A powerful change in the way I view the world happened one night when I was around twenty-five years old. Larry and I sat to watch a particular movie that I hadn’t really been interested in watching, because most of the movie was set inside of a prison. The only comparison I had was one …
A phrase I’ve heard many times in my life (which makes my ADHD mind cringe) is, “To be successful, you must pick one thing, stick to it, and do it well.” It’s loosely based on the quote, “A jack of all trades is a master of none.” In publishing, that translates, “To be successful you …
Last year was a tough one for me as an author. Instead of publishing a fiction novel, nonfiction book, and collaborating on other works in my own name, as well as adding to the pseudonyms I use, I personally only published one nonfiction book. While my career as a publisher (yes, I have two separate …
My Christmas card this year, traditional of course, is a really special one. Ever since our children were young, we’ve been blessed to be close with them. We’ve also had many other kids in and out of our home. There were very few weekends that we didn’t have additional kids here, many times a house …
My husband has such an incredible imagination, which makes life entertaining, to say the least. His Christmas cards are always a fun topic each year! A few years ago, several friends asked us to post some of their favorites, so I looked up the last eight years and posted. Some years we have two, one …
Jester Family Christmas Cards of the Past (yearly encore) Read More »
A few days ago, on my birthday, I went through basically the same cycle I have for a decade, because on my birthday eleven years ago, our dad passed away. Then, only three months later, our mom passed away as well. And it was heartbreakingly tragic. Every year it nearly always starts out with crying, …
When I first started writing this novel, it was because of a dream I had. I woke in the middle of the night crying, sweating, and praising God. I immediately got up, went to my computer, and started writing about the dream. I was weeping the entire time and barely able to see through my …
On Tuesday of this week, I had just announced a publishing date for my next novel. It was a personal victory for me, because since August of last year I have struggled in recovery from a wrist surgery. On Wednesday, that victory was overshadowed by devastating news. A little over a year ago, when I …
If you are following people for your faith, you are doing it wrong. People are talking about this church, that church; this controversy, that controversy. They say don’t listen to this praise music, because that church’s pastor cheated, or don’t watch that service, because they aren’t sin-focused enough—or whatever. THE FACTS are YOUR relationship with …
TRIED and true, these five simple tasks will improve your life TODAY! These sound too simple to work, but they do! Speaking positivity into your life is underrated! Try it today!
On the second day my husband was in the hospital, I entered the elevator in the lobby to go up to the room again. I had been in my car crying, I was overly emotional, and to be honest, scared. Larry has been many places throughout his Army career that were dangerous, including war, and …
My husband went into emergency surgery on the night of April 11th … publishing day. After the first day in the hospital, I was able to get my laptop and work some from the room during the times Larry was knocked out. And for me, that was good. It helped keep my mind from focusing …
Our lives, especially during troublesome times, seem to be like a winding river. There are so many obstacles that get in the way. It seems we are not even around one turn, when suddenly there is another. If we look at the overall circumstances, our troubles can seem insurmountable. Sometimes, we have to stop inside …
Start with the heart. I see repeated posts telling ‘friends’ that if they feel differently, support other causes or candidates, to go ahead and delete, because they don’t want to be friends with someone who…FILL IN YOUR REASONS (they seem to be endless) HERE. However, if you truly want to create a valid, positive change …
Some people think my writing journey began for me in 2017 when I published my first novel, The Funeral Flower. Others will laugh at that, simply because they know the editing process alone can be lengthy, so the publishing date isn’t the start by far. A few others know that I began sending my manuscript …
Don’t let society’s view of worth put a price tag on your head. Nothing you own or don’t own and no job predicates your worth. We each have a place and without one another, we truly cannot fulfill our own destiny. Some people will find absurdity when they read that; especially the arrogant ones. The …
When I lost my business in 2011, it wouldn’t mark the first time I’ve had to bounce back. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t mark the first time starting over from scratch. In 1996, we moved from Virginia back to Louisiana and I shuttered my photography business there. I was paid for the name …
My husband has said through the years that a distinction of societal breakdown in countries was in the garbage, literally garbage. After the 2016 flood, I thought all the piles of debris scattered around were so disturbing, because it showed the true devastation everyone was going through. So many people had lost their homes and …
I know I should be saying goodbye to a year filled with chaos, dissention, and difficulty and writing about Covid, inequality, and the myriad of related tragedies. However, instead I am going to write goodbye to a year full of clarity, reflection, and hope. The first week of 2020 started with my family becoming ill, …
I remember, years ago, when Alexis was young, we were late for school one morning. We also had to stop by the store on the way, because it was my turn to bring the morning refreshments. Now, I’m a freak about school zones. DO. NOT. SPEED. To me, even one mile over is too much …
We traveled nearly two hours in order to get there. It was a hot day, not unexpected in Louisiana, so my dear friend Taylor and I loaded up water bottles and started the small road trip. The drive was nice. The sun was out, and the sky was an amazing blue, spotted with puffy clouds. …
Often we are running around trying to be superhuman, because we feel we need to. Tasks that are never-ending from running errands, cleaning and cooking to basic personal hygiene can take a toll on our bottom line: TIME. That’s not to mention work and taking care of the other humans and animals in our lives. …
During the summer, it’s normal to scroll through hundreds of vacation posts on social media, watching as families go off on the planned escapes out of state. We end up spending lots of time and money creating the best experience possible for each member of the family. I’m sure we all have our own memories …
I’ve contemplated writing this post several times, only each time I went to write it, something didn’t feel quite “right” just yet. That was until my daughter transferred from her college in New Orleans to a community college locally. Larry and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to have her closer. While New Orleans isn’t …
Not long after my first book release in June 2017, I started planning a special surprise for my husband. I knew we’d have a lot going on in 2018, from me publishing my second novel, starting another company and publishing a magazine. However, I also knew we couldn’t wait any longer. This was the year. …
We can learn a lot about ourselves and improve our relationships with others when we understand the base personality traits better known as “The Big Five.” While it seems oversimplified, it can help us understand the actions of others. Sometimes, we tend to feel that actions are only in reaction, when in many cases it …
I like to see the positive in life as much as I can. Next month I will be turning 49! I’ll have 49 year old wrinkles, a 49 year old body, 49 years’ worth of experience, and a 49 year old birth certificate. However, my most important asset is my heart, which most days feels caught …
The “mom thing”—I do my best and I learn as I go. I pray (a lot) for God to change and mold me into the mother I need to be for my children, because it’s a job that is ever changing. Every Mother’s Day, I thank my kids for making it easy-because they have. The …
Getting Arrested, Yard Sticks, & Waiting for a Yes Read More »
We all do things that we regret, make mistakes, sometimes big ones that are hard to overcome. Before I knew it, over two weeks had passed by and I had failed someone close to me by not being there for them during an extremely difficult and life-changing time in their life. It wouldn’t be the …
I’ve read several articles and blog posts about marriage not having those movie moments. Many followed along the same lines of the typical daily dose of runny noses and minivans being the real love. They were sure to provide ‘normal’ pictures of daddy playing in the pool with the kids, family gatherings for holidays, and several of their …