27 things...

I recently read an article that talked about the 27 item challenge in terms of spring cleaning.  The theory goes every room in your house has 27 things you no longer need, want or use that should be purged.  27?  Per room?  Surely not. 

This big purge concept isn’t new to me.  Over the holidays I read about the 40 hanger closet challenge and honestly, don’t laugh but I don’t even own enough clothing that warrants a hanger to need 25, let alone 40.  I smiled as I read the article and let pride unabashedly roll over me.  “Don’t need that bit of advice,” I scoffed.  

But when I read about the 27 things per room?  Ugh.  That was more like a sucker punch to the gut for me because as I sit here now just looking around my desk, there are at least a dozen things I no longer need, want or use that should be purged.  Just this morning I opened my vanity drawer to reach for the hairbrush and got assaulted by several items I bought thinking I’d use that are just cluttering the space:  hair clips too large to hold my still growing out style, two headbands that give me a headache when I wear them, an expired tube of Neosporin…  You get the point.  

There are days I look around the space my family occupies and I see the clutter, those things I don’t need, want or use, and the decisions seem easy.  But there are times when I feel frustrated, sad or worried that I tend to hole up—to cave myself in so I don’t have to make hard decisions.  For a fast moving, type A personality like myself, I liken this feeling to a slight paralysis of sorts.  We don’t sit still.  Type A’s like motion.  We’re quick decision makers that thrive on forward progress.  I was all set to charge ahead with reckless abandon and turn my house upside down making such progress the afternoon my phone rang. 

As Chic Denisea shared earlier over at our Script Chics blogsite, she’s gone through quite a battle with the big C and she’s come out the other side feeling better, miles healthier and sporting the peach survivor’s ribbon with pride.  That afternoon it was her on the phone. 

For those of you that don’t know Denisea personally, let me assure you, you will most likely never meet a smarter, more determined, and faith-filled woman this side of heaven.  I’ve been honored to call her a friend for nearly five years and I’ll go further to say she’s been a very close friend for the last several of those.  Throughout the journey she’s walked, I’ve been amazed that she’s never once waivered in her faith.  In fact, on days when I would send an encouraging text or silly sentiment to let her know I was thinking of her, she usually ended up cheering me up in some way.  That’s totally Denisea to a T!  

The day of her second surgery, the big one as I call it, I decided to clear my calendar and set aside dedicated prayer time for her.  I hesitate to even write about this because I think I had a couple of social media related things to do while covering for her (she’s the real techie—don’t let her fool you).  I promise, Denisea—I still got my work done that day!  Anyway, as I was praying over a particular worship song thinking I was doing a good turn for Denisea, she was actually doing the good turn for me. 

In the time leading up to her surgeries, Denisea and I talked a lot about our goals for the year, both personally and professionally, and I could tell she was really starting to get a grip with the concept of a more complete balance in all of the areas of her life.  Instead of manically working in one area then jumping to another, which is something my ever moving, brute force type A is prone to do, Denisea had a much calmer, more balanced approach.  It was this concept that hit me full force while I was praying for her on the big one day.  Some things matter in this life and quite frankly, most things don’t.  This is true of the mental clutter I tend to carry--the stress, the worry, the fear, and it’s true of the dozen or more things on my desk that I don’t need, want or use anymore.  I love my life and frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.  I remind myself every day that life would be boring without the push and pull. 

While the 27 thing premise might seem overwhelming at first as it relates to the physical clutter in your home, when you boil it down, the notion isn’t really that profound.  

There are 23 rooms in my house (including closets and pantries) that need purged and I’ve given myself two weeks.  27 items times 23 rooms means there are 621 things under this roof that won’t be here come Easter Sunday.  As of this writing, while Easter has come and gone, I’ve been through eighteen rooms and filled nine bags/boxes.  My item count stands at 428 and the Salvation army is scheduled to be here Thursday at 8am.  I'm determined to see that truck back into the drive and I seriously want to to find just that one more thing to push my total to 622.  I can't wait to stand in the door and wave when they drive away.

How many rooms are in your house?  Don’t know?  Then why don’t you grab a laundry basket and start counting?  If you want to live a more balanced life, the truth is there’s some junk that needs to go.

The Other Direction

Jesus didn’t have to go to the cross. 

For some of you this may not be new news but to me, it’s both fresh and profound and exactly what my soul needed to hear.  Jesus didn't have to go to the cross.

Let me explain…  Jesus knew his coming death was the fulfillment of prophecy.  When he went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray, he asked God straight out—if there’s any way you can let this pass me by, please do so.  And he was told flat out he would be betrayed by one close to him and that he would carry his own death piece, the cross, to the hill where he would hang.

Let’s be honest.  Jesus wouldn’t have been the first son in the world not to do what his father asked.  He wouldn’t have been the first person to disagree with authority and he wouldn’t have been the first person to experience a fear-based response and run from danger.  He wouldn’t have been the first person to take the easy way out.  He had a choice. 

To my way of thinking, the garden was middle ground.  When Jesus looked out over the city in one direction, he saw a land filled with people that would betray him and lead him to his death.  But I what I didn’t know, what I learned just this week (I’ve been a Christian for forty-five years mind you), is that if Jesus would have just turned around and looked the other way, he could have easily slipped into the Judean wilderness and disappeared.  He could have walked away.  Prophecy unfulfilled.  Destined changed.  History altered forever.

When the call comes and it’s not a favorable diagnosis, it would be easier to run.  When the conversation starts with I don’t love you anymore, it would be easier to run.  When there was nothing else we could do is all that’s left to be said, it would be easier to run.  When we watch the people we love struggle and resist help, it would be easier to run.

Have you ever wanted to disappear?  Have you ever thought about just chucking it all and running?  I often joke that I’ve thought about running away far more as an adult than I ever did as a kid.  I think most of us have felt that way.  There are days it seems life is made up of a thousand flaming arrows headed straight toward our hearts.  If we responded how we wanted on those days, the freeways would become a parking lot as we each tried to flee to Anywhere. But. Here.  Yet for the overwhelming majority of us, we don’t run.  Why don’t more of us run?

In my opinion today marks one of the most crucial moments in Holy week.  It was tonight, Thursday night, when Jesus sat down with his disciples and shared what would be their last meal together, Jesus’ last meal on earth.  To set the scene, you’ve got men from all walks of life who’ve become best friends.  While being called together for dinner probably wasn’t unusual, as Jesus begins to explain what’s going to happen and what he expects from those that choose to follow him in the days to come, it’s obvious this meal is like no other the group has ever attended.  In today’s terms the last supper is much like the final meeting before the team is dismissed and the real work starts.  The events that will unfurl over the next few hours will blow apart this close-knit group and life will become anything but ordinary.  Some will doubt--I don’t believe what I’m hearing.  Some will stand in dismay--why is He washing my feet?  Some will deny--I never knew him.  One will betray—it is he.  To think it could have all been avoided if Jesus would have only turned around and headed less than an hour the other direction.

Jesus knew there were flaming arrows aimed directly for his heart.  He knew his place in history was to obey his Father’s will and take the hit.  If ever there was a one-for-all moment, surely it was when Jesus decided not to turn and go the other way.

We’re all going to face days when the arrows come and we find ourselves asking exactly the same thing Jesus did--if there’s any way this can pass me by, please let it do so.  Doubt is going to creep in.  Dismay is going to come.  Denial is going to settle deep and betrayal may befall us.

Tonight when we set down to dinner and talk our way through the events surrounding the last supper, I’ll use words like integrity, loyalty, responsibility, honesty, hope, faith, and love to tell my son a few of the reasons I don’t run, even when it would sometimes be the easiest thing to do.  I’ll plant these seeds deep in his heart and pray when the arrows come his way he'll follow the ultimate example, that of Jesus, and decide to stay instead of running.

Situation Saturday

Situation Saturday is definitely the place to remedy your what to read blues.

If you're stopping by from Situation Saturday, welcome!  I'm looking to share reader copies with those of you new to my work.  Leave me a comment with your contact info or find me on Facebook at Author BethAnn Buehler and PM me and I'll make sure to set you up!

And please be sure to check out all of the fine authors on the list at:


http://www.candacesbookblog.com/2015/03/saturday-situation-link-up-your-bookish-posts-giveaways-9.html

First day of Spring and Last Page Friday?

I know it's supposed to be First Page Friday in the book world but I thought I'd take a different route since it's also the first day of Spring.  I mean really.  Who am I to steal Mother Nature's limelight?

So here's where I left Eric (Grace 28 (unedited copy), book five in the Men of Faith series, coming 2016)...

When they first met and Claire dedicated her energy to caring for Eric, he watched from a place of adoration.  He’d never had someone attend every game just to watch him play.  A person that knew his stats and learned the plays and actually cared how he performed.  Looing back he had to admit the attention was intoxicating.  As time wore on, Eric struggled to comprehend why she didn’t seem to want to find something more suited to her talents and dreams.  You don’t have to worry with me so much, he recalled saying more than once.

Eric was a big enough man to admit that Brody was right, he couldn’t hope to buy his way out of trouble with Claire.  And he didn’t.  But he had no intention of walking into his home empty handed.  Deviating from the most direct route home, Eric checked his rearview mirror and saw Brody pull in behind him where Eric had stopped at the local grocery.  Claire used to love it when Eric made her coffee in the mornings.  The least he could do was buy a box of her favorite Kuerig K cups and a package of those dark chocolate toffee bites he knew she liked.  He didn’t have to hand them to her the moment he walked in the door but maybe she’d find them later and smile at the notion he’d been thinking of her.  Pointing toward Brody, Eric motioned him to stay put and hold on a second just before he disappeared through the doors of the Fresh Market.

“Oh no,” the young man behind the register said as Eric placed the coffee, chocolates and a potted mini rose bush near the scanner.  “What did you do?”  It was the million dollar question Eric wouldn’t be able to fully explain if he had a lifetime.

“Everything,” Eric replied, his eyes glued to the floor as he pulled two twenties from his wallet and grabbed his items, stepping toward the doors without even bothering to wait for his change.

The Executive Officer's Wife...

I'm honored to have my fellow Script Chic and writing partner, Denisea Kampe, visiting this month celebrating a very important anniversary.  This is the story that started it all for Denisea and it's how she and I met.  We signed our first publishing contracts the same month with the same small press.  Wow, how the time flies!

Now let's hear from Denisea...

Five Years and I Still Love It (And Now…It’s Only $0.99!)

This month mark’s the five year anniversary of signing that first contract and I can still remember the excitement and dancing around the room. I also remember the shock factor of all the publishing world actually entails and later the oh crap feeling when I realized my first baby, The Executive Officer’s Wife, wasn’t all it could have been. Over the course of the past five years, The Executive Officer’s Wife has undergone some serious editing and is now in its second edition, a MUCH better rendition and telling of Libby and Chase’s story. Not only has it undergone major surgery, it managed to spawn a few questions from my readers, like what the heck happened to…fill in a secondary character’s name here. I’m happy to announce, some of my readers are going to be VERY happy to find out, a series has been spawned off The Executive Officer’s Wife and the first book, Parallax, is in its final stages before going off to the editor. I’m also happy to say, I still love my first baby and I still love writing.

The good news is, if you haven’t read The Executive Officer’s Wife, now is a great time! In celebration of its five year anniversary, it’s on sale at Amazon for Kindle for $0.99 for the entire month of March.

Target: Libby Calhoun. She’s independent and strong-willed, the daughter of a near infamous Marine Corps sniper. Libby’s been raised by the resident housekeeper, has learned to take care of herself over the years and doesn’t take crap off anyone. She’s also sassy and pretty darn cute. After one failed marriage she’s not in the market for love, a husband or any semblance of children. One night of hot sex should do it but that pesky situation with her father is making that near impossible. 

Security Agent: Chase Wayland. He’s not looking for love either but his golden-eyes sure can lure a girl in. Chase is a former Marine turned owner of his own security firm. He also has a failed marriage under his belt and trust isn’t in his vocabulary. There’s only one way in Chase’s world and that’s his way, whether anyone else agrees or not. 

Can these two live under the same roof after the incident? Chase seems to think so, as long as they ignore each other, play by his strict 'business only' policy and he makes Libby hate him. Libby thinks so, too, but she wants to do things her way. And her way means Chase’s resolve to be a good guy will be stretched to its limits, especially when she takes to the town in her red boots…

Please enjoy an excerpt…

“Didn’t your daddy ever tell you red boots would get you in trouble?” a familiar deep voice whispered into her hair.

Whirling around, her eyes met Chase’s.  “Yeah, he tried to warn me several times. Obviously it didn’t stick.”

Grabbing the now full tray, she left the station.  She deposited the officer’s drinks on their table and returned to pick up a couple of drafts for another crew while Chase leaned on the bar watching her every move.

“How long did it take to figure out where I went?” she asked, taking a couple of napkins from the pile beside her tray.

“About as long as it took for me to follow you here,” Chase told her, pushing his Stetson back.

“You were behind me?  Here I thought I might have actually made a clean getaway.” She trotted off again and on the third trip back saw him talking Murray.

Great, they’ll probably band together on this.

“It’s probably going to be hard to get that jar filled on this side of the bar,” Chase said, his attention back on her. His eyes roamed her from head to toe leaving a path of flames licking along Libby’s skin. She hoped her outfit was driving him crazy.  “Need any help?”

“Not from you,” she snapped.  It was then she noticed Trent and Phil at the end of the bar watching with what seemed to her to be pure amusement. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.  “Kandy, can you take this one out for me?”

Libby left the tray and turning on her heel, she headed for the karaoke stage.  Grabbing the microphone that started her troubles with Chase in the first place, she returned to the bar and climbed on top of it.

“Good evening gentlemen,” Libby said in the sultriest voice she could summon.  Seductively strolling along the bar’s length, she was greeted with whistles and barks. “You all know my bodyguard by now I’m sure.” She pointed at Chase with the mic. “A few weeks ago he answered a challenge to fill my jar.  Well tonight he’s challenged me.  He seems to think I can’t fill it working the floor.”

Booing and groaning erupted as Libby watched Chase scowl at her and adjust his Stetson even higher. He looked up at her and took a visible breath.

“Last time I believe you all wasted your hard earned pay so he’d be able to, what was it? Dance with me, I believe?  That won’t be happening this time.  Tonight I’m up for auction.  It’s payday, fellas, so dig deep.  Whoever wins won’t be paying for someone else to hold me.” Libby finished her little speech and smirked at Chase.

Murray shook his head and Chase took a seat on the stool next to where Libby stood.  Murmurs ran through the bar as guys counted, and in some cases pooled, their funds.  She knew not one of them that would actually take her up on the holding her bit except maybe the new Lieutenant who didn’t know any better.

“Now then, who’ll start?”  Silence ensued.  “Come on, don’t be shy. You all know what this jar’s for.  Okay.  How about fifty dollars?  Anyone?” Libby prompted, shaking her hips and licking her lips playfully.

“I’ve got fifty,” one of the enlisted men shouted from a corner.

“A hundred….one-fifty over here…” And it went on and on until finally the new Lieutenant stood on his table and exuberantly shouted, “One thousand dollars!”

Everyone grew silent.  Libby looked down at Chase and saw the agitation churning in his eyes.

Standing up, he stared Milner down as he crossed his arms over his puffed up chest and calmly proclaimed, “Five thousand dollars.”

Libby’s mouth fell open and she dropped her hands to her sides.  No one could top that.  He wasn’t supposed to win.

When all the mumbling died down and no one challenged Chase’s outlandish bid, he coolly turned, took her by the waist and lifted her down from the bar.  “I’ll go to the bank in the morning and get the money.”  He slipped two fingers in her front pocket retrieving her car keys, burning her with the golden inferno in his eyes.  Finding them after grazing the edge of her hip where her panties stopped and her skin started, he tossed them at Phil.  “Drive her car home.”

Leaning over, Chase placed his shoulder at her waist, grabbed her by the legs, and hoisted her up and over his back.  With her dangling over his muscular shoulders, begging to be put down after realizing her plan had backfired, he strode across the floor and out the door.  A sickening round of ooh-rah’s followed them.

You can get your Kindle copy of The Executive Officer’s Wife for only $0.99 through the end of March at: http://tinyurl.com/p3yzqgt

I’d like to thank my hostess today and thank all of her readers for stopping by! You can find me at my blog, Ubiquitous Musings, at Script Chics, or on Facebook.

Happy reading!

Denisea Kampe

Writing one realmantic moment at a time…

It's 8 Sentence Sunday time! #WeWriWa

“Just once I want to be someone’s first choice,” Cali whispered to the floor, embarrassed at the inherent selfishness of such a statement.  She was the bratty baby of the family, ever the attention seeker as her mother was quick to point out.  And for once in her life Cali had to agree her mother was right.  “I can’t share you, Cooper.  I won’t take second place.”

“I would never ask that,” Cooper offered, his voice growing stronger as he stepped closer to her.  “Jessie is my future sister-in-law.”  Cooper placed his hands on Cali’s shoulders and she melted into the chair.

Thanks to the crew at WeWriWa for hosting 8 Sentence Sunday.  Be sure to check out all of the authors sharing #8sunday at www.wewriwa.com

Cooper Hensen is back in the Midwest, a place that holds haunting memories for him.  Worse, he’s been labeled the newcomer, the guy now responsible for replacing a pro bowl, quarterback superstar destined for the hall of fame.  And while the other guy’s name graces everything around the city from a children’s hospital to a golf course and philanthropic foundation, people keep misspelling Cooper’s, driving him crazy.  Twice in as many weeks he’s heard his neighbor, a die-hard other guy fan, refer to him as Copper.  Seriously?

Cali Carter is a hard charging, no non-sense district attorney determined to clean up the city of Indianapolis.  But lately things have shifted and she’s felt torn between her work and the position she fought so hard to achieve, and helping her sister, who’s struggling to manage her own young family and run the small café where she’s invested all of her heart, not to mention her life savings.

When a bossy, quick thinker who likes to fix things meets a man with incredible potential clouded by a haunted past, can two household names find a balance of power within their relationship and share the spotlight?

Readers can find Faith 15 at the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Faith-15-Men-Book-ebook/dp/B00TE8IMWW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423935283&sr=8-1&keywords=faith+15

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-faith15-1742047-149.html

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/faith-15-bethann-buehler/1121191363?ean=2940150273641