Sounds of Comfort
It is almost Christmas and I have awakened early for the day. It is easy at this time of year to be flooded with memories of days gone by. Triggers to those memories come in many different forms.
I live in a house that was built in the 1920s. It is far from perfect. It reminds me of a mother in the way that it offers comfort and character but is not perfect. That is the kind of mother I had as well as the kind of mother I am.
One small thing brought me back to age three or four this morning. I had enjoyed two cups of coffee and was headed for the kitchen for my third when stepping across the old hardwood floors, I heard a creak and then another.
The sound wrapped it's imperfect arms around me and took me to the 'dime store' Mama and I frequented when I was little. It was huge! It had creaky old board floors and smelled like roasted peanuts.
McClellan's was the name of the place. We called it the "Old Dime Store" because Woolworth came to our little Texas town when the Wheatheart Shopping Center was build. We referred to is as the "New Dime Store."
The new place had a charm of its own. It was more like a cousin than a mother. It was new and modern while the old place was creaky and comfortable to me.
One specific memory of the place was when my brother, Jim, who is thirteen years older than me, took me there. He had already told me "no" to riding the big plastic coin operated horse in the front of the store. We were headed to the back where the toys and 'good stuff' was when I saw the dress of my dreams.
There is was...purple with black pin stripes and black velvet ribbon down the sleeves from the shoulder to the wrist. The buttons had real diamonds down the front. (rhinestones) It had crinoline sewed as an underskirt, (a painful addition, I might insert here.) and my four-year-old heart fell in love with it!
I pleaded with my then sixteen-year-old brother to please get it for me. I don't know how it happened, but he bought it. That was a big surprise to me because I was a real bother to him. He was trying to be grown up and I was trying to make him play with me. It caused many little conflicts. On this day he was my hero. (I have that dress displayed in my bedroom and see it every day.)
Every time I went into that store, that memory came to my mind. This morning, in hearing the creak of the floor, the feeling of love from my brother flooded me once again.
I wouldn't have heard it if the house hadn't been quiet. The creak of a floor, tick of an old-time clock, memories of Mama singing "Away in a Manger", the crisp rattle of onion skin paper turning to the next page in the Bible and the sound of the stout winds take me back.
Mama used to sing "Away in a Manger" year round. I think the reason was that it was one of my favorite songs. She told me the Christmas story and some of the terms confused me. The one thing that stands out is that Mary and Joseph slept in the straw. In my mind's eye, I saw a huge drinking straw and them climbing into it. Never had I seen that element in a Nativity set. I remember asking how they got in the straw. Mama just said, "They climbed into it." In my head, they slept in a big clear tube while baby Jesus slept in the manger with hay. (Can you tell I wasn't a country girl?)
I need to remember to turn off the background noises of the television, radio, and other distractions to listen to the sounds of comfort. To me, when you peel away all the outside stuff, you find the things that really matter.
The "Old Dime Store" as well as the "New Dime Store" are gone now, but the memories of creaky floors, fresh roasted peanuts, crisp crinoline, and the big plastic coin operated horse will live forever in my mind.
Funny Stories and Great Times
Yesterday we had a snow storm. A sweet woman named Mary had scheduled me to come and speak at her club meeting. I had been scheduled before and it took a good while to get all of our ducks in a row to get me rescheduled. I was afraid that the meeting was cancelled.
Snow was swirling and falling, but the girls wanted to meet. Mary had cake and chocolate dipped strawberries as well as the table set with crystal. The girls were meeting!!! Terry was home so I asked him to drive me into town for the meeting.
We got into our 1995 Chevy pickup and made it safely to town. (It isn't exactly an impressive vehicle, but it has good snow tires.) Terry helped me to the door and carried the box of books for me.
Mary's house was beautiful! Most of the girls in the club came and many were acquaintances of mine since childhood. They were so fun. We had hot cider while I gave my presentation. They were interested in the steps I took to become a published author. I also threw in some of the crazy stories about Terry and me.
I tried to keep the stories balanced. One goof for me, one goof for Terry made it fair. I told how Terry is one of those guys who is really taken in by informercials. He orders a lot, breaks whatever it is, and tries to return it. Sometimes he doesn't go through the process and just puts the broken things in the corner of the garage.
The last thing Terry bought from TV was 70s music. He bought these cds several months ago. We are still trying to get all of the cds listened to. Truthfully, after we got married in 1975, we didn't have much leisure to listen to music so 1976 on is new stuff to us. Our kids told us that we could have gotten the same music on the internet for a few cents per song.
The first thing about that is that we are not that savy on doing stuff like that on the internet. The next thing is that we didn't remember a lot of the songs from 1970 to 1975 and when we listened to them...it was a nice surprise. The next is that we are too lazy to make copies of music and we like to hear it on stereo with big speakers.
I told about how I wanted the neck exercise thing I saw on TV. My sister gave me a Harriet Carter catalog with a Neck Genie on the front cover. It made demonstrating my goof a lot easier.
I didn't want to spend the $19.95 on it so I looked around the house and found a large soap pump and pushed my chin against it to see if I felt much resistance to my neck muscles. It seemed to work. I wanted fast results so I pressed my chin on it 100 times. My neck was so sore I couldn't move my head for a few days. I haven't done that exercise since. I think the key is moderation.
After my presentation some of the ladies were sharing funny things. One of them was telling about her grandmother's funeral. She said that at the funeral some law enforcement men spoke about her grandmother's driving.
I guess the grandmother was stopped quite a few times. On one occasion, she was stopped for speeding. She told the officer to just give her two tickets because she aimed to speed on her way home also and didn't want to take the time to stop again! There were a lot of stories of her driving that were so funny. I guess it was one of those funerals that had many happy tributes.
Many of the women shared funny experiences as the snow fell another two to three inches outside. It was a cozy meeting. Book sales were good and they were very kind to me. This is what makes being an author a pleasure. I thought I knew these girls, but I saw another side while we were sharing funny things in our lives.
Mary's mane is in the drawing for the Kindle I am giving away on April 1st for having a book event. You can get in the drawing too.
Win A Kindle
I am giving away a Kindle in a drawing on April 1st. Terry wanted to know exactly what a Kindle was. It is a handy gadget that holds up to 3500 books along with magazines and newspapers. Look at this video if you haven't had a chance to see one before.
(I am afraid that now I want one!!! ha ha.)
To get your name in the drawing, you will need to set up a book event with me. The event can be as simple as meeting in your home, library, church, or civic club for a book signing/discussion or as much as a speaking engagement. I will need at least 10 people to do this in order to have the drawing.
If any of the people at your book event set up a book event with me, your name will be placed in the drawing again. (along with their name) Think of the way we used to earn Tupperware at the parties we used to have.
If no one buys a book, your name is still in the drawing for your efforts.
Any takers? Just reply to this email and we will talk over details. I do need to limit my travel, but if I have a relative close to you, it might just work out. We can talk it over.
This prize is worth from $139 on up.
So far I have had 10 events set up because of this. I need more to be sure tocover the cost of the Kindle.
What is an author?
I am like most of you, I have had a very different idea of what an author looks like. Most of the time I do not resemble the image I have in my mind.
I have met a boat-load of authors this year and I can tell you that they are, for the most part, very warm and kind people that have stuck their neck out to let people see into a part of their heart.
I think that writing down words for other people to read makes the writer vulnerable in some ways. The secrets are unveiled.
In writing, I have discovered things about myself that I had never known before. I am forced to have an opinion on issues that I would rather shove under the rug, but if they are important they have to be examined.
Know this, authors care about what you think of their writing. If something inspires you, please go through the effort to tell the writer that it meant something to you. A word of encouragement is sometimes the only thing that keeps writers writing.
Today I want you to hear what author, Eyvonna Rains has to say.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)? Sleep, My Child by Eyvonna Rains
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I started a poetry club because I love to share my poems with others and hear what they have written, as well.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
I started writing poetry and sharing it with people and got a lot of good feedback. I love when an idea for a poem or a story strikes me and I go into that dreamy world where nothing else exists and just write. It's euphoric.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
My point of view is different. It may not be earth-shattering and brand new, but it's mine. I have learned that there is no one else just like me and I think that's great.
5. Are you a reader?
Absolutely! I love stories. You could say that I'm addicted.
6. What are you reading right now?
Till We Have Faces and Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. The first is my favorite and I'm reading it to my husband because I want to share it with him.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
I have a book of Christian poetry and the story behind the poems. I hope to fill it with great photography to go with each one. I have finished a children's book tentatively titled, Color Makes Me Feel. It's about the psychology of color from a young perspective. (This idea came from my background in color consulting.) A Marriage Guide for the First Time Bride is a positive book full of advice from 'veteran married people' to a young bride from a Christian perspective. This is in response to a young engaged friend who was frightened by all of the bad things people kept telling her about marriage. She needed her positive friends with successful marriages to give her Godly advice. And there's more.......
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them? My children!! My boys are 5 and 3 and keep me hopping! I write during naps, after they go to bed and any time that I have some quiet time and I don't need to nap!
9. Please put a description of each of your books here. (back matter is ok) Sleep, My Child is a comforting picture book to encourage your child to drift into dreamland. The verses encourage imagination and the fantasy world of dreams. "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet." Proverbs 3:24
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Sleep-My-Child-by-Eyvonna-Rains/217339737888?ref=tseyvonnarains@msn.com
Memory Lane
I love to scrapbook. The only problem with that is that when I go to the old pictures of my sons, I find myself going back to those long ago days.
I worked very hard trying to be a good mother, but I find myself thinking of my failures when I look at those dear little faces. They were all boy and I was wanting to be a perfect mother, housewife, friend, daughter...you name it.
I didn't learn to say the word "no" for a very long time. I thought that I owed everyone a hunk of my time if they asked for it. I am afraid my boys had a harried mother because of it.
I write this, not to do anything but to remind you to say "no" to the things that are optional. By that, I mean to realize that not everything is going to fall apart if you do not do it. (With the exception of caring for your small children and husband.)
Your kids will rise up and call you "blessed" if they recall that your were there for them, you were regular with meals (I raised boys you know.) and they had clean clothes/socks to wear. It seems all the other stuff is secondary.
Give yourself some credit and don't get all of your worth from things that you do. Be there. Be available. Be fully attentive. It is not all in what you are doing.
Today I want you to meet Heidi A. Mark, my author friend.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
As Big As My Head! by Heidi A. Mark
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I have been a teacher for 22 years and have loved every minute of teaching.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
When I was in high school. I have always been a reader of children's books. When I got into high school, I started writing poetry and keeping journals.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
Because my books are for young children ages 4-10, my strongest points are my ability to rhyme and my humorous flow.
5. Are you a reader?
Yes. I work in the library at my school as the learning resource specialist and read books for younger readers as they are my favorite, but like many light topic fiction books.
6. What are you reading right now?
I just finished The Lovely Bones.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
I have another book, but have not submitted it because I have not reached the 5000 number sold needed and do not have the money to have it published.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
rhyming and using a rhyming dictionary
9. Please put a description of each of your books here. (back matter is ok)
As Big As My Head! is a true and humorous story about my son when he was in kindergarten trying to talk his grandma, my mom, into making huge chocolate chip cookies to take to school for his birthday snack. He gets his way and makes a HUGE treat all the kids love!
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
asbigasmyhead@verizon.net, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Targett and Tate Publishing websites, or on Facebook 
