Okay, I don't often torture myself with January resolutions, but I have made a slew of changes in my life of late.

ONE: I gave up soda pop. There were headaches., but on day five that left and I feel great. Yahoo! I'm gluten intolerant and can't afford to mess with my digestion. Worth it!

TWO: I have a new cover for my Vampire Romance, CONQUERED. It's steamier and truer to the story. You can check it out on the BOOKS page. I love it!

THREE:  Time to get over myself and just write. Stop worrying about what others might think. Write for me. Yes, that means the characters may indulge in sex. I'm over it. Sex is a part of life and a blessing. Those who don't know this are doing it wrong. Sorry, but in my opinion
true.

FOUR:  As you've figured out by now, I'm telling things like they are--or my opinion of things. You are welcome to disagree.
You have a right to tell it like you see it, too. I applaud that. I feel like a ten ton weight has lifted off my little body. Ahhh!
You might want to try it.

That's the short post for December. Plenty time for you to give your resolutions some thought.
What changes are you making for the New year?
It is your life, time to own it.

Best to you all and Happy Everything!

TRYING IS FOR SUCKERS.

You heard me. Trying won't accomplish anything. Trying is loaded with defeat before we start. Here's an illustration to prove it:

Imagine a peach tree trying to produce fruit on its branches. If the tree only tries, it remains bare.
No fruit. The grower cuts down the unproductive vegetation because it's wasting valuable resources.
It's the same with us.
Do we use our precious energy only trying to get a job, write that novel, make our relationships work, and then stand barren in the orchard of life, wondering why it feels like an axe stands ready to slice through our roots, and toss us aside? Those loaded with fruit will thrive in the orchard. My brother-in-law is a Master Nursery-man. When a tree doesn't produce, he removes it, and a new plant takes its place.
Trying gets us nothing, but a trip to the dump.

We can try or we can do. Both are choices, but only one creates value.

Right now, try to pick up a pen. What happens? Do you have the pen in your hand or are your muscles tense, your hand hovering near, but unable to obtain the object?
You can try forever and wear yourself out, but you'll never hold the pen.
That's trying.
So stop it!
Now pick up the pen.
Wasn't that fast and easy? Those who do, obtain their goals with ease compared to those who try.

Decide today that there is no try only do.
Choose a worthy goal and list actions you can do to move toward your desire.
Then act.

Evict try from your vocabulary. Notice when you say it. It's an excuse to fail.
Either do something or don't, but don't say, 'I'll try'.

THE ROOTS ARE GOOD.


I've been reminded to seek my roots. An elderly great-aunt called me. She's over ninety and is seeking family to share her stories of those passed on. Though we've never met, we both felt the connection. We're family. It was amazing to hear of a great-grandfather whose wife was a mail-order bride, and the great-uncle who was a bootlegger and was found dead on the prairie from a bullet through his head.

These tales connect me to family, but they are also a key to who I am. I have the opportunity to learn from my progenitor's mistakes and not repeat them. Their struggles become mine. Their losses pull at my heart. Visualizing the great-grandmother who bore thirteen children on the dirt floor of a cabin, and buried two sets of twins in hard prarie sod puts my own difficulties into perspective. There's strength in my bones because I know about her.
And the Scottish ancestor who fought for freedom and was executed, his head set on the Edinburgh bridge as a warning to other rebels, answers the question of where my own fierce love of freedom sprouted from. It's part of who I am.

In two weeks, I leave to visit my parents in California. They aren't well and everyday is a gift. I'll be reminded that I look like my dad's side of the family as my dad regales me with the story of how his father sparred with the famous boxer, Jack Dempsey. And my dad will share the tale of how a cougar cornered him when he was five-years-old in the wilds of Wyoming. Uncovering who we are through family can be uncomfortable. It's not all pretty, but it is worth it. I know that somewhere inside of me lies strength, courage, and tenacity. I may not have tapped those gifts fully, but they're there. I know.
My ancestors prove it.

If you have a chance to attend a family reunion, please take it. Talk to the older relatives and bless yourself with tales of the past.
The stories that shed light on who you are down to your core are worth noting. Write them down. Share them with your children and relatives.
Pull from the best of yourself. The roots are good.