A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

  “Allow Enough Prep Time” You’ve likely heard or read those words. They often show up in the kitchen. They are indeed words of wisdom if you plan to bake homemade bread from scratch for dinner or serve a roasted turkey at Christmas or Thanksgiving. But those words are good reminders for other areas of life as well.    As we come to the end of 2021, we begin to set new goals for the upcoming year. Goals are great. Perhaps you may want to lose a few pounds, organize the closet…or your life, or perhaps learn a new skill or language. Even goals that appear a bit lofty to some may be attainable if you plan them out and allow enough prep time.    Here’s an example. Let’s say you want to lose twenty pounds. Some people will argue that is a lofty goal. But with planning and patience, you can map out a plan to lose two pounds a month between eating right and bumping up your physical activity. Two pounds is doable and in ten months you’ve reached your goal.    ...

Music. Music not only touches our heart, music tells the story of our lives.   Music has been a huge part of shaping me into the person I am today. I grew up with everything from hymns to show tunes. I gained knowledge and appreciation for all music. I learned to appreciate the richness of bluegrass as well as the nuances of classical music.   I cannot remember a single car trip from my childhood that wasn’t filled with singing. As a matter of fact, I’m sure my own three daughters will likely say the same thing about their growing up years. The autumn my husband died, we had planned to record a collection of the car songs for our children and grandchildren for Christmas.    Music provides a way to connect with people across generations. And cultures.   My parents loved musicals. They enjoyed Rodgers and Hammerstein’s  Oklahoma  so much they bought the album. I played it over and over. When I came into the Waters family, my mother-in-law delighted in my...

  Christmas Caroling... an Antidote for Despair   Through the years I have learned enough about myself to know when I need help. It isn’t always easy to ask others to step in and assist. Especially when you are a person who works hard to be self-sufficient. That would be me. Or at least it used to be.   When my husband died seven years ago, I had to lean on others to get me through the simple tasks of everyday life. Especially during those first several months. My mother and my children pitched in to help. I could count on my mom to buoy my spirits and keep me fed. My kiddos kept me busy and quite frankly became my first line of tech support. Tom had always done that sort of thing.   Those first few months were hard. The first few weeks, the hardest.   Seven weeks after Tom died was our anniversary. December 18 th . Ours had been a beautiful Christmas wedding, but facing our 43 rd anniversary alone was daunting. I knew this was not something I could hand over to...

Uncle Noah and the BB Gun It was a BB gun. I was sure. It was in a long slender package wrapped in red paper with my name on it. If I tilted it on end, I could actually hear the BB’s roll from one end to the other.  My grandparent’s house was in a hollow nestled between the mountains in rural Kentucky. We lived in Ohio. It took us hours to drive down Old 25 and through the southern Kentucky town of Barbourville. Several miles outside of town we turned onto a narrow, rutted dirt road that hugged the side of the mountains as it wound its way through the hollow to their house. We didn’t often travel in the winter to see them. That is part of what made this Christmas so special. That and the fact that a box in the trunk of our car held an assortment of brightly wrapped presents, including the one I had already concluded was my very own BB gun.        The hour was late by the time we turned on the dark, snow covered, dirt road. My dad drove carefully, his w...

Deep Thirst and Living Water Last week I shared how I became dehydrated and wound up in the emergency room. You can find that post HERE if you missed it.     Thank you for your comments of support. Also, a big thank you to those of you able to laugh with me through that crazy experience.    I was sure I would wind up with a black eye or two for Thanksgiving, but my face cleared up and few people could tell anything had happened at all. I am happy my “hair stylist” trimmed my bangs exactly where they would need to fall to cover the protruding knots on my forehead. (Yep, I know how to use a pair of scissors.)   Unquenched thirst can lead to dehydration. Dehydration is dangerous. There are different kinds of thirst. There are serious consequences to dehydration.   Most of my readers know I am a believer… a follower of Jesus Christ. My experience at the Emergency Room reminded me of a story in the Bible.    The account takes place when Jesus is travel...

A Knot Head For Thanksgiving  “She had big blue eyes and dark wavy hair… And a knot on her head, but we didn’t care.”   Yep, that was me. It is part of a poem my mother wrote about me the year I was born. I was born with a knot on the crown of my head. It didn’t bother my parents. They loved me anyway.    I am sporting a new knot or two on my forehead this Thanksgiving. I was a bit dehydrated and passed out. Oh, how I hate to type those words. It makes me feel like a klutz… an “old” klutz.    But there were some good things to ponder; Some “Thanks-Giving” to be had. For instance:   ·       I didn’t damage the door jamb I thumped with my noggin. ·       The blood and subsequent vomit were all in one tidy puddle on the tile floor making for easy cleanup. ·       My daughter was a phone call away. ·       My good friend drove me to the hospital. ·       The hospital was not at all ...

  Cheers   Making your way in the world today Takes everything you've got Taking a break from all your worries Sure would help a lot Wouldn't you like to get away?   Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name And they're always glad you came You want to be where you can see Our troubles are all the same You want to be where everybody knows your name.   Remember these lyrics from the television sitcom  Cheers ?  Cheers  was more than a bar in Boston. It was a gathering place for a wide variety of people. It was in the bar where they found a sense of community.   My husband used to say the theme song from this show would make a great song for church. The elders would likely have voted that one down, but he was right.   Tom and I found a sense of community at church. We were among a group of people whose values were similar to ours. We found people who enjoyed the same activities. We always felt welcomed   And church was a pla...

  Bring Home the Bacon   I often look to my own life and experiences as topics for this blog. Sometimes my life events strike a chord with my readers. Other times, I imagine they click on the link, yawn, and go their merry way. Bloggers want to write meaningful, enlightening posts.    But it doesn’t always happen.    Take this week.   I had several topics in mind, but I kept coming back to…are you ready? Bacon. Yes, I said bacon. B-A-C-O-N.   I had this craving for bacon. I don’t eat it often. In fact, I buy it so rarely, I’ve taken to frying it all at one time, eating a bit, and freezing the rest to zap in the microwave and eat later. Not this time.    At the store this week, I tried my best to pass the bin of bacon in the meat section. I told myself I didn’t need it. I walked on to grab the butter and milk on my list before circling back to the bacon. I picked up a package and examined it. “Too fatty.” I put it down and studied my list...

 The Marathon: Finish the Race   The last Sunday in October, my youngest daughter completed her first full marathon. She’s been training for months. Her goal was to run/walk the 26+ miles in five hours. She finished it in 4 hours and 53 minutes. Wow. I would still be running. No, make that crawling to the finish line.    Several friends said, “You must be so proud of her!”    I am. But there is more. I am challenged by her tenacity. Oh, I doubt I will ever run a marathon. I may attempt to walk the half marathon, but run? Not likely.    Kendall set a goal, developed a plan, trained for the event, engaged others in her quest, and pushed her way to the finish line.    I needed that “shot in the arm” reminder. Maybe you do, too.   I’ve certainly set goals and seen them to fruition in the past. It is how I managed to complete college and go on to earn my advanced degrees. It’s how I took charge of projects when I was a classroom teacher....