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1. Appreciate something Looking for the negative is an easy, and bad, habit. To change how you habitually think, you have to…change your thoughts. A good way to begin to do this is to choose to appreciate the good things you already have.  Did you have a good sleep last night in a comfortable bed? Do you have someone with whom to share your breakfast? Do you know at least one person who loves you? Is the sun shining through your windows? Do you have friends to talk to? When you begin to look for them, you will see myriad ways to appreciate the good things in your life. Doing so will raise your level of happiness. 2. Relax about life Most of us stress out about a lot of things that don’t really matter. If your spouse doesn’t load the dishwasher in just theperfect way, come on, the world won’t come to and end. Other drivers can up your stress levels, but only if you let them. Don’t think about or judge them and you will be a more relaxed driver.  Have you ever seen water on a duck’s back? Nope. It rolls right off. For that matter, have you ever seen a duck wracked by stress? I thought not. 3. Do something kind for someone else Kindness is good for the soul—yours and someone else’s. There is something about getting over yourself that makes us all more stable human being, and happier ones. Whenever you have the chance to do a kindness for someone, take it. That will make two people happy at the same time.  If you enjoy this blog, consider subscribing to Creative Inspirations HERE.
The new addition to our family has arrived! Zoë Piper was born July 8th, 2014 to my daughter and son-in-law. She weighed 7 lbs. 8 oz. at birth. We are all thrilled and I have entered a new phase in life—grandparenthood.
 Picking up the Pieces, Wendy Dewar Hughes Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Jill Moss is surprised when she receives her Uncle Neil Bryant’s Bible and discovers that it has certain, odd passages marked. Then she learns that her uncle has discovered an artifact in Mexico that consists of sixteen separate pieces that have been sent to people he knows and trusts. He needs her to travel all over the world to collect all sixteen pieces. Jill prays about it and listens when God tells her to help her uncle out. Thus begins a high speed adventure as Jill meets Marco Jimenez, a handsome Spaniard who helps her out as she is chased and stalked while traveling to collect the pieces of the artifact. The pieces are written in three different and distinct languages: Olmec, Mayan and Hebrew. How is this possible when these three cultures did not exist together and what is the significance of it all? The adventures Wendy Hughes puts her heroine through are both thrilling and exhilarating, as are her captivating descriptions of the terrain and beauty of the countries that are visited. It is amazing how beautifully she marries such diverse points of view, taking passages from the bible and scientific knowledge and creating a story that makes a believer out of the reader. The fast paced adventures and love interest keeps the reader eager and unable to put this story down! Rose Mary Espinoza, InDTale Magazine http://www.indtale.com/reviews/picking-pieces The sciatica that has plagued me for two whole weeks is beginning to wane and giving me more pain-free moments everyday. I am so grateful for the medical help from the hospital and Dr. Phimester and my chiropractor, Dr. Darren Paul. These people and their skills gave me so much relief (not to mention the morphine). I am also thankful for the healing power of Jesus. Now on a light note, spring is bursting out all over so I thought I would share a little Spring in musical form. Spring Song by Felix Mendelssohn. A lovely piece to calm the mind for writing.  This illustration gives a pretty good indication of what I've been dealing with this week. The sciatic nerve pain got so bad that I called an ambulance to take me to emergency just so I could get some morphine in my system and dull the seering pain.
Fortunately, they had some and after an hour or so, I had relief, an x-ray, a prescription for some heavy-duty pain meds and a requisition for a CT scan. On top of the sciatica, it seems I have an infection that is causing my lymph nodes to become inflamed from overwork fighting it and a twisted muscle in . I'm feeling a little better today but the term "a world of hurt" wouldn't be amiss. The medication makes me dizzy and dopey so I'm not getting much writing done and my clients' work is progressing slowly - not surprising. However, onward we go. Tomorrow, the CT scan, a visit to the chiropractor and then I'm the guest for a Facebook chat about self-publishing like a pro. I hope you can join Suzanne Lieurance and me at 11:00 Pacific time.  Chanticlear Reviews:
Picking up the Pieces opens with a short prologue so well done that we are anchored in its stellar writing and professional style. Immediately, readers pass through a portal, created with written words, transported into the living world of the story. Feeling a part of Jill Moss, we long to discover “how, who, what, where, when and why” as we begin chapter one, bracing for an emotional ride filled with suspense. Jill Moss loves and respects her eccentric Uncle Neil, an expert and fearless archaeologist. He has discovered ancient artifacts in Mexico. Recognizing the danger if the artifacts fall into the wrong hands, he hides away. He deflects attention and involves his beloved niece, Jill—protecting her by telling her nothing, but trusting her to do as he asks. She suspects he is once again in danger and believes she has no choice. Uprooting her life, she embarks on Uncle Neil’s quest, one clue at a time. Readers walk in the foreign streets, sit in the cafés, sleep in the dwellings, sweat in the heat, smell the food, and drop exhausted with Jill, when she is overcome. Our hearts thump as we run with her to keep up. We can’t wait to get to the next page, but the words are so compelling, we cannot skip. Pulling for her, we try to solve the mystery and decide what she should do to stay safe. We are comforted when Jill’s trust in God along with her spiritual connection, guides her, allowing narrow escapes in a few of the many precarious situations. Biblical quotes augment the story, giving clues, as the reader slowly grasps the reason behind the intense desire of others who hunt the artifacts—at any cost. The plot keeps the story flowing, but jars us with surprises. Do we believe this story could happen? Absolutely. The main characters are well drawn and feel like family or people we know or have met. We don’t want to say goodbye when finished with the last page. In many scenes, we wonder whether the players are friend or foe. Even the sweet romantic element keeps us guessing until near the end. This reviewer looks forward to being captivated again by this author and will watch for a sequel to Picking up the Pieces, or to the next entertaining page-turner by Wendy Dewar Hughes.  I am thrilled to announce that my newly-published book, Turning on the Light - Finding your Sweet Place in the Spirit, is now available in e-book format.The print version came out in late 2012 but the e-book version has just been formatted for all e-readers.
This book is for the person who is seeking a deeper relationship with a real God. Have you ever been in trouble and had nowhere to turn? Do you have problems in your relationships that won’t go away? Are you trying everything you know to succeed but it's not working? We all want to experience true meaning and purpose in our lives. And we need help in our times of trouble; help we can truly count on. What we need is to learn to connect with God where we can go for answers whenever we need them. When you can go directly to the source of all knowledge, wisdom, joy, peace and everything else worth having, you have a direct line to the top. But how do you do that? In Turning on the Light - Finding your Sweet Place in the Spirit, I share …
Picking Up the Pieces by Wendy Dewar Hughes awarded an INDIE 1st Place Blue Ribbon – Inspirational Romantic/Suspense Category By chanti On January 13, 2013.
In News Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media is pleased to announce that Wendy Dewar Hughes has won 1st place in the INDIE Awards, Inspirational Romantic/Suspense Category (a division of Chanticleer Book Reviews Blue Ribbon Writing Contests). Picking Up the Pieces by Wendy Dewar Hughes [Editor's Note: This gripping novel is well-crafted, well-plotted and suspenseful. It is not your typical "inspirational" novel. Hughes successfully blurs genres with her well-honed storytelling abilities. ] Chanticleer Book Review Blue Ribbon Awards Writing Contests recognize outstanding books and manuscripts. We are honored to announce the INDIE Awards First Place Blue Ribbon winning novels and their authors. Each winning INDIE novel was judged for the following qualities:
 No matter what's going on in life on any given day, whether big or inconsequential, there is always something for which to be thankful.
When we switch our focus from the negative to the positive for even a few moments good things happen. The Bible says that a merry heart does good like a medicine so happiness, even in small doses, is good for our health. Today I'm thankful that when I got up this morning the sky was filled with a beautiful apricot glow streaked with lavender. A show just for me. I got a couple of projects finished and sent off to their respective next steps this morning so I'm gratified that those are complete. My house is warm when it's cold outside and if I get chilly I just have to nudge that thermostat up and the whole place warms up a few more degrees. I didn't have to cook supper tonight because my sister invited my husband and me over to her house. Did I mention that she's a gourmet cook (I'm talking Five Star)? A lovely time was had by all. I'm nearly finished my new Book Cover Magic website and I'm thrilled with how it's turning out. There is so much satisfaction in doing a job well and creating beauty. I'm thankful for the beautiful daughters that God gave me to raise and who have turned into wonderful, caring, successful women. Once you get started it's hard to stop. A positive outlook and a heart of thanksgiving change everything. 
Sometimes a new book starts in a situation like this and sometimes not. In a couple of days, I will have a big announcement about the launch of my new book, Turning on the Light - Finding Your Sweet Place in the Spirit.
I wrote Turning on the Light a few years ago but have recently re-written, updated and re-formatted it into a brand new book. If you want a deeper relationship with God, with easy how-to exercises and no complicated language, you'll love this book. It includes a journal too. But I'm giving too much away...  How do you know when you're doing what you're called to do – when you are in the centre of God's will? For that matter, do you even want that? Do you want God's will or do you just want your own?
Many of us say we want God's will for our lives but live like that's the last thing we'd want. I believe the reason for that is because we don't really know God well enough to trust his judgment. When you know the character of God, you find out that his plan is always the best one. That's because he's the maker. Wouldn't the God who made me know me even better than I know myself? I'd say so. God made me to live in my element. He knows exactly what that is. Other people will try to tell me who I should be, what I should do and I will even try to fit myself into a mould not made for me but if I listen to the Spirit, he will lead me into the best life for me. Will it be easy? Sometimes, sometimes not. That's not really the point. It will, however, be the most satisfying life I could live – a life of peace without striving or anxiety. It will be a life of trust in God who loves me.  While staying in Port Townsend, WA, last week we did a little exploring and found the most delightful little bay called Hadlock Bay.
As you can see, the sun was shining to brightly that I had to squint my eyes nearly shut. I am so thankful for the beautiful fall weather we've had here. Though cool at night - because of the clear air - the days have been brilliant and warm. You see, I'm a lover of summer and summer took a long time to get here this year, which, to be honest, is not unusual. So to have the weather stay nice day after day, week after week is a blessing indeed. This weekend is Thanksgiving here in Canada. This gives us the opportunity to reflect on all the good things we have in our lives and be thankful. Thankfulness is a funny thing; it requires an object or personage to thank. We can be thankful to others for what they contribute to our lives but what about those blessings that are not attached to a specific person? While thankfulness alone is good for our souls, being thankful to God is even more powerful. I am thankful for so many things in life that no human has provided; only God alone. I appreciate the way the sun slides over the mountaintop in the morning and bursts into my living room. I love the way the trees turn multi-colour in the fall and burst into new life each spring. I love the smell of the sea and the cry of the gull. Only God can be thanked for these delights, these blessings that make my life so rich and beautiful. So, thank-you, God. |
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