We've had some snow this week! Being Canadian, this means a BIG DEAL for me!
I've been dreaming of a White Christmas this year, and here it is! We've had a few days straight of snowfall. Mother Nature has the entire city blanketed in the winter wonderland that steals your breath away. It's like a picture postcard, and I LOVE IT!!
On this Christmas Eve, I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to all my loyal readers and to the brand new ones who have joined me in 2017 on this wonderful journey of love, hope and renewal.
May YOUR holiday season bring many miracles and unexpected blessings your way. My wish for you this Christmas is that you hug your loved ones tighter, make new memories and enjoy the season to the fullest.
Wishing you a MERRY AND BRIGHT holiday and a rich and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.
Today, I'm writing in chronic pain. But...I AM WRITING.
Today my Hashimoto's is making me feel terrible, weak, lethargic and sore. My head is pounding and my muscles and joints hurt me. But...I AM WRITING.
How do you overcome obstacles in your journey?? What steps of self care do you practice to ensure you stay on track? For me, it's a hot bubble bath (long soak) with incense, candles and soft music after a long day of work. Sometimes it's a favorite cold or hot beverage. At any rate, one must ESCAPE the madness in order to recharge. When I take care of ME, I am then able to give back. Let's face it, we cannot serve from an empty vessel; we must first fill ourselves up.
This post is not to gain sympathy...but rather...to share my struggles and hopefully resonate with you, as well. I know (most of us) will suffer with carpal tunnel at some point in our writing career, and let me tell you, it's no walk in the park. Carpal tunnel is now in both of my wrists/arms, forcing me to medicate and to use ice packs.
But...I AM WRITING.
NaNoWriMo is my "WHY"...the reason i'm still plugging away. The battery on my laptop is at 1% and needs to be replaced ASAP. But still, I keep pushing forward, because NOVEL HAPPENS. Because my readers need me, and my book THE CHRISTMAS KEYS has to be written!
NaNoWriMo is my glowing pregnancy...my pride and joy...my Boston Marathon, so to speak. It's what I've done every November since 2012. That first year, I gave up on my script halfway because it grew stagnant and I was bored with my hero. But last year and this year, I am ON FIRE, and determined to finish with the 50,000 word criteria.
NaNoWriMo is my vision for the future. It helps me complete my project on time and with burning discipline. I also get a finished product and a plaque that commends me for my hard work.
So, carpal tunnel be damned! I AM WRITING. Hallmark needs my book and the world needs my message.
COMING SOON: The latest book from Canada's best romance author...Rochelle Renee.
"THE CHRISTMAS KEYS'...a novel of enduring love, hope and second chances.
***Derek Keys, a professional music producer, composer and pianist, wants to spread good cheer this holiday season when he hosts a community Christmas concert for the needy. As director of the anti-poverty alliance, his work is rewarding and fulfilling.
When he meets Jonathan Spence, an impoverished but gifted musician, he decides to give him and his family a Christmas to remember. Derek donates a piano to Jonny and offers him a guest spot on his stage for the Holiday Spectacular Show.
News reporter Ronnie Page catches wind of the story and wants to telecast it for her holiday segment. But a blizzard threatens to shut down the show, ruining Jonathan's big chance. Can they manage to pull it off and still get the crowd they hoped for?
Derek, widowed dad of two, is too busy to entertain romance. His important work and fatherly duties keep his plate full. Ronnie, a driven career woman and journalist, had her heart broken by a wicked betrayal and could care less about men. She's dedicated to her career and made a vow to be single. But sometimes, the wonder and magic of the holiday season brings an unexpected miracle you never saw coming.***
We need oxygen to breathe, it's evident. There's also monetary things that most people assume they NEED to get by in this life. Well, to be frank, money makes the world go round and without it, we couldn't pay for gas in the car, cover the rent or mortgage, neither could we afford the delicious food our bodies need to sustain us.
But more than anything, we as humans need LOVE. It doesn't cost a thing. It's FREE. You can give it freely and receive it freely.
Look at the state of the world right now. It's in a cataclysmic mess, with mudslides in California and wildfires too, in Oregon there's fires burning rapidly, and Tampa, Florida and the eastern seaboard, Hurricane Irma has caused devastating damage. Six million people in Tampa lost power, and the flooding is surreal. People's lives are in disarray, and floods in Houston from Hurricane Harvey has left millions homeless, with only the shirt on their backs.
What the world needs now, is love, sweet love...that's what the lovely lyrics of Burt Bacharach professed from his famous song recorded by Jackie DeShannon. How ironic that in a world full of devastation, we sometimes tend to forget to support our fellow man and offer up a smile, a cup of coffee, a warm hand or a fraction of kindness.
There's only ONE gift that keeps on giving, and it has no expiry date, unlike those gift cards people might send at Christmas.
Kindness and love are synonyms for one another. I'm proud to share my love with others, to help those at risk, and to lend a hand. I live in a city in Southern Ontario that is FILLED with at-risk people, the homeless and mentally ill, and abused women and children seeking shelter. My heart breaks when I witness people sleeping on the street, with nowhere to go, except a public park or tiny hideaway near a business where they may risk being noticed and told to leave. I've handed out a pizza more than a few times to "Grizzly Adams," this one regular man who sleeps on the street. It's very humbling to see him, and he thanks me gratefully, taking the piping hot pizza in his calloused, weathered hands, eating it hungrily.
I can only imagine how shameful and scary it can seem for those on the street. Luckily, I've never hit that rock bottom, but I have come close.
For those who have no home, show them some love, will you? The kind of love that Christ himself would show.
It always enters my mind...when i see someone struggling on the street. You have no idea what their story is...and no right to judge how they got there...lest you walk a mile in their shoes.
Love always prompts the famous question...WWJD?
So keep a warm heart and open mind. Give LOVE next time you see someone who needs it.
I leave you now with a beautiful love song from 1997 that used to play on the radio quite often in Toronto where I live. Jim Brickman's classic piano melody with Michelle Wright's commanding vocals. "Your Love(is the greatest gift of all)." Such a perfect love song for the theme of this blog. Enjoy this one.
Rosalind Baker loses her entire world when her beloved fiance, Jack, is shot in the line of duty one night.
Grief stricken, she flies to Serenity, Ohio for the funeral and finds refuge in the cozy home of his niece, Janine, a chef and a Medium.
Soon, she is forced to face her pain head-on, and the emergence of a man who happens to be a dead-ringer for Jack -- his much younger nephew, Mark.
In Serenity, the spirit of hope, warm connection and family lingers...but still something else calls to her. She can almost feel the presence of her loved one surrounding her, telling her it's okay to trust the new chapter unfolding.
Can Rosalind heal her broken heart and let love in one more time? Or will she walk away from the one who just might hold the key to solving the mystery?
COMING SOON --from Rochelle Renee, the author of PASSION, LONGING, TEMPEST, THE PERFECT STORM, SNOWFALL & COMING HOME.
