Sunday, January 29, 2012

South Church


Reverend Thomas Prince. Portrait by Joseph Badger.

During the French and Indian war, England was at war with France. The French sent a fleet of 40 ships to destroy New England. The American colonists had no army or navy to protect themselves. In the face of eminent danger, Reverend Thomas Prince of the Old South Meeting House in Boston, called for a day of prayer and fasting.

The morning was one of perfect peace and calm. No wind ruffled the waters of the bay and not a cloud was in the sky. Reverend Prince prayed even more fervently than was his custom. He appealed to the Almighty for deliverance from the danger that threatened. Suddenly, a gust of wind so strong it rattled the windows in their casings, hit the church. Everyone looked around and Reverend Prince continued his supplications, asking God to cause the wind to confound the purposes of the enemy.

The wind rose to such a tempest that it destroyed the French fleet and saved New England from total destruction.

I can only imagine the prayers of thanksgiving and the rejoicing that must have taken place after that miraculous event.

Reverend Prince was so revered that the town of Princeton was named after him.

This story is just one of many of the events that took place in America's early years. So many of these historical accounts punctuate the fact that the colonists relied on God for protection and to help them in their quest for a new country where there was freedom for all and they could all worship as they pleased. Their belief that all things are possible with God helped them through many difficult situations.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Laying the Foundation

Monday night I had my first television interview for a new local cable show called Women to Women. The host interviews women who are making a difference to our area. As I sat watching the woman being interviewed before me, I felt like I didn't have that much to offer.

I was a ball of nerves and some of the questions took me off guard. The interviewer had never met me and her questions went in a direction I hadn't anticipated. I have yet to see the tape, so of course, I'm worried about those alleged ten extra pounds and that I might look like a babbling idiot.

I'm flattered to be included among women who are doing amazing things. My contribution is an historic play written to show the miraculous things that happened during our country's beginnings. There are some beautiful stories that I will post here. They used to be taught in public schools, but aren't any more. These are stories that will give you goose bumps and bring tears to your eyes. They show what the foundation of our nation is and how far we've gone in the past 250 years.

In our state, American History is taught in the 5th grade. There are two versions of the play. One has some of the best stories, miracles, and uplifting music. The other version is for public school and has some of the good stuff removed because of the references to God. It's a crying shame these stories can't be told and acted out in public schools.

As a parent, I believe these must be taught by parents and not forgotten. They are our deepest roots as Americans.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

ACV - A Miracle


The past two weeks have been miserable. My husband generously shared a super nasty winter crud with me. I won't go into all the gross details, but by yesterday I had no voice, my teeth hurt, and my eyes were bulging out and watering too much to read or watch TV.

I'm not one to run to the doctor unless it's really something, so I went online and read about apple cider vinegar and honey. I know, I'm probably the only one who didn't know about this miracle cure, and actually my son and his fiancee told me to heat 2 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar with one Tbs. of honey and drink it. I tried it once and got nauseous from all that honey and the taste was, well, like vinegar. After reading about it online, I decided to give it another try. This time I put it in a cup of hot water. Within a few minutes, the pressure in my head had lessened. I drank 3 cups of it yesterday and today I'm remarkably better.

I'm thrilled to feel almost human again. It is said to work much better if you drink it when you first notice you're getting sick. I'm about 14 days too late, but it's still working. Yay!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

What's New?


It's been hectic through Christmas and New Year's. You all know what I mean: cooking, decorating, cleaning, family, celebrating, and lots of extra things to do. As soon as it is over, life feels so vacant. But my husband and I came down with one of those winter cruds that lasts about ten days. Now we are almost over it, things feel like they will go back to normal. Blogging hasn't been in the forefront of my mind, but hopefully things will pick up now that my brain is starting to function again.

I have lots of new plans for the new year. There are two books I want to finish and one that needs fine tuning. I'm determined to get into Pinterest. It will save space on my computer and give me ideas to refer back to for book characters, locations, decorating ideas, and lots more.

The list is long and I have a hundred daily interruptions that take precedence over what I want to be doing. Still I trudge onward and upward with the dream. What's new with you?

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Daily Grind

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our days could be spent leisurely writing at our own pace, stopping to take a walk to think about the next scene, steadily covering the ground of a new book and, for sure, a best seller?

This week I'm shortening a 45 minute play to 20 minutes and adding a new act. I have a deadline and the ideas aren't coming yet - frustrating.



Wish me luck and I hope your week is a productive one.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

A New Year


Each new year feels like a clean slate; a chance to begin again with the best of intentions and a fresh calendar.

This year, I'm not making any resolutions. Resolutions seem like big insurmountable tasks, so I'm going to take a step toward my goals each day. I have plenty of projects to work on and each day will have it's own goals and accomplishments.

Happy New Year. I hope it's a good one for all of us.