12 Pearls of Christmas - Day 4: Margaret McSweeney

Pearls of Christmas revisited - Day 4: Margaret McSweeney

Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.

Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace (a GREAT gift!) to give to a friend or for yourself.

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A Mistletoe Medley

By Margaret McSweeney

“You have breast cancer.” Those four words my doctor said the week of Mother’s Day 2012 have forever changed my life. Mere months after my fiftieth birthday, I encountered this unexpected “lump in the road” and ventured through a major detour after reaching my half-century mark.

Through this “grit,” God has covered me with His amazing grace! At the same time of my diagnosis, two books released: Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith along with Aftermath: Growing in Grace Through Grief. During this Christmas season, I rejoice that my cancer was caught and treated at an early stage. After six weeks of “daily radiance” (AKA radiation therapy), I started my daily dose of Tamoxifen to help battle any potential cells that might cause a recurrence. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

While writing Aftermath and sharing my journey of grief as an adult orphan, I experienced several “hugs from heaven” as I discovered family letters, journals, and even a video in which my mother shares her faith. This is a mistletoe medley from my mother’s heart:

Each Christmas season my father used to go down into the woods behind our home and bring us back some mistletoe. It was a present that my sister and I loved. We’d tie it with bright ribbons and would hang it over several doorways in the house.

It was always fun of course for a Christmas party, but it came to mean more than that to us. It seemed to become a symbol of the meaning of Christmas: Love, God’s love for the world that prompted Him to send Christ to become our Savior. Somehow it seemed to enhance our love for each other as a family. And we found ourselves stepping under the mistletoe to give someone a hug or to plant a kiss on someone’s cheek and say, “I love you.”

I thought of these mistletoe Christmases during my mother’s losing battle with cancer. I penned my thoughts like this:

Illness, you ugly parasite!

Like mistletoe, you’ve entrenched yourself upon my body!

As you bloom and grow, you feed upon my strength.

I shall fight!

Battalions stand by to help!

My doctor’s scalpel will sever you.

Modern medicine will shrivel you.

You shall fall to the ground,

And I shall stand again strong and well.

But what if I cannot conquer you?

If you are with me still

As my constant, inevitable companion,

I pray that God will help me

Learn to live with you in peace

And somehow discover how you, my enemy—

Like mistletoe at Christmas—

Can serve some useful purpose.

There are times when we cannot rid our lives of things that hurt such as pain or grief, loss, illness, sorrow. Sometimes they’re with us as our inevitable companions and we must learn to make peace with them.

Those are the times when we can ask God through Christ to help us transform the loneliness, the pain, the grief, the loss-symbolically into something that can serve a useful purpose in our lives.

May you feel an extra “hug from heaven” this Christmas season from the loving arms of our Heavenly Father. God is present, and He knows your name!
*Text quoted from Aftermath (New Hope, 2012) by Margaret McSweeney, pp 114-115

***

WebTalkRadio.net Host Margaret McSweeny is a well-published author and freelance writer for the 411 Voices and the Daily Herald, the largest suburban Chicago newspaper. She is the author of Aftermath, A Mother's Heart Knows and Go Back and Be Happy. She is also the founder of Pearl Girls™ and the general editor of the Pearl Girls™ books; Mother of Pearl and Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace. All proceeds from the sales of the Pearl Girls™ books go to charity. For the past five years, she has served on the board of directors for WINGS, an organization that helps abused women and their children get a new start in life. Margaret would love to meet you too. Follow her on twitter or friend her on facebook. You can also keep up with Margaret at Kitchen Chat or on facebook. Margaret lives with her husband and two daughters in the Chicago suburbs.

Disclaimer: This post is a partial copy of a event I did back in 2012. I was not offered compensation or product for posting. If you choose to purchase any of the books linked to this post from Amazon I may or may not receive a small percentage from the sale.

Pearls of Christmas ~ Day 3: Debora Coty

Pearls of Christmas revisited - Day 3: Debora Coty
Welcome to the12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!

Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.

Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace (a GREAT gift!) to give to a friend or for yourself.

***
Who is Mr. Carbunkle?
By: Debora M. Coty

In a dream this November, I was playing Clue (remember that board game from your childhood?) with three friendly strangers. We were each moving our pieces from room to room in the mysterious mansion trying to figure out who-done-it.

So far we knew it wasn’t Miss Scarlet in the parlor with a candlestick . . . or Colonel Mustard in the drawing room with a wrench.

With a voice bursting with sudden enlightenment, the player to my right announced, “Why, it’s Mr. Carbunkle!*”

My other two opponents and I looked at one another in bewilderment. Everyone knew there was no such character in this game.

It seemed my lot to state the obvious. “Who is Mr. Carbunkle?”

The words continued to ring in my head as I sat straight up in bed. I must have spoken the question aloud to jerk me awake so.

Who is Mr. Carbunkle?

And then I knew. I knew just as surely as if the Almighty had sent me an e-mail titled, “Hey, Deb, here’s your answer.”

I had been praying for several weeks about how Papa God would like me to use my writing tithe this year. It’s been my custom, for the nine years I’ve written professionally, to give away each December (anonymously, if possible) ten percent of that year’s income from my writing ministry to someone the Lord designates.

The sum isn’t really all that much in the grand scheme of things (contrary to popular belief, Christian writers don’t get rich), but it’s enough to bless somebody in their celebration of Christ’s birth with the knowledge that their Heavenly Father knows about their needs . . . and cares.

I thought about the only Mr. Carbunkle I knew—the one who attends our church, a quiet, unassuming man who’d been out of work for more than a year. I confess that I knew about his plight but hadn’t really given it much thought—or prayer—lately. Although he never complained, I knew his family must be struggling.

So Mr. Carbunkle it is.

You know, there are lots of Mr. Carbunkles out there who would be blessed mightily by a love-gift from you this Christmas. It doesn’t have to be money; it could be help with yard work, or home repairs, or a loaf of banana bread, or best of all, a gift of your time. Thirty minutes of your undivided attention for a lonely soul who needs to know Papa God knows his or her needs … and cares.

Who is your Mr. Carbunkle?

Don’t have a Clue? I know someone who does. Just ask Him.

*Name changed for privacy

***

Debora Coty is an occupational therapist, a piano teacher, and a freelance writer. She's also involved in the children's ministry at her church and is an avid tennis player. Debora began writing to fill the void when her last child left for college, and it has since become a passion. Debora has a real knack for getting across sound biblical concepts with a refreshing lightheartedness as attested in her monthly newspaper column entitled "Grace Notes: God's Grace for Everyday Living." Look for Fear, Faith and a Fist Full of Chocolate in February of 2013. Follow her website @ http://deboracoty.com

Disclaimer: This post is a partial copy of a event I did back in 2012. I was not offered compensation or product for posting. If you choose to purchase any of the books linked to this post from Amazon I may or may not receive a small percentage from the sale.

Pearls of Christmas ~ Day 2 Christy Fitzwater

Pearls of Christmas - Day 2: Christy Fitzwater
Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series ~ Revisited

Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.

Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace (a GREAT gift!) to give to a friend or for yourself.

***

An Inexpensive New Christmas Tradition
By: Christy Fitzwater

I was invited to play some Christmas carols on the piano for a senior-adult luncheon, but before I got up to play they had a time for the seniors to share what they remembered as their favorite Christmas gifts.

There was talk of new bicycles, a pony, and a new dress.

Then one elderly man took the microphone and said, “An orange.” When he was young, an orange was a rare treat. As he spoke, he got choked up and had to stop talking to collect himself. He explained that his Sunday School was giving an orange for anyone who memorized a Bible verse. He tearfully described earning that delicious orange and slowly savoring every bite. When he was done eating the orange, he put the peel on the furnace so it would dry, and then he chewed on the peel.

He said with conviction, “We just don’t know how rich we are in this country.”
Christmas is usually the time when I feel broke. I tuck away money for gifts all year long, but money doesn’t go very far these days. My husband and I love to spoil our kids and try to scheme how to get them a big-ticket item. We’ve enjoyed the Christmas mornings when we’ve been able to enjoy watching our kids open such gifts as an electric guitar or an iPad.

I stopped to imagine how our whole family would feel if, on Christmas morning, the only gift under the tree was a small basket cradling an orange for each of us. I think we would feel disappointment and great loss. What would we do the rest of the morning if not consumed by opening gift after gift? Where would the focus be?
Our years of wealth make thankfulness for an orange seem ludicrous.

As I processed this man’s story, I decided what we lack at Christmas isn’t money to buy nice gifts—it’s gratitude to relish the simple treasures we enjoy every day.
This Christmas I am going to begin a new tradition for my family, and I would invite your family to do the same. I am going to place a small basket with four oranges under the tree, along with a printed copy of the man’s story of the orange. We’re going to pause at some point in the morning and each hold an orange while we read the story. And then we’re going to hold those oranges up to our noses and breathe in the fragrance God built into it, peel it slowly, and enjoy each juicy bite. And while we eat it, we’ll each speak thankfulness to the Lord for the grace He has poured into our lives.

In that moment, we’ll know how rich we are.

Christy Fitzwater is a writer and pastor’s wife living in Kalispell, Montana. She is the mother of a daughter in college and a high-school boy. Read her personal blog at christyfitzwater.com

Linked up @:
Grab your coffee

Disclaimer: This post is a partial copy of a event I did back in 2012. I was not offered compensation or product for posting. If you choose to purchase any of the books linked to this post from Amazon I may or may not receive a small percentage from the sale.

The 12 pearls of Christmas ~ revisited

This month I want to revisit the 12 pearls of Christmas. A series I participated in on the other GivingNSharing blog (that I can't access to post on) way back in 2012. The links don't seem to work anymore so I'm going to just be sharing the devotional each day.

The 12 pearls of Christmas Revisited
Day 1 ~ Susan May Warren

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas blog series!

Merry Christmas from Pearl Girls™! We hope you enjoy these Christmas “Pearls of Wisdom” from the authors who were so kind to donate their time and talents! If you miss a few posts, you’ll be able go back through and read them on this blog throughout the next few days.

Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace (a GREAT gift!) to give to a friend or for yourself.

***

God with Us . . . And Us with Him

By: Susan May Warren

Every year over labor day weekend, the Warren family has a MWE. Mandatory Warren Event. It’s a call to come home and enjoy the long weekend with our favorite people. Since my children have left for college, I relish every second of this weekend—the laughter in the kitchen, the long conversations in the family room, the frenzy of backyard football, the quietness of the morning as we drink coffee on the deck and watch the sunrise. I cherish these people, and when they are with me, I drink in their presence.

I’ve been reading the prophecies about Christ this season and came across Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

I am struck by the word Immanuel. God with us. The closest I get to comprehending this is reading about how Jesus’ loved his disciples. Surely they relished the time with him more profoundly after his resurrection, knowing he would soon leave.

Thankfully, he didn’t leave them for long and sent His Holy Spirit. God . . . still with them. 

As I consider the magnitude of this God who would come to earth, who would abide with the disciples, and then with me, I have to wonder not only do I relish God’s presence in my life, but does God relish time with me? Am I committed to embracing His entrance into my life? Am I even making the effort to see Him?

Imagine that during our MWE weekend, I ignored my children, and they, me? I would lose the joy of their presence.

It is not surprising to me that the Jewish people did not recognize their Savior. After all, who would guess that the Almighty might package himself as a baby and appear among them, fragile and dependent? But today, we know the story, we know the miracles, we know the truth, and God invites us into an abundant relationship, one that He wishes to relish, one that will change us. A relationship that will slake our thirsts and satisfy our hungers. One that reminds us that we are never alone.

Because every day we are a mandatory event to our Immanuel.

This season, look for the ways that God is your Immanuel, with you, every day.

Susan May Warren is the best-selling, award-winning author of over 40 novels. With over 750,000 books in print, her stories of family, romance and adventure have earned her acclaim and reader fans from around the world. Visit her website for upcoming books and sneak peeks!

Linked up @:
Sundays Best LinkUp @ Mother2Motherblog

Disclaimer: This post is a partial copy of a event I did back in 2012. I was not offered compensation or product for posting.

What does it mean when you "shop small"?

Say NO to mass-produced! 

1) Handmade usually means BETTER quality items individually made by hand from a skilled small shop maker.

2) Small shop owners have the ability to make each & every customer feel special when they do business with them. Imagine walking into a big box store and asking employee #1639 to drop what they're doing and find XYZ, read the title of the product and then hand you 10 boxes individually while you decide what you need. While they are doing that they are listening to your needs and WHY you need 10 of them. At the same time their ear piece is blaring in their ear telling them that there was a spill in aisle 24 and that as man and woman with a baby in the cart just walked out with a big screen tv under their coat.... 

3)  When you shop small:

- 70% of the purchase price generally goes right back into the local economy of       that shop's location.

- You help create jobs for single parents, stay at home moms, elderly people trying to stretch their income a bit more. Small businesses create 2 out of every 3 new jobs in the US and employ over 1/2 of the people in the workforce.

- You're allowing a small shop owner to buy groceries, pay utility bills, pay for      medical needs, give dance lessons, pay for team uniforms, and more. It helps with family budgets and pays for the little extras!

- You aren't supporting billionaires and lining the pockets of a corporate CEO                driving that sports car and living in a gated community. 

Begin by visiting The Handmade Pledge and commit to purchase handmade items for you, your loved ones and to ask others to do te same when buying this holiday shopping season.

2nd, Rock the Sock and start filling up your shopping list when you click the following image:

Disclaimer: I was not asked to post for GSHandmade and no compensation was received. I do have a shop on GSHandmade and that is the only way I may receive any compensation.

And life continues... Shoes for Crews review

Hi everyone - well, life continues. I'm finding I'm really enjoying my new job now that the stress and frustration of not knowing what I'm doing and worry about finances is finally easing up. My feet are still causing me many, many problems tho. I will be sharing some mini reviews of the shoes I order and try. Hopefully others will benefit from my experience.

Yesterday my 3rd pair of tennis shoes (in 3 months) were delivered. I bought a pair of Dr Scholls shoes when I began the new job. I've used that brand for years and other than occasional issues with achy feet did very well with them. I did have to use plantar fasciitis insoles with them when I had issues with that. Between the insoles and my chiropractor I hadn't had issues for quite a while with that kind of pain. So, I bought a new pair for work.

Then the serious pain began. At first I just figured I was out of shape and needed to work up some endurance since this job is 100% walking. I was expecting back and hip pain. I've had absolutely none of that. It's all in my feet, ankles and legs. The chiropractor says it's in my calves though.

So I ordered pair 2 from Shoes for Crews online. They were recommended by my good friend Marybeth. Her husband has used them for years and loves them. They had great reviews for plantar fasciitis and foot/leg pain. I signed up for their newsletter and received a 20% discount to use on my first pair. Paid $71 I think for a pair of the Revolution II. Unfortunately I barely managed to wear them for 1 1/2 days before I had to set them aside. My pain intensified & I barely made it home. I even had to write my boss and tell her I may need to take the next day off to get my pain to go down.

The Revolution II is a cute pair of shoes - with a hard sole that isn't flexible at all. I knew as soon as I removed it from the box it wasn't going to work but I gave them a try anyway. This pair of shoes has a noticeable arch support, the tongue rides up against the front of the ankle (which was very uncomfortable and triggered my nerve pain in that area). They are very roomy in the toe area and didn't seem to be very heavy to walk in and I think could be comfortable for many people that aren't dealing with nerve pain in the feet and ankles.

So, as the company has a 30 day return/exchange policy on shoes I'm going to try to order another pair that hopefully will work for me. I'm looking

at the Jasmine I think. I've been emailing customer service back and forth for the last several days and Sabrina from customer service was able to find a pair of the Jasmine shoes in the office and she told me that the sole is flexible and that the toe area will bend. So, I guess I'll give those a try. They are a bit more casual and will look nice with slacks, jeans and shorts. Fingers crossed they work. I'll post another mini review when I receive the new pair and let you know my thoughts.

Customer service with Shoes from Crews has been great. I get prompt response to my emails and they have been willing to figure out if a shoe has a flexible sole if they can. Evidently they don't work in the same place the shoes are shipped out of. I have a feeling I'm going to be losing money in this endeavor since the Jasmine are about $10 cheaper and I'm sure I'll have to pay to ship them back in forth while I try to find a pair I can actually wear. I strongly suggest you read the return policy - there is a $6.95 restocking fee and you have to cover the original shipping fee (which I had to pay at time of ordering) so I guess I pay shipping each time I return the shoes to exchange or get a refund. I'll let you know when I update you... I don't do a lot of shopping online obviously.

If you're looking for new shoes that are supportive and styish visit Shoes from Crews. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter to get the discount. I think their prices are comparable to what you'd pay at Kohl's or JcPennys.

Stay tuned for an update and more reviews until I find the shoes I can wear with little to no pain.

Linked up at:
Grammy's Grid Unlimited monthly party

Disclaimer: This mini review is my honest opinion and shares my experience with this company. I was not asked to post a review, received nothing in exchanged for my review and I will not receive anything as compensation. I am not an affiliate of the company.

Christmas in Newfoundland: Memories and Mysteries blog tour

Christmas in Newfoundland

Christmas in Newfoundland: Memories & Mysteries
Author: Mike Martin
Publisher: Ottawa Press and Publishing
Pages: 113

Genre: Mystery/Memoir

About the book:
Christmas in Newfoundland is a special time. In the depths of long winter nights memories are made and stories are told. Of Christmas by candlelight and horse and buggy rides to church. Of shopping on Water Street in St. John’s before malls and the
Internet.

In later years, Sgt. Windflower came to work and then to stay in the quiet town of Grand Bank by the Atlantic Ocean where the salt air froze in the wind and the Mounties were welcomed to warm themselves by every fire.

Come and warm yourself by the fire and hear their stories. Some memories and some
mysteries. Enjoy some holiday time with Sgt. Windflower and all the familiar characters
that you’d come to know and love. Good food, good friends and always another chair at
the table.

My thoughts:

Christmas. Some of my favorite memories from Christmas are the simple ones. One year the plan was to do the usual. Christmas Eve we always opened gifts from each other, Christmas Day we went to Grandmas. The year I was in 7th grade was a bit different though. That year money was very tight and we ran out of Propane on Christmas Eve. We had a big fireplace in the living room and we all camped out in the living room, Christmas Eve we piled into dads old Chevy, covered ourselves in blankets and drove to Grandma & Grandpas to stay for a couple nights until the propane arrive the day after Christmas. Santa found us there - no need for a fireplace.  This is one of my favorite Christmas memories.

Mike Martin's new book is a compilation of favorite memories based in the town of New Foundland combined with a mystery or two. It's a story of tradition, lights, music, food, community and family. The writing is a bit different than what I'm used to. I found it harder to get into. It seemed a bit dryer, more like several stories a relative is telling at a family reunion and you don't know any of the people. I like longer stories, novel length where I can grow to know the characters and connect with them. At the same time it was neat to read about traditions in another setting. I would of loved to participate in some of those activities ~ buggy rides in particular. 

Learn more:

A sneak peak at the book:

Excerpt: A Windflower Christmas
It was just days before Christmas, and Sergeant Winston Windflower only had one big problem. That was what to get his girlfriend, Sheila Hillier, for Christmas. Other than that, life was good for the RCMP officer in Grand Bank, Newfoundland. Crime was low, if not non-existent, and spirits were running high as the holiday neared its peak in this little seaside town. 

Of course, being the holiday season, the Mountie was concerned about impaired driving. But Windflower and his team had been out on the roads for the past two weekends with the R.I.D.E. program. He figured that meant everyone would be on their best behaviour for the next couple of weeks. That was especially true since one town resident had been charged with impaired driving and two others had received suspended licences because they were just over the legal limit of alcohol.

Fortunately, even the weather was cooperating. They hadn’t had any snow in Grand Bank for almost two weeks. That was a relief to not only the snow shovellers catching a break after a series of early winter storms but also to the RCMP officers, as they had already worked several overnight shifts because of storms. The best news was that there wasn’t even any snow in the short-term forecast.

All of this meant the town could be festive and safe during the holiday season already well
underway.

The old Town of Grand Bank went all out to pretty itself up for Christmas. Almost every house had some form of decoration, and Christmas lights were aplenty all over town. Some people went old-fashioned and just had a wreath on their front door and a couple of strings of lights hanging from their eaves. Others decided to splurge on nativity scenes and blow-up Santas, as they held nothing back in their gaudy and joyous celebration of the season.

Old Saint Nick had already made one visit. That was last weekend during the Santa Claus parade led by the antique pumper truck from the volunteer fire department. Local RCMP vehicles were decked out in flashing lights and ribbons as the Mounties collected toys and gifts along the parade route for the Salvation Army. Sheila had rounded up a few extra dollars from local businesses to ensure that even the abandoned buildings near the wharf were gaily festooned with ribbons, bows and the essential Christmas lights in time for the parade. Now, Saint Nick’s return engagement on December 25th was eagerly anticipated.

About the author:
Mike Martin was born in Newfoundland on the East Coast of Canada and now lives and
works in Ottawa, Ontario. The Walker on the Cape was his first full fiction book and the
premiere of the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series. Other books in the series include The
Body on the T, Beneath the Surface, A Twist of Fortune and A Long Ways from Home,
which was shortlisted for the Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award as the best light mystery
of the year. A Tangled Web was released in 2017 and the newest book in the series.is
Darkest Before the Dawn which won the Bony Blithe Award in 2019. A new book in the
series, Fire, Fog and Water is being released in October.

Mike is currently Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization
promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers.

How to find the author:
Website → www.sgtwindflowermysteries.com
Twitter Link: → http://ww.twitter.com/mike54martin
Facebook→ https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAnd
More/

Linked up @:
1)  Hearth & Soul: https://apriljharris.com/christmas-celebrations-at-the-hearth-and-soul-link-party/  
2) Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party: https://www.loulougirls.com/2019/12/lou-lou-girls-fabulous-party-299.html 
3) Wine'd Down Wednesday: http://ourthreepeas.com/wined-down-wednesday-325/ 

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in this post are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommed products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."