A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

  GONE FISHIN' NOTE: My apologies to my friends and family living up north in the snow and cold. I wrote this blog a couple of weeks ago before the weather turned so rough! If it helps, we're having some cold weather here as well. But maybe reading this week's post will offer you all hope for a brighter and warmer tomorrow...  Gone Fishin’  Part I As a child, I lived on my grandparent’s farm. We had a pond. Fishing in that pond with my dad is my earliest memory of fishing.  I learned how to bait my hook with a squiggly worm, toss the line in the water, and wait quietly for a fish to take the bait.  Well, I was supposed to wait quietly, but that turned out to be the hardest part of the process. We caught bluegill and sunfish in that pond. My dad may have hooked a bass or two, but bluegill and sunfish were my specialty. Mom cooked some of them. The flavor was great but I’d heard scary stories of fishbones getting stuck in your throat. That was not good. My favorit...

  Ninety-four and Counting This past week, my mother celebrated ninety-four years on this earth. While she used to frown on birthday parties, she has grown to appreciate them.  Good thing. Mike and I invited a few members of the family and a couple of her close friends for a light lunch. We decided on cupcakes instead of a cake aflame with ninety-four candles.  There was a fifty-year span between the youngest guest and the oldest. And…FYI… Mom wasn’t the oldest person in the room, either! No balloons. No streamers. No noise makers.               Instead? Lots of food, good conversation, thoughtful gifts, and laughter.  Lots of laughter. I know how blessed I am to have my mom live near me. We enjoy walking in her neighborhood, playing games, and Friday night cookouts at our house. Hey…Mike grills a mean hamburger!  I love it. I am fortunate to have her around to go shopping, grab something at Burger King, and laugh about…well, a...

Choosing a Word for the Year Word for the Year? How about a Verse for the year? Those of you who follow my blog know that I usually choose a word for the year. I started the practice after reading a blog posted by best-selling author Debbie Macomber many years ago when I began my writing journey. I’ve gone through a series of words. Some have served me well. Others didn’t reveal themselves as readily, but in looking back, I see how the word surfaced in my life decisions and experiences. I generally pray over the choice and God affirms the word I’ll use in some way. It may start popping up in conversations or in my daily Bible reading.  It isn’t some sort of “mystical revelation.” Just experience and recognition. Curiously, this year I landed on two verses and the very first word …the word TRUST, hit me in the face. And soul. Proverbs 3:5-6. “ 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  6  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he ...

 Celebrating New Life...or Renewed  Life!    I don't know about you, but my New Year is off to a great start!  This past week: My daughter, Allison, and her husband, and my two oldest grandsons arrived from Ohio on New Years Day. They scheduled  a cruise leaving out of Florida, so they made sure to include a few days with us before the cruise. Of course, my mother was here to enjoy it all! Family. That alone, is a gift.   Still, we managed to enjoy a day of Christmas gift opening as well. Mike’s sister and his son (though I now claim them as my son, too) made sure to come over for a visit during Allison's family stay. In addition, two of the Waters’ uncles and an aunt who live in the area came for an evening of food and fun. We didn’t ignore the tourist stuff, though. We went to Homosassa Springs to view the manatee. We discovered the state park is so much more. The venue is a zoo of sorts. It is a haven for rescued Florida wildlife.  We saw ...