Yesterday I saw this photo on facebook and I decided to share. This is a picture of my cousin Vernon, with his family. His whole family. 🙂  Ken, their oldest son has been in Iraq and is home on leave. It’s hard for me to believe that Vernon is old enough to have a son in Iraq. After all, it seems like it was just a few years ago we were running all over the fairgrounds in Broken Bow and having pow-wow’s in Grandpa’s granary.

Yes, if you’ve read the book, The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Missing Watch you will recognize those scenarios and you might wonder if Vernon is a character in the book. The answer to that is, “yes, kind of.” As I’ve told my cousins and siblings, I tried very hard not to make any of the character too much like any of us. I do believe Vernon will recognize a little of himself both in Brandon and Max.

I am thankful for the memories I have of times with my cousins. I am even more thankful to see Vernon’s family serving God and country. We are so proud of you Ken, and pray that as you return to Iraq God will have his hand of protection firmly upon you!

When my sister Vonda was about two years old I began to realize something. She watched everything I did and very often she mimicked me. I was fourteen when she was born so she seemed to think I was “something!” I remember her dressing up in my McDonald’s uniform, hoisting my purse over her shoulder and standing in the doorway, “ready to go to work.”

At first I thought this was really cool, but through the years I found myself monitoring my actions with her in mind. After all, I didn’t want anything I did to cause her to do wrong! I wanted to be an example. It was a powerful control force in my life.  As the years rolled by and my siblings started having children I realized that my nieces and nephews were doing the same thing. For instance, since I have sinus issues I had a habit of clearing my throat. When my oldest niece started clearing her throat whenever she was around me it became even more obvious that she was imitating me. As the nieces and nephews got older I started reminding them in Sunday School and Children’s Church that the littler ones were watching them. This cycle of observation goes all the way through society. 

Somewhere around this time I discovered a song in the hymn book. I call it my Accountability Anthem. I have sung it several times for church and every time I do it reminds me that there are people watching me. It’s important to be a good example. It’s critical not to be a stumbling block. So today I share my Accountability Anthem with you. 🙂

I Would Be True

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;

I would be pure, for there are those who care;

I would be strong for there is much to suffer;

I would be brave, for there is much to dare.

       I would be friend of all-the foe, the friendless;

       I would be giving, and forget the gift;

       I would be humble, for I know my weakness;

       I would look up, and laugh, and love, and lift.

I would be prayerful thru each busy moment;

I would be constantly in touch with God;

I would be tuned to hear His slightest whisper;

I would have faith to keep the path Christ trod.

Howard Arnold Walter (author of 3rd stanza unknown)

Have you ever been the recipient of a “lesson of the week  for (insert your name here)from God”? I have and it is at the same time thrilling and scary. Every time it happens I realize a little more just how much God loves me. He knows me. He understands me. He knows exactly what I need and he can share it with me in the most creative ways.

This round started last Sunday night when our Pastor chose songs with a reference to the Psalms. Then he asked us to share a Psalm that was special to us. I vacillated throughout the song service between Psalm 139 (all about how God knows everything about me  and is all-powerful and able to take care of me etc.) and Psalm 37 where we are told to  Trust, Delight, Commit,  and Rest in  the Lord. I chose Psalm 37, then was surprised when Pastor preached from Psalm 139. Go figure.

 These are two of my favorite Psalms because “letting go and letting God” is one of my main struggles. Yes, I have control issues. Unless I make a daily, often moment by moment point to keep my focus where it belongs – on God and his power, his immutability (changelessness), omniscience, and all those other awesome attributes I try to do it myself. I want to know what is going to happen and when. I want to prevent anything bad from going down anytime and anywhere.

Now, I’m pretty sure that’s an attribute my patients appreciate, however, in the world of my heart it is an issue. So, when  I started the week with the double-barreled Psalms approach my ears perked up. On Monday as I was pulling into the parking garage at work a couple of verses from my  Bible on tape struck me. One was “let the peace of God rule in your heart.” Let – I have to let this happen. The peace of God – now that blows my mind! The thought that GOD’S PEACE could rule my heart. . Rule-have control. All I have to do is surrender control. So, if I let the Holy Spirit have complete control I can experience the peace of God ruling in my heart. That would mean that the peace of God wouldn’t let any ugly, anxious, fearful thoughts in. Hum. I scribbled the verse in my calendar book and proceeded into the hospital where I had a rather unpeaceful night. . .

So, the third and fourth episodes in this Lesson for Miriam week involved first my brother and secondly a blog that I follow. My brother pointed out in a conversation (one in which I fully intended to encourage him) that I should look at the first chapter of II Peter. I knew the moment he said that chapter what passage he was referring to, and why. I knew it because it is yet another passage that I have studied, worked at, and tried to put into practice in my life – because I know I struggle in this area.

The verses say, And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful. . . II Peter 1:5-8.

 You see, I have a problem with faith in God to take care of things. Stupid I know. After all, He IS! Everything. All-Everything. But my humanity still wants to hang on. So this morning, when I realized that “Deeper With Jesus in Rhode Island” had used that very passage in her blog it hit me right between the eyes. This, Miriam is God’s message for you. Trust. Have Faith. Surrender. Let go and let God. Let the peace of God RULE in your heart. Once you get that in place the other stuff will follow. (A word of warning here. Surrender is not a one-time thing. I know. I have surrendered before but yet I pick the control up over and over again. It’s a walk. It’s a daily, moment by moment surrender.)

What is your need? Are you listening to God? Are you reading your Bible so he can speak to you? (Notice every message from God to Miriam came through scripture.) We are given this great opportunity but I’m afraid I’m as guilty as most and I’m wasting it. I don’t want to do that anymore.

Today I did one of my favorite things!  I went to a Writers Group meeting in Simpsonville.  I heard about The Writer’s Den group at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference and quickly decided I wanted to join them. I have a strong respect for the power of a group of writers due to my history as a writer.

In the spring of 1998 I decided I wanted to learn to write.  It had been two years since I graduated from Northland Baptist Bible College and felt like I was in a rut. But how do you go about learning to write?  I was in a bookstore one day in Baken Park in Rapid City, SD and saw a poster advertising the Black Hills Writers Group and the conference they were hosting.  Aha!  I filled out the form, joined the group to get the special rate, and excitedly attended my first ever  conference.  In the months and years that followed I was fairly faithful to attend the monthly meetings.  There were many months when I hadn’t written anything.  The year I was secretary of the group there were many months that the only thing I wrote was the minutes of the meeting.

Even though I wasn’t writing regularly I was regularly focusing on writing.  Those friends taught me so much about writing.  They were the accountability that reminded me each month, “You know Miriam, what’s up with that book you are supposed to be writing?” When I did bring something to read they listened, critiqued, encouraged, and pushed me on. I know, without a doubt that the rough draft of my first book would have NEVER been finished if it wasn’t for the BHWG. 

Since getting married five years ago and moving down South I hadn’t found a writers group.  I attended one meeting in Fort Lauderdale and enjoyed it, but getting there was such a hassle.  Since I moved to SC I never got motivated.  Until now… and the best thing is that I’ve found not one, but two groups.  The very day I returned from the Blue Ridge Conference, I had a voicemail waiting telling me about a group in Newberry.  That’s my town!  Wahoo! So next Thursday I get to go meet with another group of writers and gain more motivation for my writing process.

It reminds me of the verse in Proverbs 27:17. “Iron sharpeneth iron: so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” I know that groups aren’t for everyone.  Some people don’t have the ability to get out and go.  Maybe you live too far away from a group. There are online critique groups that might meet your need. Or maybe you are better finding one writing buddy who can read your material and give you feedback.  Whatever works for you, just make sure you are doing it. God has given me this ability. He has given me a RICH heritage and surrounded me with Godly examples. I am beginning to realize more and more that with great opportunity comes great responsibility. So thanks to all of the people who have helped me on my way! I’ll do my best to glorify God with my writing and in my life.

If you have ever asked the question, “Where’s my other sock?” then you really must read this delightful fantasy adventure by Esther LoPresto.

In “Where’s My Other Sock,” Tori, her friends Sally and Suzie, and eventually even her pesky little brother join the search to uncover exactly what is going on with the dryer. It seems that the dryer, the washer, the family pets, and even a mouse named Clarence are all in cahoots to eat all of the blue socks.

In a grand adventure, the children, animals, and machines cooperate to uncover the secret world right under their feet. In the process they make new friends and even help save another world.

This fast-moving, attention-grabbing story is chock full of memorably colorful characters who alternately delight and inspire. This page turner is ageless, one of those books both children and grandparents can enjoy, possibly even together.

Esther LoPresto has produced an impressive debut adventure. I look forward to seeing more from this author. I enjoyed meeting Esther at a recent conference and finding that she had the answer to the pressing question of my childhood. I can’t wait to tell my sister I may have learned the fate of all of those missing socks. . .

For more about this author go to her blog at:

 http://legendsofxenos.blogspot.com/

Five weeks ago I started a new job. I’m now working in a Surgical ICU on the night shift and I love it.  Well, all of it except the NSBS (Night Shift Brain Syndrome) I suffer for a couple of days after working my two nights a week. Yes, I said two nights a week.  I am now working two 12-hour shifts instead of the 32 hours I was working before. When my new co-workers find out I am “only” working two nights a week instead of the usual three it raises some questions.  One is, “how did you get them to do that?”  It seems that they haven’t allowed part-timers on this floor before.  Well, don’t I feel special! 🙂  I guess God was just paving the way  since I really didn’t want full-time.

The second question I am asked is “do you have another part-time job?” I was asked this on my third shift and I answered with a resounding NO. This was met with a quick, “that’s not true,” from one of my co-workers. She was the co-worker who had just asked to purchase my book for her grandson.  “She does too have another job.  She is an author!” Well.  Maybe I should hire her as my publicist!

So, the other night I was asked that question again and I answered with confidence. ” I’m an author and I am very busy the rest of the time with my writing business.”  Of course this led to a discussion about what I write and I was able to promote my book once again.

The whole idea of this being another part-time job has taken hold.  It actually has taken me by the throat and won’t let go.  Since returning from the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference I have so many ideas and goals running through my head there just doesn’t seem to be time to do it all. I have decided that since I work 24 hours at my “regular job” I’ll strive to put 16 hours a week into writing. Once I hit upon this “Plan” – I do love a plan –  I needed to know what areas to work on; otherwise I feel overwhelmed. My husband helped me brainstorm last night and we came up with these four areas that encompass my writing job.  You could call it my job description.

1). Promote the current book.

2). Revise the second book and find a publisher.

 3). Enhance my skill and craft.

 4). Develop freelance writing business (articles, columns, etc.).

Now that I have a job description in place, I can go about creating a work-plan for this  new part-time job. Pray for me that God will be glorified whether I’m working at home or at the hospital. That’s what it’s all about, after all!

Hopefully you read the last post.  Otherwise this one won’t make much sense.  So, if you didn’t we’ll wait while you go back and read it. (Pausing to wait…) You’re back?  Good!  Here we go then. . .

As I have thought about my life, my “brand” I have realized more and more just how blessed my life has been. What factors in my life made me who I am? Is it simply that I have an ESFJ personality on the Myers-Briggs spectrum? (That would be Sanguine-Choleric to those of you more familiar with that terminology.) I don’t believe so. I  thought several times this weekend of the verse in Psalm 139:14 which says, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made. . .” I’m not an accident. What my life-path has made me isn’t just a result of chance. No, indeed. This is the result of God’s direction. God has given me every opportunity that has made my life what it is. He gave me the parents he wanted me to have, all three of them. He gave me a Daddy who exemplified teaching by example. Daddy taught us to choose our actions based on Bible principles. Most importantly he demonstrated this by consistently living his life, day by day making his personal choices based on Biblical principles.

God gave me the opportunities he wanted me to have and took away the things that wouldn’t serve His purposes in my life. He sent me to Nursing School and eventually Bible College for an El Ed degree. He took my cello away after 7^th grade so I was forced to learn to play the piano. He gave me the responsibility/opportunity to play a cantata way above my ability in high school, thereby forcing me to develop my musical ability and inciting a love for the piano I just didn’t have. He didn’t give me a husband until I was forty-three leaving me many years to pursue other goals and ministries. It also forced me to draw closer to Him.

Every experience in my life, good or bad, can in retrospect be placed under the umbrella of “The preparing of a servant of the living God.” This causes me to fall on my face and say, as Mary did,“Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” Luke 1:38. For a die-hard controller of all that is Miriam’s life, this is a hard lesson to learn and hold on to. Why is it so hard to give over control to the God of the universe? I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is trustworthy and consistent. He is my Abba Father, my heavenly Daddy.

So, even the search of a pithy, succinct way to express the essence of Miriam comes down to this — God is using this experience to give me an appreciation for my life path and mold me into a more Christ-like attitude, a complete surrender. May the essence of Miriam include a daily surrender to an Almighty, Unchangeable, All-Knowing, Loving, Holy God.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day; the day we stop to remember those who have died, especially those who gave their lives to protect our country. In addition to the soldiers, I have several people I remember each year.  I remember all of my grandparents and I remember my mommy. I remember some who lived full lives and some unborn babies that never had to suffer the cares of the world. All of this remembering started me thinking about the impact those people had on my life. I’ve led a precious life, one filled with people who demonstrated what God meant a Christian to be. I was given a sweet childhood. This was due largely to the Godly examples of my daddy and my two mothers; Mommy who died suddenly when I was ten, and my mom, the one who has been my mother now for three-fourths of my life.

This contemplation led me to another topic. One of the things I learned at the conference this month was the idea of branding yourself. What? As I type, I can hear my Nebraska ranch cousins questioning my sanity. Who, in their right mind would want to brand themselves? Well, it seems the serious writer does. The idea is that if you can take the essence of who you are and express it in a succinct catchy way, you can get past the part of the brain that weeds out information before it is absorbed into the decision making area, thereby catching the attention of the publishers and readers. Whew!

What is my brand, the essence of Miriam?  What makes me different and unique? What do I have to offer? At the very next meal, I had an idea handed to me by one of the speakers. After visiting for a few minutes she said, “You seem to be a pretty down-to-earth person.”

“Well,” I replied. “I guess I am.” Yes, that would describe me. Quirky also describes me. Since my life didn’t take the traditional track I’ve had an eclectic background. I have a  worldview based on Biblical principles. I’m optimistic; my husband says I always see what he calls, “the sliver lining.“ (No, I didn’t spell “sliver” wrong.)  I love to have fun and have a child-like sense of humor. Children and the elderly charm me. I am an aunt who has trained her nieces and nephews that when she is old they WILL bring her chocolate in the nursing home!  My youngest niece even calls me “Aunt ChocaMimMim.”  I am deliriously and thankfully a wife, finally!

As a brand that’s a bit lengthy. After all, it’s supposed to be narrowed down to a catchy phrase or word. Whoa! Anyone who knows me knows that’s a difficult task for me to accomplish. So, I’m asking for your help.  If you have an idea of what my brand is, comment here. I’d love to receive your input.

Tune in on Tuesday as I continue this post. It was just too many words for one day! J Until then, don’t forget those who gave their lives so we have the ability to share our thoughts freely.

Have you ever thought you knew yourself only to find out you had a basic misconception?  This happened to me last week at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference when Angela Hunt discussed how to use personality tests to help develop characters in a book.  She suggested using the Myers-Briggs Personality system to assign a personality to your characters, thus giving an outline of all of their traits.  This makes the characters more believable for your readers.

I found this idea captivating, partially because I am an analytical person and I enjoy evaluating my own and others personalities but I also could see the value of this idea in developing a series of children’s mysteries.  Part of the challenge with this second book is making sure my characters actions remain consistent with their driving motivations.  

One of the areas of the Myers-Briggs, Angela explained could be  described as “Pilers vs. Filers”.  She said you are either the kind of  person who is always organized or one who has piles everywhere.  My immediate thought, considering how my office and house looked at that point, was that I was definitely a piler.  So when I got back to my room I punched the four letters I had chosen into my google and up popped a site describing “my” personality.  However, it wasn’t exact.  It seemed a bit off.  So, I proceeded to find an online test and I took it.  That test, believe it or not, said I was NOT a piler, but rather a filer!  No way!

Then I thought about it.  Hum, maybe that’s why I always loved taking my syllabi in college and plugging all of the assignments into my planner, then checking them off as I finished.  I do like lists, I just don’t always follow through.  I love having a plan.  In fact, I insist on having a plan even if it has to change frequently. So my next thought was this. . . am I just an undisciplined filer?  If I am truly a filer, if this is who God made me to be then I should live that in my life.  I no longer can use the excuse, “oh that’s just the way I am.”  So, from now on I’m going to strive to focus on being who I am. . . an organized person!  I’ll let you know how it goes. 🙂

Good Morning.  I can still say that now, but will I be done with this entry before it’s afternoon?  Doubtful.  Oh well!  As you know I recently attended the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference at Ridgecrest in NC.  It was awesome.  I learned so much my brain was swimming.  It still is!  I told my husband the first night that I needed to hook my brain to an external hard drive and down load everything I had learned so there would be room for more.  I also told him he would have to be my external hard drive but he said he wouldn’t remember it all. 🙂  Thank goodness for notes!

I didn’t find an editor dying to buy my second book but I was kind of glad.  What?  Did she just say that?  Yes, indeed!  I learned so much about revising and writing that I am just itching to get back into my book and make it better.  I also began to realize a plot issue at the end which was verified after I talked to my friend, Dana who just read it to her class.  So. . . I’ll be rewriting the end. 🙂  I did learn some valuable information that should help when I get it ready to go.

There are so many things I want to share with you.  One thing I learned is that a blogger should blog at least three times a week.  So, this isn’t a promise but it is certainly a notice.  I will be making every attempt to blog at least three times a week.  Let me know if you enjoy the blogs, if you have any suggestions, etc.

Finally!  Upon returning home I found something in my mail that just excited me beyond belief.  It was the certificate for the copyright on my book.  WOW!  That was an awesome way to start the post-conference time.  It’s already framed and ready to go on the wall.

So, for more updates about what I learned at the conference stay tuned!  Until next time, Good AFTERNOON!