What are you passionate about?

Hi all,

Well, we are once again saying goodbye to another weekend and a cold one at that.  I know its spring, but this past week surely didn't feel like it.  This past Wednesday, we had snow!  Oh well, there's no use complaining, because there's nothing we can do about it anyways.  Here's the thing, soon summer will be upon us and we'll be complaining about the heat and humidity.  So, I guess we should just be thankful that the sun was out and shinning brightly today, at least for awhile.

I know tomorrow is the start of the work week for most of you out there.  Even though I don't hold down a job outside my home, I still have responsibilities that need tending to; such as, Monday is laundry day for me, always has been and always will be.  I am, definitely, a creature of habit.  Actually, I'm kind of pleased that I am.  I am an organized person and that seems to go well with my normal routine.  How about you, are you a creature of habit or do you fly by the seat of your britches?  I don't think one is the right way to be and the other one not.  I just think it's whatever works best for you.

Today was the Lord's day, so I spend all morning giving praise to Him.  The Mass today was the celebration of Palm Sunday.  It was rather long, and hour and one half, but I really didn't mind.  It was a beautiful service.  I also sang The Divine Mercy Chaplet, which moves me so much.  I then finished with six or seven old Christian hymns that I particularly love.  Some of those old hymns move me to tears, as does the singing of the Chaplet.  I feel so very close to God when I sing the Chaplet and when praising God by singing Christian hymns.  Did you remember to keep the Lord's day holy?  It's something that's very important to me, always.  Holy week is beginning tomorrow.  I'd like very much to take part in some of the services on EWTN during this week.  That's important to me.

What's on your schedule for tomorrow?  I do have some laundry to do, but I also want to get back on my manuscript.  I only worked on it about an hour and a half this weekend.  I'm getting very excited at the place where I am in the book.  This is the first novel of this type, that I've written.  It is about a twenty year old cold case, involving the disappearance of an eight year old little girl.  I am undecided, as of yet, as to whether I'm going to just self publish a few hard copies and then put it on amazon for electronic reading.  I definitely am going to put it out there for electronic reading, but I'm not sure if I want to go with a publishing company who also sells the book for you or not.  In the past, I haven't done that, but it's been twirling around in my brain.  I'll have to do some more checking then I'll make my decision.

What have you been up do that's creative in nature.  There are so many things that can fall under the title of "being creative", that you may just be surprised.  I have two Grandsons who are now using their creative abilities and that makes me so very happy.  One is a great photographer and abstract painter and the other is composing and recording his own rap music.  I am so proud of all six of my Grandsons.  They have all grown up to become strong and loving men and for that, I thank God with all my heart.  Sometimes it's so hard for me to believe that they are now grown up men.   They range in age from almost 18 to almost 24.  Where has the time gone to?  I am now an old woman!

I wish good things for you all this week as we all look forward to the celebration of Easter Sunday and the remembrance of Christ's rising from the dead.  Have a good week and be safe always.  Please remember to be kind to others.  Just a smile may brighten their day, you just never know!
Susan

What a beautiful fullfilling day I had!

Hi all,

I hope your day was even half as wonderful as mine was.  My best friend and I, had a worship service today.  We prayer together, we read excerpts from the Bible and we sung beautiful Christian hymns together.  We both agreed that we could feel God's Divine Mercy enter our hearts and souls. 

When we finished our worship time, we shared a lunch and then we just shared some time together.  She and I have been friends since the early 80's.  During some periods of that time we weren't as close as at others, but we always remained friends.  Our children grew up together and she and I grew old together.  Since we both suffer from chronic illness, we both understand how it effects our entire lives. 

I must share with all of you that my faith in God has increased so very much during the past nine years.  One of the most important things that have brought about this change in me is my learning about Divine Mercy, Divine Mercy Sunday and the Divine Mercy Chapel and grounds which are located in Stockholm, Mass.  For those of you who do not know when Divine Mercy Sunday occurs, it is on the Sunday following Easter. 

It was a few years ago, that I first watched the telecast on EWTN, the Catholic Television Station, on Divine Mercy Sunday.  You see, they start their telecast about 11:00am.  The entire service is held outside.  I've seen it when it was very cold and when it was raining.  There are thousands, and I mean thousands, of people who travel to Stockholm for this service.  It's so humbling to see all these people, out in the cold and rain, waiting to participate in the celebration of the Holy Mass.  They travel from all across the US and from other countries for this celebration. 

My husband, who isn't Catholic, was just as moved as I was seeing the obvious love and devotion all these people have for God, as they stand or sit, awaiting the start of the Mass.  When the broadcast starts to air, it's eleven o'clock am.  The Mass doesn't start until 1:00 pm, but those believers of Christ stand there for hours and hours, just awaiting the celebration.  It's one of the most moving celebrations I've ever seen. 

If you have EWTN on your cable carrier, please check it out on Divine Mercy Sunday.  I promise you you will be humbled at what you see taking place there.  It doesn't matter if you're Catholic or some other religion, the humility will overcome you. 

I hope your week is going well.  Since today was Hump Day, you're now on the downward end of the week.  One day isn't much different for me anymore, but I do remember how I felt when I still was able to hold down a full time job. 

I just wanted to share my day with you and I hope you are inspired by it.  Perhaps you'll want to get together with one or two of your friends and worship God together.  Be safe and may God bless each one of you.
Susan

Happy Sunday!

 

Hi all!

 

Here's a photo of the newest Christmas ornaments that I've completed.  I am now working on some snowmen ornaments.  I love to sit and embroider, while I watch television.  It keeps me busy and helps be to complete some Christmas gifts now, instead of waiting until December.  How good is that?  I think it works well for me. 

 

 

How was your weekend?  I know its' not over just yet, but it might as well be, for me at least.  I've had a busy weekend and tonight I am quite tired.  I suppose some of that could be because I didn't sleep too well last night. 

Well, for a lot of you, I know tomorrow will take you back to work once again.  I remember how much I hated Monday's for just that reason.  But, the good part about it was that Monday's always went very fast for me.  So, that was a help, at least I told myself it was. 

I retired for good many years ago, after becoming chronically ill and unable to work any longer.  I can't say that I'm sorry that I am no longer able to work, but at times, I feel that I would have traded in my illness for having to work.  Now, I just do as much as my health permits me to do.  Some days that's not very much at all; other days, I spend a good bit of time on my writing and other creative activities.  I thank God for giving me these creative abilities and also my Mom.  She was always very creative, also.

Have you ever wondered why things happen the way the do?  It's something I think about from time to time.  What I believe is that everything that has happened in my life time, has had a purpose.  Some of those things were joyous things, some were very sad and many were very hard emotionally for me.  But, I believe that all those things put together, have made me the woman I am today.  I like the person I am.  I am much happier since I started living each day giving gratitude and acceptance to God.  It truly has made me a content person.  Try it, you may experience good  things in your life.

I do hope that Monday brings good things for you.  For me, it will bring laundry and work on my manuscript.  Stay safe and God bless you all.
Susan

How's your week going?

Hi all,

I hope your week is going well.  Mine has been pretty productive so far.  Between my house work, my hand embroidery and my manuscript, I've been kept pretty busy so far this week.  I hope your week is going well, too. 

My manuscript is moving right along.  I'm happy with the progress I'm making on it.  I haven't worked out all the details as of yet, but they'll come in time.  I've not written this type of novel before, so I have to confess that I'm very excited about it.  I've shared with you all that it's about a cold case.  There was a little eight year old girl who just disappeared, twenty years ago.

I can hardly even imagine what the parents of this little child have suffered over the last twenty years.  Can you?  I try to put myself in their place, but I can only say I'd be lost if one of my children passed away, much less just disappeared.  I suppose I am enjoying writing this book because it works on my emotions and when that happens, I find I write from the heart and I feel I do my best when I am writing with emotions.

I've been thinking about the design of the cover.  I have a few ideas, but have not settled on any one idea, as of yet.  I have plenty of time to do that as I continue with the manuscript.  A good cover is so important to the sale of the book and I'd like the cover to reflect something of the title.  I'll just have to continue pondering on the subject until something strikes me as the perfect idea.

Well, today we hit 60 degrees but over night tonight, it could go down to thirty degrees.  What's up with that anyways?  I think too many people think that we are now going to have warm weather.  I seriously doubt that!

I'd like to hear what you do that takes creativity.  Please let me know.  We all have been given some creative talents, but many people don't use that talent.  My advice is to try something, anything creative.  That would include rearranging your living room furniture, to reworking your flower beds.  For you men out there, how about redoing your work shop areas or do some creative painting on your walls.  You may just surprise yourself!

Well, tomorrow is Hump Day, so you'll be on the second half of the week.  Relax and enjoy the rest of your week.  The weekend will be just around the corner.  Be safe and may God bless each of you.
Susan

Happy Friday the 13th.

Hi all,



Actually, I don't believe in the old adage of Friday the 13th being bad luck.  How about you?  I believe bad things happen every day, some accidents and others done intentionally.  So, for me, this was just another Friday.

I've been quite busy lately working on my current manuscript.  I am very excited about this new novel.  It's the first one I've attempted of this sort.  The series of three novels that I've written in the past, were light and fun books.  Stories mostly about close friends, husbands and wives, and just enjoying life.  This one is a mystery.  It's about a "cold case" that's twenty years old.  It involves the disappearance of an eight year old girl.  She disappeared in 1995 while on vacation with her parents. 

I considered writing a murder mystery, but that would involve so much research checking out technical information and forensics.  This one has enough research for me.  I'm on page thirty eight now and I am so excited to continue with the story. 

Today, I've been thinking about the cover design, but I'm not sure what I'll come up with.  I have plenty of time to decide how I want the cover to look.  Perhaps a peaceful scene would work, I'll let you all know what I come up with eventually.  The novel is called, "Prolonged Uncertainty."  When it's finished and published, it will be available for electronic reading at Amazon.  I'll be sure to let you all know when that happens. 

So, what have you been up to that would be considered "creative?"  Come on now, I know you must be doing something that falls into that category.  Spring is almost upon us, so perhaps in the next couple of weeks, you'll be giving a lot of thought to your flower beds.  Many flowers do well in the cooler weather, so give that some thought.  I've been wondering if my Lilly of the Valley have pushed through the ground yet, put they're still covered with snow, so I'll have to wait to see.

I'm still working on my Christmas embroidery projects.  If you need a way to relax and build your self-esteem, try some hand sewing, like embroidery.  I love working on a piece while watching television.  It's both relaxing to me and I'm so proud of the finished projects.  I hope my family appreciates all the time I spend hand embroidering them. 

Tonight is the start of the weekend.  What's on your schedule for the next two days?  I don't have anything special planned, which is the way I prefer it to be.  I don't like feeling rushed or too scheduled.  I guess since I've become ill, I prefer a sedentary lifestyle.  This is a good thing, because that's the way my life has to be now. 

Well, whatever you do this weekend, please take, at lease, thirty minutes for yourself.  We all need some alone time.  Time to just sit quietly and reflect on where we're going in our life.  Have a good weekend and stay safe always.  God bless you.
Susan

My Hope for all Women!

Hi all,

I will be addressing today's blog to all you women out there, but please, if you are a man, read it for your wife, sister, mother, daughter, etc.

I was watching a webcast on Women's Heart Health a bit ago and I felt I needed to touch base with all of you. 

As I am sure many of you already know, I have had a heart defect since birth, which worsened when I became about forty years old.  In early 2006 I was rushed to the emergency ward and was told that I was in Congestive Heart Failure.  What I didn't know, at the time, was that my cardiologist wasn't sure if I'd get out of the hospital alive.  I found that out a year later. 

I give thanks to God, every single day, that I am still living.  I've learned many things over the past nine years, but the most important one is this:  I suffer from Chronic Congestive Heart Failure, as well as a few other heart conditions, every minute of my life.  It is with me twenty four hours in every day, for seven days a week, for every month and year that I remain alive.

I live with this and my life is very content and happy just the way it is.  You may ask how can that be possible.  Well, I not only accepted my heart disease, I also accepted God's Divine Mercy into my life.  Oh, let me say that my life changed drastically nine years ago.  Everything that was normal to me then, no longer existed for me.  But, I am happy to say, that I have a new normal.  It is a very sedentary normal, but that's okay with me.  I am still alive and for that, I thank God. 

What I'd like each of you to know today, is that heart disease is the number one killer of women in the US today!  This doesn't just apply to older women, like myself.  It applies to all the millions of middle aged women out there. 

What I've found out is this:  That most younger women don't think any of the symptoms they may be having could possibly be coming from heart disease.  That pain in their neck and shoulders is coming from all the hurrying they have to do all the time.  That extreme tiredness is due to working full time, being a mom and taking care of a house and laundry.  Those irregular heart beats they are having are caused by rushing around constantly.

My answer to their reasons is this:  Your reasons are false.  Oh, it could be true sometimes, but it could also be a heart problem or that you are having a slight heart attack.  It is now time for every woman, old and young, to wake up and save their own lives.  All the running around you do for your family, all the cleaning and laundry you do and all the stress you are under, has got to stop.  NOW!

Please go to see a cardiologist about these symptoms.  Do not play the guessing game with your family doctor.  Have the tests run as soon as possible.  Once you are dead, you simply can't come back to life.  Love yourself enough to take care of yourself first.  You can't be a good wife, mother, daughter, sister or anything else, if you are dead.

On this blog, I have a few pages regarding heart disease.  One is "Five Myths regarding Woman and Heart Disease," and another one is "Heart Disease".  Please read them and take heed.  If you want to be a good wife and mother, love yourself enough to put your health first, always. 

Once you have been diagnosed, please find a way to accept your health issues and not to give in to anyone else who wants you to do things that you know you positively can not do.   I experienced this problem a number of years ago and scared myself so much.  I will never do something that I know I just am not any longer able to do, not for anyone.  I will not cause myself to have a massive heart attach for anyone!

If you are having problems, seek help today!  Please don't shrug them off because you need to save your own life.  I wish you good health and a good life, even if you have a disease.
Susan

Happy Saturday!

 Hi all,

Well now, our weekend is about over already.  I was happy that the sun melted a good deal of the snow today.  I understand that our temperatures are to be getting up close to fifty by Wednesday.  Wahoo for that!

I am happy with the progress of my new novel.  I didn't get a chance to work on the manuscript today, but I have hope that tomorrow will be better.  Although, I do have some laundry and cleaning to do in the morning.  Hopefully I will find at least an hour in the afternoon. 

I am excited to really get into the nitty-gritty of the story.  I know I have to be patient, but I'm anxious to get into the plot of the book.  It's about a 'cold case' which occurred on Squirrel Island, which is a short distance off the coast of Maine.  Of course, Squirrel Island is a real place, but the cold case is not. 

I can't tell you how much I love writing and I'm so thankful for the creative abilities that God has bestowed upon me.  I've also been hand embroidering a lot lately.  It seems that every time I sit down to watch television, I automatically grab my embroidery bag and start working on whatever I have started.  It so relaxes me and I am quite proud of the finished work. 

I am helping a very dear friend of mine to learn how to embroidery.  I'm hoping that she will love it as much as I do, but mostly I'm hoping that the finished project, will help her to feel good about herself.  Also, that it will help to relax her a bit.  Time just flies when I'm doing embroidery!

What have all of you been up to lately?  Do you think that spring is finally on it's way?  I hope so, but I wouldn't rule out old man winter poking his head back up once again.  It will be nice when the furnace doesn't run constantly, and that will help lower the gas bill.

Here are two of the embroidered pieces I've done.  They are gift card or money holders for Christmas.  They were very time consuming, but I loved every minute it took to complete them.

I hope the first day of your work week goes well for you.  Just think, two days after Monday is Hump Day!  Have a great day tomorrow and stay safe always.
Susan

How's it Going?

Hi all,

Well, here we go again, starting tonight and into much of tomorrow.  More snow and a bit more than we've been getting.  They're saying 4-7 inches. I was going to go to the grocery store tomorrow morning, but now I'm not so sure.  Oh, I don't have to drive because my husband will take me, but I just hate going out of doors in the cold and snowy weather.  Well, I'll make that decision tomorrow.
For today, it's drizzling outside, but it's not too cold out there.

I am so excited because I have started working on my new novel.  Oh, I will still have research to do, but I am so glad to have started it.  It feels like so long a time since I've written a novel.  The last book I did was my book of poems, which I truly enjoyed writing.  I just miss the feelings I get when I'm working on a new novel.  Sometimes the ideas hit me at strange times, often when I first go to bed at night.  I think I should keep a tablet and pencil by my bed, so I can write down my thoughts.
My goal for this novel is to have it completed and published by November.  I think I can do that, if I stay focused.  That gives me ten months, so hopefully, I will finish much sooner.  Time will tell!

The novel's title is:  "Prolonged Uncertainty" and will revolve around two close female friends and how they get drawn into a 'cold case'.  The setting is Boothbay Harbor, Maine and the 'cold case' happened on Squirrel Island, which is a few miles from the coast of Maine.  Keep tuned in for my progress.

I am still working on my embroidery pieces.  Right now I'm creating gift card or money holders for my family for this Christmas.  I now have six of one type finished and five of another one.  I just can't tell you how doing embroidery work relaxes me.  I can spend hours doing embroidery, which is a good thing, because it takes me at least a few hours to complete one of them. 

What have you all been up to lately?  I do hope you have been doing something creative.  I am so happy to know that two of my Grandsons have creative abilities also.  That makes me a proud Grandma.  One is a budding photographer at age 17 and the other, at 20, is writing his own songs and putting them to music.  Now, I am proud of all six of them and I love them very much.

Check out my books here on the pages of my blog or you can go to:  www.amazon.com and put my full name into the search block and then click.  All of my adult fiction novels, as well as children's fiction novels; my books on chronic health issues and booklets on heart disease and Divine Mercy can be found there.  They are all available for electronic reading on any computer, laptop, tablet, Ipad, etc. Just download the app from Amazon.  You can also borrow the books and booklets from KDP on Amazon.  Check it out! 

I want to thank all my loyal readers for following my endeavors through my blog.  Please pass on my blog address to your friends.  Take care and stay safe.
Susan