...We often say that people don’t change.  We warn those in relationships of that very thing.  If you are in a relationship and think that you can change that other person with your love and care and nurture, you are wrong.  You will never change another person.

Same is true with friendships.  If you are staying in friendship that causes you grief, but you stay because you think that something you will do will change them, you are wrong.  You might as well raise up the white flag and abandon ship right now.  You will never change anyone. But...

... Jesus was and is the Word. As Christ's followers, we have all been given a seed of the Word. A seed or seeds that we are called to nurture and allow to grow in us, just as Mary did Jesus.

As it comes to maturity in us we are called to give it to the world, just as Mary gave us Jesus. Not to diminish the task laid out for Mary, the mother of our Christ, but what if we felt the same weightiness for the Word which we carry inside?...

...As you can see in my example above of a screenshot of my book The Water. I had maps and definitions, etc. to refer to as needed. Notice on the left hand side is my list of chapters and the sections in each chapter. I can go from one to the other simply by clicking on it.

There is so much more that I have not even used. It has so many more features that I would love to explore and plan to soon. It is truly a Ferrari in a Pinto world...

...Now, writing that first novel is not my favorite writing experience. I had an agenda and I get trying to force the story to fit the agenda. It was a mess. It was stiff and disjointed.

Once done, I knew I did not like the first half. So of course I set out praying about it. God’s words from year ago came back to me, “Just tell the story.”

At that point I asked for divine guidance to help me edit the mess I had created in the first half of the book...

But, I couldn’t make my sweet baby happy. I had no idea what to do. So, that particular night as we were rocking and crying, I cried out to God. I began to beg God for help. I begged him to make things better. I had been through so much and I just didn’t know how much more I could take before I crumbled into a heap.

I remember saying, there has to be more to life than this. Please God, please God, please help me...

...There were many contributing factors, but the drinking was a core sinister plot to tear our family apart. I grew up with fear, anger, sorrow, and trepidation resulting from my life at home.

My father never came to see me play one sports game, he never came to one awards ceremony, or church program. He came to my Jr. High and Sr. High graduations, but other than that, he did not participate at all.

But I loved my father dearly. I was Daddy’s girl, and I knew it...

...To say I was heartsick is an understatement. I had been all over the entire camp. If it had fallen off while out there walking, I knew I would never find it. As the day continued I asked everyone in our group to please look and if they found it, to let me know. Everyone kindly said that they would.

And of course I talked to Jesus about it. He knew I was heartsick over losing it. He knew I had searched and searched and searched, retracing as many of my steps as possible. And I asked Him to please help me find it.

It should have been a lost cause. It was a very small necklace in a vast area full of people who had no idea who I was or that I had lost my prized possession...