Hearts shared, expressed, and broken. This month held a wedding, a funeral, special family time, cherished laughter, tears with friends, moments to rejoice, and moments to ponder. It was definitely a time to feel, celebrate, and give love!
Thank you to all who have participated in the month's activities. Currently, there are 416 entries in the giveaway. If you have not yet entered, tomorrow is the final day. LAST CALL! Get your entries in. The only requirement is you must be 18 years or older to enter.
Some great prizes are lined up for March plus a wonderful special guest! Until then, here is the wrap-up for February.
WHAT HAPPENED IN FEBRUARY
Love Reaches
This month is full of hearts - doesn't take much to see them everywhere. So it seemed a natural fit for February (during my 2023 Celebration) to also focus on hearts and love.
FEB 2023 GIVEAWAY: CELEBRATE THE JOURNEY
Each of this month's gift tie in with that special gift of love.
Enter to win a paperback copy of Mirrors of Jesus by Michelle Dennis Christensen, a Memory Blogger leather journal, a Memory Blogger mug, or a paperback copy of Helping Helper by Tara C. Allred.
Meet Michelle Dennis Christensen
This month's guest is extremely special to me. I met Michelle first as a fan who reached out to me after reading The Other Side of Quiet. She shared she too had the desire to write. After a lot of dedication and hard work, this month, Michelle's aspirations have come true.
MIRRORS OF JESUS by Michelle Dennis Christensen
Nearly two years ago, I got to be a beta reader of an early draft of this inspirational memoir. All I can say is this book is absolutely life-changing. I have eagerly awaited its release and am thrilled to share this story with you.
Life Lessons: What Does Love Look Like?
"My heart and mind have been at war trying to figure out what love is and how to adequately show that love when the situation is not what I deem ideal. I don't know what exactly this emotion is called, but it is not love. For me, it is the counterfeit of love. "
Loving Ourselves, Others, and God: An interview with Michelle Dennis Christensen
"That's the thing about living a life of love and letting it win out over fear, we come out on top. We are better and happier and more capable than before." - Michelle Dennis Christensen
This month I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Michelle Dennis Christensen about how she shows love. Check out her wonderful insights. Also, enter to win a copy of her new release Mirrors of Jesus.
Who is the Memory Blogger?
Have you ever met someone and within a short period you are opening your heart to this new special friend? That has been my experience in meeting, Vivian Cumins, the creator of MemoryBlogger. She brings a refreshing new voice to the world of creative nonfiction and I am delighted to share with you the person behind the magic.
Labels by Viv
The poem Labels was originally posted on the MemoryBlogger. With permission, I post it here along with my feelings stirred by this poem. Comments on the label of "mother" and a "childless womb" along with thoughts around the gift of journaling.
Love for Self, Others, and God: An Interview with MemoryBlogger Vivian Cumins
"For decades, I set unrealistic expectations of myself in an effort to gain approval – not the approval of others, but the approval of myself, because that is what perfectionists do. But the day I received the call – the day I was referred to the Huntsman Cancer Institute for treatment – well, that was the day I traded perfection for compassion." - Vivian
Michelle shares how her family trials strengthened her understanding of Christ and His overwhelming love.
Scrapbook Moment
Forgiveness: The Ultimate Form of Love
I write books to learn. I pick a value or a theme I want to understand deeper, create characters, place them in difficult situations, and then watch the scenarios play out, with no easy answers. But hopefully, in the process, I discover a workable path that leads the main character(s) to a better place.
That is what happened with Helping Helper.
Writing Time: FOR THE ETERNAL
Status Update:
On schedule with the writing, but working on the hardest chapters, I've ever had to write. This next week will be some of the most challenging and rewarding writing I've ever done.
I find strength in knowing this book has been a gift to me. This book is definitely not for everyone. But for me, it's been an incredible ride! Now I sincerely hope the ending comes together as I'm envisioning it. If so, the payoff for those dedicated to the series, I believe, will also discover it's been worth the "weird" and wild ride.
Feeling very unqualified for the work ahead. I'm definitely the praying type, so if you are, too, please include one for me and this ending. I would deeply appreciate it!
That's the sum up for February
Each month I have a goal. Events twist and turn in different ways. But at wrap-up time, I'm humbled by the lessons learned, the new experiences uncovered, and all the changes that have happened.
March is going to be essential to all that is ahead! Hope you will join me in this next adventure!
Winners of February's giveaway will be posted in March's newsletter and on my social media accounts.
UPCOMING RELEASES
I'm beyond excited about these two incredible upcoming releases. Pre-order info is below. More will be shared on both of these books in the months ahead!
Becoming a Mean, Teen Parenting Machine
Katie Millar Wirig
Creating a happy and an emotionally healthy teenager begins with interactions with parents. The Parenting Machine reveals the keys to transforming your relationship with your adolescent children. Teenagers are a maze of emotions and many parents are throwing up their arms wondering what happened to their sweet, obedient child.
Taking it back to the basics, mother and educator Katie M. Wirig demonstrates how to implement tried and true principles that will ensure results. Break free from reactive parenting by focusing on topics such as:
How to have hard conversations
How to build reciprocal trust
Preventing emotional burnout in your teens
Using real life experiences from parents and educators alike. Those who apply these principles will enjoy happier and more peaceful homes.
Shadow Runner
K.J. Fieler
Born to wealth, Ada is destined to live a life of luxury—yet all she wants is freedom. A ghostly visitor and a series of seemingly supernatural events unexpectedly deliver her from the mundane—but no one could have predicted the darkness that comes with it. Taken in and raised by a secret society, she is groomed as an assassin. As Ada comes of age, she must become a predator, targeting members of the very nobility to which she was born. The only other choice is to leave the organization as a fugitive. And if she leaves, she must forsake the two people she loves more than herself: her captor and her adopted sister, both of whom would be slain as punishment for her disloyalty.