Wednesday's Word: Charity

For many people, the word charity evokes an image of donating clothes to a second hand shop, food to the food bank, money to the homeless, or something in a similar vein. For years, that was my image. But with age came maturity and greater understanding. I now realize its true meaning, that being the pure love of Christ.

This was again reinforced as I attended the world-wide Relief Society broadcast last Saturday evening. I was moved by Sister Beck's plea for all women to show more charity. In a day and age when more and more women are encouraged by media and more to satisfy their own needs above all else, these inspired leaders of the Relief Society are encouraging women to have more charity.

Let me think for a minute, which one of these pursuits will make this struggling society a better place? Duh!

As I contemplated the peaceful, energizing power of charity, I thought about its impact within literature. Why is it that we as readers gravitate to characters who exhibit aspects of charity and fall in love with them? Would we have the same pull toward a character who was busy taking care of their own needs? No.

Christ taught us to be charitable, not because he simply wanted to make up a list of rules for us to follow, but because charity is a principle of eternal truth, and as such, comes with inherent heavenly blessings. So when we read about a character or a scene that rings of truth, I feel that such passages communicate to a person's soul. That's why I feel incorporating truths of the gospel within a story will touch a reader and makes them hungry for more.

What is your experience with reading and/or writing such interwoven truths?

Bloghop winner for September

What a fun bloghop. Not only did I enter to win tons of awesome prizes, I now have over 100 followers of my own blog. I am so excited. Now to announce the winner of my Halloween prizes, and the winner is:

CINDY HOGAN.

Congratulations Cindy. Leave me you mailing address and I'll ship these items right out to you. (I'll contact her by e-mail in case she doesn't see this post). Cindy, I happen to know, has just self-published a YA thriller entitled Watched, which I have read and really enjoyed.

Join me for a blog hop

Welcome to the September Blog Hop! Celebrate the beginning of fall with me and my blogger friends by hopping around, visiting our sites, and entering our contests! There are no limits - you can enter the contest on every blog. With over 40 blogs participating, that's over 40 prizes you could win. Just click on the links below to move on to the next blog.



On my blog, you can win …

A ghost puppet and a signed copy of Jennifer A. Nielsen's awesome new middle grade book, Elliot and the Goblin Wars. A perfect combination for the upcoming Halloween season.




Would you like to win this prize? You just need to do two things.



1. Become a follower of this blog.



2. Leave me a comment in the trail and tell me why you'd like to win this prize.



That's it! You are now entered. The contest ends on Saturday night, September 24th, at midnight MST, and the winner will be contacted shortly thereafter. Please either leave your e-mail address in the comment trail or make sure it's visible through your profile so I can contact you to tell you that you're the lucky winner.



Now go visit my other friends ...





September Blog Hop Participants

1. Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author 2. Joyce DiPastena 3. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer 4. Mandi Slack 5. Michael D. Young 6. Six Mixed Reviews 7. Pam Williams 8. Laurie Lewis 9. Kristy Tate 10. Marilyn Yarbrough 11. Stacy Coles 12. Kristie Ballard 13. Lynn Parsons 14. Pushing Past the Pounds 15. Sheila Staley 16. cindy Hogan

17. Jamie Thompson 18. Jaclyn Weist 19. Cathy Witbeck 20. Secret Sisters Mysteries 21. Tamera Westhoff 22. Tina Scott 23. Lynnea Mortensen 24. Danyelle Ferguson aka Queen of the Clan 25. Jeanette A. Fratto 26. Bonnie Harris 27. Melissa Lemon 28. Mary Ann Dennis 29. Stephanie Black 30. Jane Still 31. Janice 32. Laura Bastian

33. Tamara Bordon 34. Betsy Love 35. Maria Hoagland 36. Amber Robertson 37. Debbie Davis 38. 39. Christy Monson 40. Carolyn Frank 41. Rebecca Birkin 42. Melissa Cunningham 43. Emily L. Moir 44. Ronda Hinrichsen 45. Lisa Asanuma 46. Joan Sowards 47. Jordan McCollum 48. Diane Stringam Tolley

Learn more about September Blog Hop here.

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Wednesday's Word: Fall

Fall: a verb, a noun, a season; all three have been on my mind this week.
First, the verb--to come down because detached, pushed, dropped, etc.
That describes my writing as of late, including posts on my blog. (A big, "I'm sorry" to my followers. I promise to do better). Life has consumed me in other ways and thus has detached me from the passion that had kept me going. Discouragement crept in and pushed my confidence into a corner and I have dropped my proverbial pen.

Second, the noun--a yielding to temptation; wrongdoing; moral lapse.
The country, my country--the one I love and revere, is teetering, threatening to fall. It is yielding to the temptation of spending beyond its means. Economically they are doing everything wrong, and the moral lapse of the people blind themselves to the disaster that lay ahead. It is disheartening and only adds to my discouragement in the writing arena--if and when I ever get published, will people even be able to afford to buy food, let alone a superfluous book?

Third, the season--that season of the year in which many trees loose their leaves; autumn.
I've always loved the fall; the cold induced transformation of green leaves into vibrant, warm shades of reds and golds; the shedding of leaves in preparation for the brutal weather ahead; the brisk breeze that blows away the scorching heat of summer. With the heat of summer behind and the cold of winter ahead, fall wraps me in her beautiful, mild arms and whispers in my ears of the grandeur of life on this wonderful place called earth. Fall renews me. With my garden soon to be tilled under, and the weather holding me prisoner indoors, I will have more time to pick up that proverbial pen. And I know that the more I write, the less I'll be discouraged. And the less I am discouraged, the better my writing will be. And the better my writing gets, the more chance I'll have to rise above the falling dollar and create a story that will survive the falling publishing industry. I love fall!

FALL
Shades of red and orange
paint the falling leaves
as the final heat of summer
fizzles out and leaves.
Though fall is a fickle season,
with death mingled with vibrant gold,
Its one of preparation,
encouraging me to weather the cold.

Wednesday's Word: Hug

I've always been the strong one; the one giving out the hugs and consolations, rarely receiving them--because I didn't need them. I thought. Last week, when I got sick, the tables turned for me. After finally leaving the hospital in Soda Springs and preparing to crawl back into the car and venture three more hours to home, I remember this overwhelming need for a hug. I petitioned my husband. As his arms wrapped around me an amazing sense of balm flowed into my body, comforting and infusing it with a sense of strength to go on. I remember thinking, is this why those around me are always asking for hugs?

It was almost worth getting sick so that I might experience the power of other side of the hug. No longer will I flippantly pass out hugs, discounting their importance. Hugs hold something real. And more of them are needed in this ever-more-difficult world we live in.

HUGS

Hugs are real,

they help you feel

the balm of love and hope.

Hugs are free,

at least should be,

so give more, don't be a dope.

Wednesday's Word: Sick

I find it ironic that not more than a few weeks ago I blogged about how good I felt, how I have been eating better, and losing weight, etc. Well, that "feeling good" came crashing to a halt last Sunday. My family and I were at our cabin in Wyoming. Sunday afternoon I started to feel nauseated. On the drive home I became so sick they took me to the emergency room in Soda Springs. I was given some "snot in a cloud"  (a GI cocktail). It momentarily took away the pain and made my way home. Monday brought another trip to the ER; Tuesday a trip to a GI clinic for a upper GI scope, and today I'm scheduled for an ultrasound of my gut. I feel like a candidate for Mystery Diagnosis. Meanwhile, everyday I grow weaker and weaker.

I am ill,
I've lost my will
to write or make a rhyme.
In a week
come take a peek
There'll be more here next time.

Winner of bloghop prize

Thanks for all of you who hopped over to my blog and entered the bloghop contest. The winner on by blog goes to Krystal Larson. Congrats, Krystal. As soon as I recieve your address I'll ship your puppets right out. For anyone else who may be interested in purchasing those same puppets, or others, please visit my on-line puppet store PUPPETORIUM.COM at http://www.puppetorium.com/.