Give Thanks

Thanksgiving Day is a special tradition for most people—family, food, fun... and football. A celebration started by the early settlers to the New World, they gave thanks for the freedom and bounty they found in the beautiful land across the seas. Curious that we make little of the fact that giving thanks implies an offer to someone—a free transfer of something to someone. If thanks is the "something" than who is the "someone?"

The object of the pilgrims thanks was God and He is the receiver of the thanks I feel. I am thankful for so many things in my life, naming a few:

• I thank God for my husband
• I thank God for my sons (Nur and David)
• I thank God for my daughter-in-law Tonya and my grandkids, Caeli, Riley and Declan
• I thank God for my siblings, their spouses, their kids and grandkids
• I thank God for Bob's mom and dad
• I thank God my mom and sister are in heaven.

Sure I thank God for the roof over my head and the food I have to eat, but the focus of my thanks is family. There is nothing more important to me. I spend more time with family than any other people in my life and I love it!

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; 

make known among the nations what he has done.

1 Chronicles 16: 8

Going to the Dogs

For my dog lover followers, here's another clever video from the group Ok Go—the guys who brought us the choreographed treadmill video. Here they are in their new video with their rescue dog friends performing White Knuckles.







Look at this! Amazon is already advertising The Dog Next Door. You can pre-buy the book. Release date is June 1, 2011. Make sure you get your copy so you can read my story inside.

A Sad Goodbye

Greg sitting on the steps of the Little Brown Church,
which plays a part in his novel, Saving Grace

This week we said a sad goodbye to fellow writer and author Greg Cochran. Within a month of his fiftieth birthday, Greg passed away suddenly, leaving a grieving wife and teenage son and daughter.

I met Greg at one of the critique groups sponsored by Inspire Christian Writers. The group had been critiquing his work in progress, a tender story of a Great Lady and a mysterious child in her court, taking place in medieval times. The economy had taken its toll on the Cochran family since Greg lost his job in the pharmaceutical industry earlier in the year. Besides writing, Greg had turned his frustrations toward training the many young athletes he was responsible for coaching at Bradshaw Christian School.

Greg had made an obvious impression on the kids he coached as evidenced by the large number attending his funeral. I remember Greg speaking of his "kids," how they enjoyed reading his novel, Saving Grace, and found it hard to picture Greg as the author.

Saving Grace developed a fan base since its debut in 2008. In fact book sales started to pick up this past summer as word spread about this intriguing novel of angels and time travel. Greg talked about fans who made trips to Pacifica, California and snapped photos in front of landmarks that play a part in the book.

Greg's best friend would say he was a steadfast guy who trusted God. Though large in stature, he projected a gentleness of heart and quiet spirit that calmed the room he occupied. Indeed, his favorite verse laid the foundation for a life which evokes the question, "Why does God take all the good ones?"

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight.

                                                                        Proverbs 3:5-6