Writing in Waco

After attending ACFW conference in Dallas, I caught a ride to Waco to visit Scott and Kelli. It was a time to visit with them, but I knew they were both working. So, I spent my time writing and working on proposals.





Waco is a fun town to visit with many unique coffee shops and stores.

One coffee shop I spent time in was the Pinewood Coffee Bar. It was a simple place, but beautiful in it's simplicity. There were not hundreds of choices, but the coffee was hot and delicious.

They played music from vinyl records. One record at a time. It was a nice atmosphere to write and spend a few hours.

ACFW 2017

This year's ACFW conference was in Dallas. It was so wonderful to visit old friends and make new friends.



I learned a lot and made good contacts.

The best part of conference was worshiping God and visiting friends. It was a great time of refreshment. And a little exhaustion. Okay, maybe a lot of exhaustion. But I'm so glad I was able to attend.



Provers 16:3 says, "Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established."

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

Save the Starfish

Hurricane Irma hit Murrells Inlet as a tropical storm. The storm ended with lots of tornadoes coming inland from the ocean. At one point late in the night, there were ten tornadoes back-to-back.

Last night, we walked along the beach and found lots of conch shells. People gathered large bags of shells. This morning I walked along the beach and found lots of starfish. Marine scientists want to change the name to sea star because it's technically not a fish. The starfish is an echinoderm which is related to sand dollars and sea urchins. There are over two thousand species of sea stars. Most only have five arms but there are some species with even forty arms.

One unique quality of the sea star is its ability to regenerate limbs or sometime entire bodies from a severed limb. It's able to do this because most of their vital organs are located in their arms.



I felt sorry for so many starfish. I didn't know how long they could last on the sand. So, I began to find ways to return them to the water. It turns out I wasn't the only one concerned. There were other adults and even some homeschool children returning the starfish to the water.

Did it help? I don't know. But we felt like we were doing something beneficial.



Genesis 1:21 ESV So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Hurricane Preparedness

A week ago, we started hearing Myrtle Beach, SC and the surrounding areas could possibly take a direct hit from Hurricane Irma. This is our first hurricane experience, and little did we know how it'd turn our lives upside down.



Each day the weather people told us they'd soon know the direction the hurricane would take. One day the governor declared health facilities needed to evacuate. Plans were made where my husband works to leave town. Buses were chartered and arrangements were made for where to take the older adults.

We bought water, rain boots, peanut butter, crackers, batteries, flashlights and other essentials like Clorox, matches, insect repellant, duct tape and tarps. Janet Ferguson shared with me how her family survived Katrina with no electricity for a week.

We considered what essentials to pack because we'd need to go with the older adults. At a time like this you really take stock in what's most important. A few items we wanted to take were our wedding pictures, the boys' baby pictures, and wedding pictures from the kids' weddings. My Bible with my notes was not going to get left behind either. We didn't think we needed to worry about flooding as much as wind damage from the hurricane. We lined up men to help get the windows boarded up.




Then Irma changed directions. Plans were adjusted accordingly. And Irma shifted again. At this point it seemed safer to stay put than to go west. Even the men we were going to pay to board up our windows called because they hated to waste our money boarding up when it wasn't necessary.

It's been an emotional week. I'm relieved for our area, but I'm also more sympathetic as I listen to stories of people from Florida evacuating.

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Pslam 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Hebrews 13:5b-6 God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

I'm praying for all of you in Irma's path, and I continue to pray for those in Texas.

Happy Labor Day

Today I'd like to share a few quotes with you. Enjoy!

"While we are fighting for freedom, we must see, among other things, that labor is free." Woodrow Wilson

"Before the reward there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy." Ralph Ransom





"One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man." Elbert Hubbard

"There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither." Alan Cohen

"There is no substitute for hard work." Thomas Edison

This next one made me laugh. By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day."
Robert Frost









I hope you have a safe and fun Labor Day!