About Rebecca Waters

Rebecca Waters, a graduate of Tampa’s George D. Chamberlain High School and the University of South Florida, served over fifteen years as a teacher in the public school system in Fairfield, Ohio. During that time, she earned both her Master’s and Doctoral degrees at the University of Cincinnati. Rebecca then taught at the University level for fourteen years at Cincinnati Christian University where she was awarded “Teacher of the Year,” in 2010. Rebecca left her position in 2012 and penned her first novel, Breathing on Her Own which released in 2014. Rebecca’s husband of forty-three years died in a bicycle accident that same year. Rebecca stepped away from writing during that time and focused on, in her words, “breathing and putting one foot in front of the other.” Rebecca spent the 2017-2018 school year teaching fourth grade in a school in Prishtina, Kosovo. For her it was a time of healing. On her return to the United States in 2018, Rebecca’s second novel, Libby’s Cuppa Joe was released. Rebecca remarried in 2023 and returned to her roots in Florida with her husband, Mike. Corners and Straight Edges is Rebecca’s third novel. In it her experience as a classroom teacher shapes the main character, Katharine Gilmore and the challenges all teachers face daily.

God Can See Around the Corners

 Expect the Unexpected… Because God Can See Around the Corners

If you follow my blog, you know Mike and I have spent some unexpected time in Ohio. We have a house there and Mike wanted to do some yard work. I wanted to see the kids and grandkids.

Well, Mike finished the yardwork. We visited some with the kiddos. Never as much as I would like, but that’s another story. I cleaned out my office and managed to get a bit of writing done. It was a crazy week. We headed home and got as far as somewhere in Kentucky when our truck had a problem. We made it back to the Ohio house without incident.

My Namesake... 
Preparing
for the Unexpected
Go Rebi!

But I trust that God can see around the corners. There is always a reason things turn out the way they do. We may never know what or why, but stuff happens. I trust we are exactly where we need to be right now. Whether it is Ohio, in Florida, or wherever.

I’ve experienced that feeling before. 

Once, when I was in India, my youngest daughter and I were working with young women who had been rescued from human trafficking. I remember the day we were all sitting on the floor with these sweet young women…some of them were mere children. 

I leaned back and felt, as much as heard a voice telling me, “You are exactly where you need to be right now.” 

That wasn’t the only time I came to that realization. But that time it was so real…almost audible, that I turned to see who said it. Of course there was nobody there.

Other times, after fretting over things not going my way or at least as I expected, I’ve been able to look back and see the timing proved to be perfect. Or the situation helped me grow in some way.

For example, the house we have in Ohio is one I bought a few years after Tom died. I needed a single-story house…NOT the three levels of space the other house offered. I was alone. I needed a manageable space and found it in that ranch style house. 

The place was a mess, but after some remodeling, it serves us well. One thing that made me love this place is that it was built on my grandparents’ farm. 

That was an unexpected gift for me. I spent several years of my childhood on that farm. 

I managed and came to terms with living alone when I bought the Ohio house. I found strength in serving others. Only a few weeks after I moved in, I received a message from a former student of mine from the college where I served. 

She wanted to know if I would be willing to travel to Kosovo and teach fourth grade in her place at an established American school. I gave her the only answer I knew. “I’ll pray about it.” And I did. A few weeks later I was on an airplane headed to Prishtina, Kosovo. It was a year of healing.

Then there is Mike.

I did not know God had a plan for me to remarry. I headed to my high school class reunion in Florida, stayed at the Waters’ family home and planned a post-reunion-pot-luck -picnic for the day after the official gathering. Mike not only offered to help me with the picnic, he drove me to the reunion.

After that, we talked on the phone. Every single day. He drove to Ohio to see me and meet my family. By Christmas we were engaged and we were married the following April.

Yep, I’ve learned to always expect the unexpected. Because God can see around the corners. We may not know why we wound up in Ohio longer than we planned, but one day, we may look at each other and say, “Wow, if that hadn’t happened…” 

Then again, we may never know. But I trust it was for our good. Or someone else’s. God has a plan.

I can trust Him. As my friend, Claudia, says, “He’s good at His job!”

ohio trip 2

 You Can’t Get there From Here…Part II

If you read last week’s blog post, “You Can’t Get There From Here,” you know Mike and I drove to Ohio from Florida via a new route. The first part of the drive was beautiful. But it turned somewhat complicated…at least at the end. I should have trusted the GPS. Just sayin’…

The week was great. We accomplished all we intended to do and then some. So, since Sunday is a good day to travel, we headed south toward home early Sunday morning. We were packed and ready.

The plan was to head South on I-75 early and stop somewhere (Read: probably Buc-ees) for breakfast. The weather was good, the traffic was light. We had everything we needed. We knew the route. Interstate 75 South. Easy.

Then something happened. A light from the truck’s computer system warned Mike the DEF fluid was low. Not the best way to start a thousand-mile trip. And it was Sunday. Nothing was open. Nothing.

I take that back. We found a McDonald’s, ate breakfast, and made a plan.

Since we weren’t very far from our home in Ohio, we headed back. There wasn’t much at our house by way of groceries and it was Sunday, so daughter Allison came over and took me to the store.

On Monday, Mike found a Ford Dealership, dropped off the truck, and brought home a rental vehicle. We tried it out with a trip to Bass Pro Shop. Mike didn’t find anything, but I came home with three new blouses.

We’re not upset. Inconvenienced, maybe, but not totally frustrated. We’re counting our blessings. 

One: We have a comfortable home in Ohio, so we’re not waiting this out in some cramped hotel along the interstate.

Two: We like our Ohio home…even if we don’t have cable TV.

Three: We’re close to family.

Four: We have cell phones. (What did we ever do without them?)

Five: Uh…well, four good things is enough. Anyway, soon, we know we will be heading back to Florida. In the meantime, we will enjoy the beautiful sunshine here, family, and watching M.A.S.H. on our limited television reception.

And praising God we have a place to land. 

 

 

 

You can’t get there…

 “You Can’t Get There From Here”

Mike and I decided to take a different route from our home in Inverness, Florida to our house in Ohio. We wanted to see if we could find a suitable route that would get us to the west part of Kentucky and avoid Atlanta. 

I’m not “dissing” Georgia. I know many people who live in that southern state. Good people. But the traffic on the interstate through Atlanta is not always “user friendly.”

Bowling Green is west of our normal route and one of our plans involves a trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky. Why Bowling Green? Because the Corvette manufacturing plant and museum is located in that part of Kentucky.

We headed out on a Saturday in the truck. We didn’t need to pack much, but since our ultimate destination was Southwestern Ohio, Mike wanted to take some lawn care stuff like weed eaters and such for the house there. 

Every Trip is Better with Buc-ees

I had maybe …maybe, driven through the Florida Panhandle once that I can vaguely remember. It was at night. Since we would be traveling US Highway 65 to Kentucky, Mike and I headed north to the Panhandle and then west before cutting north through Alabama. What a beautiful state! The traffic was light and the weather perfect. Our only (somewhat) congestion was around Montgomery, Alabama. All in all, we could see how the route would serve us well in our smaller vehicle. Our roads took us from Florida to Alabama to Tennessee to Kentucky.

That part of the journey was wonderful. But traveling at night from Bowling Green, Kentucky to Ohio wasn’t what we expected. This was dark, unfamiliar territory until we suddenly turned a corner and there was the Cincinnati skyline ahead of us. Lit up like a festival. We finally knew where we were and the way home. 

We finally arrived at the house in Ohio around, in Mike's words, "Dark-thirty."

And, as the saying goes, “There’s No Place Like Home”. 

 

 

Happy Trails

 Several years ago, while I still lived in Ohio, I received a Triple A (AAA) magazine. In it was an article by the Ohioana Library Association featuring  “Ohio’s Literary Trail.” Our writing group was intrigued. We researched the sixty-one sites. Some of them turned out to be a mere marker on the side of the road signifying “so-and-so was here.” Others were true sights to explore and gain insight into the experiences of authors familiar with Ohio. 

Ohio Trail Mix: Available on Amazon

We were intrigued. Five of us took it on ourselves to write short stories connected to each site. We had fun 

getting together, exploring the area, and brainstorming ideas for stories. The result was an anthology we published n 2022. It was fun. 

If you follow me, you know my formative years were spent in Florida. After living in Ohio for many years, I returned to Florida when I married Mike. I joined a group of writers called “Citrus Writers of Florida.” They are an eclectic group. I enjoy their diversity and energy.

I wondered if my new writer friends might be interested in exploring writers from our state. I did a cursory search of what Florida’s Literary Trail might look like. Remember, Florida is approximately 160 miles wide and 500 miles long. We’re not talking “a day trip” here. More like multiple trips with a few overnights scheduled.

 
Still, it is interesting, so I decided to feature a few folks you may want to read, research, or “visit.”

Harriet Beecher Stowe Yes, the famous author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I was intrigued. I had visited her home Cincinnati. In fact, I crafted a split time story for our Ohio anthology based on Stowe’s experiences in the area. It turns out, Stowe and her family “wintered in Mandarin, Florida just outside of Jacksonville. There is a marker there. You may not want to make the trip itself, but you may want to read the book she wrote of the area called, Palmetto Leaves.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings You may not remember the name, but many of us read her book or saw the movie, The Yearling. Rawlings lived in north central Florida in Alachua County. You can visit her home in the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park in Cross Creek Florida where she lived when she wrote her award-winning novel.

Patrick D. Smith, though raised in Mississippi, the author of the novel A Land Remembered made his home on the east coast of Florida. He was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1999. 

Ernest Hemingway I couldn’t post a blog about famous Florida authors without mentioning Ernest Hemingway. But it’s a hike! For this experience, you’ll want to drive to Key West and visit the Hemingway House. Walk through the rooms where he lived. Creak up the stairs and see the typewriter he used. And yes, there are chickens in the yard and the famous six-toed Hemingway cats throughout Florida's southernmost city. 

So...In the words of Dale Evans..."Happy Trails to You!"
    

Visit to the Vampire

 On Growing Old…er …Or… 

A Visit to the Vampire

It happens every day. Every. Single. Day. One breath at a time, everyone…you included…. everyone grows older. One minute. One hour. One day at a time.

It’s just that some days you feel it more. At least I do. 

Basically, I don’t feel all that old. Certainly not the number of candles on my cake…which will boast one more come May.

No, I generally feel pretty good. Strong. Active. Enjoying these retirement years with Mike.

Generally. 

A week or so ago, I made an appointment with my doctor because of a rash. An irritation on my neck and arms. She sent me to a lab for an allergy test. She wanted them to draw blood to test for nuts, seafood, and trees.

It sounded a bit silly to me. Especially the tree part. I haven’t had seafood in a while and I eat nuts a lot, but I’ve always enjoyed them without incident. Still, as I had a few days before the lab tests, I decided to cut out nuts and seafood. I hadn’t consumed much seafood, anyway. 

Cutting out trees was a bit beyond my reach. It’s not like I climb trees anymore. There was a time, though. Many years ago. 

However, we do see a lot of pollen collecting on the cars when they’re parked outside so I wasn’t ruling out an allergy to trees. Yet.

Before my scheduled appointment at the Vampire’s office, I decided to cut out what I could to see if it helped. 

I generally eat unsalted nuts as a snack or I put a handful of them in my bowl of “loaded oatmeal” on Sunday mornings. I stopped both practices and didn’t really miss the nuts. I simply put more blueberries and chopped apple in my oatmeal. It was good. 

Yet, a few days before my appointment, another rash broke out on my arm at the inner side of my elbow. The crook of my arm. The same place it broke out before. 

I wracked my brain to think what I may have eaten. And I got the answer. Or answers.  I remembered making a quick PB& J sandwich while taking a break from my computer. Must be the nuts.

Wait, did I eat a half of a tuna salad sandwich for lunch yesterday?  And those trees are still out there!

I’m feeling like a wimp as I head out to the Vampire. The young man drawing the necessary vial of blood doesn’t look like a vampire. He looks like a kid. Seriously. He’s maybe the age of my oldest grandson. Maybe.

He is polite and careful. I don’t even feel the needle and I didn’t dare look to see if he hit the target. He quietly draws the blood and sends me on my way telling me I did great. I feel like a kid deserving a lollipop for not crying, but apparently, they don’t give out lollipops at the Vampire’s office. At least not to me.

I wait to hear from my doctor’s office. 

I wait and wait. And I wait some more.

I don’t have all the results yet. Until I get the numbers, I’m laying off the nuts and seafood. As for the trees? Well, we’ll wait and see. 

I think that I shall never see…A rash growing on a tree.

A tree that may in springtime wear, 

nuts and seashells in her hair.

Rashes appear on fools like me.

But as long as it’s not chocolate,

My heart springs free.

Okay…Yes, I’m tired…but you get the drift…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living Through a Drought

 Living Through a Drought

Our neck of the woods has been going through a drought. June first marks the first day of Florida’s rainy season, but of course, there is still no guarantee of rain. The little girl on the Morton’s salt is a reminder that “When It Rains, It Pours.” I hope she’s right. No big hurricane. Just the rain from one.

Not to sound like a poet or something but our daily lament around here has been, 

“The lake is down. Our grass is brown.”

Yep, we need rain. You may see some green in the photo, but what you see is usually underwater...And the dock is high and dry!

My writing went through a drought for a while, too. 

There was a season of life when I struggled to gather my thoughts or sustain my steam if I did have an idea. It was a rough time as a writer. That’s why I have a file full of writing I call “Fits and Starts.” 

It may be the ebb and flow of every writer’s life. I don’t know, but I’ve heard other authors speak of “slumps” or “dry spells” in their writing. It may be that way with all creatives. I know painters who search for that particular “light of inspiration” or people who throw pottery on a wheel and turn out something I like, but it doesn’t have “the feel” they were seeking.

The trick is to trudge onward. I did manage to keep my blog going during that time my writing seemed to suffer. I went through the motions of writing and had a couple of short stories published in anthologies and Chicken Soup for the Soul. 

Fortunately, now...after the drought in my writing world, I have a lot of “irons in the fire” so to speak. 

·   I have a book scheduled to be released in September by Mt. Zion Ridge Press. 

·   I have just completed a three-book series I hope to pitch to Love Inspired.

·   I have a new book I am crafting and another I am still researching. (The research on that one is particularly deep and important since it is my first real attempt at a full- length historical fiction manuscript.)

So, here’s the thing to we all need to keep in mind. Droughts don’t last forever. In the weather or in our personal endeavors. 

And now? As I type this, a light rain is coming across the lake. It’s a reminder: Droughts simply don’t last. Eventually the rain will come. And the words will pour out onto the paper.