sped past me in the adjacent lane. Finally, I saw an opening, darted into the neighboring lane and stomped on the gas to get around that annoying truck. I mean, come on. He had to pass a test to drive that thing. You'd think he'd at least have the courtesy to pull over into the slow lane. Just as I pulled even with the truck, feeling rather pleased that I had the self control to refrain from honking at the guy, I saw two things. First, I noticed that the right-hand, or slow lane, ended just another fifty or so feet from the intersection. Oops, I needed to really step on the gas if I wanted to get around that truck. Second, the truck was pulling not one, but two very large dumpster loads of gravel and his loads were almost overflowing. The truck driver couldn't accelerate because he was pulling several tons of rock.

My next thought was, "Aren't you glad you didn't honk? You had no idea he was pulling such a difficult load." I began to wonder how many other times I've made judgments about people, not knowing the burdens they carry. Wow. I felt like I had been head smacked...and I deserved it! Very rarely are things just the way we see them.

As I walked out of yoga this morning, I started chatting with a couple of other ladies that attend the class. You have to understand that this was only my third class and I knew that the other ladies had been participating for several months. I felt intimidated and very inadequate. The things these ladies can do with their bodies! Anyway...one of the ladies knew me from working out at Curves and she asked about how things were going with our house in Phoenix. We talked about dealing with challenges and how we cope and the second gal opened up and poured her heart out. She expressed her concerns and fears and her inability to feel the love that she knows Heavenly Father has for her. We shared tears and hugs. We talked about the things we do to strengthen our hope and faith. She mentioned wanting to write a book... then I mentioned ANWA. I gave her the website and told her I was trying to get a chapter started up here. She expressed an interest in joining. Then this wonderful, amazing, beautiful woman looked at me and said, "Now I have something to live for."

She thanked me and the other sister for sticking around and chatting with her and brightening her day. I told her thank you for brightening my day. I know that many people have come into my life to teach me, to be a light for me. Right at a time when I had slipped back into a feeling of inadequacy, I was gifted with this opportunity to shine a light for someone else. I was given much more than I gave. That is such a miracle to me. I've made a new friend. That is another blessing. I gave her the link to this blog, and if she visits, I hope she reads this and knows how much I have already come to love her!

I'm thankful for the lesson the truck driver taught me. Look, listen with your heart, and allow others to be. I'm thankful for all the amazing people Heavenly Father has put in my path to teach me and help me fulfill my purpose in this life. And...and I am thankful for those of you who read all the way through this random post!
hugs~

Practical Guide to Completing a Novel

by Valerie Ipson

Turn over the "WELCOME" mat, hiding the sentiment.



Ignore the dishes.



Laugh in the face of laundry. Ha, ha, ha!



Let the Sunday paper pile up unread.



Overlook the Barbies that have taken up permanent residence on the dining room table.



Bathing? Overrated.



When the school calls to say another parent is needed to go on the class field trip, say, "Sorry, I'm working today."



Never, ever, EVER turn this on...



And most of all: QUIT BLOGGING AND WRITE!



And now back to my WIP!

Persuasive Essay by Drew Johnson

By Stacy Johnson

Remember this blog post from November 2nd? I told you I would get back to you and I thought this was cute. My 13 year old son is cute and adorable if I do say so myself and his argument was clever, yet comical to me. It is a clear expression of his way of thinking and his personality. I wish you knew him like I did and I hope you find this funny.

This is his roughdraft. It got some editing before the final draft was turned in, but we haven't gotten it back from the teacher yet and it is handwritten so there is no copy available. I will post my comments in red, his essay in black, because I have to have the last word you know:

Why your reasons aren't good enough, Mom

By Drew Johnson

There aren't many good reasons to why you make me play the piano and some of yours were illogical and unfair. (Contrary, son, I am rarely illogical or unfair, that's why I'm the mom.)

You said I needed to be a good reader. But, I already am. I read everyday and have almost a tenth grade reading level in the 7th grade. (Yes, but wouldn't you rather have a college or higher reading level? I'm just saying you could be better)

I know I need to develop my talents, but I'm no good at playing the piano so there is no talent. And, because of the time piano takes, it wastes time for my real talents. (Isn't it funny that I think you are so incredibly talented at the piano and you think you aren't? I will not argue the point that you have many wonderful gifts and talents, I just want you to see that playing the piano is one of them.)

If you love to hear piano music in the morning, then let someone else do it. There are three other kids who play and so they can cheer you up. You wake us up so you're never asleep for us to wake you to our playing. (You misunderstood me, I enjoy hearing you practice in the morning, not being awaken by the sound of you playing.)

You do love to torture me, that is for sure. You know I'd do most anything to be able to quit piano lessons, I hate playing. (hee hee)

I may go to a foreign country on my mission, but I can almost play the hymns now. If I can't play them on the piano, we can sing to my bell playing. (Yeah, sure, cause bells are readily available in sacrament meeting, give me a break.)

If you are just going to spend your money, spend it on someone that wants to play. Marly really wants to play the piano, spend it on her. (Marly is my 15 year old who sits down and plays the piano just because she wants to and she enjoys it without taking anymore lessons, besides they would have to be at 9pm in order to fit them into her schedule.)

The piano is never used in a jazz or marching band and that is all I play in. Yes, I want to be a great percussionist, but I will never have to play the piano. (Oh, ye inexperienced child, piano is an important part of jazz band, it is unfortunate that there is nobody good enough at your school to be in the jazz band that plays the piano. You may be that person in the future. I have some great links to some incredible jazz bands that have piano, just ask me to show you.)

There aren't any girls I know that like it. Every girl I tell thinks it is funny or stupid that I play. Anyway, I'm amazingly handsome so I don't really need the piano. (Why yes, you are amazingly handsome, but you can't take the opinion of middle school girls, they don't know anything. Wait till high school or college and then argue this point with me.)

See, he is amazingly handsome!

There are no gangs in Queen Creek. Plus, I participate in sports like track, football, basketball, baseball, and I'm in scouts so there's no leftover room to join a gang right now. (OK, I might have no reason to think you are going to join a gang, but I needed one more reason.)


The End.

Little Triumphs

by Marsha Ward

I've thankful for some little triumphs that I've been able to achieve this week. Tuesday was my wedding anniversary. As my Eternal Companion left me eleven years ago to move on to a new sphere of existence, I've very happy to report that I got through the day without blubbering. A few days later, I celebrated my marriage by purchasing something I've had my mind on for a while: an iPod Touch. This is more than an MP3 player. It's also a personal digital assistant with wifi capabilities, and can function well as an eBook reader.

It took me a couple of days and lots of patience to get the thing operational. First, I had to update my version of iTunes, which is the synching and set-up mechanism for the Touch. After the 88 megabyte download failed through my dial-up (and I know it was close) after hours and hours of guarding my connection, I was almost in tears. However, I went into town again and successfully downloaded the software. Actually, it took two tries, because I got diverted into another project first. My download was at 98% when the library turned off their router and booted all us patrons out for closing. Ack! I was considering sitting in a hotel parking lot to hijack a signal when it dawned on me that another business in town which was open had free wifi.

I sat in the ice cream parlor for several hours, downloading the software, and yes, eating a scrumptious banana split, and setting up the Touch.

Then, I had to download some books. I was able to grab a few before the clientele became boisterous and dark started coming on. Then I hightailed it for home.

Well, actually, I went to Wal*Mart and got a few things first, like a pink "Tiki" protective case for the Touch, and a few groceries. Once home, I downloaded other software I needed to make some adjustments in the process, and got to bed at 4 a.m.

I found some awesome free classics on the Internet. Now I'm set to read several books in my waiting-in-line time: "Five Little Peppers and How They Grew," "A Girl of the Limberlost," and "The Scarlet Pimpernel," among them. I can hardly wait.

That "other project" was uploading my new eBook trailer to YouTube. This video is to publicize the eBook version of THE MAN FROM SHENANDOAH, and can be found here.

Another small triumph is that I submitted a very small humorous story to an anthology edited by Nichole Giles and Cindy Beck that will be printed this coming week. It's called MORMON MISHAPS AND MISCHIEF: Hilarious Stories for Saints, and can be pre-ordered at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and other online booksellers. It will be in LDS bookstores around December 8.

It occurs to me that my small triumphs are analogous to writing. We plug along, having to be patient sometimes, until every element works together to produce a fine piece of writing. All the parts need to be there: the plot, the characters, the suspense, the dialogue, the romance, the setting, etc. When we finally have everything in place, we have a piece of work that will satisfy our readers. They can hardly wait.

Self-Doubt

by Cindy R. Williams

Feelings. Some feelings are based on reality and others are based on the skewed outlook we allow ourselves. Feelings are real, and they feel honest. Yet are they distorted? Are we sitting on a cloud of self-doubt that is really fear of failure?

Now how does this relate to writing? On a personal note, I am very quick to feel despair and become discouraged about my WIP. I read of tons of successful LDS writers and see my friends and colleagues' books in Deseret Book, Shadow Mountain, Cedar Fort, Walnut Creek, Scholastic, Bloomsberry, Putnam . . . etc., and I begin to feel like I can't do it. All the spots for books are taken. There is no room for me and the dribble I write. I can't make it in this tough market, in the economic down turn. I can't find time to write. I can't discipline myself to finish this WIP before I jump to another one. I waste too much time checking my email. I allow less important things to take over, and besides I am neglecting my family so I must be selfish to want to write. Fill in the blank, there are a million reasons why I can't do this, many of them seem justified, even altruistic.

Who knows my heart, my desires, my abilities, and gave me my talent, small as I feel right now it is, in the first place? Who can I tell all this to without any fear of rejection and with perfect and unconditional love?

Of course, you already know where this is going. The only answer is prayer. Our Heavenly Father knows us better than we know ourselves. He is kinder to us than we are to ourselves.  I venture to say that he loves us better than we love ourselves which I am so very thankful for that knowledge.

The world needs wholesome works.  I will stop worrying about everything except following the promptings I get from the Spirit and write.  Whatever happens after that happens.  As long as I listen,it will work out and it's all good. 

He's a Manx

by Sarah Albrecht

Until a few weeks ago we ascribed our tubby gray tabby Marley’s many oddities to quirks in physiology and personality. The half-length, fat tail that spins like a propeller we thought must have been due to an accident during his kitten days as a stray. The growl that precedes pouncing on our other cat we thought…strange. The fascination with water we thought must be due to either stupidity for not knowing cats hate water or to sheer contrariness.

Then our kindergartener brought home a small science reader about manx cats. Manx cats? Never heard of ‘em, I thought, and opened the book. Manx cats, it turned out, have no tail or sometimes short tails. They growl. They like water. They…sounded like Marley.

Marley is a manx.

I like him better now that I understand his quirks better. I’ve experienced that with people, too—an aha moment about culture or family or religion that broadens the perspective on why someone does what they do.

How about in writing? I like my characters better, know them better, if I know why they act the way they do instead of just that they do act certain ways. And I think we as readers relate to characters better, too, if we learn at some point—figuratively--that Marley is Marley in part because he is a manx.

Never give up, never surrender

by Marielle Carlisle

That is one of my favorite quotes, courtesy of Galaxy Quest. If you haven't seen that movie, see it. Fo' rizzle.

I was pondering this thought as I was shoveling dirt out of my garden. I had tecnically 'thrown in the towel' on the garden, and was giving up on growing any sort of edible vegetable. I mean, I had tried once and it didn't work, so what's the point?

And then it hit me ... Never give up, never surrender.

And then I thought of a poem. My absolue favorite poem in high school that I would read before every sports game/match/meet to motivate me. I still remember pacing up and down the street before the State Volleyball Championship game reading this.

Playing the Game
by Steward Warnerite

Whatever the game, and whatever the odds
The winning is all up to you;
For it isn’t the score, and it isn’t the prize
That counts when the playing is through.
In the great game of life, it’s the purpose to win
And the courage to fight to the end
That determines for you what degree of success
Will be scored to your credit, my friend.
The best you can do, may not be quite enough
To defeat your opponents today
But you never can lose, and you never can fail
If you put all you’ve got in your play
And the greatest reward that your efforts can bring
Is the fact that you stood to the test
That you played a clean game, and you fought a good fight
And you always were doing your best.

Never give up! Never surrender!

Oh, and we won the volleyball game.

And I'm trying the garden thing again. And little sprouts are shooting out of the ground.