The Wreath -- Marking Time, by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Although I tried to "pretty up" this pitiful wreath, no matter how you look at it you can see it is falling apart. I left this Christmas wreath, which has gone up most of the past fifteen+ years, to remind me of how long I had been feeling truly awful. You see, it was there marking time. Time for me to do something about that awfulness of Rheumatoid Autoimmune Disorder.

When I first bought the wreath, we'd moved to Virginia and after a season of intense financial drought (see my testimony in God's Provision by Cynthia Howerter and LaTan Murphy). This wreath was COVERED with Christmas "floral picks" items hot-glued on by the student at the local school that offered a course on training for florist shops. I loved it! Truly over-the-top, the entire faux greenery pine was almost not even evident. That's how I felt about us getting moved up to Virginia -- covered with blessings all over! Over time, though, with the sun beating down through the glass door covering the wreath each Christmas, more and more of the goodies fell off the wreath. It was sad, but I didn't want to throw away the wreath.

The remnants of the wreath got a new task. I moved the wreath to the back door after Christmas 2015, right near the trash can, where this wreath it heading. I left it there to remind me to DO something about feeling so awful. I'd nearly died from the last biologic I was on, seven years ago, so I didn't want to try that route, but was getting desperate.  But I had a bunch of book deadlines to meet. Overtime I thought about going in to discuss this with my Rheumatologist nurse practitioner it seemed I was too swamped to figure out how to do that (plus I have a family to take care of.)

Finally, seven months after leaving that wreath up, in late summer, I did something about the situation -- because my autoimmune issues had persisted that long.  I acted. The wreath was a visual reminder of time passing and it prompted me to keep thinking about what I needed to do. I know I was hoping things would magically get better. But sometimes, Overcoming With God means we have to get help and not think all our woes will be lifted by God without us doing something ourselves. When we pray, and God urges us to call our doctor, it is still disobedience if we delay. And delay. And delay.

I wish I could report a happy ending -- that the medication change, after finally going in, has all things better. In fact, though, I had so much improvement on my new RX that I began to have a lot of hope about the things I might be able to do. Then I made a healthcare decision that I thought was a good idea, but which I think is responsible for a lot of the other physical issues I have had since. I don't know if it was a coincidence that the shot I had seemed to bring them on or not. But now I've slowed life down again and I have been taking action to try to figure out what is going on.

Question: Have you ever gotten so busy, so distracted by life, that you needed some kind of physical visual reminder to get you to act? (We have a giveaway this week for my re-release of Tea Shop Folly, under new cover. Leave a comment here and on Teresa's review to enter the contest for winner's choice of ebook or paperback copy! AND the ebook is FREE to Kindle Unlimited Readers and only 99 Cents on sale this week!!!)

Kelly Marie Long's Novella - A Christmas On Ice Mountain

Kelly Marie Long's new release the novella "A Christmas on Ice Mountain" in  An Amish Christmas Quilt. This is part of a series set in Pennsylvania. The story line in the series revolves around the natural marvel/phenomenon of Ice Mountain.  Amish Mennonite live there and some of their customs are different from other American Amish.

This novella collection is published by Zebra, a Kensington imprint. All of Kelly's books have been published by Christian publishing houses up until now and this is her first foray into the secular market.

Here's the blurb:
A Christmas On Ice Mountain
By Kelly Long

Matthew Beider and Laurel Lapp's secret wish to marry is a gift their feuding fathers definitely won't accept. And trying to settle their dats' long-standing quarrel is making their holiday anything but merry. Can rediscovering the joys and friendships of Christmas past finally turn their families' futures bright?

FIVE STARS *****
I read only Kelly's story and haven't had a chance yet to read the other two novellas in the collection--one by Charlotte Hubbard and another by Jennifer Beckstrand.

An Amish Christmas Quilt was true to form Kelly Long, which I loved. A lovely romance with a little edginess in this story. And it interconnects with her Bride of Ice Mountain, which I am three quarters of the way through. So there's a nice overlap with some special characters from the series. Loved the siblings in this novella!

This novella was so cute and the plot so compelling that I had to keep reading it until I got to the end. This is one of the things that I like about novellas because I can often read them in an evening. This story had bibiliotherapy elements of forgiveness, long standing feuds, harboring resentment and listening to God's directives.  Lovely happy-ever-after at the end!  Highly recommend. I see this novella as a contender on my novellas list and on my bibliotherapy list for best of 2014.

Giveaway: This is Amish week on OWG blog and also our Pink Giveaway for breast cancer survivor awareness. We also have giveaway of ebook or paperback copy of this novella collection which includes Kelly's latest release!  Question--Have you ever met someone who was Amish?

Marian Baay's Short Story "Heaven Is Not Far" Reviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels



Heaven Is Not Far



Heaven Is Not Far by Marian Baay

Stardust Romance, Sept. 2013

Lovely Fiction Debut!

I predicted some time ago that our resident editor (for Kok in the Netherlands), Marian Baay, would eventually write her own stories. And what a nice way to combine her knowledge of all things Dutch than by having a Dutch hero in her short story ‘Heaven Is Not Far.’ 

It is only fitting that Marian place immigrant Albert Van Ampting in Michigan—for Michigan had many Dutch immigrants, particularly in lower Michigan. After meeting Michelle Lefevre, Albert quickly woos and marries her in a sweet courtship.

Albert obeys God's call to fight in America's Civil War, taking his beloved dog, Jessie with him. The couple exchange letters. The last one is written by another soldier, urging Michelle to come quickly as Albert has only a short time to live.

Lovely story with a great twist at the end that will leave you smiling. But expect a few tears along the way!

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This short story may be purchased through Amazon.

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GIVEAWAY: A Kindle copy of Marian's short story.

Obedience Versus Seeking the Approval of Others

MaryLu Tyndall’s excellent post earlier in the week was put up in lieu of an interview, as we recently interviewed her.  And we’ve been playing around a little with our format here on OTT-WGH.  As she pointed out, seeking popularity via the approval of others, is a game most of us women get caught up in at least at one point in our lives. Men, too.  But the Bible is clear on this—we are to first seek God’s approval in all things and be obedient to His will.  And we certainly aren’t to go looking for approval from worldly and ungodly people.  But we do. 

If we’d get our priorities straight each day, that helps. Carving out that time for the Word, prayers, and seeking His will for the day. I recently posted on spiritual disciplines on the ACFW blog.  And when we walk in His will, He brings those to us that we are supposed to be associating with.  And if they are scurrying our way from his foe, hopefully we can discern from whence they’ve come.  And send them on their way again. Not always easy to do. Confronting the snarkers, the hateful, the insolent, boastful, proud, and merciless who break their promises is difficult. (See Romans 1:28-32.) “Worse yet they encourage others to do (these things) too.”  As MaryLu beautifully portrayed in this book, Veil of Pearls.

Have a blessed Saturday.  The next drawing will be tonight and announced as a comment on this post.  Still time to enter. 

What about you—have you had to cut ties with people, as Adalia did, to maintain your right relationship with God?