Category: Life


F is for Family

Filed under: ABCs, Life — 1 Comment
April 7, 2012

I love my family.  Good thing, I suppose, since God has blessed me with a rather large one.  I have three sons and one husband at home (and as much as I love him, I am so glad it is not one son and three husbands!)  My husband has 4 younger siblings, and through them I have six nieces and nephews.  He also has three older siblings, and I honestly do not know how many nieces and nephews are there.  I have three older sisters and two younger sisters–combined, they have given me 15 nieces and nephews.  My Dad has one brother, so there are two cousins on that side, plus their children.  Mom is the youngest of six (I think it is more like 10, but only six survived until adulthood) and I can’t even count the cousins on that side of the family.  Sixteen first cousins, I believe, and then all of their children.

God has blessed me with a huge family!

Today, I get to see a lot of my extended family.  I only wish it was for a happy occasion.  Instead, we are gathering to say good-bye to Tina, my 52-year-old cousin who lost her battle with cancer this week.

That’s the problem with a large family….  We are all so busy with our own daily lives that we only get together for weddings and funerals.  Now that most of the cousins are already married, that leaves funerals.  NOT a happy time to get together.

 

Tags: , , , , ,
Comment

D is for Dreams

Filed under: ABCs, Bible, Life — 1 Comment
April 4, 2012

It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain then.  
Proverbs 13:19, New Living Translation

I was 12 when I discovered my love of books.  Anne of Green Gables.  That is the book that first got me hooked.  There was nothing I loved more than getting lost in reading a good story.  Nothing, other than writing my own stories.  At the time, I had a teacher who was very supportive and very demanding, all at once.  She nurtured my dream to write by pushing me to put my thoughts on paper.

There was a time, though, when the dream nearly died.  I knew that I wanted to write, but I was scared.  Scared that I would have to write what the world wanted.  Scared that making a living with words would mean turning my back on everything that my parents had taught me.  That fear, even during the moments when I was not really living for Christ, held me back from writing anything.

I did spend some time writing stories that I am ashamed of now.  I loved the feedback that I was getting, all the kudos about my stories.  But it felt hollow.  The stories were not honoring God in any way.  Even though I wasn’t living for Him, somehow I knew that He didn’t approve of how I was using the talent He had given me.  And though people seemed to like what I was writing, I was unable to really enjoy it.

Ever since I started trusting that my dreams are in His hands and not trying to hold them in my own, things have been different.  I have a new joy in my writing, something I hope that my readers pick up on.  I still get compliments on it.  I still have people tell me how wonderful my stories are.  The difference?  Now I can smile and say, “I just let God write it through me.”

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

B is for Believe

Filed under: ABCs, Bible, Life — 3 Comments
April 2, 2012

You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that–and shudder.  James 2:19, NIV

I believe there is one God.  I believe that He sent His one and only Son to earth, to be born in a manger, to be raised by a poor carpenter and his wife, and to be brutally murdered in my place.

But belief is not enough.

Even the demons believe the things that I do.  The trick–if you want to call it a trick–is to act on what I believe.  What good do beliefs of any kind do if those beliefs are not put into practice?

Tags: , , , , ,
Comment

Goosebump Faith

Filed under: Life, Uncategorized — Leave a comment
March 29, 2012

Your faith is so strong you give me goosebumps.

I read that on my Facebook page this morning and I wasn’t sure what to think.  I’m sure it was meant as a compliment.  As a matter of fact, I know it was.  The woman who wrote it isn’t just some random somebody.  She is a friend, and I am confident that she was trying to be uplifting in her words.

Problem is, reading the words made me feel sort of like a fake and a phony.

Strong faith…ME?  I sure don’t feel like I am very strong in my faith.  I feel SCARED, more scared than I want to admit.  First the back.  Then the stroke.  And now the doctors tell me there are two masses on my thyroid.  I found out about the masses on Monday, and was told on Tuesday that more tests need to be done to determine just what the masses are.  My doctor did say that he thinks it is very unlikely that either mass is cancer.  Thank you, Jesus, for that!

Back to the faith thing….  My friend posted the above comment because I’d something along the lines of being scared but trusting that God will get me through this.  I don’t know that it is really some deep seeded, strong faith that made me do that.  It’s the fear.

I can’t do anything about what is happening, so I have no choice but to let God handle it all.

On my own, I am too weak to handle this.  Trying to be strong—for my husband, for my kids, for everyone around me—is so tiring.  Sometimes I feel like I can’t even admit out loud that I am scared.

But I am.  My name is Lynn, and I am scared of what is happening inside of my body right now.

The way I see it, though, I have two choices.  I can give in to that fear and hide in my bed with a box of Girl Scout Cookies and a tub of butter pecan ice cream, avoiding anyone and everyone who loves me.  After all, if I don’t see them, I won’t have to pretend to be strong.

Or I can admit to the fear and hand it off to God.  Health issues aside, I have a great life.  My husband is the best I could ever have hoped for.   I swear, he makes Prince Charming look like an ogre.  My sons are full of life and full of love.  My parents are awesome.  And I have the most wonderful friends a girl could want.  And I have a ministry through my writing that I can feel God moving through.  If I give into the fear, I could never enjoy and appreciate any of that.

This song by Matthew West has been on my heart all week long.  It says just what I am feeling.

God, I can’t do this on my own—I don’t have the strength.  But I know that I can do ALL things through Your strength.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Comment

A Stroke of Blessing

Filed under: Life — Leave a comment
March 22, 2012

The last six months or so have been one physical struggle after another.  First it was a heel spur and stress fracture on my right foot.  Next came these terrible back spasms that popped up out of nowhere and got progressively worse.  The spasms, I learned right around Thanksgiving, were caused by three herniated discs in my lower back.  One disc was so badly herniated that I had to have the disc removed.  Nerves to my lower body were pinched off.  Once the disc was out, the pain was gone but the numbness remained.  While going through therapy to help “wake up” some of the nerves that were damaged, I developed a blood clot.  That cleared up, and I ended up passed out on my kitchen floor.  I’ve been on blood pressure medication for about 2 years to keep it regulated.  The dose was set before I began losing weight.  The medication brought my blood pressure to a level so low that it caused dizziness and that led to the fainting spell.  From November 23 to January 9, I was hospitalized four different times, at two different hospitals.  I was pretty much trapped in my house, unable to drive and at times barely able to walk, for nearly 2 months.

I used a lot of the time off my feet to write.  One novel, Miracle Play, was finished and sent to the publisher, while a second novel (my sixth novel overall), To Love Again, was nearly finished.  Miracle Playwill be for sale on April 5.  To Love Again should go on sale August 13.  Being off my feet left me plenty of time to focus on God and on writing the stories He wants me to tell.

Even with the new blood pressure medication, the dizzy spells have continued.  My doctor ordered a CT scan of my brain to see if there is a reason for the dizziness.  When he got the results, he sent me to a neurologist.  It took about 3 weeks for me to get in to see the neurologist (closer to 4 because he had a family medical emergency out of state to attend to) so I assumed the test, though possibly abnormal, couldn’t be anything serious.  If it was serious, they would have rushed me in, right?  Well, I finally saw the neurologist yesterday.  The news wasn’t good.  It wasn’t as bad as it could be, I suppose, but it wasn’t good.

The CT scan shows a spot on the left front of my brain, a small spot the size of a pea, that was caused from a stroke.

Me and my son, Seth. He sure keeps me smiling!

I have had a stroke.  I’m 36 years old, I have three young children, and I’ve had a stroke.

My doctor thinks he knows what caused the stroke.  After my gastric sleeve last May, I had an episode of atrial fibrillation.  A-Fib causes the top two chambers of the heart to beat faster than the lower two chambers.  This makes the blood not pump correctly out of the heart, so it doesn’t circulate through the body as it should.  If the blood pools in the heart, it can cause a blood clot.  My doctor believes that a tiny blood clot broke loose of the heart, traveled through my body, and lodged in my brain.

This shook me.  My mother-in-law passed away from stroke complications.  So did my grandmother, I believe.  I’ve had a stroke.  Now I am going to die.  That is what was going through my head.

The doctor stressed that this is a very, very small stroke.  So small that we didn’t notice it until it popped up on a CT scan ten months after it happened.  He ordered some more tests, to be sure that my heart isn’t still beating funny and to judge the likelihood of another stroke happening.  I feel confident in the medical team that I have working for me on this one.

Last night, I decided to do a little research on the type of stroke I’ve had.  I learned that a stroke caused by A-Fib is very common and is the most deadly kind of stroke.  This is what I found at www.a-fib.com about it…..

An A-Fib stroke is worse than other causes of stroke. Half of all strokes associated with atrial fibrillation are major and disabling.  23% of A-Fib stroke patients die, and 44% suffer significant neurologic damage. This compares to only an 8% mortality rate from other causes of stroke. Strokes in women are more
disabling than in men.

This just confirmed to me that satan is attacking me.  He is trying hard to stop me from writing what God wants me to write, from doing the work that God wants me to do.

But do you know what else this tells me?  It tells me that I serve a Big God.  So what if satan is after me?  The devil may hate me, but my God loves me even more!!!

Comment

Avoiding Bible Study

Filed under: Bible, Life — 1 Comment
March 18, 2012

I love to read.  Most anyone who knows me knows that.  I don’t think that is a particularly unique statement.  A lot of people love to read.  And I honestly don’t know how anyone could be successful as a writer without having some sort of passion for writing.

Most of my reading is novels.  Outside of my children, there is very little in life that gives me the same joy as becoming lost in someone else’s life.  That is probably why the non-fiction I am most likely to pick up is biography.  I love to read about the choices others have made a learn from their mistakes.

What I don’t like nearly as much is looking at my own questionable choices and mistakes.

I think that is why I avoid Bible reading as much as possible.  There is no way to read God’s word and ignore my own shortcomings.   At least, not without feeling tons of guilt fort trying.

At the beginning of this long, nh church started reading through the Bible together.  Well, reading through the New Testament as a group.  Our pastor found a special edition of the New Testament to read and discuss.  We are supposed to read 6 pages per day, 5 days per week.  When Pastor Clive first mentioned it, I thought, “I can do this!”  After all, 6 pages is not a lot.  And since I’d been meaning to read my Bible more often, this seemed like a perfect opportunity.  Yet here we are, 3 weeks into the project, and I have yet to take part.  Sure, I have a lot of writing-related things going on, but is that really reason enough to NOT spend time with God?

I am good person.  Not perfect, but there has only ever been One perfect person.  But I know I am a good person.  I also know that being a good person isn’t enough.  Knowing God and believing that He sent His only son to die for me isn’t enough.  My faith is a good thing.  It’s an awesome thing, actually.  But even that is not enough.  I need to believe that Jesus died for me, have faith that God has forgiven my sins, and put action behind that faith by living a life He is pleased with.

How can I know that He is pleased with my life if I don’t know what He wants me to do to please Him?  And how can I know how to be pleasing to God if I don’t study His Word?

I need to get past the excuses and, as Nike would say, Just Do It!  I need to show my children how to put God first in their lives by making sure that He is first in mine.

Posted from WordPress for Android

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

Pride and Joy

Filed under: Authors, Books, Life, Uncategorized — Leave a comment
February 29, 2012

I was 12 when I first knew that I wanted to be a writer.  My first stories were told to my many dolls and.stuffed animals.  There was even a “puppet show” that my younger sisters and I put on for our parents.  That is the first clear storytelling memory I have–performing that little play based on Cinderella for Mom and Dad after church one Sunday.  Though I can’t take writing credit for that show–Cinderella had been told for years and nh sisters did help with rewriting it to suit our needs–that was the first time that I realized I could make other people smile and even laugh with my words. When my fifth trade teacher suggested I start to write down my stories, I listened.  It was fun–even more fun than reading, which was my favorite passtime back then (and still is in many ways today!)

I wrote down the stories, but I didn’t keep many of them.  I have one or two that I wrote on junior high and high school.  Not many, though.  Some of the ones I did keep (I remember a few long ones from high school that I wrote about my friends and I meeting and falling in love with some of our favorite celebrities that I was sure I’d never throw out) were stored in the attic above my parents’ garage.  Unfortunately, that home was destroyed by fire a little over three years ago.  So I lost those stories.  There are parts and scenes from those stories that I still remember and I could probably replicate, if I ever had the need.  Still, it would be nice to actually have copies of some the stories that I wrote in high school and before.

Why am I telling you all of this?  Because something happened in my home at the end of last month that made me think about those old stories.  What triggered that memory?  It was something that my oldest son did.  He did something that most 11-year-olds would not think to do.

He wrote and published his first book, The Storm.

From the time I decided to write books, I said, “Someday I will publish my own novel.”  It took 20 years for someday to finally arrive for me.  Andru, though, didn’t wait.  He wrote his book and when he felt it was perfect, he self-published it.

My son, the author!

Now, I don’t want to hear that self-publishing doesn’t count as really publishing, as some have told me about my own work.  The book is in print, it is for sale, and it is lovely!  I am so proud of my son.  When my first novel was published nearly four years ago, Andru told me, “When I grow up, I want to write books like you, Mom, and not have a real job like Dad.”  I still giggle a little about that.  I think what I do is a real job and just as difficult and demanding as what my husband does.  But I understand the thought behind it.  Dru saw how happy my work makes me, where as my husband doesn’t have quite the same passion for his work.  I am glad that he realized that it is possible to have a job that is both fun and rewarding.

Andru is having fun telling people about his book.  He’s even become a bit of a local celebrity at his school.  He had more orders for The Storm than I did for my latest novel last week.  I’ve had to remind him more than once that writing a book is the easy part; selling one can be a bit more tricky.  I’ve also told him that if he is writing books only to make money, then he is in it for the wrong reason.  A writing career is only for those who truly love to tell a story.  Andru assures me that he does.

Available on Amazon.com

I am just so proud of what he has done.  I’ve always known there was something special about that young man.  He amazes me every day with the things that he does.  I can’t imagine anything bringing me more joy than seeing the delight on his face with this book.  I’d rather see Dru become successful with his writing (if that is what he chooses to do with his life) than to have my own successes.

Not that I am going to stop trying!

Andru’s book, The Storm, is available on Amazon.com at the following link….

http://www.amazon.com/The-Storm-Andru-McMonigal/dp/1470106884/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1330873779&sr=8-12

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

Real Love

Filed under: Inspiration, Life — 5 Comments
February 28, 2012

Yesterday was one of those bittersweet kind of days.  Bitter because much of the day was spent at a funeral for my Aunt Marjory; sweet because we all knew she was in Heaven.

I didn’t know my aunt well.  She was married to my mom’s brother, a man who is more than 15 years older than my mom.  Their children–my cousins–are closer in age to Mom than to me.  One of those cousins has a daughter who is 2 weeks older than I am.  And because all of these cousins had moved away from Milan, Michigan, the small town where Mom and her siblings were raised, before I was born, I didn’t get to see them much as I was growing up (though I have heard plenty of stories of one cousin and his wife babysitting me when I was an infant.)  It wasn’t until connecting with them on Facebook that I really got to know my cousins.  But I did not have the chance to really know Aunt Marjory well.

That hasn’t stopped me from being deeply touched by her life.

Her life was a double love story.  Just to hear about the depth of her love for her husband and Her Savior left such an impression on me.  I don’t know if words can really explain or capture the emotions that are swirling inside of me.

When Nicholas Sparks wrote THE NOTEBOOK, he could well have used Aunt Marjory and Uncle Arthur as inspiration.  They were married on February 2, 1951.  He was nearly 20 and she was 21. The wedding took place on her 21st birthday.  They raised six children in a home lovingly built by my uncle right next door to my grandparents.  Aunt Marjory was my uncle’s sweetheart, his precious treasure from God.  He always treated her with love and respect.  That’s not to say they never fought.  Over the course of their 61 year and 20 days of marriage, I am sure there were plenty of disagreements.  But that love and respect, for each other and for God, kept them glued together.

In her later years, Aunt Marjory battled demensia.  Uncle Arthur kept her at home with her, providing her with the most tender care he could.  He scoffed at anyone who suggested he move his Sweetheart into a nursing home.  The vows said in sickness and in health and he was not about to turn his back on those vows just because she was ill.  He stayed at her side, loving her and nursing her at home.until his own health problems made that impossible.  But even living apart did not alter the love and devotion shared by my aunt and uncle.  He still woke up early every morning to drive to his wife’s side.  They shared prayer time every day.

That is how Aunt Marjory’s other love story played out.   There is no doubt in my mind that she loved God even more deeply than she loved my uncle.  Two of her children spoke of childhood memories of Aunt Marjory’s prayers.  They said they could hear her pray for them all by name every night after she had shared prayer and Bible reading with them.  She moddeled God’s love for her children in all she did, everyday.  Even on had days, ahem the demtia left her confused and scared, two things never changed–her love for her family and her love for her God.  It give s me goosebumps to think of all the damage done in hell by this small woman’s faithfullness.

The spray of roses on top of her casket held a banner that said “Sweetheart.”  She was more than just hia wife and the mother of his children; she was my uncle’s friend.  Aunt Marjory was always Uncle Arthur’s sweetheart.  Watching him say good-bye to her was hard.  Mom choked up and whispered to me that she had never seen her big brother cry before.  His heart is broken with the loss of his wife and companion–his precious Sweetheart.  Broken but still beating.  As I watched him grieve, I realized that the love story of Aunt Marjory and Uncle Arthur has not yet come to an end.  The kind of love they shared can never truly end.  It lives on in his heart and kn the lives of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

And because that love was rooted in Christ, they will be together again some day.  The only joy that could overshadow that of being reunited with his sweetheart is the joy Uncle Arthur will feel when he sees Jesus face-to-face.

Aunt Marjory will be missed.  But knowing she has received her reward for the race she ran kn life makes saying good-bye just a little easier.

 

 

If you would like to know a little more about Aunt Marjory, here is her on-line obituaty

Tags: , ,
Comment

Miracle Play Preorders

Filed under: Authors, Books, Life — Leave a comment
February 22, 2012

I have so many things that I want to get done today!  Not many that I absolutely need to get done, I suppose.  So that makes me lucky in some ways.  Yet I still have no clue where to begin.  If I don’t do something soon, I will never get anything done.  And I do so want to get something done.

Well, since you sat through that babble, I suppose you deserve a little something special!  As you may know, my fifth novel Miracle Play will be available on April 5.  I can hardly wait for that!  Already I have a book signing lined up for the 14th.  I just need to know how many books I should have on hand.  So, I have a question for you—would you like a copy of Miracle Play?

In case you don’t know what the book is about, here is the trailer for the novel….

The books will sell for $15 each on April 5.  But I am offering a special on preorders!  Anyone who orders a book before March 16 will only need to pay $12 for their copy.  If you are in the Jackson, Michigan area, I will deliver your book to you for free.  If you need me to mail the book to you, the shipping on it will be $2.

To preorder your copy, please leave your email address and the number of copies you would like in the comments section after this blog post.  Or you can email me at lynnmcwriter@gmail.com and put MIRACLE PLAY PREORDER in the subject line.  Let me know how many copies of the book you need and how you want them delivered to you.

Tags: , , , , ,
Comment

Deadlines and Prisons

Filed under: Life, My Work — Leave a comment
February 16, 2012

I am sitting at Cuppa, a new coffee shop in Jackson.  The location of this place is amazing.  It is part of the Armory Arts complex, an “artists’ colony,” if you will, located in what used to be the largest walled prison in the world.

That’s right.  I am sipping a cherry mocha steamer in an old prison.  Complete with bars on the windows.

OK, so the building I am in doesn’t have bars.  But the one across the parking lot does.  If I understand correctly, that is where the artist apartments are—in the old cell block building.

Can you imagine?  Getting up every morning to work on a project you love, but looking out the windows and seeing iron bars?

I am supposed to be working on a story for a new job.  Still can’t believe that I got this job!  It’s a freelance gig, writing about people and events here in Jackson.  I love, love, love the idea of getting paid to spread the good news about the community I love!

SIGH.  But this is harder than I thought!  Some of the problem is that I was given this first assignment on Tuesday night and the story needs to be to my editors today.  I am not used to journalistic writing.  Oh, I’ve done it before, but for myself.  I’ve never been on such a tight deadline before.  I am flipping out here!  I’ve contacted the people connected to this event, but heard nothing back.  The only info I have is what is printed on the website for the event and on the Facebook page for the venue.

Can I write a story just based on that?  Sure, I CAN, but I wonder if I really should.  It’s not like I really did any of that research.  I am pulling it together.  It’s just not something that I am really proud of yet.

And I don’t know that I want to turn in something to my editors that I am not proud of.

Let me tell you, I miss fiction at the moment!  Not that I am giving up on that.  Fiction is my big love, well, in the writing world, anyway.  I can’t imagine focusing completely on journalism.  The “problem” with fiction is that it doesn’t pay the bills.  I am not sure that this new gig will pay all of my bills, either.  In fact, I am quite sure that it will not pay all of my bills.  But it will help.

At least it will if I can ever get this story written.  Maybe I am trying too hard.  I don’t know.  I do know that I am stressing out BIG TIME about this.  Failure is not something I like at all.  And I certainly don’t want to fail on my first assignment.  I don’t want to let my editors down and give them a reason to look for a new freelance writer.  I don’t want to be replaced.

Oh, God.  Please help me.  Calm my nerves and help me to focus.  This writing gift is from You and I want to use it only for Your glory.  Show me the words to say to get the message across that You want me to share.  It’s all for You, always and forever.

Tags: , , , , ,
Comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 630 other followers