Conflict

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I’ve busy helping my Dad through a rough patch and time has been at a minimum. As you may know, I’m a member of a writing group online. This week’s topic was all about creating conflict for our characters. It got me to thinking about the conflict we all face in our own everyday lives.

There are many types of conflict. There’s inner conflict, conflict between humans and nature, conflict between individuals and families, and conflict caused by mere circumstances. Regardless of the conflict that arises, just like characters in a novel, we have to make choices and decisions on how to deal with the conflict in order to move forward in our lives.

Conflict can stop you dead in your tacks. It can inflict havoc on your mind, body, and soul. In any good novel conflict is what keeps the reader turning the pages. Like characters in a book, how we deal with conflict has a profound effect on our future.

When faced with conflict take time to stop and consider your actions. If you react too suddenly, you may just set yourself up for further conflict, which might possibly be avoided.

Consider your options carefully when faced with conflict, just like a writer must consider how a character will react to events in order to create more conflict, we in our real lives must consider how to react so that we avoid creating further conflict.

As my mom used to say, “Don’t pray there be no conflicts in your life, but pray you will make the right decisions when it hits you in the face.”

Have a blessed day.

Granny

Happy Father's Day

For those who are fortunate enough to still have your fathers with you may your day be a special one. For those who will spend this day as a day of remembrance, may your memories be good ones, filled with special moments.


A fathers love is priceless. - D.A. Seko

It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons. ~Johann Schiller

Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever. ~Author Unknown

It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was.

~ Anne Sexton

I've had a hard life, but my hardships are nothing against the hardships that my father went through in order to get me to where I started.

- Bartrand Hubbard

Grandparent Project

I was looking back over some photographs of my grandchildren, getting ready to update my wall of picture frames, when I realized that no matter how precious the memories as we age the memories can fade or even change. Our grandchildren's lives change quickly, and long-distance grandparenting can leave you feeling lost and out of touch when trying to keep up with the day-to-day details, all those cute little moments that we think will last a lifetime.

It got me to thinking that I wished I had written a journal entry beside every photo of my grandchildren. So, I have decided that's what I'll do. With the new age of the PC this should be a snap. I'll start a journal, using Word or Publisher, insert a photo and make a journal entry beside that photo complete with date and time. As the years go by and my grandchildren become older I can present them with a book of these pictures with Grandma's thoughts along beside them. When they get older they can look back and see, that although Grandma may not have been able to be at every event in their life's, she was thinking about them and wishing she were there.

So I'm off to begin my project. Wish me luck!

Have a great day, hug your children and grandchildren every chance you get for it is indeed a blessing.

May the sun shine down on you today in one way or another.

Granny

A Ray of Hope

There are times in life when we fall, we fail, we get dumped on, feel crumpled, and dejected. Sometimes it’s the result of decisions we make and sometimes it’s due to unavoidable circumstances that come our way.

Life can often times make us feel worthless for any number of reasons. We may even feel as if we are being buried alive under the piles of dirt that life throws our way. But regardless, we must go on.

How? We look around us and search for the good. You may be thinking I can’t see the good through the dirt, keep digging it’s there; in the smile of a loved one, a hug, a kind word, a ray of sunshine, a drop of rain.

The worth of life and the worth of who we are is a combination of good and bad. Flowers cannot bloom without a mixture of sunshine and rain, which works together to help them grow into beautiful blossoms worthy of attention. We are no different.

No one is perfect; no life is perfect. However, we are each a creation of God, which makes us one of life’s miracle’s. And that my friend makes you priceless.

Regardless of what life throws your way you are special to someone. You touch the lives of others just by being who you are. Your very existence on this earth makes you worthy and invaluable to the lives of those you have touched.

granny

If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.

My Intentions

In the past month, I have been from California, to Maryland, to Virginia, and back to Georgia. I’m a bit jet lagged and road weary, but full of thankfulness to God for making my journey a safe one. I have been so busy spending time with loved ones that I haven’t had a moment to write. As a writer, that has been a bit frustrating, but the experience and sights will prove to be useful over the next few months as I dive into what I hope to be a writing frenzy.

Most of my concentration for the month of May will be working on PrinoWrimo to help me get my romance novel back on the front burner. Of course, I will continue to write and work on my WVU (Writers University Village) classes.

For June my goal will be to continue working/editing my romance novel take a few more courses at WVU and begin working on my student manuals for the fall semester.

Therefore, barring any unforeseen disasters or family issues writing will be my primary focus for the next couple of months.

Of course, I will try to continue making post here and sharing stories and updates about my precious grandchildren, along with what I hope to be inspirational and thought provoking post for my readers.

Time is a precious commodity that is never a waste when you are doing what you love, working toward your dreams, or sharing precious moments with loved one. In my humble opinion, time doesn’t have to equal money. Although, I certainly would not reject it should I be fortunate enough to gain any monetary value for my writing efforts.
:-)

We know not, how many days we have left upon this earth, so make each moment count for something. May your day be a blessed one.

granny

LOVE

I am happy to announce that God has once again blessed me with another healthy grandchild. My granddaughter, Madelyn Rae (Maddy), burst forth into the world on April 16, 2009.

My grandchildren’s smiles are now my sunshine. The sound of their voice an angelic symphony to my ears. Their mere existence fills my life with a joy that is sweeter than fresh stolen honey.

Without a thought, I would willingly lay down my life for my daughter or my grandchildren. To experience such love is truly a blessing.

________

My wish for each of you is that you will have an opportunity in your own life to experience such love for another human being.

Granny

…And now abideth faith, hope, charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love]. (1Corinthians 13)

Living in the Now

I have been doing some soul searching lately and I have come to realize that as a generation and as individuals we are so busy worrying about the past or planning for the future that perhaps we are failing to live in the moment. To really experience the NOW, the thing that is happening at this very instant.

I have to admit that I have been guilty of this myself on way to many occasions. Looking back I realize I have missed many MOMENTS because I was busy planning or at least thinking ahead to the next moment or day missing the true joy of that very second in time.

There are many occasions, where I did not live for just that moment, that I wish I could have back. I wish I could go back to precise moments in my past so that this time I could concentrate fully on that moment taking it all in and absorbing it so that it was etched into the very core of my soul.

One such moment that comes quickly to mind is my daughter’s wedding. Oh, I remember it and I can recall many things about the elaborate event, but there is also so much that I missed in just that one day. Instead of worrying about the guest and making sure everyone else was enjoying themselves, I wish I had been just a bit selfish. I wish I had stood back and absorbed every smile that crossed my daughters face, ever laugh line. I wish I had taken the time to have etched the sound of her laughter in my mind so that I could reach within and play it back, from that very instant in time, whenever I wanted to or needed to. I wish I had basked longer in the glowing sparkle of her eyes, drenched myself in the pure joy and happiness of her moment, her day.

I am slowing beginning to understand and realize that NOW, this very second, is what life and happiness is really about. Let tomorrow take care of itself for it may not come and if it does then I will live in that moment then. I have wasted so many now moments worrying or thinking about the next moment that I feel I have missed so much.

My wish for you today is that you do not let another second in your life pass without fulling enjoying the very NOW of the moment; so that tomorrow or next year, or many years down the road you will not have any regrets or have missed out on a single opportunity to experience the full happiness of that one moment in time.

There will be bad moments for we cannot have life without them. Just like nature cannot survive without rain. For those bad NOW moments, which aren't so happy and pleasant, close your eyes and hand them over to God then move on to the next moment in time. For this exact moment in time is all we are guaranteed.

I write because I care,
Granny