Ready?

 It doesn't take much for me to begin thinking about summer.

Just get rid of the snow and replace it with the sun in one week!

We had our annual Easter get-together. This year we had 14 of us, Jesus (I always take down a picture of Christ and set it in a chair) both grandmothers, my daughter Tiffanie and her family, my daughter Bethany and her family, and Aimee and her family via Zoom in Texas. Of course, we couldn't send the excellent food my husband cooked through the computer screen, but we did manage to have a spiritual feast reading various scriptures about Christ from the prophets.

Jacob, as always, didn't want to eat much but was anxious to get to the "fun" part. Finding eggs on the Easter egg hunt. There were plenty!

I Hope your Easter was just what you wanted it to be this year. 

All my love,

Kathryn

Keeping the Faith

I am a faithful writer. I am also a faith-filled person.

I believe in faith like the water I drink, the feet I stand on, and the hands that reach for me in my distress. 

Life isn't always about what you expect, neither is it easy, as any rock-solid, faithful person will tell you. Life isn't about doing what you want when you want it. Usually, it is about doing what is right, which makes the thing you are doing inconvenient and difficult. 

If the waters of life are God, then the boat we must sit in to travel through life, is faith. Sometimes we have oars, we feel as if we are traveling along swimmingly. We feel as if we can get to shore if need be. But there are times in that boat, when the oars are nowhere to be found, or the oars wouldn't be of use anyway because we are traveling down the rapids to the falls.

Clinging to both sides of my boat, my face so wet that I cannot see, it is all I can do to keep upright. But I need to move forward. I have to. Sitting in my boat I see others in their boats. Some are smiling. Others are crying. Dare I say it? Many, so many that I cannot count them, are traveling down the rapids of life too. 

I want to scream, "You can do it!" "I know it's hard!" "I know the journey is taking everything you have, but you can do it!"

I know the rapids are loud, so loud it feels impossible to hear the still, small voice. But I also know we are NOT the only person sitting in our boat. I know this because I am not the only one sitting in mine.

 

Stepping back, moving forward

You may have noticed. I have stepped back a bit.

If you've been receiving my newsletter, I'm trying to decide if I want to bring it back.

I have also stepped back on my blog posts.

I have been writing, however, and editing, and trying to keep somewhat busy with my favorite things. 

Reading. Going out to eat. Talking with friends. Reflecting. 

Things today just seem to be ramped up in stress. Even work away from home has done its share of white hair days. Some days, can I just say it? I just want to sit back and watch a few movies. 

Today was a nice surprise. Lots of snow. More snow than I want to shovel, but I do get help over here. School is closed, and my husband was able to stay home from work. 

It's been nice, you know?

So nice, I can't help but start thinking about tomorrow.

It's snowing again and the snow plow hasn't yet made it up our street.

Happy Valentine's Day! A few great deals for you!

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Yes, Christmas comes first, but there's something about Valentine's Day that fills my heart. Maybe it's the color red (my favorite color). Or hearts (my favorite shape :) or maybe it's those heart-felt Valentine cards I give and receive. 

I also LOVE to sell my books to readers who LOVE and appreciate a little mystery, a bit of personal improvement, a bit of drama, and even a bit of fantasy. For who doesn't love a great escape now and then?

Here are some great deals to get today! 💟 💟 💟 💟 💟 💟 💟 💟 💟

Regular price $9.98
Today $5.12

No reviews yet!

Regular price $12.98
Today $5.31

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 28, 2022

We absolutely need more books like this! "I Walked with Jesus" takes moments from the gospels—encounters with Jesus, and portrays them in a novel-like narrative. If you're familiar with the TV series,
"The Chosen," this book reminds me of that show, because it portrays beautifully and emotionally the people with whom Jesus came in contact.

Reading the stories spelled out like a novel brings them to life, especially for avid readers. I think there's potential to never read the scriptures the same, because of the powerful portrayals in the book.

Kathryn's got it right! I'll be watching for more of her work!

Regular price $14.98
Today $4.16

"This is the second book of a series which I hope goes to ten volumes, or more. I finished this exciting one hundred ninety-page cozy mystery in two days. The presentation is impeccable and keeps the reader on the edge. Sunny Side-Up is well written. The ending is a clever surprise."

What it means to have a heart goal

I am not making any new year's resolutions this year - at least not on paper. I used to make them, but often, probably like you, I didn't keep them.

Let's just say life got in the way.

This year, I thought about what I wanted to improve about myself. And I've decided I want to work on the inner being versus picking something like, "Write a book this year," or "Put out 3 blog posts a week." Something happens to me when I do that.

Suddenly, it's all about the numbers, all about the data, and not about the heart or spirit of the thing.

My heart goal may be too spiritual for me to write down. I think it is. So I will leave it at that.

Just know, that you can have one too. And it doesn't have to be written on paper, and you don't have to tell anyone that you have set it, and you can keep it in your heart and mind all year. You can talk to God about it. He knows anyway because He knows you and loves you.

Photo by Christopher Beloch on Unsplash

I took my Christmas tree down early this year

It's been a tough year. Rather than go through all of the details, let's just say I took my Christmas tree down early this year. 

No, it didn't go down before Christmas, but, for those of you who know me, the past few years I have kept it up through Valentine's Day. Yes, I switch the ornaments out, and yes, I usually love keeping the tree up just that much longer, but this past year I was ready for a new start - a start that didn't bring any of the past year's stuff with it.

Photo by Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

My husband asked me if taking the tree down was hard to do. It wasn't.

I wondered if I'd miss having it lit up in my living room. I haven't.

You must be thinking, "Wow, she must have had a terrible year."

And you'd be right.

That doesn't mean great stuff didn't happen last year, but there was a lot of hard stuff that didn't want to end. Much of it is still going on though I have been given the strength to walk through it.

Perhaps that's what this life is about anyway. Not parties, surely, and not always glittering Christmas trees, but living life and seeing what you're made of. Making those choices that will mean the most to you in the end. The stuff of life that is truly important. Loving, serving, teaching, listening, striving to be better, searching for truth and sticking to it. Wavering, maybe, but returning to the foundation over and over again, to the truth you have always known and loved even though it hasn't always been easy.

Photo by John Price on Unsplash

Trees are beautiful symbols of love and truth and hope. But sometimes, that hope, that truth, that love, comes in other forms that need to be seen and remembered. A hug on the legs by a Kindergarten child and the words, "I love you, teacher." A meal created by your husband and brought to you on a lonely night when you are tired. A prayer with your name in it. A friend who texts about her granddaughter's cancer and you are given hope that your own daughter's cancer will be overcome.