Kiddos From “Up the Country”

I have three daughters. Danielle, the middle of the three lives in Wisconsin. This past week she arrived in Florida with her husband and four children. Mike and I knew they were coming. We looked forward to their visit. 

We readied the house and stocked the refrigerator. Mike made sure the boats had gas and the fishing equipment was in order.  

Yes, they did a few tourist things like visiting Homosassa Springs and a “dolphin experience” in Clearwater. That was fun.

They also went to visit the University of Florida, since the oldest of these four grands is preparing for college. 

They found a drive-in movie in Ocala and played a bit of golf. They went swimming in the pool at my mom’s. Several times.

And they spent some time with us. That was a treat. Especially when Mike taught Matthias not only how to fish, but how to use a trolling motor. AND…the teen caught the biggest bass we’ve pulled out of these waters to date.

We enjoyed meals together, including Mike’s grilled hamburgers. That is a special treat when you leave the cold temperatures of Wisconsin for the  warm Florida sunshine.

“So, what was the best part of your vacation?” I asked.

 “Golfing and the dolphins,” the seventeen-year-old told me.

His fifteen-year-old brother? “I liked the trip to Homosassa Springs and the beach and I liked catching that fish!”

 “Swimming!” was the choice my twelve-year-old granddaughter readily chose as her favorite.

And the nine-year-old? “The dolphins!” 

What do you think would have been

your favorite Florida experience?

Creativity is a Frame of Mind

 Creativity… a Frame of Mind

 

Many people associate creativity with arts and crafts. But it is so much more. Creativity is a frame of mind. 

It is the openness to recognize solutions to problems using what you have available.

 

Likely you’ve heard the saying “Necessity is the mother of invention.” It’s true. But there is more than need driving the creative mind. 

 

Think about it.   

Saw this at an arts and crafts show.

 

Creativity may be fueled by a dream or desire. The Wright brothers wanted to fly. They couldn’t grow wings, so they figured out a way to build some. 

 

Creativity is the outcome of solving a problem when the “typical” tools aren’t available or the solution isn’t readily visible.  

Creativity is being confident enough to take a first step toward a possible solution.

Remember Appollo 13? If you watched the movie, consider the scene where a group of scientists and engineers need to develop something to address the need for oxygen to help the stranded astronauts. They are forced to consider what the astronauts have on the space capsule to use to build what they need to assure all three of them will make it back to earth. 

 

It’s a true story.   

Our "Lending Library" is made of
an ice box with a Barbie doll house roof.

 

Sometimes creativity means observing something in one area and applying to another. 

 

The invention of Velcro comes to mind. A man by the name of George de Mestral noticed the cockle burrs attaching themselves to his dog’s thick fur. The hooks and loops of Velcro soon became a useful fastener for clothing. 

 

I often meet people who tell me they don’t have a creative bone in their body. I find that hard to believe. Some people don’t think they are creative. Maybe you are one of those people. 

 

The truth is… you may be more creative than you think. 

 

You may be that person who can pull random items from the refrigerator and create a delicious meal for your family without a second thought. 

 

This Gal at The Diner was Creative!

Maybe you’re the one who figured out a way to move a heavy, awkward piece of furniture across the room without scratching the floor.  

 

You could have been the one who punched holes in garbage bags and donned them as ponchos to protect you from the rain. Silly? No. Creative. 

 

Quite simply, being creative is more than arts and crafts.  

 

Creativity is an openness to the notion that there are multiple ways to solve a problem. 

 

How does creativity play out in your life? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. 

One more picture...

Mike used a Boot Jack to practice his putting!

 

 

 

You Are Where You Need to Be

 “You are exactly where I want you to be.”

Those words trigger a powerful memory for me. Mike and I go to Stable Faith Cowboy Church in Brooksville, Florida. And yes, it is a true cowboy church, rooted, if you will, in agriculture. 

A church devoted to planting seeds and reaping crops…both literally and figuratively. 

Stable Faith Cowboy Church

Back to this past Sunday. I was sitting in church. The music was, as usual, wonderful. A thought came to me. Almost audible. It was a thought I’d had before. More than once. It was as if God was speaking directly to me saying, “You are exactly where you need to be.”

The first time this happened was in India. My youngest daughter and I traveled with a group from her church to work with young women who had been rescued from human trafficking. I say “women,” but the truth is, some of the girls we served were mere children.

Kendall asked me to take this trip with her the spring after I lost my husband. Tom died in late October of 2014.  I agreed, then almost immediately considered backing out.  Instead, I prayed about it. The trip was scheduled for April 2015. I decided to leave it up to God. 

I had a valid passport, but it turns out that for the trip, it had to be valid for at least six months after the end date of the trip. Mine was shy by a month. I applied for a new passport, silently thinking this may be God’s way of letting me out of the whole thing. 

The new passport was quickly returned to me and good for another stretch. So, Kendall and I raised the funds, attended the training, boarded the plane in April of 2015, and traveled halfway around the world to serve these sweet, hurting girls. 

For me? It was the broken serving the broken. 

The program was simple. We offered something akin to VBS (Vacation Bible School) and were sitting on the floor in a large room at a hotel of sorts in India. We were waiting for one small group to finish their task before moving on to the next activity. I felt someone behind me. I turned, but there was nobody there. I stretched my legs out in front of me and looked up at the still blank screen, waiting for the music to begin and lyrics to pop up. 

Inked Hands...Serving Others...

That’s when I heard that voice. “You are exactly where you need to be.”  I turned around. There was still no one behind me. I didn’t say anything about it for a long time. Afterall, people might think I’m crazy.

In 2017, one of my former students from the college contacted me and asked me to take her place as a fourth-grade teacher in Kosovo for the 2017-2018 school year. She wanted to come back to the States to give birth to her first child.  I prayed about it and three weeks later boarded an airplane for Europe. 

A mere three weeks? Yep. I had a valid passport. God can see around the corners.

That year was a year of healing for me. I grew not only in my faith, but I realized I was a capable adult in my own right. By myself. Not as Tom’s wife. Not as a mom. Me. I returned to the United States when the school year ended.

Those same words, “You are exactly where you need to be,” washed over me when I married Mike in 2023. 

And then again, as I said, this past Sunday. 

I may not know exactly why. Yet. But I trust in God’s plan for me. He has never let me down. Moreover, I know He never will.

Luck of the Irish

March brings with it the beginning of Spring. I love that. And as I write this, it brings to mind the celebrations surrounding St. Patrick’s Day. I must admit, though, growing up I had no idea why we wore green on March 17 and why we would get pinched if we didn’t have a smattering of green somewhere on our person.

Meet Author Cindy Thomson
And yes, that's me with my granddaughter.

One teacher I had in elementary school handed

each of us not wearing anything green a piece

of green construction paper. We traced around

a plastic pattern and cut out shamrocks. We

pinned them on our clothes before lunch or

recess to keep us from getting pinched.  

I had no idea why anyone would pinch us, but 

that was the concern.

I didn’t learn anything about St. Patrick or the

 day celebrated in his honor until third or fourth grade.

And then as an adult, I met Cindy Thomson. 

Cindy is an author living in Ohio. Cindy writes

books set in Ireland. Her books are so well

written, you can smell the damp earth beneath

the feet of the characters and feel the crisp 

chill in the air. 

If you have any notion you’d like an authentic

Irish tale, check out one of her stories. You can

find them on Amazon. 

And I included a picture of my sweet

granddaughter when she and I went to the Irish 

Festival in Ohio. She was thrilled to meet Cindy 

Thomson in person.

Did you wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Just curious...

And...What other holiday traditions left you confused?

Second Guessing and Self Doubt

 Overcoming Second Guessing and Self-Doubt

I’ve always said you know you’re on the right track when the Evil One works hard to mess with you.

In early January I sent a manuscript to a publishing house I respect. I started in on another story while I prayed and waited to hear if they accepted my book.

I waited.

And waited.

And waited some more. 

I didn’t expect an answer right away, but there was always a part inside of me hoping to see something from the publisher every time I opened my email. It’s the way of things. 

February came. February, even in Florida has a gloom to it. I started second guessing myself and my ability to craft another novel. I submitted a couple of short stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul and a children’s story to Clubhouse Magazine. 

Now I was waiting for more than one publisher to respond. I was waiting for a response on the book, two true stories, and a fiction piece for children. I wasn’t hearing anything from anybody. Midway through February I started second guessing my ability to write anything at all. 

Second guessing yourself is, I believe, a tool the Evil One uses to frustrate or upset us. He hopes we will get off track and give up hope. He’s crafty that way. 

I was tempted to give in to his trickery but decided to keep writing and submitting and doing my best anyway. I had started a sweet romance series a few years ago, so I picked it up and started work again on the trilogy. 

Book one was complete. I finished book two and started book three. A few questions in book three caused me to go back to book one and make a revision so it all made sense. That made me recheck book two and…so it went. I was writing in circles. I even had to redraw a map of the town where this all takes place so I could make sure my characters didn’t go down the wrong street!

I was working at my craft and the feeling of doing what I was meant to do was returning. I pushed aside the fears and self-doubt. I love it when I find that sweet spot. I write with confidence, knowing I have something to say yet knowing also, revision is my friend, not my enemy. 

Then, last Saturday, March 7, I opened my email. The publishing house has accepted my novel! I squealed out loud! I felt like I’d punched the Evil One in the nose…And it felt so-o-o good!

Do you have a dream? Stay the course.

By the way...to stay up to date on what's happening, follow my Facebook Author page: Rebecca Waters and have a wonderful day!

 

Green Thumb

 Can You Inherit a “Green Thumb?”

My grandmother had a green thumb. She could grow anything. My mother has always been able to grow beautiful flowers and colorful vegetables. 

My oldest daughter is like that. Allison can start a plant with a seed or broken stem or bit of root. I’m not kidding. She can grow anything and has a houseful of plants to prove it.

The bulk of that innate ability to grow anything and everything obviously skipped a generation. Mine. 

I am not a “plant whisperer” like my daughter or grandmother. I generally require seeds and directions. I’ve planted many a garden and grown vegetables for my family. I’ve managed to do well with outdoor plants. 

Particularly those that live on neglect.

I surprised myself when I saw a beautiful shrub outside a hotel in Kissimmee, Florida. I told Mike I wanted to grow one like it even as I pinched off a sprig of the greenery. 

I wrapped it in a damp napkin and we headed home.

Back at the house, I found a jar, created a “holder” for the sprig from a piece of cardstock, and set my little plant-to-be on a table on our back porch. And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Did I mention I waited?

Yep, more waiting.

And then? 

I started seeing some little nubs of roots starting to form. I made sure I kept water in the jar. 

And now? Now, seven months later, the plant’s roots are developing nicely. I’m ready to put my little plant in some potting soil. 

It’ll still need some tender loving care for a bit, but one day, I’m hopeful a beautiful shrub will grow in our flowerbed. I may have a touch of that green thumb after all.

We’ll see. One down. A thousand to go.

But like I always told my students as I sent them out to recess, "Everything needs dirt, water, and sunshine to grow."

 

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

 Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Me. Well, not me exactly. 

My name is Rebecca. One boy in high school called me Sunnybrook. It was my nickname for a while. And back in the seventies when CB radios were all the rage, my “handle” was Sunnybrook. 

Though I never read the novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin until recently, I remember seeing the old black and white movie starring Shirley Temple on television.  

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm was spunky, caring, smart, and above all, positive. I’ll take that.

This week, my sister-in-law happened on a 1960 edition of the novel in a thrift store. (The original was released in 1903) She bought it and gifted it to me, knowing my love of literature and the fact my name is Rebecca. 

And maybe a bit because I tend to be bent on the side of “positive” in nature. 

Whatever her thinking, I treasure the gift. I started reading the story right away. Carefully, as the book is somewhat fragile.

Though the writing style differs greatly from what we expect today, the story resonates with readers across time and circumstance. It has all the elements we crave in a story: 

·      A character with whom we can identify is in a tough situation. 

·      We trust she will overcome because of her positive attitude and good nature.

·      Change. Our character grows and so do the people around her. And as readers, we grow, too. 

What book/story influenced you? Have you ever read something that caused you to change your perspective or gave you courage to try something new? 

I'm serious. I want to know.