A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

It’s the middle of winter. It's cold and nasty outside but I'm feeling cuddly warm. I've entered the world of romance.  A sweet romance....a book. I'm writing it and loving it.  My characters are in their late twenties or early thirties. Her name (at least for now) is Carrie. His name is Parker.  I really like the guy in the story. I pretty much took several characteristics from the special guy I fell in love with many years ago.  Lots of things change. People have a ton more technology and probably more money than Tom and I had when we were dating but... the good stuff? The stuff that makes the hero in the story a guy worth keeping? That simply doesn’t change.  So my new character is honest. He’s a hard worker. He doesn’t think of himself more highly than others. He has values, morals, and a true sense of right and wrong. And he has a great smile. It’s a boy meets girl and hopefully gets the girl in the end kind of story. Of course the trick is to keep...

As a newlywed, I kept a “diary “ of sorts. It wasn’t one where I chronicled our daily activity per se. Instead it was a diary noting the weather, what we ate, and discussions we had. It was a carryover from an assignment I had in one of my early college psychology classes. After Tom and I talked a bit about what we discovered through the exercise, we decided to never make a major decision or discuss a problem between us at night or when it was raining.  We tended to disagree heartily under those conditions. We were each prone to dig our heels in and not listen to the other person.  We worked through things much better when it was sunny or at least during daylight hours.  This snow fell January 13. It's still there. Silly? I don’t think so. We took it pretty seriously and I think it helped us navigate those early years of marriage.  I hadn’t thought about it until Tuesday’s Bible study. It came up in a discussion and made me realize how much the...

I’m looking out my window at the biggest snowfall I’ve seen in years. Icicles hang like crystal daggers from my roof. I don’t have to venture out to know it’s cold. Frigid. But I feel safe and warm in my house. My furnace is keeping the temperature constant. I have indoor plumbing and modern conveniences.  I dedicated Breathing on Her Own to my Mom. 1/17/32 Marks the Day She Was Literally "Breathing on Her Own" My thoughts drift to my grandparent’s house in the mountains. I remember visiting them when the temperatures were cold. I remember when they didn’t have electricity. The morning would come. I would hear Grandpa stoking the fire in the stove that sat in the middle of the living room. Soon, the smell of bacon cooking on Grandma’s wood stove and voices coming from the kitchen would pry me from the warmth of the featherbed and Grandma’s snuggly quilts. The floor would be cold and I would race to the kitchen. Those are good memories. Of course they didn't hav...

I have a mailbox. It’s at the end of my driveway. Not too far at all. It’s only a few steps from my front door and even fewer from my garage. The delivery truck comes to my house every day. You’d think mailing a letter would be easy. Getting it in the Envelope is easy. Getting it in the mail is hard! Maybe for some. I have a letter in my hand to mail on Wednesday. It’s in the envelope, stamped, addressed and ready to go. I walk out to my mailbox only to discover my mailman (yes, my deliverer is a man) has already come and gone. I carry the assortment of advertisements and notifications into my house. Apparently, I am extremely lucky. I’m frequently notified as being a sweepstakes winner of some sort. I toss most of it in the trash bin. I plan to go to the grocery in a bit. I’ll mail the letter then. I forget. I’m back home before I notice the envelope sitting on the passenger seat of my car. That’s okay. I’ll simply put it in the mail tomorrow. One day won’...

Resolutions. We all make them from time-to-time. A resolution is a firm commitment to do something…to see it through.  If you read my blog time you know I choose a word or phase each year. Like many of you, I also make resolutions. When the words I choose and the resolutions work together life is good. I hadn’t selected a word for the upcoming year until yesterday.  I read my Bible every morning, but for the past few months I’ve been committing passages to memory. Not a verse here and there, but whole passages. I started studying Romans 12 a few weeks ago. I’ll continue that study, but for 2019 I am resolved to commit that passage to memory. It is from that passage I have chosen the word “hospitality.”  Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality . Romans 12:13 People who know me know I love to entertain people in my home. I enjoy setting a beautiful table. I enjoy cooking for people. I find energy in conversations and I enjoy ...