I’m still enjoying my Christmas holiday from blogging, but I read this story this morning and thought I must pass it along to you.

Christmas is not always a time of joy for everyone. In fact, it can be a stressful, lonely, and sad time for people struggling with depression.

Here’s a powerful story of a woman who was clinically depressed — and God brought her a Christmas miracle. I felt like I needed to quickly post this link to someone who might be blessed by her words.

Dear Father,
If there is anyone reading this right now who is struggling with loneliness or depression, please speak to their hearts through Virginia Thompson’s story in Christian Women Today. Amen.

That one faithful woman, Cheryl, made a difference because she was listening to God’s voice. OK, so that’s why I’m posting this link to My Christmas Miracle.

I mentioned a couple of days ago I was tangled in Christmas lights. Well, I was still tangled in those things this afternoon. But I couldn’t put it off any longer. I needed to get the half-dozen boxes of ornaments out of the den. Tomorrow is our 9-year-old’s slumber party here.

Yet every time I unwound the lights from last year’s cardboard thing, only half of them worked. What do you do with half a string of lights? I had 20 minutes before I had to leave to go pick up the older kids at school; the two little ones were napping/playing upstairs.

I was so frustrated, I just threw the lights away and decided I’d buy new ones. Ever done that?

We stopped at a drug store on the way home, and I picked up two new strings of lights. The guy at the counter must have been in a good mood (maybe he felt sorry for me), but he said he’d give me $10 off my bill. So the new Christmas lights were free!

I got home and made a strong pot of coffee. My mood lifted. What is it about a 4 pm caffeine fix? I couldn’t live without it. The new lights went up easily, and my daughter turned on some Christmas music, so we were all listening to the Hallelujah chorus, decorating the tree together.

And I had to think of Busymom’s slogan: Better Parenting Through Coffee. Got me through the day, and our tree is up at last.

The best part of the day was receiving a Christmas card from the Philippines. YEA! (Sara, if you’re reading this, congratulations!!

Writing a novel can make you feel crazy … but I’m in so deep there’s no way I can stop until I finish this thing. But it will definitely NOT get done in a month.

Here’s how it feels for me. One minute I’m pouring cereal into a bowl for one of my kids. The cereal is going into the bowl, and I’m watching it go in, but my mind is thinking about the title of my book. Something’s not right; the rhythm’s off … it’s just not working.

Then!

I’m pouring the milk, and the perfect title comes, except it’s not just one title, it’s the whole series — three books. Then I’m turning around to get the spoons, but I’m also dying for a sheet of paper to write the titles down before they slip away.

I find a sticky pad and write them down. Then my son wants to read what I wrote. Should I let him? Will he think I’m weird? I show it to him. Then I explain, “These are the titles of the children’s books I’m writing.”

He reads them, and asks, “What are you packing in my lunch today?”

*sigh*

I’m not crazy. Really, I’m not. I’m just realizing that the mental energy behind plotting a novel has nothing to do with words. At this stage, it’s all ideas. It’s the characters. Are readers going to care about my characters? Enough to hang with them a whole book? And then another and another?

That’s what matters. The plot is secondary to the characters. It’s taken me two weeks to start getting to know my characters. How am I supposed to know what they’ll do if I don’t even know them?

But it’s coming along. I can’t go back now. On Monday, I had a phone interview with an author I totally admire. I’ll be posting it here soon. We chatted for nearly an hour, and I almost forgot that I was supposed to be listening instead of talking.

I held onto her every word. That night, at dinner, I showed my kids her book, and her picture. I said, “While you were at school today, this is what I was doing. I talked to this nice lady who writes books. She writes stories like you write at school, except when she writes a story, it’s read by millions of people around the world, in different languages.”

They seemed to be listening. Holding that book up, I felt like I had a friend, a kindred spirit. Another person who thinks about book titles while she’s pouring cereal. Who grabs for a notepad along with the spoons.

Like I said, I’m in deep.

Here are a couple of good resources for novel-writers, in case you’re in deep too:

Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method (Hat tip to Scribblings by Blair for passing along the link.)

How to Write a Novel in 100 Days (These little posts are full of choice morsels from famous novelists — very inspiring.)

Robin Lee Hatcher guest blogged for Novel Journey a few days ago about characterization. Hope you can read it — she just published her … um … 50th book and had some great things to say, including this:

We are all the sum total of what has happened to us in the past. We behave as we do because of what happened to us last month, last year, and when we were children.

If I know my characters intimately, if I know that when Sarah was five she was in a runaway wagon and that when she was nine she saw an actor fall off the stage and die, then I will know how she will react when certain things happen to her in my novel. Her actions will ring true because she will not behave out of character. I am aware of her history and her motivations.

Of all the tools that I use as a novelist, writing first person autobiographies of my characters is the most vital. When I come to know my characters intimately, then my readers can know them that way, too.

Robin Lee Hatcher is also a blogger. Another mentor, I see.

I have a friend who stays in great shape, yet she’s a busy work-at-home mom. Something clicked one day when I talked to her about her workout regimen — maybe this is how it feels when someone hears the Gospel and it finally makes sense.

She said she does three things to stay in shape:

1) She jogs three miles a day on her treadmill in 30 minutes.
2) She lines up nine 16-oz. bottles of water on her counter and drinks them throughout the day.
3) She keeps a food diary to record everything she eats if she ever needs to lose some weight.

I’ve made so many excuses about exercising — and mainly what it comes down to is that it’s VERY hard for me to get out of the house these days without kids. I can walk with a stroller outside, but I can’t run on a good, flat surface where I can maintain a steady pace and speed.

So I dusted off our treadmill and moved it near a window in the basement. I bought a cheap $10 headset, and I keep it tuned to our local Christian radio station, which plays Third Day, Nicole Nordeman, Steven Curtis Chapman, all these fun songs. I’m having a praise concert every time I get on that thing.

I can run first thing in the morning before the kids are up or at night after they’ve gone to bed. It doesn’t matter if it’s cold or dark outside — on my treadmill, I can run.

I got on last night after kissing owies, reading bedtime stories, drying and braiding little girls’ hair, then it was MY time to run. I plugged in my treadmill key, turned on the radio, and heard a well-known pastor give a sermon on his series, “Breaking Free from the Habits that Bind You.” HA! Was that a coincidence or what? I ran for 36 minutes and didn’t even realize it; his message completely captivated me.

I’ve never been a treadmill fan because of the extreme BOREDOM that sets in — but not since that day when it all clicked for me. Three miles a day. Three miles a day. If I want to find out where God is leading me next, I need to keep up this pace. Three miles a day.

If I run when it’s light outside, I look out the window for a while and see our pretty green pasture, mottled with red Georgia dirt — and then after about eight minutes, I’m bored enough to need my mind to transport me somewhere else. I’m not running on a treadmill in my basement; I’m … Mary running through the hills of southern France. Or Mary running through the suburbs of northern California. Or I’m jogging along the snow-white sandy beaches of Florida.

Today I discovered it takes exactly 12 minutes before my mind is clear. Those few minutes of running along my imaginary beach clear my mind so I can start thinking about what’s really important to me, what I want out of life, what my dreams are, what I need to be focusing on. After 13 minutes, I’m praying, God, show me what to do. Show me how to serve you. What do I need to be doing with my days?

One of my favorite verses is I Peter 4:7, which says, “Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.” It takes a mile on a treadmill before my mind is decluttered enough to pray! When I was running the other night, I thought for a minute of all the million things I needed to be doing besides exercising. Then I heard God’s voice say to me, “You’re on the right track.” OK, Lord. I’ll keep running.

While I’m on the subject of staying focused, I recently read a book that helped make a few more things in my life crystal clear. I don’t want to review it because I read it for my own pure pleasure, but let me just tell you, if you’re in desperate need of a spiritual jump-start, get a copy of Joyce Meyer’s The Confident Woman.

This is a powerful book, so far above all the self-help JUNK that lines bookstore shelves. Joyce Meyer bases everything on Truth from scripture, and she doesn’t hold back sharing with you the pain she went through to get there. I don’t care what the critics say, her testimony is awesome. Our confidence comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, and nothing else.

One more thing Joyce Meyer says is that we women who have our hope in Christ are to be JOYFUL. We are also to be bearing much fruit in our life. If we’re not bearing fruit, then something needs to be pruned out. Something is choking the joyful fruit out of our life. Wow. I can’t get away from this thought.

It will take more than one week of 12-minute clear-minded praying to find out the things God wants me to prune from my life so I can bear more fruit. But I anxiously await His voice.

So it’s off to the treadmill I go.

Author Dena Dyer visits with us today, a mother of two young sons from Granbury, Texas. Dena’s devotional book for moms, Grace for the Race, was one of the first books I reviewed here a year ago.

Dena has been busy co-authoring a new series of books with her friend, Laurie Copeland, as they’ve become Groovy Chicks taking “road trips” to explore peace, love, and friendship in a growing relationship with God.

Hi Dena! Can you tell us about your Groovy Chicks’ series? What are these books about?

They are “book-i-lations,” anthologies of stories by women from all over the world. My co-author, Laurie Barker Copeland, and I, also contributed stories and sidebars — many as our Groovy alter-egos, “Pepper” and “Starshine.”

The two volumes are lighthearted, but not lightweight, explorations of what it means to live fully in the love and peace of Jesus. I told someone the other day that they’re like “Chicken Soup meets Laugh-in with a Christian message”!

Why did you decide to write these books?

Laurie and I met at a writer’s conference and worked on some magazine pieces together. We knew we wanted to do a book together, but just weren’t sure what it would be. And at the time, I was involved in a local Christian-owned music theater called Granbury Live, where my husband is a partner and full-time performer.

In one of the concerts, I did a segment as a groovy, ditzy 60’s character named “Starshine.” It was so well received, and I had such fun doing it, that my boss — who knew I was anxious to break into the Christian book market — said, “Why don’t you do a Groovy Chicks’ Guide to Life?”

I knew it would work … and I knew Laurie — with her fun personality and great marketing skills, as well as her acting, singing, and speaking background — was the perfect partner for a Groovy Chicks’ book. 🙂

She brought a lot to the table, and really helped round the whole thing out with regards to vision, content and humor. (By the way, our website is Groovy Chicks Road Trip, which Laurie’s fabulous hubby did for us. We even have groovy clothes, t-shirts and mugs now.)

How did you gather the stories for these books?

We sent out calls for submissions to our various speaking and writing networks, and to different writing websites. After the first book, we had about three times as many submissions, because people had started hearing about it.

So the second decision-making process was much more difficult. What’s really neat, though, is how Laurie and I — she is from Florida and I’m from Texas — both read all the submitted stories (300 for the second book!) and agreed without hesitation on the top 40 or so. We only had to compromise on a few. It was really neat — a definite God-thing!

I enjoyed reading your Road Trip to Love book, especially the tips on friendships, love, and mentoring between each chapter. What are some challenges today’s women face in nurturing friendships?

Time. Time. Time …. Ha! We’re so busy, and our friendships get left in the dust. Yet they’re too important to let that happen. I make a real effort (I don’t always succeed, mind you, but I try) to keep pretty close contact with my dearest friends. I just need them, and I know they need me … even if we don’t always realize it.

Do you have any suggestions for us on how we can deepen and strengthen our friendships? Is it worth the effort now, or should we wait until our kids are grown and we have more time?

I think that when we become honest with ourselves about our loneliness and the gaps that only friends can fill, and we share that with people, we’ll be surprised at how other women respond. I’m sometimes afraid to reveal that need — how I feel empty when my friends and I haven’t been able to spend time together.

But when I get real, they totally “get it.” In the Bible, in a book such as Ruth, we’re reminded of the gift of friendship, and how we can’t take it for granted or let it die.

And just let me say, as an Internet/email/blog addict (I can quit anytime I want–really!), I do value those connections, and they have been tremendously helpful, but it’s NOT the same as spending time one-on-one with a girlfriend.

Our generation (Gen X) is very well-connected on the Internet, and we have forged friendships worldwide. It’s a blessing, but it can bring about an artificial intimacy that makes it harder to foster face-to-face relationships. We think we’re connected, but we’re not … not really. It’s TOTALLY worth the effort, I believe, to nurture the friends we have at church, in our neighborhood, and in our moms’ groups. Especially when the kids are young — because we need support, encouragement and a relief from mom-isolation, now more than ever!

One fun thing that several moms and I have done is to have a monthly Bunco (a really easy-to-learn dice game) night. We do it on the third Thursday of each month, and take turns hosting it. The hubbies all know that they have “daddy duty” on that night of the month. We have been doing it for about a year and a half. It keeps us connected without being a huge time commitment.

What other projects are you working on now?

My agent, Wendy Lawton, is shopping two proposals around for me, one for women ages 20-40 on being fearlessly countercultural, and one for moms about dealing with inferiority and insecurity. Since our publisher for the first two books has undergone a bunch of changes, we’re also looking for a publisher for a third Groovy Chicks’ Road Trip volume, on Joy.

Can you tell us about your online writing courses? Do you teach these? How does it work?

I’m glad you asked! I love mentoring other writers, but my time is so limited. I used to lead a local writing group, but it got to be too much. So now I teach through Writers’ Helper and love it.

I have courses on writing for anthologies (which is free, if you go through it on your own!), getting organized to write, and writing short pieces for publication. Each one is a four-session course, and you can go through it by yourself, with others, or with me as a mentor/coach.

The prices range from about $20-$60, and they’re all conducted entirely online. All you need is a computer and email.

Thanks, Dena! You’ve inspired us to work on strengthening our friendships, and maybe some of us will send you a story someday for your next book! Do you have any closing words?

Well, if your readers want to be a Groovy Chick, too — it’s easy. All they have to do is have Christ in them. They don’t have to wear a certain style of clothing, or be a certain age. Any “chick” can be groovy!

As Laurie and I always say, we are just ordinary women — with a Groovy God.

You can learn more about Dena Dyer at her website. She loves to hear from readers and can also be reached at her blog, Amazing Grace-land, as well as by email, denadyer@sbcglobal.net.

Today, I want to say thanks to two ladies who continually encourage me in my quest to drop these last, irritating, going-nowhere postpartum pounds. I’ve wanted to give up so many times in the last few weeks.

It’s so tempting to raise the white flag on being thin and having energy like I did in my early 20s before having kids. I worked hard this summer and lost 15 pounds, but then I got slack — and stressed — and started eating cookies, chips, crackers, etc. and I gained 3 pounds back. Most of all, my energy level sunk, as I let sugar creep back into my diet.

My husband noticed last weekend. He said, “Something’s different about you lately. Is everything OK?”

“I’ve given up on exercise,” I said. “I just don’t have time. I can’t fit it into my schedule.”

Then he told me if I worked out now, I’d be glad in ten years, when I feel and look good in my late 40s. These will be the years when I actually have time and money (hopefully) to go shoe shopping and maybe even get a decent haircut more often than every 6 months.

I needed some inspiration, and I got it from my two favorite healthy lady bloggers: Alyice Edrich of DM Writes and Melodee of The Amazing Shrinking Mom. Alyice keeps me motivated with her workout ideas, and she still has time to run a profitable writing business. It makes me feel like exercising when I read what she’s done to stay on track!

Melodee of The Amazing Shrinking Mom is a Clubmom blogger who has lost — are you ready — 43 pounds since she started blogging about her weight. Way to go! Here’s her eating plan on her blog:

On April 17, 2006, I quit eating sugar, white flour, white rice, potatoes, high-fat dairy and high-fat meats. I read The GI (Glycemic Index) Diet by Rick Gallop and incorporated most of his ideas, though once a week or so, I indulge in movie-theater popcorn and a soft taco. I eat a piece of dark chocolate every day. I plan to eat this way the rest of my life because, seriously, no cookie is worth being fat forever.

At first, Melodee started losing weight through only changing her diet habits. But lately, she’s on an exercise streak. She works out at her local YMCA. So, she’s motivated me to get back to the gym as well. It’s easy to make excuses when you don’t see results — but I know I’ve got to keep going.

Well, those are the bloggers who’ve blessed me this week. When I wanted to give up, they kept me going. I went back to the grocery store and bought myself some more mixed salads (which will replace pasta, potatoes and rice for me), almonds, and mozarella string cheese for my “diet.” I’m going to pray every time I feel that urge to eat “just one cookie” and think what Melodee said: “No cookie is worth being fat forever.” I want to be 50 and fabulous someday — not 50 and frumpy!

Too bad I can’t burn calories while blogging. I’m off now …

I want to highlight Shannon Woodward, who blogs at Wind Scraps, as someone who has blessed me beyond words this week. I just finished reading her book, Inconceivable, and after reading her personal story I feel like I know her as a friend now.

Here’s how the back cover describes Shannon’s book:

Inconceivable is the remarkable true-life story of Shannon Woodward, a woman who stopped waiting her life away. Woodward revisits eighteen years of personal frustration, pain, and anger. She speaks from her own experience to show how women can have peace in their disappointment by surrendering their hopes and hearts, their dreams and losses, to the One who heals all things broken.

Shannon’s story begins in January 1988, when she and her husband are meeting with the doctor who tells her the dreaded news — that she will not be able to conceive. She said his words became like “a constant, haunting hum in my head, like a song you can’t shake — a song with the power to drive you insane. His voice was inescapable.”

From this point on, she and her husband begin a journey together that makes me weep, even as I type these words. Shannon explores her pain and subsequent healing in intimate detail for readers. She takes us back to her childhood, where she first looks out at the stars and wonders if God even exists, and she shares with us how her faith began to grow.

Her book is not filled with generalizations; instead, she takes us with her to every scene, filling each memory with description and dialogue which reads like the best of storytelling. We reach the point with her when she and her husband decide to adopt — and we agonize with her frustration when birth mother after birth mother changes her mind.

One of the most poignant scenes in the book is when she and her husband are bringing home their first adopted son, Zachary, whose name means, “The Lord has remembered.” As their new little son is bundled in soft blankets in the car seat, she and her husband look up and see an oversized, lighted marquis hovering above a used car lot. In bold black letters, the sign reads, “Congratulations, Dave and Shannon. It’s a boy.” They never learned who wrote that message.

The book takes us up to the present, where we see how Shannon’s journey has helped her become a mother to many. She has an active ministry in mentoring and encouraging hundreds of women through her speaking and writing. As a pastor’s wife, she’s able to come in contact with women seeking hope and guidance every day. What a blessing that she moved her ministry beyond the walls of her church and now can reach the world through her writing.

There are some books I read once, then set aside, without feeling a change. Shannon Woodward’s book is one I’ll read again and again, always remembering how the blessing of motherhood is a gift not to be taken lightly. Shannon’s pain and joys have now become a part of me.

I remember how I felt when I had an ultrasound with a pregnancy I miscarried, and the ultrasound technician said to me, “I’m sorry. There’s no heartbeat.” Then she picked up the phone to call my midwife and said, “Can I send Heather back in? She’s got an incomplete.”

My pain at that loss at 12 weeks was miniscule compared to what Shannon’s book describes. But it was still a death for me and involved a grieving process.

I’m so thankful to have this book to recommend as a helpful resource for women who are exploring this journey they never intended to begin. The back of the book contains a reader’s guide which includes discussion questions for each chapter. At the beginning of the reader’s guide, Shannon writes:

I pray you find peace — and that your life becomes a testimony to all you meet about the patient wooing and healing power of your God. May he fill your life with joy, purpose, and satisfaction.

May God bless many lives through this book!

I’m eating an apple right now, and I thought this blogworthy enough to tell you about it.

I went to the kitchen to get a snack, and every ounce of me wanted something munchy. Something crunchy and crumbly, loaded with carbs. I’m stressed because I’ve got several writing deadlines this week, and let’s not even talk about all the millions of places I need to be with the kids.

But I remembered something I wrote a couple of years ago, Soul Refreshment, about how making big changes in your life starts with little decisions. The decision to eat an apple instead of potato chips, for example. So I cut up a Golden Delicious apple and am working on it right now. (Couldn’t resist that gorgous photo of those luscious red apples.)

This is my accomplishment for today. Yesterday, my big accomplishment was FINDING the lost button, FINDING my needle and thread, SEWING the button on the uniform skort, and WASHING the skort so that my daughter had something clean and buttoned to wear to school today.

In the grand scheme of life, eating an apple and sewing on a button may not seem all that significant, but for me … well … it’s a step toward something.

P.S. In case you live near me and have any questions about local food banks or Christmas parades and candlelight tours, I’ve unfortunately become the expert on these two topics, using my best phone voice. When I’m not munching an apple.

Confession time. Did you exercise yesterday? Uh. huh. How about today? Are you making excuses like me?

If you want to read my Top Ten List of why I can’t seem to get my rear in gear, you can join me at the b5 media Science & Health Channel theme day. Christina of MRSA Notes is hosting today’s topic, and I’ve joined in, along with my other bloggity friends at b5. Leave us a comment and let us know what top ten list you can relate to most.

My husband and I went to a Gala last night — I didn’t even know how to pronounce that word until I heard a few people say it. It does have the “long a” sound.

Well, this thing was fancy-schmancy, and maybe if one of our pictures turns out, I’ll post it. Because we had an awesome time. We even danced.

The highlight of the evening was the meal, which was absolutely amazing. We had a salad that was made from a cucumber, which they used to poke lettuce leaves out of. Thin slices of carrots were wrapped around everything, and even our butter was shaped like rosettes.

I’m sure the people we ate with (doctors and their wives) do these kinds of things all the time, but I managed to pretend like I was used to it. I think the cold cream of cantaloupe soup shocked all of us — it looked like shrimp bisque, but it was COLD. And sweet. And … well, kind of weird.

Our main course included shrimp, filet mignon, and baked chicken. Yeah … all three. And for dessert, the wait staff brought each of us individual flaming red velvet cakes with cream cheese frosting. Since there were no doggie bags, I ate most everything — and enjoyed every morsel, every minute of conversation. It’s not often I have a date with a man in a tuxedo.

SO! The point of this post. See that picture? That’s what I’m eating this weekend. I’ve worked my tail off to drop 15 pounds on the South Beach Diet, and I’m NOT putting it back on. I had way too much fun shopping for a dress in a size smaller than I wore last year.

Mmmm … soy protein bars, here I come.