An Awesome Truth

You are the essence of awesome.

No one can do what you do!

How you talk,

how you walk,

what you say,

how you play,

is a style all your own.

So let your awesomeness illuminate the world,

and don’t listen to those who might say you’re ordinary,

because you, my friend, are beyond extraordinary!

J

Sooo Guess What!

I got a response letter from a publisher!!

(she sang very off-key)

    Remember the manuscript I was scrambling to send off last November? Well, yesterday I received a response to that proposal but I didn’t recognize the letter so I didn’t even open it until late last night, lol! But I’m still thrilled cause they used the envelope I provided, and to get that you have to open the package, which most likely means they read my manuscript!!

And here I thought they forgot about me!

Or it got lost!

Or they just weren’t gonna respond!

But the Lord never forgets anyone.

    My book was, sadly, rejected but that’s ok because I realized that particular manuscript wasn’t my best work and I have High Hopes for the one I’m currently revising, but I’m still excited because they still read my novel and their rejection letter was positive and encouraging (for a rejection anyways).

    Its funny how a rejection could give you hope, I mean, when someone tells you “No” and turns down your dream you can’t let it deter or hinder you. Some of the best artists tried a hundred times over before they got their big break.

    So I won’t give up! I can’t, not when I’m this close, not with an idea as good as the one I’m nursing right now. I won’t, my determination is too great and the desire is too much to contain.

This was just the Lord redirecting my path.

Because some doors He opens,

some doors He closes,

others He locks.

And somewhere He has left open a window and all I have to do is find it, boost myself up and slip through, and when I do watch out!!

Cause this author is coming to a bookstore near you!

J

The Slayer of Typos

All she could hear as she trudged through the forest was her own raspy breathing and the metal scrape of her sword dragging in the dirt behind her. This is too hard, she thought to the tune of her throbbing pulse, I’m too weak, fatigue tugged on her eyelids, I must rest. Her limbs were quaking with exhaustion, her entire body was throbbing from that last battle; she was battered and bruised with little hope of victory anytime soon.
    There were just too many, too many Typos, too many ogres and witches to be battled; these woods were full of them and she, she was only one knight!
    But I can't stop! I mustn’t! Her mission was not yet complete and these woods were not yet safe, so quitting wasn’t an option. Would her mentor quit? Never. Would the great Knights of Knowing give up? Not this close to the end, not this close to the sunrise, she knew.
    From behind she heard her horse lazily following, felt his warm breath on her lower back through her chainmail.
    Up ahead she looked and saw through the trees only more trees stretching out and away off into the thick, soupy night. She had been walking for hours but sleep was far from her overworked mind. There was too much to do, an enemy could appear anytime, anywhere…
    Just then, a twig snapped behind her!
    She swung around, sword drawn, flashing moonlight, slicing mist.
    Show yourself! She glared into the night, but only shadows stared back.
    Suddenly, a branch shook to her right. She spun around and looked up... into glowing yellow eyes!
    Flapping wings, flashing claws, she let out a gasp as the beast descended upon her!
    Typo!
    Her horse let out a wild scream, which mingled with that of the enemy.
    Without hesitating, she swung her sword and caught her attacker in the wing. Upon contact, light flashed and the Typo shrieked as it disintegrated into dust! Her sword passed through smoke.
    Our knight stood there for a moment, heart pounding, lungs wheezing, arms shakily holding her sword at the ready. But no matter how hard she scraped the darkness she could see no others. Finally, she relaxed her stance, took hold of the reins, and led her horse on.
    The work of a Revising Knight is never complete; she thought as she sheathed her weapon, that is why I must continue! Even though it was hard, even though it was tedious, even though she was achy and hurting, she had to keep going. She had to vanquish the wretched Beasts of Mis-Take who were haunting the woods of this rough draft! Only 46 pages, she told herself, only 46 more pages to go.
    They had just trekked around a bend and turned to face the East, when she lifted her eyes and noticed that the darkness was breaking.
    Dawn had arrived!
    Finally, she smiled dreamily to herself as she stopped where she stood and gazed off through the trees between which she could just see the horizon. There, the sun was rising, fracturing the dark, banning the shadows, and casting long golden rays between the trunks. Grinning into the light she drank in a cool, soothing breath of dewy pine air and thought, this is possible.
    Now all she could hear, as she stood there in the misty light, was the pound of her determined heart and the birds in the canopy above her greeting the sunrise. There is hope, she mused to the tune of a dove, because I am strong, adrenaline opened her eyelids, and I can do this. I can and I will finish this mission! I will not stop…
    Just then, there came a wild scream and flapping wings behind her! 
    Dropping the reins she unsheathed her blade and swung around.
    Yellow eyes flashed!
    Her sword sliced the sunrays…

Did You Know Dreamers are Buoyant?

You’ll never know what could have been without risking what might be

and you’ll never know if you can fly if you never try.

    I learned this today.

    Its like : I’m standing in the boat, the seas buffeted by wind and waves and Jesus is beckoning to me from across the water and all I have to do is step out from this comfy, sheltered canoe and walk towards Him.

    You ever feel like that? Like, in order to get to your dreams you have to do something outside your comfort zone, which can be as scary as trying to walk across a hurricane-enraged sea?

    Knowing if you can fly is priced with risk (the risk of failing while trying to succeed). As I stepped out of the van today and walked across campus - like the Sea of Galilee - with each step I tried to remember that He was there with me, He would keep my head above water…

    But, sadly, I looked at the waves and doubts crept in.

    What if I sink?

What if I don’t?

    What if I fail?

Maybe I wont.

    Yet Jesus was there to pluck me out, to dry me off, to ask, “Why did you doubt?” (Matt 14:31) and He taught me something important today:

Dreamers float.

    “Everything is possible for him who believes,” (Mark 9:23) and even though it’s hard to resist doubts, I have to keep stepping out in faith, even if I fail. After all,, He has brought me this far…

A Bottled Truth

Dear whoever finds this,

    I put this note in this bottle and set it afloat hoping someone like you might find it.
    I heard the tides in your life were rising, and I just wanted you to know that you’re not alone at sea. Whatever misfortune comes your way, know that you can handle it; whatever hurricane blows in today, know you can paddle on through.
    And when you reach the other side of your ocean, and float out into calmer waters, you can look back and see how far you’ve really come.
    Because, you are stronger than any storm, mightier than any monsoon, and tougher than any tempest! So keep paddling! Cause, in truth, this typhoon is only a season and any day now you’re gonna reach dry land.
    So keep going, sailor, and know you can do anything you put your mind to!

Sincerely yours,

J

Seizing in the Moment

Moment. According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus this word means: “A minute portion of time; [an] instant; a time of excellence; [or] importance.” Some of the synonyms for “moment” are: flash, twinkle, wink, jiffy (lol, that’s a funny word), presence, and today.

    Back in June I shared a Random Thought about Carpe Diem (Carpe-ing that Diem!) which was about seizing the day and accepting this gift that is Life which Jesus has given us. But there’s another side to it; seizing not just the day, but also the moment.

Life is fleeting.

    Yes, days pass with each sunrise and sunset and time is measured by the tick of the minute hand or the drip of sand in a glass, but its shorter than that. Living in the moment is devoting all your attention to this one strand in time, this one iota of an instant, which is all we really hold and we should Embrace it with eagerness, accepting the adventures as they come. No, better yet, we should seek those adventures wherever they may lie!

I heard a saying once:

Yesterday is history,

Tomorrow a mystery,

But today is a gift,

That is why it is called the present.

 

  A present is meant to be enjoyed and to be played with, right now, in this very moment like when you were a kid playing on Christmas morning.

But, if we live too far in the past

or the future

we tend to miss the joys of the present.

    Because a moment fades in a flash, leaving a twinkle in your eye; it’s a wink if you will, of the Lord sharing His presence today in our lives, yet it fades in a jiffy (funny word, had to use it again, lol).

So we should be seizers of the moment,

seekers of adventure

grasping at every, and any, opportunity as the Lord puts them in our lives!

Who knows what we might encounter?

Boundless

  {  Keep an open mind, don’t let ideas get left behind

 And results they’ll come like condensation        {

{   collecting in dewy revelations  

they’ll drip together as possibilities, {    

   your  unknown faculties,  {    

{   to test the boundaries of your mentality

and reach conclusions beyond factuality!

  {     

Be True to Beautiful You Part 3

J

Stand out in the crowd! Be one in a million, ‘cause there’s a million in one chance that the only one who can do it is you. So break the mold and take a hold of the destiny awaiting you! Being distinct now that’s what’s chic, cause fitting in is just way too bleak! I mean, where’s the fun coloring inside the lines? Where’s the adventure, following only the signs? Taking the path less traveled to places unexplored; that’s how discoveries are made, when we open unlocked doors! Take every chance you get and know God ain’t through with you yet. ‘Cause when you’re old and gray and looking back on your day, do you want to feel regret or do you want to be able to say you had the guts to grab each adventure that came your way? Don’t you want to know that you were bold so when your story is told everyone can behold your awesomeness through and through? So go ahead and be true to beautiful you!

J

Alert! Alert!

Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! In the spirit of adventure  I recently have embarked on a new quest deeper into tech-savviness and have established some feed for any and all Nutmeg fans out there!

    Let me draw your attention to the little orange-thingy (chicklet/widget/button whatever you want to call it -- I'm going with the technical term "orange-thingy") down there on the toolbar under the title Subscribe to the Fun; Follow my Feed! which has magically appeared. You're just a click away from total-access to posts and updates!

    And the possibilities are endless! Now you can:

Join the Fun and Follow Me,

Share the Fun and Pass Me On to Twitter or Facebook

and Subscribe to the Fun to keep up with me and all things Nutty

from the comforts of your own reader!
    Three words: con-ven-ient!
    So there ya go, and now I'll go see what other damages I can do at this popsicle stand! Lol, bon-happy reading, y'all!

J

The True Essence of Summertime

Picture this: You’re sound asleep in bed when you’re awoken by a warm summer breeze sneaking in through an open window. You sit up and stretch then glance outside to see through the gauzy dawn light the surf breaking on the local shore. Your heart starts to pound as the wind rustles your bed sheet and you smile; it’s another summer morning in paradise! So you fling off your blankets and launch to your feet, the tile cool and sandy against your skin. You slept in your swimsuit so you just grab a boogie board or surf board or some other kind of board and head out the door and as soon as your toes hit the sand, still cool with night, a thrill rushes through you cause you know today is a day of possibilities, of adventure, of absolute, total freedom!

That is the essence of summer.

    This is my most favorite time of year, when it’s 100 degrees in the shade (no really, it’s felt like 105 here all week) and a pool is your best friend and the words: math, quizzes, studying and tests aren’t in your vocabulary. Doesn’t it feel like school starts way too early? I think summertime should last year-round! Wonder who I should talk to about that? …………

    Anyhow, nothings better than kicking back at the beach on a hot sunny day with a good book, a lounge chair and condensation dripping down a cool can of ice tea.

    Or a noontime ride on your horse, bareback, with a hot, dry wind in your face.

    Or an evening barbeque with your family and mama’s sweet potato French fries.

    Or even a movie night with friends in the A/C, the TV turned up loud.

    Sure, I like the cool winds in autumn, and who doesn’t love sweater-season, and that first crisp spring morning when you can finally take your bike for a spin. But there’s just something about summertime, something that’s as invigorating and familiar as the aroma of sunscreen.

It’s a freedom, I think,

the knowing that this summer is yours

and the next few weeks can be whatever you want to make them

and you can be whoever you desire to make yourself.

J

The possibilities are truly endless!

   

To me, when I hear the waves of adventure crashing upon the shore, it says it’s time to grab my swimsuit and go meet with my Friends because it’s just another day in sweet, summer paradise!

Hmm, maybe that is the true essence of summer.

Come on, don’t be shy,

What do you think is the true essence of summertime?

Be True to Beautiful You (Part 2)

J

Stand up for what you believe in! You deserve everything you want and need so let your voice be heard and your will be free; let your opinions rise, for you could be the one to open the world’s closed eyes. Because, you are a force to be reckoned with, a hero nonetheless! And what you say and do does matter. So don’t settle for less but shoot for the best! One word can make the world a better place; one idea can be the revelation of the human race, and you can be the drop that overflows that pail; you can initiate that change! Cause it’s time for us to set sail, and make reality rearrange! This is all so true, and it begins with powerful you.

J

Get Determined!

Determination says even I can make a change.
    Determination says you can stand up, even if the tears are falling down your face.
Determination says you can get back up (shaking and bruised) and swing into the saddle even if the odds are stacked against you.
    Determination says this little girl who was born without a hip will learn to drive and drive well.
    Determination says that even if I’m pulling myself by one arm I will make it into the Promise Land.
    Determination says no matter what, I will achieve my dreams and someday you’ll be able to pluck one of my novels off a bookstore shelf!

Determination is the knowing that no matter what happens,

no matter what anybody else says,

no matter where life takes you,

you can and will make the desires of your heart come true!

J

So what does Determination say to you?