I’ve Received The Liebster Blog Award

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Rosanna of Writing Prompts From Life nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award, and I am so grateful to her and happily accept the nomination. ‘Liebster’  is a German word that means “beloved.” The origins of the Liebster Blog Award are shrouded in mystery, but what is clear is that the award is given to up and coming bloggers.  Just like most awards, the purpose of the Liebster Blog Award is to inspire bloggers.

When a blogger accepts the award, the blogger has to:

  • 11 facts about her/his self
  • Answer 11 questions from your nominator
  • Nominate 11 blogs with under 200 followers
  • Leave 11 questions for the nominees to answer

So, in accepting the award, I hereby list 11 facts about myself:

  1. I am a native Floridian.
  2. I have been journaling my life since 1989, and I’m on my 56th volume.
  3. I have a rose garden that grows in pots, but my favorite flower to grow is the dahlia.
  4. I host another blog called Route 66 Club devoted to helping others read the the Bible on a daily basis.
  5. I am a registered Creek Indian–my maternal grandfather was listed in the Dawes Rolls of the Five Civilized Tribes in OK in the late 1800’s.
  6. My favorite movie is You’ve Got Mail.
  7. I love Starbucks Cappuccinos and order them extra hot and wet (meaning less foam and more steamed nonfat milk) 🙂
  8. I had the privilege of homeschooling all three of our children for most of their 13 years of education.
  9. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, who means more to me than anyone else in my life.
  10. A perfect day would be spending it with Tom on the beach listening to the waves break on the shore.
  11. I’m addicted to Words With Friends.

Now for the 11 questions from Rosanna:

  1. What is the best advice you can give bloggers?  Write what’s on your heart and be consistent with your theme. And connect with other bloggers who write to the same audience. This will not only help you grow in your craft, but it will provide you with the support and encouragement you need when you’re tempted to quit.
  2. What would you like to do to make your life more exciting? I’m not sure there is anything my life is lacking in regard to excitement. We are in the process of seeing another life-long dream come true, but I can’t share what it is just yet. 🙂
  3. How often do you engage in a hobby or activity that makes you happy? Daily. My passion is writing. I’ve done it for years privately in my journals, and now God has blessed me with three blogs for which I host and write: The Romantic Vineyard, Debi Gray Walter Author, and Route 66 Club.
  4. List 3 blessings you’ve been gifted with during the day. Health, A husband who loves me, and friendship.
  5. What are your best assets? The grace I’ve been given through Christ, and a heart that longs to please Him in all things. Next would be my faithful husband of 34 years, who is also my best friend in this life.
  6. Why is the world a better place because you live in it? Oh my, I don’t think it’s my place to answer this question. I’ll wait until the day when hopefully I’ll hear my Heavenly Father say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” The Bible says to let another praise you and not your own mouth–enough said!
  7. How are you today? Content.
  8. How can you show love for yourself today? I do this without thinking. It’s love for others that I must work on. 
  9. Have you given yourself a pat on the back for a job or chore that you did well? Yes, finishing and publishing Through The Eyes Of Grace. A 25 year dream come true!
  10. How does winning this award make you feel? Grateful.
  11. What can you do today to make yourself feel better? Start a regular exercise plan. I took out my yoga mat this morning and I’m hoping to give it a go once again!

Now it’s my turn to nominate 9 bloggers for this award. I couldn’t come up with 11 blogs to nominate! But the following are excellent!

  1. Life On The Lighter Side
  2. NonGMO Journal
  3. Growing Up Triplets
  4. Never Once Have I Ever Walked Alone
  5. All Of Grace
  6. Gluten Free With Julie B
  7. The Walter Family
  8. Gina Lillycrop Designs
  9. Morning By Morning

Below are my 11 questions I would ask the above bloggers to answer:

  1. What motivated you to start your blog?
  2. What is your favorite post you’ve written? Why?
  3. Who is your greatest support in doing what you do?
  4. If you had a day completely to yourself with no responsibilities, what would you do?
  5. Where is your favorite vacation spot?
  6. What is a favorite memory you have from one of your grandparents?
  7. If you were to write your auto-biography what would the title be?
  8. Do you blog mostly for yourself or for your audience?
  9. Do you keep a journal? Why or why not?
  10. What is the best advice you can give to someone who is just starting to blog?
  11. List three blessings for which you are grateful to God?

Now that was fun. I can’t wait to let my blogger friends know about their nomination. When you write your post, please come back and link-up to this post. That way we’ll all get to read your responses. Have a blessed day!

A Short Love Story

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Photo Credit: curvewire.com

Photo Credit: curvewire.com

Today I want to share with you a short story I wrote awhile ago. I’ve posted it on The Romantic Vineyard, since it’s a love story. But it also fits well with this blog on family history. I hope it stirs in your memory similar stories you’ve heard from parents or grandparents. Be sure your children and grandchildren know these stories, for it’s part of who they are. Knowing them also gives them direction for who they’ll become.

Click on the following title to read the story:

Vito’s Coffee Shop

Making The National Day Of Prayer Personal.

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Today is the National Day of Prayer. I’m planning to gather with other members of our church around lunchtime and pray for our nation, pray for our church, pray for our families, and anything else the Lord places on our hearts.

Prayer is a part of my life. I am blessed to have access to the Throne of God because of the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. He came, lived a sinless life and died in my place, so I can say these three words without fear of condemnation: Dear Heavenly Father. What a gift! I pray I won’t neglect such a privilege.

Prayer is a part of my family history. My grandmother, Grace, was a praying woman. My Mom was also devoted to daily prayers to God for each member of our family. When she passed away in December I was quite aware of the absence of her daily care for me in this way. It was sad, but then it motivated me to take on this responsibility for the sake of my family. God is near. He loves for us to cry out to Him in our struggles. My grandmother saw much pain and suffering in her 90 years, yet the pain drew her closer to God–not away from Him. He was her comfort and strong tower.

This brings me to another great question to ask our aging family members…

Questions #23 – What part has prayer played in your life? Did your (grand)parents pray often, and if so what do you remember about them?

A Simple Way To Discover Your Passion

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As most of you know, I entered both of my blogs (The Romantic Vineyard) in the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I was crazy to think I could keep up with it, especially since we were away for two weeks smack in the middle of April. But I did manage 22 posts on this blog! 22!!! That’s quite a feat when you consider I’ve only had a total of 45 posts since August of last year. I’ve doubled in a month what has taken me 7 months to write previously. I also posted 26 on TRV for a total of 48 posts in one month. So I’m extremely happy. 🙂

But what I’m happiest about is those who have joined my author blog as a result. I feel as though I’ve received an Oscar and I have a list of thank you’s:

  • Thank you for stopping by.
  • Thank you for signing up to receive my posts via e-mail.
  • Thank you for buying and reading my book.
  • Thank you for caring to learn more about your own family history.
  • And thank you for helping me find my author blog voice and direction, a new experience for me.

Through it all I’ve discovered a new passion I didn’t realize had been born in my heart. It’s to help others discover the stories in their family history and to share what they’ve learned with me and their extended family.

I’ve heard it said that if you want to know what you’re passionate about, ask your children.

Would what they perceive match your answer? One dad I know said his children answered, “You’re cholesterol.” Ha! He didn’t realize how often he read the labels on everything he ate, and how much he talked about how high his levels were. I don’t think he would have ever said he was passionate about it, but he was. Anything that receives our daily attention is most likely an indicator of a passion. Simply put…we do the things we want to do and tend to put off the things we don’t.

This leads me to my next question for you to ask an older member of your family–or to answer and share with your own grandchildren.

Question #22

What are you most passionate about now? How about when you were younger? Has it changed? If so, why?

Letting Go Of Temporary Blessings

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Mom's house

Today my Mom’s house will be sold to a new family. Since she died in December this was the first priority on our list. It is good that we were able to sell it so quickly, but I’m sad. She bought this house after my dad died so she could be closer to us. She was only there a few short years, but it served its purpose during that time.

Mom loved her backyard. She enjoyed watching the birds and squirrels from her bedroom window as they fluttered and scampered about the yard.

She loved when we would come to visit. I wish I could visit her one more time. But I can’t for that season is now part of my history. A story to be told to my grandchildren and their children. My oldest grandchildren will remember her, but the youngest ones won’t. It will be necessary to keep her memory alive by the stories we share about her.

My own children never met my grandmother, Grace. But they feel like they knew her because I’ve talked about her so much.

I’ve heard it said that four generations after  you will most likely know nothing about your life and loves. Really?! After living a long, productive life only 80 years after your death and no one will even remember? That seems so futile.

But is it really?

I don’t believe it is, because God has said He ordained every day planned for us before one of them came to pass. If He took care to plan each day, then even though others may not remember them, He certainly will. It’s important for us to live our lives in a way that matters for eternity, not wasting our time on temporary things. My Mom spent her life on things that mattered. She enjoyed the temporary blessings like houses and such, but she didn’t build her life around them. She prayed for her family every day. She listened to those in need and did whatever was in her power to help. She didn’t waste her time in self-pity, but she sought to better her life by constantly learning and growing. And she did this until her dying day.

I’m sorry this post has turned into a bit of a ramble, but that’s about all I have to give today. I’m sad, and I needed to express it by writing my thoughts and sharing them here.

Do you know the story of your great-great-great grandparents? If so, won’t you share a bit with me? It would sure encourage me on this day when I’m letting go of something, a temporary blessing, that once held a special place in my heart. 

Touchstones of the Heart

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You've got mail bookstore

Touchstones are the parts of movies, books or songs that strike a chord in our lives to which we can relate. This is why we have favorites.

My favorite movie is You’ve Got Mail because I can relate to Kathleen Kelly in so many ways.

  • She has a little bookstore where the people have shopped for years. They loved her mother and the way she entered into the lives of her customers. (My parents had a drug store where they entered into the lives of their customers with compassion and care.)
  • She love books and writing. (I love books and writing!)
  • She was fascinated by the ability to connect with people on the internet she had never met in person. (I marvel at this as well.)

These are just a few of my favorite parts. 🙂

This leads to my next question…

Question #20 – What books, movies or songs provide touchstones to your life? What are the connections?

Be Careful What You Wish For

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The weather is quite volatile today. As I’m typing the wind is howling through a cracked window; it sounds like an effect in a scary movie.

It got me to thinking of the storms I’ve experienced in my life. Back in 2004 when Hurricane Charley plowed across the entire state, I happened to be at a conference in Maryland and missed the whole storm. When I got home I was shocked to see the damage it had inflicted on our neighborhood. Tom rallied with neighbors to help clear the roads. But what’s funny is my reaction to the whole thing.

The last big hurricane to hit our area was in 1960 when Hurricane Donna hit Cuba and then made a bee line north damaging much of Florida. I was only one, but I remember bits and pieces of the storm because of its impact on our neighborhood.

I am a native from Orlando so whenever something big happens I want to experience it too. When I missed Charley I felt a strange since of disappointment. Two weeks later I was able to experience what I’d missed – Hurricane Fran hit Orlando, only to be followed by Ivan and Jeanne in two week increments! I finally said, “Enough already!”

Tom jokingly says that I got my wish! Yeah, I sure did! I felt bad for even expressing a desire to go through a hurricane. This must have been how the Israelites felt when God granted their wish for meat. They had so much quail it made them sick! We must be careful what we wish for.

This leads to my next question:

Question #19 – What severe storms have you experienced? How did it impact where you lived?

History Written In Blood

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Photo Credit: gizmodo.com

Photo Credit: gizmodo.com

Most children think history is boring. And sadly many adults grow up never realizing the treasure it is to know your family’s part in history.

Take the tragic bombing that happened in Boston on Monday. None of us will forget the horror, the brutality of that one decisive act by an individual to harm many during a momentous time in their lives–running or watching the Boston Marathon.

Fast forward a few decades when this very week is being taught in high school history classes everywhere. Sixteen-year olds are barely staying awake as the teacher tries to teach about what we have just witnessed. To them it will be only words on a page, but to us the words have been written by the blood of those who were injured or died. It is a sad day for us now, and for those in the future who won’t care.

This is why I’m doing what I do. One small blog post at a time, hopefully sounding the alarm that history is HIS story. God has planned for each of us to live when we have and to witness what we do. How we tell the stories of our lives may be retold if we are willing to help our children and grandchildren care about them. We must stay engaged in life as long as we have breath for life is too precious to waste away.

Question # 18: How have you helped your children and grandchildren know your story? How have you sought out your elders to know their stories? Do you regret not doing it more often? Why?

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This is post #18 in the challenge to post everyday in April.

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Like-Minded Cousins

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Yesterday we had the privilege of visiting my cousin and her husband’s home for dinner in Ashe County, NC. We arrived early so we could have as much time together as possible. I admired her gardening ability, something we both enjoy doing that was passed down from our grandmother, Grace.

We worked on cutting and chopping for dinner all the while talking about various sorts of things. I happened to notice a beautiful pewter tea pot on her sideboard. When I asked her where she got it, guess what? It had a story! 🙂

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She opened the lid to read a note she had taped to the inside. It was a wedding present given to her maternal grandparents back in the 1800’s. The tea pot looked brand new, but in reality it was one of the oldest things in the house. Note: the couple in the framed picture is my parents on their wedding day.

As we were about to eat, she took the chicken out of the oven that had been baking in this old, clay pot. She told me it was nearly 200 years old and had been passed down from generation to generation and was still “cooking,” literally! We talked about how amazing it would be to know all the meals that had been cooked in that clay oven. The chicken was moist and delicious, as was the entire meal.

Sometimes you can’t improve on the old way of doing things.

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My cousin is a great cook!

Question #17

What is the oldest family possession you own, and what is the story behind it?

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This is post #17 in the challenge to post everyday in April.

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Living Today, Tomorrow’s History Of The Boston Marathon

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Photo Credit: dailybail.com

Photo Credit: dailybail.com

Today we were witnesses of a horrible attack on the innocent bystanders of the Boston Marathon. As I’m typing this they are still working frantically to help the victims, search for clues and hopefully find those responsible. No doubt we will all remember this day. We’ll remember where we were when we found out. If we had loved ones or friends in Boston today, we’ll never forget waiting to hear whether or not they were hurt. It is a sad day.

Eyewitnesses are being interviewed non-stop by every media outlet in Boston. They provide important clues about this tragedy in a way no one else can because they saw things from their vantage point maybe no one else did. It is hard to listen, but we’re riveted. We keep watching, praying and hoping the world isn’t as bad as it seems. But it is.

Tragedies define us as a nation and as individuals. We become a product of the events we’ve experienced and for the rest of our lives we’ll reflect back on what our eyes have seen.

This provides us an important question to ask your elder family members:

Question #16 – What national tragedies have you lived through and what ones, if any have you witnessed yourself? Where were you at the time, and how did it affect your worldview?

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This is post #16 in the challenge to post everyday in April.

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