I am Fred Young. As a youngster I had a happy life. My mother and father were the best there was. I married young and married well. My wife, Claire, was everything a good wife should be. We added a baby girl to our family and all was well.
I went to Bible College and felt the call of God on my life. I was blessed to be accepted to the position of pastor at a small church in my hometown. Everything went well. Our church was growing and I knew that I was reaching the people God intended me to reach.
One Sunday everything changed. My wife and daughter joined me as we found our way to the top of a mountain near Silverton, Colorado. We built a cabin and raised chickens. I ran a trap line and we built a life there. Things happened there and I became bitter.
The bitterness changed me. I became a man that no one recognized from my former days. My life changed so I changed. There is no way that I will allow myself to go back to the man I used to be.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Voices of the Characters of Nan's Heritage Series
I am Nan and named after my Ma. Her name was Nancy. It has been difficult since her death. It could be said that the difficulty began when Pa died after the logging accident. Our idyllic life ended that dark day.
Today was filled with worry. My step-mother has been riding little Elmer over ever little thing. She is a harsh woman. She better not take a hand to my little brother. He is only five and can't do all the chores she expects.
I am so frustrated I don't know what to do. I have taken many beatings, but if she touches Elmer...What! What will I do? How can I protect him?
I finished the dishes and spread the dish rag on the basin. Stretching the kinks out of my back I look out the window to see where he is. I see his white/blond head just across the farm yard. He is okay.
I step across the board floor of the porch and sit down on the top step and contemplate. Why do I tolerate the beatings? Why don't I say no more to it? It must be that Elmer is so young. Mary Dewy can do what she will to me, but she better not touch one hair of Elmer's head!
Today was filled with worry. My step-mother has been riding little Elmer over ever little thing. She is a harsh woman. She better not take a hand to my little brother. He is only five and can't do all the chores she expects.
I am so frustrated I don't know what to do. I have taken many beatings, but if she touches Elmer...What! What will I do? How can I protect him?
I finished the dishes and spread the dish rag on the basin. Stretching the kinks out of my back I look out the window to see where he is. I see his white/blond head just across the farm yard. He is okay.
I step across the board floor of the porch and sit down on the top step and contemplate. Why do I tolerate the beatings? Why don't I say no more to it? It must be that Elmer is so young. Mary Dewy can do what she will to me, but she better not touch one hair of Elmer's head!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Summer
I am so glad that we are in warmer weather. Kids are home from school. The evenings are more active with youth softball and other activities.
Yet
Somehow we get bored. In the area where I live, we are 121 miles from the nearest mall. The small towns in our area manage to put together great activities for everyone.
The first weekend of June, Miami, TX has their national cow calling event. They have a 5K and 1 mile run with the cows. (akin to running with the bulls?)
and a steak cook-off with a band and some singers. There is cowboy church and The Follies!
Be sure to go to The Follies on Friday! It features local singers, great costumes, and a lot of fun. It will be worth your time. If you don't know where Miami, TX is, google it and find out.
This week I am interviewing Sherry Polf. I spoke briefly with Sherry at the North Texas Book Festival at Denton, TX.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Sherrilyn Polf...A Matter of Trust, Engineers of Flight Series
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I am pleasant and interesting (I hope)
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
When I was about eleven. I had ateacher who made writing fun. Don't remember the teacher's name though.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
Storytelling.
5. Are you a reader?
Yes.
6. What are you reading right now?
A Trail of Broken Promises by Jess Davon Joslin, The Cat Who Said Cheese by Lilian Jackson Braun and The KJ Bible.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
Yes. It's the second of a trilogy... If In Doubt...Believe. It should go to the Publisher by Summer. The time span runs from August 1940 to October 1941. It continues the story of Dena and her engineer friends dealing with blueprints, formulas and general world problems. It also tells of her spiritual growth along with her maturing.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
Not having enough time. Schedule more effectively.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
Stanford University is out of reach for most Colorado teens in 1939. The opportunity to gain an education there is beyond nineteen-year-old Dena Caulter’s wildest rural dreams. Yet Uncle Walter, a professor at the prestigious university, extends an open door to his home as well as the Howard Hughes Aeronautics program, and Dena is more than willing to spread her wings. Upon arriving in California, Dena feels her rustic roots showing but easily adapts to a more sophisticated lifestyle alongside her cousins, Emily and Stuart. Life may be offering opportunities and fun Dena never thought existed, but her naïve world is about to get a huge dose of reality. Uncle Walter is chosen to work with Howard Hughes in Virginia as part of an elite, top secret team working on NACA technology, and the move threatens to break up the family with the mention of an unfathomable divorce. Talk of war also breaks up the previously pleasant conversations and laughter that once provided the soundtrack for gatherings between Dena and friends. With opinions voiced, she worries that the boy she secretly crush on—Clay—will be whisked away before she gets the chance to truly know him. Even her beloved brother wants to join a war effort she has yet to understand, and her younger sister decides to marry straight out of high school. Studying blueprints no longer offers the intriguing escape it once held for Dena. Struggling to find balance in a life moving faster than one of Mr. Hughes’ airplanes, she must hold on to the Christian values her mother always instilled in her youth, especially when the bright future of her friends and family begins to dim under the threat of war and A Matter of Trust.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here. sherpolf@ptsi.net or www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore or at any major bookstore, amazon.com and ebay.
Yet
Somehow we get bored. In the area where I live, we are 121 miles from the nearest mall. The small towns in our area manage to put together great activities for everyone.
The first weekend of June, Miami, TX has their national cow calling event. They have a 5K and 1 mile run with the cows. (akin to running with the bulls?)
and a steak cook-off with a band and some singers. There is cowboy church and The Follies!
Be sure to go to The Follies on Friday! It features local singers, great costumes, and a lot of fun. It will be worth your time. If you don't know where Miami, TX is, google it and find out.
This week I am interviewing Sherry Polf. I spoke briefly with Sherry at the North Texas Book Festival at Denton, TX.
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Sherrilyn Polf...A Matter of Trust, Engineers of Flight Series
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I am pleasant and interesting (I hope)
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
When I was about eleven. I had ateacher who made writing fun. Don't remember the teacher's name though.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
Storytelling.
5. Are you a reader?
Yes.
6. What are you reading right now?
A Trail of Broken Promises by Jess Davon Joslin, The Cat Who Said Cheese by Lilian Jackson Braun and The KJ Bible.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
Yes. It's the second of a trilogy... If In Doubt...Believe. It should go to the Publisher by Summer. The time span runs from August 1940 to October 1941. It continues the story of Dena and her engineer friends dealing with blueprints, formulas and general world problems. It also tells of her spiritual growth along with her maturing.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
Not having enough time. Schedule more effectively.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
Stanford University is out of reach for most Colorado teens in 1939. The opportunity to gain an education there is beyond nineteen-year-old Dena Caulter’s wildest rural dreams. Yet Uncle Walter, a professor at the prestigious university, extends an open door to his home as well as the Howard Hughes Aeronautics program, and Dena is more than willing to spread her wings. Upon arriving in California, Dena feels her rustic roots showing but easily adapts to a more sophisticated lifestyle alongside her cousins, Emily and Stuart. Life may be offering opportunities and fun Dena never thought existed, but her naïve world is about to get a huge dose of reality. Uncle Walter is chosen to work with Howard Hughes in Virginia as part of an elite, top secret team working on NACA technology, and the move threatens to break up the family with the mention of an unfathomable divorce. Talk of war also breaks up the previously pleasant conversations and laughter that once provided the soundtrack for gatherings between Dena and friends. With opinions voiced, she worries that the boy she secretly crush on—Clay—will be whisked away before she gets the chance to truly know him. Even her beloved brother wants to join a war effort she has yet to understand, and her younger sister decides to marry straight out of high school. Studying blueprints no longer offers the intriguing escape it once held for Dena. Struggling to find balance in a life moving faster than one of Mr. Hughes’ airplanes, she must hold on to the Christian values her mother always instilled in her youth, especially when the bright future of her friends and family begins to dim under the threat of war and A Matter of Trust.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here. sherpolf@ptsi.net or www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore or at any major bookstore, amazon.com and ebay.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Presence
I watched a rerun of Beth Moore today. I think it was a message that God has been trying to get through to me. He is present with me all the time. I learned this long ago when my children were small. I hated ever leaving them, even if I had to. I remember coming across the words in the Bible that God is Omnipresent. Most of the time I just blew past that word but that day the word came alive. God is present with me. He is present with those I love even when we are apart.
Some people like to look at the moon and know that their loved one who is far away is looking at the same moon. It makes them feel closer. Better than that is looking at the moon and knowing that the same God who made the moon is with you AND your loved one.
He is with us. He is with me. This is a simple concept. I think some people who have been Christians a long time fail to chew on the simple and profound things that we are blessed with. The God of the Universe is WITH each of us. He wants to be there for us. We don’t have to find a map or guide book with a lot of formulas to get His attention. Whisper His Name and He shows up.
This week I am interviewing Grace Kao Ong .
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Dear Future Husband by Grace Kao Ong.
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
My book consists of 12 years of letters written over time as I waited for my future spouse. It includes my thoughts and ideals for my lifelong companion as well the stories along the way as I walked the path from youth and adolescence to young adulthood.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
I have loved writing from a young age and always wanted to be an author since elementary school.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
Generally, my strengths are that I write from life experiences and aspire for authenticity and realness in my story or stories. Some of the entries in the book are from when I was younger so it might be apparent that my style has evolved and matured over time.
5. Are you a reader?
Yes.
6. What are you reading right now?
Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it. No.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
I think my biggest obstacle is knowing where and how to start. I have a hard time writing beginnings but once I get going, the words will then start to flow. Another obstacle is not ever feeling finished. I will write and rewrite and change and modify and edit aand still not be satisfied. Overcoming it means resting in contentment once a particular passage is decided upon. I believe there are times when it can be overdone if I fiddle with it too long.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
She didn't know him at the time, but she trusted that she would one day. So Grace Kao began her letters as a young adolescent and continued into adulthood—years of writing and wondering and waiting for the man that God would bring into her life. Journal entry after journal entry entitled Dear Future Husband reveal the journey of author Grace Kao Ong from an impulsive, love-struck girl to a beautiful, beloved woman, from Miss to Mrs.
Every girl eagerly awaits the day when she will find the man of her dreams. In Dear Future Husband, readers will be blessed to discover, along with Grace, that God's timing is always perfect. It is not an easy road, but it is a love worth waiting for.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
My blog and website: http://www.dearfuturehusband.com .
I am hoping to build an interactive community with the site by having people submit their own Dear Future Husband (or Wife!) letters as well as any stories and testimonies that may encourage others in their singleness or life journeys. There's an area on the site for submissions; I would love hearing from anyone willing to share.
My facebook group is: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=280132920417 . You can also follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DearFH and view the book trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj7S0Y2D76U
Some people like to look at the moon and know that their loved one who is far away is looking at the same moon. It makes them feel closer. Better than that is looking at the moon and knowing that the same God who made the moon is with you AND your loved one.
He is with us. He is with me. This is a simple concept. I think some people who have been Christians a long time fail to chew on the simple and profound things that we are blessed with. The God of the Universe is WITH each of us. He wants to be there for us. We don’t have to find a map or guide book with a lot of formulas to get His attention. Whisper His Name and He shows up.
This week I am interviewing Grace Kao Ong .
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Dear Future Husband by Grace Kao Ong.
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
My book consists of 12 years of letters written over time as I waited for my future spouse. It includes my thoughts and ideals for my lifelong companion as well the stories along the way as I walked the path from youth and adolescence to young adulthood.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
I have loved writing from a young age and always wanted to be an author since elementary school.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
Generally, my strengths are that I write from life experiences and aspire for authenticity and realness in my story or stories. Some of the entries in the book are from when I was younger so it might be apparent that my style has evolved and matured over time.
5. Are you a reader?
Yes.
6. What are you reading right now?
Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it. No.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
I think my biggest obstacle is knowing where and how to start. I have a hard time writing beginnings but once I get going, the words will then start to flow. Another obstacle is not ever feeling finished. I will write and rewrite and change and modify and edit aand still not be satisfied. Overcoming it means resting in contentment once a particular passage is decided upon. I believe there are times when it can be overdone if I fiddle with it too long.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
She didn't know him at the time, but she trusted that she would one day. So Grace Kao began her letters as a young adolescent and continued into adulthood—years of writing and wondering and waiting for the man that God would bring into her life. Journal entry after journal entry entitled Dear Future Husband reveal the journey of author Grace Kao Ong from an impulsive, love-struck girl to a beautiful, beloved woman, from Miss to Mrs.
Every girl eagerly awaits the day when she will find the man of her dreams. In Dear Future Husband, readers will be blessed to discover, along with Grace, that God's timing is always perfect. It is not an easy road, but it is a love worth waiting for.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
My blog and website: http://www.dearfuturehusband.com .
I am hoping to build an interactive community with the site by having people submit their own Dear Future Husband (or Wife!) letters as well as any stories and testimonies that may encourage others in their singleness or life journeys. There's an area on the site for submissions; I would love hearing from anyone willing to share.
My facebook group is: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=280132920417 . You can also follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DearFH and view the book trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj7S0Y2D76U
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
You are Not Your Pain
Sometimes pain overtakes my every thought. I know that it takes over my days at times. Most of the time I can work through it. I think I confuse my husband when he asks me a lot of questions about the pain I have been in on a particular day. I usually tell him that I don't want to talk about it.
So........why am I talking about it? I know a lot of people who are in pain. Most just keep putting one foot in front of the other until they hit "the wall" and have to take a break. I have a feeling that most people get sick of the subject of pain being the only thing people talk about when they see them. There is so much more to a person than that.
OK, so you are wondering if people don't ask how I am, doesn't that hurt my feelings?
Maybe, I don't know. I guess what I am saying is, go ahead and ask ...then move on to interesting topics. I know that it is tiresome to hear symptoms and things with no apparent end. I am tired of talking about that too.
I still love scrapbookking and playing with my grandkids, writing, laughing, and all the stuff I have always liked. Just love me and pray for me.
Pain comes to people in many ways. Sorrow, loss, illness, and tragedy can all take over our lives. Allow your friends to hurt. Don't allow that pain to be your definition of them/us.
One thing I love to do is to get to know my fellow authors. This week I am interviewing Toni Nelson .
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
My name is Toni Nelson and the title of my book is: A Beggars Purse.
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I am a real person. Whether you meet me on the street, at church or even work with me or come visit me at my home, I am the same person.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
I have both sides of my brain answering that question. From the time I was a small child, my grandmother would take me to a place called the Children's Shop in Santa Barbara, Calif. The shop was filled with toys and books that could only be described as beyond a child's wildest dreams. Every Saturday I would select a new book to read, everything from Heidi and Little Women to The Prince and the Pauper. All the classics. You might say my first love was reading and from there it escalated to writing. When I was a senior in high school, my teacher encouraged me to instruct our English class numerous times, which I enjoyed and also my college English Professor. I never really made a conscious decision to write. I was very ill with the flu a few years ago and during a still quiet moment, I believe God spoke to my heart about writing my current book.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I haven't had any formal training in writing, but I do have a love for the English language. I am extremely detail oriented and very methodical, but when I started to write I realized this wasn't working for me. I did write my chapters in story order and created a title for each one as I completed the chapter. I then cast aside all control and let each page take on a shape of its own. I would continually go back to each page and try to embellish on each and every sentence. I believe that I have become a better writer through this process and am actually developing a passion for it. It seems as if the more I write, the more I desire to do so.
5. Are you a reader?
Now that I am a writer, I ask myself "how did I ever read and not write?"
6. What are you reading right now?
I am currently reading my bible; which is ongoing, Praying for Purpose for women by Katie Brazelton and The Journal of Helene Berr by David Bellos.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
My friend of 22 years, whom was my neighbor for 17 years would like me to write about her son's murder. I am having her pray about it, since I would want to include details that she may not be ready to reveal or deal with on a personal level. I also have a child's book, I would like to have published. I won't reveal the title at this time...
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
When I first started my manuscript, I thought I would only write when the spirit moved me! A close friend and writer told me that I needed to sit at my desk everyday and write something. Guess what? It works...
9. Please put a description of each of your books here. (back matter is ok)
Backmatter: How do you react when approached by a homeless person? Do you stop and listen or simply walk away as if the person doesn't exist?
Toni Nelson grew up in a beautiful home, set in an idyllic beach community, making friends with the hobos passing through town on the freight trains. Her grandparents' home was a "safe house" for the roaming drifters, and Toni learned at an early age the joy that could come from showing compassion to those less fortunate.
Later in life, Toni moved to Nevada and was struck by the amount of homeless and penniless peopling the city of Las Vegas. With a heart opened and sustained by God, Toni embarked on a journey to help the people who have nothing, and now shares her experiences in this touching and beautiful memoir.
Join Toni in her journey to share God's love with the people around her, and discover the treasures that can be found in A Beggars Purse.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
I can be contacted by email: rnt.nelson@gmail.com
Snail mail: P O Box 5093, Pahrump, NV. 89041
My website: tonikaynelson.com
So........why am I talking about it? I know a lot of people who are in pain. Most just keep putting one foot in front of the other until they hit "the wall" and have to take a break. I have a feeling that most people get sick of the subject of pain being the only thing people talk about when they see them. There is so much more to a person than that.
OK, so you are wondering if people don't ask how I am, doesn't that hurt my feelings?
Maybe, I don't know. I guess what I am saying is, go ahead and ask ...then move on to interesting topics. I know that it is tiresome to hear symptoms and things with no apparent end. I am tired of talking about that too.
I still love scrapbookking and playing with my grandkids, writing, laughing, and all the stuff I have always liked. Just love me and pray for me.
Pain comes to people in many ways. Sorrow, loss, illness, and tragedy can all take over our lives. Allow your friends to hurt. Don't allow that pain to be your definition of them/us.
One thing I love to do is to get to know my fellow authors. This week I am interviewing Toni Nelson .
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
My name is Toni Nelson and the title of my book is: A Beggars Purse.
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I am a real person. Whether you meet me on the street, at church or even work with me or come visit me at my home, I am the same person.
3. When did you know that you wanted to become a writer?
I have both sides of my brain answering that question. From the time I was a small child, my grandmother would take me to a place called the Children's Shop in Santa Barbara, Calif. The shop was filled with toys and books that could only be described as beyond a child's wildest dreams. Every Saturday I would select a new book to read, everything from Heidi and Little Women to The Prince and the Pauper. All the classics. You might say my first love was reading and from there it escalated to writing. When I was a senior in high school, my teacher encouraged me to instruct our English class numerous times, which I enjoyed and also my college English Professor. I never really made a conscious decision to write. I was very ill with the flu a few years ago and during a still quiet moment, I believe God spoke to my heart about writing my current book.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
I haven't had any formal training in writing, but I do have a love for the English language. I am extremely detail oriented and very methodical, but when I started to write I realized this wasn't working for me. I did write my chapters in story order and created a title for each one as I completed the chapter. I then cast aside all control and let each page take on a shape of its own. I would continually go back to each page and try to embellish on each and every sentence. I believe that I have become a better writer through this process and am actually developing a passion for it. It seems as if the more I write, the more I desire to do so.
5. Are you a reader?
Now that I am a writer, I ask myself "how did I ever read and not write?"
6. What are you reading right now?
I am currently reading my bible; which is ongoing, Praying for Purpose for women by Katie Brazelton and The Journal of Helene Berr by David Bellos.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
My friend of 22 years, whom was my neighbor for 17 years would like me to write about her son's murder. I am having her pray about it, since I would want to include details that she may not be ready to reveal or deal with on a personal level. I also have a child's book, I would like to have published. I won't reveal the title at this time...
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
When I first started my manuscript, I thought I would only write when the spirit moved me! A close friend and writer told me that I needed to sit at my desk everyday and write something. Guess what? It works...
9. Please put a description of each of your books here. (back matter is ok)
Backmatter: How do you react when approached by a homeless person? Do you stop and listen or simply walk away as if the person doesn't exist?
Toni Nelson grew up in a beautiful home, set in an idyllic beach community, making friends with the hobos passing through town on the freight trains. Her grandparents' home was a "safe house" for the roaming drifters, and Toni learned at an early age the joy that could come from showing compassion to those less fortunate.
Later in life, Toni moved to Nevada and was struck by the amount of homeless and penniless peopling the city of Las Vegas. With a heart opened and sustained by God, Toni embarked on a journey to help the people who have nothing, and now shares her experiences in this touching and beautiful memoir.
Join Toni in her journey to share God's love with the people around her, and discover the treasures that can be found in A Beggars Purse.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? Please put your website or blog here.
I can be contacted by email: rnt.nelson@gmail.com
Snail mail: P O Box 5093, Pahrump, NV. 89041
My website: tonikaynelson.com
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Kristi Burchfiel
This week I am interviewing Kristi Burchfiel .
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Without Regrets: A Study of Ecclesiastes by Kristi Burchfiel
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I never intended to write a book. I started this journey 7 years ago during a difficult point in my own life. I ended up doing an in-depth study of the book of Ecclesiastes. The results totally revolutionized my thinking about a number of key areas in my life, control and priorities being the most prominent. Even once I finished my own study, I didn't start developing the outline for the study immediately. I would pick it up and work on it a little and then set it back down. It wasn't until about 2 years ago when I really felt a burning desire to get serious about it and put it on paper. Once that happened, the process moved relatively quickly and smoothly. I would have to attribute the timing of these to God's own plan as once I got serious about it, all the rest of the steps of writing and publishing fell into place.
3. Who are some of the people who have helped shape your writing style?
Certainly every English or literature teacher I ever had was influential in some way, but a few really stand out. The main one was my 8th grade English teacher, Ms. Sublett. I wrote a short story on my own time that year and I wanted someone to take a look at it and tell me what they thought. Ms. Sublett graciously agreed to read over the 20+ page story on her own time. Looking back at it now, the story was really lacking in several areas. Her appraisal was both encouraging and completely honest at the same time. I greatly appreciated the time that she took to help me grow and become a better writer, and I remember some of her pieces of advice to this day.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
One of the areas I excel at is readability. I've had a number of people tell me that while they are reading the book, they could actually hear me saying the words in their mind . I love to express myself by writing, I just never thought it would actually result in publishing a book one day. An area that I work the hardest at in my writing is applicability. Making thought provoking statements is nice, but if it doesn't lead to action then what's the point? Throughout the book, I was constantly asking myself how to apply the truths that I was conveying. If someone reads my book and just learns the truths, but it doesn't make an impact on how they live their daily life, then I have failed as an author.
5. Are you a reader?
I started reading when I was 4 and have been reading something ever since.
6. What are you reading right now?
I'm actually between books right now. I just finished First Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, which was a fantastic research-based look at what characteristics make a great manager in the work place. The book had some fantastic insight into the way great managers relate and manage other people that are not always common sense in today's corporate world. Next on the list for me is Daily Life in Bible Times edited by James Packer.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
I have started research for another Bible study. I'm still in the early stages and I don't know whether the study will be just for me or whether it will materialize into a book or not. I just enjoy allowing God to teach me new truths from His word. My study right now is in Amos.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
Time is my biggest obstacle. I work a full time job, have a husband, a 2 year old son, and a four year old daughter. Finding a quiet moment when I'm not folding laundry or picking up toys is a challenge.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
If only...
Each person alive could complete that thought with any number of phrases expressing sorrow, lost wishes, and faded dreams. In a word: regrets.
But, are regrets inevitable? Without Regrets: A Study of Ecclesiastes meets this questions head on. This study aims to help readers understand the basic principles found in the Bible for recognizing actions and attitudes that lead to regrets, while learning through examples from the life of Solomon. The practical explanations and examples make this study simple enough for a beginner, yet the profound truths will be challenging for even the season Bible scholar.
What does it take to live a life Without Regrets? Join author Kristi Burchfiel as she guides you through the book of Ecclesiastes to seek out the answer.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? The easiest way to order my book or to contact me directly is through my website at www.kristiburchfiel.com
1. What is your name and the title of your book(s)?
Without Regrets: A Study of Ecclesiastes by Kristi Burchfiel
2. What is one thing you think your readers would like to know about you?
I never intended to write a book. I started this journey 7 years ago during a difficult point in my own life. I ended up doing an in-depth study of the book of Ecclesiastes. The results totally revolutionized my thinking about a number of key areas in my life, control and priorities being the most prominent. Even once I finished my own study, I didn't start developing the outline for the study immediately. I would pick it up and work on it a little and then set it back down. It wasn't until about 2 years ago when I really felt a burning desire to get serious about it and put it on paper. Once that happened, the process moved relatively quickly and smoothly. I would have to attribute the timing of these to God's own plan as once I got serious about it, all the rest of the steps of writing and publishing fell into place.
3. Who are some of the people who have helped shape your writing style?
Certainly every English or literature teacher I ever had was influential in some way, but a few really stand out. The main one was my 8th grade English teacher, Ms. Sublett. I wrote a short story on my own time that year and I wanted someone to take a look at it and tell me what they thought. Ms. Sublett graciously agreed to read over the 20+ page story on her own time. Looking back at it now, the story was really lacking in several areas. Her appraisal was both encouraging and completely honest at the same time. I greatly appreciated the time that she took to help me grow and become a better writer, and I remember some of her pieces of advice to this day.
4. What are your strong points in your writing style or methods?
One of the areas I excel at is readability. I've had a number of people tell me that while they are reading the book, they could actually hear me saying the words in their mind . I love to express myself by writing, I just never thought it would actually result in publishing a book one day. An area that I work the hardest at in my writing is applicability. Making thought provoking statements is nice, but if it doesn't lead to action then what's the point? Throughout the book, I was constantly asking myself how to apply the truths that I was conveying. If someone reads my book and just learns the truths, but it doesn't make an impact on how they live their daily life, then I have failed as an author.
5. Are you a reader?
I started reading when I was 4 and have been reading something ever since.
6. What are you reading right now?
I'm actually between books right now. I just finished First Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, which was a fantastic research-based look at what characteristics make a great manager in the work place. The book had some fantastic insight into the way great managers relate and manage other people that are not always common sense in today's corporate world. Next on the list for me is Daily Life in Bible Times edited by James Packer.
7. Do you have another book that you are working on and hasn't been submitted for publication? Tell about it.
I have started research for another Bible study. I'm still in the early stages and I don't know whether the study will be just for me or whether it will materialize into a book or not. I just enjoy allowing God to teach me new truths from His word. My study right now is in Amos.
8. What are your biggest obstacles to writing and how do you overcome them?
Time is my biggest obstacle. I work a full time job, have a husband, a 2 year old son, and a four year old daughter. Finding a quiet moment when I'm not folding laundry or picking up toys is a challenge.
9. Please put a description of each of your books here.
If only...
Each person alive could complete that thought with any number of phrases expressing sorrow, lost wishes, and faded dreams. In a word: regrets.
But, are regrets inevitable? Without Regrets: A Study of Ecclesiastes meets this questions head on. This study aims to help readers understand the basic principles found in the Bible for recognizing actions and attitudes that lead to regrets, while learning through examples from the life of Solomon. The practical explanations and examples make this study simple enough for a beginner, yet the profound truths will be challenging for even the season Bible scholar.
What does it take to live a life Without Regrets? Join author Kristi Burchfiel as she guides you through the book of Ecclesiastes to seek out the answer.
10. How can readers contact you or purchase your books? The easiest way to order my book or to contact me directly is through my website at www.kristiburchfiel.com
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Today's Wild Card author is:
and the book:
100 Ways to Simplify Your Life
Publisher: FaithWords; Lrg edition (November 12, 2008)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
JOYCE MEYER is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, she has written more than seventy inspirational books, including The Confident Woman, Look Great, Feel Great, and the entire Battlefield of the Mindfamily of books. She has also released thousands of audio teachings as well as a complete video library. Joyce's Enjoying Everyday Life® radio and television programs are broadcast around the world, and she travels extensively conducting conferences. Joyce and her husband, Dave, are the parents of four grown children and make their home in St. Louis, Missouri.Visit the author's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $16.99
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: FaithWords; Lrg edition (November 12, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446509396
ISBN-13: 978-0446509398
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Introduction
Everyone has them: those days where nothing seems to get done, except maybe what you’ve added to your already lengthy to-do list. Are you tired most of the time? Are you spent? Do you find yourself wish- ing for a better day—a simpler day? Too many things compete for your limited resources of attention, energy, and time. You may be suffocat- ing and not even know it. If you feel like this, you’re not alone.
Most people today live complicated lives that leave them frustrated and confused, weary and worn out. But I have good news: your life does not have to be that way. You can choose a life of simplicity, fruitfulness, fulfillment, peace, and joy. I want to warn you, however, unless you are determined not to, you will do what everyone else does. You will get sucked up in the system and spend your life wishing things were different, never realizing you are, in fact, the only one who can change things. Unless we are resolute and remain undaunted in our quest for simplicity, we are destined for complication and frustration.
I recall a time when I was complaining to God about my schedule being absolutely insane. How could anyone be expected to do all I had in front of me? Then the realization hit me that I was the one who made my schedule and nobody could change it but me. You can spend your lives wishing things were different, but wishing won’t change anything. Smart decision making and decisive action is what changes things. If you picked up this book looking for change, are you willing to make a decision and follow it up with action?
I wasted many years hoping life would change and things would calm down until I finally realized life itself doesn’t change; in fact, it has the potential to get worse. I understood my only real option was to change my approach to life. I had to say no to another day of rushing around and feeling frustrated. I didn’t want the doctor giving me another pre- scription to mask another symptom of the real problem—stress.
In my search for simplicity, I have come to believe life can never be simple unless I learn to approach all things simply. It is my attitude toward each event in life that determines how easy or complex each situation will be. Perhaps life is complicated because people are compli- cated. Is it possible that life is not complicated, but rather, individuals complicate life in the way they approach it?
I discovered it wasn’t really life or circumstances or other people as much as it was me that needed to change. My problem wasn’t the problem—I was the problem! When you spend your life in frustration trying to change the world and everyone in it, you fail to realize it could be you just need to change your approach to life. It can be very easy for someone to live an entire lifetime and never entertain the notion that the way they do things is the real problem.
Have you ever attempted to have friends over for what you initially intended to be a simple afternoon of food, fellowship, and fun, but somehow, it turned into a complicated nightmare? I remember those days vividly. I’d be at church on Sunday and, without much forethought, invite three couples over for the following Sunday to a barbecue. My initial thought was hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, baked beans, potato chips, and iced tea. My motive was fellowship and fun, but by the time the guests arrived, I didn’t even want them there. Fun was not going to happen, at least not for me. Why? I turned my simple get- together into a nightmare of preparation, expensive food, and fourteen people instead of the original six. My complicated approach to life and my complicated thought process convinced me hot dogs and hamburg- ers weren’t nice enough so I bought steaks we could not afford. My potato chips turned into a huge bowl of homemade potato salad. The simple baked beans became four side dishes I labored over.
Insecure and wanting to impress everyone, I had to spend the week cleaning and getting everything in the house to the point where I thought it would be impressive. Of course, the lawn chairs were old, so I bought new ones. I got angry at Dave because I thought he wasn’t help- ing me enough, and by the time our friends arrived, I resented them, wished they hadn’t come, and had a miserable day of pretending to be the happy hostess when in reality I was frustrated and miserable.
I could not figure out why I wasn’t able to enjoy much of anything in life until God revealed to me I was killing my joy with complication. For years, I prayed God would change the people and circumstances around me when, in reality, He wanted to change me and my approach to life. He wanted me to simplify so, ultimately, He could be glorified.
Let me share with you 100 ways to approach living that can simplify your life and, in turn, release and increase your joy. I believe they will dramatically improve the quality of your everyday experience if you incorporate them into the way you do things. Jesus said He came so we might have and enjoy our life in abundance (see John 10:10). His prin- ciples are simple. Faith is simple! Trusting God is simple! A childlike approach to Him is simple! The plan of salvation is simple!
Jesus offers us a “new way of living,” and I believe it is a simple, yet powerful way that enables us to enjoy everyday life. Are you ready to simplify your life? Are you ready to say good-bye to the complexities you’ve allowed to take over? Let’s get started.
Do One Thing at a Time
When we do things without truly focusing our minds on them, we immediately decrease our strength to do the work before us and do it well. By putting our hands to one thing and our mind to another, we divide the muscle behind our abilities and we make the task much more difficult. It’s like removing an egg yolk from the egg white—both can be used separately but the result isn’t as effective (or tasty) as it would be if we leave the egg whole. However, by directing all of our faculties to the one thing we are doing on a particular day, at that hour, at that moment, we find it much easier to do. The ability to concentrate and stay focused can only come from discipline.
The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6 to be anxious for nothing. Anxious people are always trying to live ahead of where they currently are. They spend today trying to figure out tomorrow and the result is the loss of simplicity. God expects us to trust Him with tomorrow just as He instructed the Israelites to do when they crossed the barren wil- derness, pressing toward the Promised Land.
Practice living one day at a time; give yourself—your thoughts, your conversation, your energies, every part of you—to the day at hand.
100 Ways to Simplify Your Life
1. Develop an ability to give yourself to what you are doing. You will sense an awareness enabling you to enjoy the current activity, instead of going through each day in a blur of activity and confusing thoughts which leave you drained and exhausted.
Do you fear you will not accomplish as much if you try to live this way? It’s true you may not do as much, but you will also enjoy what you do a whole lot more. One key to simplicity is realizing that quality is far superior to quantity.
Everyone has them: those days where nothing seems to get done, except maybe what you’ve added to your already lengthy to-do list. Are you tired most of the time? Are you spent? Do you find yourself wish- ing for a better day—a simpler day? Too many things compete for your limited resources of attention, energy, and time. You may be suffocat- ing and not even know it. If you feel like this, you’re not alone.
Most people today live complicated lives that leave them frustrated and confused, weary and worn out. But I have good news: your life does not have to be that way. You can choose a life of simplicity, fruitfulness, fulfillment, peace, and joy. I want to warn you, however, unless you are determined not to, you will do what everyone else does. You will get sucked up in the system and spend your life wishing things were different, never realizing you are, in fact, the only one who can change things. Unless we are resolute and remain undaunted in our quest for simplicity, we are destined for complication and frustration.
I recall a time when I was complaining to God about my schedule being absolutely insane. How could anyone be expected to do all I had in front of me? Then the realization hit me that I was the one who made my schedule and nobody could change it but me. You can spend your lives wishing things were different, but wishing won’t change anything. Smart decision making and decisive action is what changes things. If you picked up this book looking for change, are you willing to make a decision and follow it up with action?
I wasted many years hoping life would change and things would calm down until I finally realized life itself doesn’t change; in fact, it has the potential to get worse. I understood my only real option was to change my approach to life. I had to say no to another day of rushing around and feeling frustrated. I didn’t want the doctor giving me another pre- scription to mask another symptom of the real problem—stress.
In my search for simplicity, I have come to believe life can never be simple unless I learn to approach all things simply. It is my attitude toward each event in life that determines how easy or complex each situation will be. Perhaps life is complicated because people are compli- cated. Is it possible that life is not complicated, but rather, individuals complicate life in the way they approach it?
I discovered it wasn’t really life or circumstances or other people as much as it was me that needed to change. My problem wasn’t the problem—I was the problem! When you spend your life in frustration trying to change the world and everyone in it, you fail to realize it could be you just need to change your approach to life. It can be very easy for someone to live an entire lifetime and never entertain the notion that the way they do things is the real problem.
Have you ever attempted to have friends over for what you initially intended to be a simple afternoon of food, fellowship, and fun, but somehow, it turned into a complicated nightmare? I remember those days vividly. I’d be at church on Sunday and, without much forethought, invite three couples over for the following Sunday to a barbecue. My initial thought was hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, baked beans, potato chips, and iced tea. My motive was fellowship and fun, but by the time the guests arrived, I didn’t even want them there. Fun was not going to happen, at least not for me. Why? I turned my simple get- together into a nightmare of preparation, expensive food, and fourteen people instead of the original six. My complicated approach to life and my complicated thought process convinced me hot dogs and hamburg- ers weren’t nice enough so I bought steaks we could not afford. My potato chips turned into a huge bowl of homemade potato salad. The simple baked beans became four side dishes I labored over.
Insecure and wanting to impress everyone, I had to spend the week cleaning and getting everything in the house to the point where I thought it would be impressive. Of course, the lawn chairs were old, so I bought new ones. I got angry at Dave because I thought he wasn’t help- ing me enough, and by the time our friends arrived, I resented them, wished they hadn’t come, and had a miserable day of pretending to be the happy hostess when in reality I was frustrated and miserable.
I could not figure out why I wasn’t able to enjoy much of anything in life until God revealed to me I was killing my joy with complication. For years, I prayed God would change the people and circumstances around me when, in reality, He wanted to change me and my approach to life. He wanted me to simplify so, ultimately, He could be glorified.
Let me share with you 100 ways to approach living that can simplify your life and, in turn, release and increase your joy. I believe they will dramatically improve the quality of your everyday experience if you incorporate them into the way you do things. Jesus said He came so we might have and enjoy our life in abundance (see John 10:10). His prin- ciples are simple. Faith is simple! Trusting God is simple! A childlike approach to Him is simple! The plan of salvation is simple!
Jesus offers us a “new way of living,” and I believe it is a simple, yet powerful way that enables us to enjoy everyday life. Are you ready to simplify your life? Are you ready to say good-bye to the complexities you’ve allowed to take over? Let’s get started.
Do One Thing at a Time
The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is, on the contrary, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything elseówe are the busiest people in the world.
ÓERIC HOFFER
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection].
—Hebrews 12:2
When we do things without truly focusing our minds on them, we immediately decrease our strength to do the work before us and do it well. By putting our hands to one thing and our mind to another, we divide the muscle behind our abilities and we make the task much more difficult. It’s like removing an egg yolk from the egg white—both can be used separately but the result isn’t as effective (or tasty) as it would be if we leave the egg whole. However, by directing all of our faculties to the one thing we are doing on a particular day, at that hour, at that moment, we find it much easier to do. The ability to concentrate and stay focused can only come from discipline.
The apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6 to be anxious for nothing. Anxious people are always trying to live ahead of where they currently are. They spend today trying to figure out tomorrow and the result is the loss of simplicity. God expects us to trust Him with tomorrow just as He instructed the Israelites to do when they crossed the barren wil- derness, pressing toward the Promised Land.
Practice living one day at a time; give yourself—your thoughts, your conversation, your energies, every part of you—to the day at hand.
100 Ways to Simplify Your Life
1. Develop an ability to give yourself to what you are doing. You will sense an awareness enabling you to enjoy the current activity, instead of going through each day in a blur of activity and confusing thoughts which leave you drained and exhausted.
Do you fear you will not accomplish as much if you try to live this way? It’s true you may not do as much, but you will also enjoy what you do a whole lot more. One key to simplicity is realizing that quality is far superior to quantity.
The Blog Tour for "Nan's Journey" Begins July 23
It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Today's Wild Card author is:
and his/her book:
Tate Publishing & Enterprises (January 2, 2008)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Littau is a life-long resident of Perryton, TX. She met husband, Terry at the Apostolic Faith Bible College in Baxter Springs, Kansas in 1974. They married March 1, 1975 and reside on a small acreage near Perryton where they enjoy spending time with their family and friends. They raised three sons and now have three daughters-in-law and four grandchildren added to their family. They also enjoy visiting with their extended family located in Perryton, Clear Lake, Laverne, and Amarillo.
Author Elaine Littau is a busy woman who by profession is the church secretary for Harvest Time First Assembly of God Church in Perryton. Among other things she has led women’s groups and taught preschool, and was a mentor for the M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Preschoolers) group in her community. She has been active in Toastmasters and enjoys painting, crafts, and playing piano and organ. She was recently appointed to the Campus Education Improvement Committee for Wright Elementary in Perryton. She belongs to Christian Storytellers and Faith Writers writing groups.
“Nan’s Journey” was written over the course of several years. “A salvation message is at the core of the book.” Littau says. “If it weren’t for the Lord, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. I truly enjoy meeting new people.”
Littau is currently working on two other books that are continuations of “Nan’s Journey.” Book signings and speaking engagements are currently set up for venues in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Oregon.
Visit the author's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 188 pages
Publisher: Tate Publishing & Enterprises (January 2, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1602478325
ISBN-13: 978-1602478329
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Chapter One
It was late. The moon had risen and the night symphony was in full force. Crickets chirped at their rivals, the frogs, and dominated the night chorus. Only one sound in the forest was foreign—a whimper from under the ferns. At the base of the largest pine in the woods was a small form crying, moaning, and whimpering. Black hair, matted and dirty, hung in long ropes down the front of the tiny girl. She had been in this spot for hours. At least that is what it felt like to her. Stretching, she cried out in pain. The blood-covered welts burst open to bleed again. Her back was wet with blood, and her dress was torn and useless.
Why had she dared to speak to the woman that she was obliged to call mother in that way? She knew that talking was not allowed from children before chores were finished. The accusations being made by “Ma” were totally false and she could not let Elmer take the blame for something she herself had forgotten to do. She shut her eyes tight against the memory, but it intruded anyway.
She had just gotten up to take the water off the stove to make up dishwater for the supper dishes. Ma had stepped outside the room to turn down her bed and prepare for sleep. When she reappeared in the kitchen, she realized that the wood supply next to the stove was low. Elmer was standing next to the table gathering the plates for washing. “Elmer, where is the wood you were supposed to bring up to the house?” Before he could answer, a hand had slapped him across his face. Getting back onto his feet and standing as tall as a five year old can stand, he looked her in the eye and said, “Ma, I was sick today, ‘member?”
“So, Elmer, you’re going to play up that headache trick again. Nan, didn’t your good for nothing Mama teach you people how to work, or are you just lazy?”
“Our Mama was good! Don’t you say mean things about her!” Nan yelled as her heart raced at the assault against her real Mama’s character.
“What about it, Elmer, are you like your weakling Mama or what?” Elmer’s eyes became very large and filled with tears. He could barely remember his real Mama, but when he did, he remembered soft kisses and sweet singing and a beautiful face. “I’m sorry; I’ll get the wood now.”
“No, Elmer, don’t. I promised you I’d do it today when your head was hurting, but I forgot. I’ll get it after I do these dishes.”
“Listen here, Nan, I’m the boss around here and Elmer will do what I say, when I say, and you will respect me.”
Nan’s eyes widened.
“Don’t look at me like that, little girl.”
Nan held her breath.
“Well, I guess you will be making a trip to the wood shed…with me!” Ma had grabbed her by the arm and jerked her along behind the shed. The strap was hanging there, waiting. Whippings were becoming more and more frequent. After Ma’s husband left, they had taken on a more cruel form. The last whipping was more like a beating. It took days for the marks to scab over and heal. Little Elmer had come in that night and brought some horse medicine from the barn and applied it to the oozing marks.
The next afternoon when the schoolteacher came over, Ma had already formulated a story. “Mrs. Dewey, we missed Nan and Elmer today at school. Are they sick?” Ma lied the first time in her life and said, “Well Miss Sergeant, since Mr. Dewey is going to be gone for another four weeks, I need more help around here to get things done. I’m holding the kids out until he gets back.” Week after week went by, and Mr. Dewey still hadn’t come home. Everyday Ma grew more and more angry. It became more and more impossible to please her. When she began hitting Elmer, it was too much. Nan had to do something— right or wrong; things couldn’t stay the way they were.
The coolness of the earth had settled into Nan’s bones. She stood silently for a minute and carefully crept up to the farmhouse. As she opened the door, she saw that Elmer was in the pallet at the foot of the stove next to her bedroll. Ma was asleep in her room. The door held open with a rock. Slowly she began peeling off the dress and the dried blood stuck to it. She reached for the old shirt she normally wore over her wounds and under her dress. She had washed it today. It had bloodstains on it, but it would keep her from ruining another dress. She retrieved the old work dress that she wore when chores were messier than usual; it was the only one left. She put it on swiftly and shook Elmer awake with her hand over his mouth. “Baby, we must leave. Do you understand? Stay quiet and I will get some stuff to take with us.”
She found large old handkerchief and began looking for food supplies. There was one sourdough biscuit and about a cup of cold brown beans. She located her tin cup and another rag. She would probably need that. Three matches were in the cup on the stove. She would just take two. Suddenly she heard a sound from Ma’s room. A scampering sound… just a rat. Ma turned over. Her breathing became deep and regular. For once Nan wished that Ma snored. She tied the handkerchief in a knot over the meager food supplies, grabbed their bedrolls, and slowly opened the door.
“Come on, Elmer. Can you carry this food? I’ll get your bedding. That’s a good boy. We must hurry!”
The cold air bit at their faces, but they walked bravely on.
“Elmer, we must go tonight so we can get as far away as we can before Ma wakes up and sees that we are gone.”
For the next half hour the pair walked in silence through the familiar woods past the graves on the hill. In one, a mother dearly loved, in another, an infant who had died the same day as his mother, and the third, a father that only Nan had memory of. Elmer was only two years old when Pa died in the logging accident. Nan snapped out of her reverie and urged Elmer on. Molasses, Pa’s good old workhorse, stood in the pasture. He skidded the logs Pa cut with his axe. His legs hadn’t healed quite right, but Mama hadn’t let Mr. Dewey kill him because he was all she had left of the husband of her youth. Molasses was a faithful friend to Nan and Elmer. He stood there and waited for them to mount him.
“Molasses, take us to…” Nan realized then that they had nowhere to go. Mrs. Dewey had said that they were ungrateful little imps who didn’t realize she and Mr. Dewey were taking care of them out of kindness, and they could easily be put into an orphanage. Nan didn’t know anything about orphanages except what Mrs. Dewey…uh, Ma had told her. “Molasses, just take us out of here.”
Why had she dared to speak to the woman that she was obliged to call mother in that way? She knew that talking was not allowed from children before chores were finished. The accusations being made by “Ma” were totally false and she could not let Elmer take the blame for something she herself had forgotten to do. She shut her eyes tight against the memory, but it intruded anyway.
She had just gotten up to take the water off the stove to make up dishwater for the supper dishes. Ma had stepped outside the room to turn down her bed and prepare for sleep. When she reappeared in the kitchen, she realized that the wood supply next to the stove was low. Elmer was standing next to the table gathering the plates for washing. “Elmer, where is the wood you were supposed to bring up to the house?” Before he could answer, a hand had slapped him across his face. Getting back onto his feet and standing as tall as a five year old can stand, he looked her in the eye and said, “Ma, I was sick today, ‘member?”
“So, Elmer, you’re going to play up that headache trick again. Nan, didn’t your good for nothing Mama teach you people how to work, or are you just lazy?”
“Our Mama was good! Don’t you say mean things about her!” Nan yelled as her heart raced at the assault against her real Mama’s character.
“What about it, Elmer, are you like your weakling Mama or what?” Elmer’s eyes became very large and filled with tears. He could barely remember his real Mama, but when he did, he remembered soft kisses and sweet singing and a beautiful face. “I’m sorry; I’ll get the wood now.”
“No, Elmer, don’t. I promised you I’d do it today when your head was hurting, but I forgot. I’ll get it after I do these dishes.”
“Listen here, Nan, I’m the boss around here and Elmer will do what I say, when I say, and you will respect me.”
Nan’s eyes widened.
“Don’t look at me like that, little girl.”
Nan held her breath.
“Well, I guess you will be making a trip to the wood shed…with me!” Ma had grabbed her by the arm and jerked her along behind the shed. The strap was hanging there, waiting. Whippings were becoming more and more frequent. After Ma’s husband left, they had taken on a more cruel form. The last whipping was more like a beating. It took days for the marks to scab over and heal. Little Elmer had come in that night and brought some horse medicine from the barn and applied it to the oozing marks.
The next afternoon when the schoolteacher came over, Ma had already formulated a story. “Mrs. Dewey, we missed Nan and Elmer today at school. Are they sick?” Ma lied the first time in her life and said, “Well Miss Sergeant, since Mr. Dewey is going to be gone for another four weeks, I need more help around here to get things done. I’m holding the kids out until he gets back.” Week after week went by, and Mr. Dewey still hadn’t come home. Everyday Ma grew more and more angry. It became more and more impossible to please her. When she began hitting Elmer, it was too much. Nan had to do something— right or wrong; things couldn’t stay the way they were.
The coolness of the earth had settled into Nan’s bones. She stood silently for a minute and carefully crept up to the farmhouse. As she opened the door, she saw that Elmer was in the pallet at the foot of the stove next to her bedroll. Ma was asleep in her room. The door held open with a rock. Slowly she began peeling off the dress and the dried blood stuck to it. She reached for the old shirt she normally wore over her wounds and under her dress. She had washed it today. It had bloodstains on it, but it would keep her from ruining another dress. She retrieved the old work dress that she wore when chores were messier than usual; it was the only one left. She put it on swiftly and shook Elmer awake with her hand over his mouth. “Baby, we must leave. Do you understand? Stay quiet and I will get some stuff to take with us.”
She found large old handkerchief and began looking for food supplies. There was one sourdough biscuit and about a cup of cold brown beans. She located her tin cup and another rag. She would probably need that. Three matches were in the cup on the stove. She would just take two. Suddenly she heard a sound from Ma’s room. A scampering sound… just a rat. Ma turned over. Her breathing became deep and regular. For once Nan wished that Ma snored. She tied the handkerchief in a knot over the meager food supplies, grabbed their bedrolls, and slowly opened the door.
“Come on, Elmer. Can you carry this food? I’ll get your bedding. That’s a good boy. We must hurry!”
The cold air bit at their faces, but they walked bravely on.
“Elmer, we must go tonight so we can get as far away as we can before Ma wakes up and sees that we are gone.”
For the next half hour the pair walked in silence through the familiar woods past the graves on the hill. In one, a mother dearly loved, in another, an infant who had died the same day as his mother, and the third, a father that only Nan had memory of. Elmer was only two years old when Pa died in the logging accident. Nan snapped out of her reverie and urged Elmer on. Molasses, Pa’s good old workhorse, stood in the pasture. He skidded the logs Pa cut with his axe. His legs hadn’t healed quite right, but Mama hadn’t let Mr. Dewey kill him because he was all she had left of the husband of her youth. Molasses was a faithful friend to Nan and Elmer. He stood there and waited for them to mount him.
“Molasses, take us to…” Nan realized then that they had nowhere to go. Mrs. Dewey had said that they were ungrateful little imps who didn’t realize she and Mr. Dewey were taking care of them out of kindness, and they could easily be put into an orphanage. Nan didn’t know anything about orphanages except what Mrs. Dewey…uh, Ma had told her. “Molasses, just take us out of here.”
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