A blessed ending to a difficult year

          December 20, I went to meet an online friend traveling from the east part of the country to the west coast and back, passing through Oklahoma City on his way east. He detoured a few miles north to Edmond so we could finally meet face to face after nearly 10 years of online friendship. We even worked on a children's online magazine together.

     After a stop at the post office and grocery store, I returned home to discover Robert had caught another van on fire, the 1996 Ford with a lift that a friend gave him. At least this time he was able to contain the fire until the fire department arrived. To make a long story short, the fire inspector made arrangements to have the van fixed so that Robert would NOT work on it any more. Of course Robert had no option but to do the needed work if he were to have his van, but he should not be doing the work due to his physical problems. However, we didn't have the funds to have someone else do the work, tried that and it wasn't fixed.

    We don't know the names of the people who fixed the van, but they removed the gas tank, cleaned it, and replaced it. They replaced the fuel pump. They replaced melted tubes, hoses, and wires. They replaced the burned carpet inside. A wife or maybe more than one made curtains that don't hand loose (a fire hazard). The inside was cleaned until it looks new. The fixed and filled-with-gas van was returned last night.

     I pray that God blesses all the wonderful people that gave Robert back his van with its lift in better shape than ever.

     Yes, 2011 had many difficult times, but we also had blessings that helped us survive and let us know God still watched over us. The people who helped showed that compassion still exists.

       I hope and pray 2012 will be better for every one, but we still need the Lord's guiding hand and loving care.

Preparing for 2011

The year 2010 will soon be gone, just 5 more days, and 2011 will arrive. Father Time is always supplanted by the baby New Year. No matter what joys and sorrows; successes and failures may have filled the old year, the new year gives us a clean slat, a chance to renew our lives.

I have personal goals and business goals for the upcoming year. I don't make resolutions because I don't like failing. Goals are end results that may or may not be reached, but moving toward fulfilling them means successes of small steps.

Personal writing goals include finishing my Western novel, working on the sequel to Midnight Hours, and submitting my romance novel for publication. I also have a project with my daughter-in-law: a novel with Facebook's Mafia Wars as part of the concept. I hope some of my writing entered in the OWFI writing competition will place.

4RV Publishing has several books coming out the first of the year, and we have to make final preparations. The ARCs for Conscience: Breaching Social Amnesia by vehoae are already sent out for reviews, and once final edits and additions are finished, it will be released. ARCs for Time Pullers by Horton Deakins should be out right after the first of the year, and the sci-fi novel released in March. Harry Gilliand's Aldric and Anneliese, historical adventure/romance, will also be out by March.

In the next few days I'll share 4RV children's books coming out after the new year and a few for tweens and teens.

Until New Year's Eve, I'll be frantically finishing year end reports for the business. Why or why didn't I ask Santa for an accountant?