New Year Wishes
Dear Subscribers, Friends, and Visitors:
It’s January 1, 2021, and I hesitated to put the word “Happy” in the title of this blog post. For many people, 2020 was not a happy year, it was a year filled with losses and grief. If that was your 2020, know that you have my heart and my hugs, and I acknowledge your sadness.
For me, 2020 gave me the gifts of additional wisdom, guidance, and friendship, no matter what each month threw at all of us.
For 2021, I’m not making resolutions; I rarely do. Instead, I’m celebrating the little things, and focusing on areas of growth and improvement. Why?
When Life Gives You Lemons?
Make that lemonade! As an imperfect Christ follower (Christian), that’s what I focused on during 2020. Life handed Mark and me several lemons. Through prayer, reading scripture, and singing worship songs, I focused on squeezing out the juice from those lemons and adding healthy sweeteners. This focus helped me make 2020’s lemonade a refreshing drink instead of a bitter beverage.
My focus on the little things, those that were good and positive, kept my focus on pressing ahead. Many of you reading this post are those good and positive influences in my life, and I’m forever grateful to each one of you! You matter to me and I treasure you. Together we can press ahead and make 2021 a strong year, no matter the circumstances. We can turn lemons into a sweet, refreshing lemonade.
Publishing News
One of 2020’s lemons in my life was a significant change in the Terms of Service (ToS) by publishing platform Medium.com This platform held my haiku verses and my 50-word tiny stories from April 2019 to August 31, 2020. It also gave me a wonderful community of fellow authors and “fans” (readers). Their words of encouragement spurred me to improve my writing craft. Unfortunately, I disagreed with Medium’s new ToS, and I chose to leave.
I’m now submitting my previous works, as well as new stories and verses, to many online literary journals. This creates a wonderful challenge for me, as publishing to Medium was easy; I clicked a button and I published my verses or my stories immediately. Now, I’m working harder to polish my works and improve my craft. I want to make the Editors happy!
Select this link to visit my Publications page.
New Free eBooks!
In 2020, I released two free eBooks in PDF file format, two new glasses of lemonade.
Filter Words: A How-to Guide
One eBook is my How-to Guide on Filter Words, and how you can eliminate as many as you can from what you write. This eBook isn’t just for creative writers. You can use this tool for almost anything you write. To get your free eBook, select the link below:
Download Filter Words free eBook
Changing of the Seasons: A Haiku Collection
During the second half of 2020, I selected some of my haiku verses that I had previously published on Medium and created another eBook (in PDF file format).
Changing of the Seasons: A Haiku Collection contains twenty-one haiku and tanka verses I wrote between 2019 and early 2020.
Deborah and Brett Christiansen, the editors of House of Haiku on Medium, published my verses. This anthology, my first of several (I hope), provides a new home for these verses. You’ll find haiku and tanka dedicated to each of the four seasons.
For a limited time, this eBook is free to new subscribers only.
Subscribe and Receive Your Free Gift
Visit my Subscribe page to learn more.
Your Turn!
I’d love to know what you think about New Year 2021. Feel free to write a Comment below, and I’ll respond. Let’s support each other in this new year!
Image Credits:
Loading Bar 2021 New Year by iXimus on Pixabay.com
Lemonade Glass by cocoparisienne on Pixabay.com
