This and That

Today is my 51st birthday. And the 30th anniversary of receiving my engagement ring :). Hard to believe that much time has passed! I daily thank the Lord for the blessing of a good and faithful husband who models Jesus Christ to me in his love.

We were planning to snowshoe into our cabin today, a family outing to the mountains, which is how I like to celebrate my birthday. But . . . there is a high wind warning in the mountains. I-70 is closed in both directions from not too far west of Denver through Vail Pass. Not that we go that way to our cabin, but those roads won't be in very good condition, either. Plus the idea of being out in that wind with high temps only in the teens . . . well, you get the idea. In the winter we have to park at the end of the paved road in Eldora and walk about a mile to get to the cabin. With as much snow as we've gotten in December, that means snowshoeing or cross-country skiing (something I've tried several times and vow every time not to do again!). So we snowshoe :). Ah, well. It will have to wait for another day.

A book recommendation for all the writers: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Christian Fiction by Ron Benrey. Excellent information presented in an easy to read format. I especially like his chapter on plotting. Knowing I'm in between being a plotter and a seat-of-the-panster, a couple of the methods he offered are definitely doable for me :). Definitely worth buying for your own reference library. I also got Gail Martin's Writing the Christian Romance, but I haven't had a chance to read that one yet. Knowing Gail and her work, I'm sure it will be a big help, as well.

My friend Heather posted a poem on her blog that speaks to my situation at the end of 2007. It certainly has been a year of hardship and change for me, but it has also been a year where I've gotten to know my Lord Jesus much more intimately. Which is the purpose of suffering, to draw us closer to Him, to make us more like Him. I certainly haven't arrived, believe me. But I do see progress. God is soooo good! There is a reason that "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" is one of my favorite hymns. He certainly has proved to be faithful over and over in 2007. And He will continue to be faithful no matter what 2008 holds.

I came across this quote in Karen Ball's What Lies Within, and it so apropo to this time of year: I said to a man who stood at the gate of the year: "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown"; and he replied, "Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That will be to you better than a light and safer than a known way!"

So my prayer for you all is to walk the path God has for you, trustingly putting your hand into His. His way is always best.

Have a blessed New Year!