Home At Last

Holding hand his hand, and Mom's, too. Praying at his bedside. Just being there. Now my Step-dad is finally resting in the everlasting arms of Jesus. He left this world two days before his 77th birthday. I had given him a card the day before he went in the hospital about 2 weeks ago. I tucked it in his casket. Not because he would know, but because I would. I wrote the obituary, and was blessed to be able to do this — my tribute to the Dad who won my heart through the power of love and forgiveness.

During these past few weeks, I was only home for one day. The rest of the time I've been with my Mom at the hospital, memorial preparations, and keeping her company in post memorial days. My husband and sons were there too sometimes. But we do live well over an hour away so it wasn't as much as I would have liked and oh, how I missed them.

I'm trying to resume my writing, but it isn't easy to get back on track. Saturday I went a top "Hacker's Hill" on Quaker Ridge Road in Casco, Maine which overlooks the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Sebago Lake. The funeral home is located at the bottom of this picturesque hill, which was so fitting since my Dad was such a great outdoorsman. This area was always one of my his favorites. I thought to sit there overlooking God's creation, to help me get my muse back. But instead of writing my novel, I ended up writing a journal entry. Ultimately that was probably time better spent. Tomorrow I'll be continuing my novel journey. For Dad.

Ronald R. Buckley

Thank you so much to all of you who have expressed
your love and concern for me and my family through
your thoughtful messages and faithful prayers.
I appreciate you more than I can begin to say.

Love, Carla

Seasons

As we summer draws to a close, it is already cooling off here in Maine. Leaves are even beginning to change. Soon a new season will be upon us.

I'm experiencing my own change of seasons right now as well. I had come home from my Writers Conference and gone to visit Dad the next day. Here I am taking a few minutes on the porch, trying to get back in my writing mode so I can meet my Sept. 15th deadline for my novel, after setting my conference duties aside. Dad really wants me to finish the book and he's helped me so much by offering his expertise on certain topics pertaining to the characters and setting. But he has been rapidly declining, and by the next day was sent to the hospital in crisis. After being with him and my Mom for the past few days, without a change of clothes or medicine for myself, I had to come home and regroup. So before I go to bed I thought I'd post a little update to let you know where I've been. Many of you have been keeping up with me on facebook and I cannot tell you how I appreciate all of your love and prayers. As my Stepdad faces his final journey in this life I ask for continued prayer for comfort and peace. He'll be 77 years old on Sunday, his years soon will fade into the eternal. A difficult, and yet precious, season in all of our lives.

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Spell Chequer

Eye have a spelling chequer,
It came with my Pea Sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss Steaks I can knot sea.

Eye strike the quays and type a whirred
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am write oar wrong
It tells me straight a weigh.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your shore real glad two no.
Its vary polished in its weigh.
My chequer tolled me sew.

A chequer is a bless thing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right all stiles of righting,
And aides me when eye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule.
The chequer pours o'er every word
Two cheque sum spelling rule.

By Jerrold H. Zar



http://www.spellchecker.net/spellcheck/

Conference Time

Wondering where I've been?  I'm up to my ears with conference preparation.

The Maine Fellowship of Christian Writers conference is this Saturday, August 14th.  As the primary organizer of the event and desktop publisher I've been so busy, especially as we get closer to the date. I only have a few minor details to tend to and then I head to the coast of Maine on Friday for set up and spend the night which will be a special treat for me that I'll tell you about after the conference.

Cec Murphey is our keynote and I'm so looking forward to meeting him. We'll have 3 sessions with him: purpose, technique, and "Ask the Expert".  He will also provide advisory appointments as will our other workshop presenters.  There will be two breakout workshops, morning and afternoon. Historical Romance author Ruth Axtell Morren will be conducting workshops on Christian Romance and Getting Published in Genre Fiction. Inspirational author Yvonne Ortega will be providing workshops on Self-Editing and Non-Fiction Book Proposal. We also have a workshop on Writing for Children, and I will be teaching on New Media Connections.

We had our last pre-conference meeting this afternoon and now I'm off to another conference meeting for the Women's Fall Faith Lift at my church in October (featuring Lucinda Secrest McDowell).  Busy, busy! 

Was I supposed to be writing a novel??? I'll have to get back to that next week.