Tag Archives: Christian bloggers

Before and After War

20 Jan

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and Artist

Before and After War

Before Daddy went away to war

He worked in a tomato plant.

Working hard, that’s what dads are for.

He didn’t rave and he didn’t rant.

When Dad got home, he laid down to rest

I sat on the end of the couch each night

To us that part of the day was best.

I stroked his hair, I did it right.

But while he was away at war

He got hurt inside, I guess

He was different, bruised and sore.

And he doesn’t lay on the couch anymore.

 

I’d still like to stroke his hair,

And make him feel all better.

But I guess that I can’t help him

He’s now an old war vetter.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Surprising Relatives~Part 1

19 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

                                                     

After meeting Fred – my  husband – and then his parents and siblings, the next part of the Wills family I learned about was his Uncle Bob and Aunt Eleanor Eby.  Such an interesting family.

1

Aunt Eleanor was middle sister to Fred’s Mother.  She and Bob lived in the Pasadena area of California, and were very special to Fred.  On his return trip to the U.S. after high school graduation in Japan, he stayed with them before heading to Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico.  Even though I hadn’t met them, after we were married, they sent us a Christmas gift each year for many years.  Like I said, just special people.

Uncle Bob was not only a great musician/pianist/organist – one of his greatest accomplishments was to build an electronic organ that produced sounds so like an actual pipe organ, you would have thought you were in a great cathedral.  Please notice that there is a tremendous difference between an electric organ and an electronic organ.  We even have a recording of someone playing on his electronic organ – and it sounds exactly like a pipe organ.  Magnificent!

Another interesting fact in all this is that Fred’s parents met at Wheaton College in Chicago.  Bob and Eleanor met at Wheaton College.  Bob’s brother, Dick and his wife, Maybelle, met at Wheaton College.  Oh, and just a small tidbit here – Billy Graham was a graduate of Wheaton College – just a few years after these guys.

2

Billy Graham with Fred’s dad, far right

Okay, all that to say that we all learned about Dick and Maybelle kind of by the “back door” a few years ago.  You see, Fred’s middle sister and her husband live in Washington state, not far from the Oregon border.  For as long as I can remember, they have been fans of square dancing.

Hold on…….I’m getting to the story….it really does all connect.

Fred’s sister (Emily) and her husband (Ron) had been square dancing with a dancing club for many years, and some of their favorite people are a couple named Walt and Pauline Eby.  Emily said that even though Eby isn’t that common of a name, she really didn’t think anything about it.  After having been dancing about 10 years together, they began to talk more about their families.  In passing, Walt mentioned that he had an Uncle Bob.  Emily perked up and announced that she, ALSO, had an Uncle Bob.  Turns out – it’s the SAME Uncle Bob Eby!  Walt is the son of Dick and Maybelle Eby.

3

Pauline and Walt Eby

 Amazing!

Bob & Eleanor Eby, Kitty Wills, Maybelle & Dick Eby

Bob & Eleanor Eby, Kitty Wills, Maybelle & Dick Eby

 **********To Be Continued**********

 

Tags: , , ,

How to Give Great Radio Interviews

18 Jan

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

I admit it. Sometimes I open the door to the bedroom of my heart during radio or TV interviews.

“During media interviews, candor and passion are the blend that will engage listeners.” That was the advice I received a long time ago.

“You’re my role model,” a gracious radio hostess said as she interviewed me some years back. “I read your book, know your story and I think about you and your situation just about every day.”

How nice to make such an impact, right? Not really.

She thought of me when she went to the bathroom in the middle of the night and tripped over stuff on the floor.

How do you cope through life,” she said, “you know… unable to see and living in darkness all the time?”

“Hmm…God’s grace, no doubt” I said.

I did tell her that in the morning I make sure thoughts of gratitude fill my head. Actually, I thank the Lord for all what-if’s in my life—what if I weren’t able to hear? Thank you, Lord for allowing me to hear. What if I weren’t able to walk? Thank you, Lord for giving me legs. And I thank Him for going before me to solve the challenges of the day.

It’s a daily thing because I found gratitude is to joy like water is to plants. Gratitude allows the joy in us to live, thrive and grow.

When those ol’ boo-hoo’s try to come in, I say to myself, “C’mon, chica, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’” (Philippians 4:5-7).

Father, keep me humble, focused, and keep me grateful. I do receive your peace to guard against negative emotions from my heart, and from destructive thoughts in my mind so I may appreciate what I have rather than lament what I lack. In Jesus’ name I ask.

  • — What were the first thoughts that filled your mind this morning?
  • — Remembering all the good in your life, can you fill out this sentence: “I’m grateful because what if__________________.
  • — What happens when you focus on the blessings you have?

Legacy

Janet Perez Eckles,
Grateful for the privilege of inspiring you…
My website in English
En Español

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Angelic Rescue

17 Jan

From My Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders

When something happens that is unexplainable,
and excites our inner core-
It leaves you with a sense of awe,
and the desire to know more.

God tells us that “He will put His holy angels
in charge of us, to keep us in all our ways”-
At the time we are being challenged, though- negative thoughts create a haze.

I was driving home alone one night,
not late, but it was dark.
To avoid a lot of traffic I took a back road
where activity was stark.

I have driven this path many times,
But always during the day.
“As fate would have it, I missed my turn
but continued on my way.

It was a dark night, but street lights were few-
Suddenly I was filled with dread!
The road seemed to come to an end, and
dense woods were straight ahead.

“Dear Lord, I need your help,
I don’t know what to do.
There seems to be a ditch on either side,
and trees ahead obstruct my view.”

Two bright lights appeared ,
as a truck came into sight-
“Out of the woods, at this hour?
Lord, your Angel saved the night!

An angel? Yes, I have no doubt.
What other reason could there be
By His bright lights, I turned around
and continued on home safely

I was going to follow the truck a ways,
but it disappeared from sight.
Mission accomplished!!
An angel truly saved the night!

Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and He answered me
and delivered me from all my fears”.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Our Trip To The UK Part ~7

15 Jan

 A Slice of life

By Bill Lites

Bill

 

After the castle experience, and as we were driving through Sumerset, on our way to Manchester, we stopped in the small town of Ilchester to checkout some horses in a field, and to look at the roadmap.   We happened to look across the road, at a small church, where a wedding was about to take place.  DiVoran and I are always amazed, at how we seem to be casual witnesses to weddings in progress in many places around the world, during our travels.

1

                                   

As we headed north through the beautiful part of England known as the Lake District, we were awed by the many hews of delicate color that surrounded us.  There is something about the light in the Cotswold’s that gives everything a wonderful muted color, and makes everything look pristine.  We had made arrangements to meet some friends of our son Billy in Manchester, but they only had time to link up with us for a short visit at a restaurant close to the A60. 

2

                                   

They had met Billy and Lisa at the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament Show during their visit to Orlando the year before, and had asked us to stop and see them when we were in the UK.  We had a great visit, but it was just too short.  Then it was on north again to visit Dove Cottage, the home for a time, of the poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy.  Dove Cottage is located on the edge of Grasmere in the Lake District of England.  As a writer and poet herself, DiVoran wanted to visit the homes of as many English writers and poets as she could during this trip.  She told me Wordsworth’s poem “I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud” was one of her favorites, and she had read it at least 100 times over the years.  It was interesting to me what a small start many of the English writers had when they were young, and didn’t publish much of anything until they were much older.  Many of them came from common backgrounds and struggled to get their work published, much like many writers all over the world today.

3

                                               

William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, along with Samuel Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature, with the publication of the Lyrical Ballads in 1798.  William, Samuel and Dorothy  were very close their entire lives, and influenced each other’s writings.  Dorothy Wordsworth did not set out to be an author, and her writings consisted mostly of a series of letters, diary entries, poems and short stories. Dove Cottage seemed to be a very popular tourist stop the day we were there, and we shared afternoon “tea and crumpets” with a lovely English couple from Canterbury, who invited us to stop and see them on our way back down the eastern side of the country.

4

                                               

In 1791 Wordsworth met and wanted to marry a French woman, Annette Vallon, during a trip to France, but did not have the finances to support her.  However, he did have a daughter by Annette in 1792, but was forced to leave France because of the French Revolution, and he did not see Annette or his daughter Caroline again for 10 years.  In 1802, he returned to France with his fiancé, Mary Hutchinson, visiting Annette and Caroline in order to set up an allowance for them.  William and Mary were married later that year, and his sister Dorothy continued to live with them for many years.  England honored Wordsworth in 1843 by naming him Poet Laureate of England.  Wordsworth and his wife Mary were buried at the St. Oswald’s church in Grasmere with a very unobtrusive common headstone.

6

                                                           

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Blogger’s Early Bird Special

13 Jan

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and ArtistTuesday evening we had a blogger’s early bird dinner at Sweet Tomatoes in Orlando. Onisha, Bill, and I rode over together from our town on the East Coast, One of Louise’s daughters brought her, and the other met us there. Judy and Fred brought Janet Perez Eckles. Onisha’s daughter, Rebekah Lyn met us and we all sat at the table and told our tales with a great deal of laughter thrown in.

The one thing that separated the group from most others was the spirit of encouragement and validation show by everyone there to everyone else. You could even promote it to respect and admiration. Someone mentioned that Louise should be elected poet laureate of the Old Things are New blogging group. Janet Eckles who has gone to the same church with Judy and Fred for many years said, “They are the true salt of the earth. I wanted each of them to know that Onisha is a gifted publicist and technology expert, Also it was important that they realized how much of a servant’s heart Bill has. He thinks a day in which he hasn’t had a chance to help anyone is a wasted day. We were all amazed at the joy and comfort the Lord has given to Janet in the face of adversity and how He is using her. You can see her story on the All Things R New video sent out Wednesday, January 8. I told about Rebekah Lyn Books and its founder Rebekah and how much knowledge and experience she has in publishing her fine novels Indie style and she was gracious enough to share some of that knowledge with us. It was a wonderful time together, and I’m hoping we’ll probably make it an annual event. You know how quickly those years roll around. Here’s a little of what the others had to say about it:

Onisha

It began with hugs, ended with more hugs, and in between was filled with the crackling excitement of freely flowing creativity and fun.

Bill

It’s always fun for me to meet new people. I think one of the most interesting aspects of the evening is that we all had a common interest (writing) and even though our writing interests were different, we sparked each other, similar to “clustering” or “networking” without even knowing we were doing it. Each person had their own brand of writing, but as the evening progressed, you could feel the different brands begin to mingle together in a very natural way. It was fun to watch it happening and be a part of it too

Judy and Fred

We shared a joyous time together with our fellow bloggers. While we knew everyone but one, it was such fun to meet that one (and her daughters), and finally join personality with faces. But just to connect in this way filled us up.

Janet Perez Eckles

It’s one thing to have a delightful dinner with friends. It’s another to bring home a treasure chest of laughter, insight, encouragement, joy and theexpectation of more memories.

That’s what I found last evening when I met a precious group of talented, tenderhearted, fun-loving new friends. God surely smiled at me while we chatted…Dancing the salsa of gratitude as my life is now richer with these new best friends I just met last evening!

Louise Gibson

It was such a heartwarming experience meeting everyone last evening. Such a friendly group of people that reached out to one another in Christian love. A meeting of the minds, so to speak. My poem this week is about friendships. I had just completed it before I checked my e-mail. I don’t feel qualified to speak for the group, but I was so pleased to meet all of you. Even though we had never met in person, I felt so comfortable meeting all of you. I truly felt blessed. I felt so truly blessed. I thank God for the experience, and I thank all of you for welcoming both of my daughters. They loved meeting all of you. To be able to bond with people is an act of God, so our gratitude is to Him directly.

Left to right-Judy Wills, DiVoran Lites, Onisha Ellis, Lynn Shepherd (web genius) Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles, Back row Bill Lites

Left to right-Judy Wills, DiVoran Lites, Onisha Ellis, Lynn Shepherd (web genius) Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles, Back row Bill Lites

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Karen and the Optometrist

12 Jan

 

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy Wills

                                                     

Unfortunately, Fred and I both wear glasses – or contact lenses at this point in time.  And also unfortunately, our oldest daughter, Karen, has needed glasses for a very long time – since she was in first grade.

When we were in Germany, and Karen was about 14 years old, the base optometrist thought contacts might slow down the rate of her astigmatism, and suggested contact lenses.  She wasn’t so sure at first, but after she got the hang of it, she was pleased with the results – no more glasses!!

After we returned Stateside, we were living a bit away from the base, but still did most of our “doctor stuff” at the Air Force base nearby.  When it was time to have the girls’ eyes checked, we went to the base optometrist.  Karen went in first for her exam, then sat with me while Janet had her exam.

When Karen came out of the exam room, she sat down and I could tell she was holding something in – she REALLY wanted to break out in laughter.  After Janet left us, she just let it out.  She said the doctor did the exam and told her that she might “eventually need to get glasses or contacts.”  When she told him that, not only did she have contacts already – but that they were in her eyes at the moment – he was dumbfounded!  She said she really had to “bite her tongue” to keep from laughing in his face!

After Janet finished up her exam the doctor came out to talk to me.  He looked really chagrined and said, “she really fooled me there.”  He had the most sheepish look on his face, and it made me grin at him.

I suspect that he was just a touch more careful with his examinations after that!

Just one of those hilarious memories that stay with us – and we laugh about over and over

.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Taste and See That the Lord is Good

11 Jan

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

How do you explain blindness to a two-year old?

Sunday after church hubby and I stopped at a local restaurant. And as always, we ran into friends.

And as we exchanged comments, I heard a little giggle. “Hi Reagan!” I said looking in the direction of my friend’s two-year old little girl. “Did you like your visit to Cypress Gardens?”

She didn’t answer.

“Honey.” Her mommy said. “Mrs Eckles, can’t see. You have to say ‘yes’ out loud, not just nod your head.”

We chuckled.

“Close your eyes.” Her mom said. “That’s what Mrs. Eckles sees.”

We continued our visit, her mom and I chatting about silly stuff for several minutes. Then suddenly Reagan’s mom paused. “I’m sorry Reagan, you can open your eyes now. And go ahead and eat your food.”

We hadn’t realized during the whole time we were talking, she still had them closed.

I’ve done that too. When I faced tough times, the sting of setbacks, or the jolt of disappointment forced the eyes of my heart to close. And when in the darkness of my pain, I missed the banquet set before me.

I waded in the pool of self-pity. Then soaked with discouragement, sat in the hard chair of gloom. Refusing to open my eyes, I reasoned I was justified to sulk and pout.

Even worse, when God’s Word echoed in my heart, the rehashing of negative details of the circumstance drowned his message.

Yes, it’s ugly and smelly to be in that spot. No doubt, God’s patience was tested with me. How often He must have whispered, “Open those eyes and check out the banquet of blessings I placed before you. But my stubborn heart refused to open.

Those episodes come in all sizes and often unexpected. As a writer, rejection of my work stings. And my discouragement quickly closes my eyes. Then sadly, I become blind to the encouraging notes that fill my in-box when my words elicit positive reactions.

And when those times hit me hard and long, the popular saying, ‘get over it’ rings true. Just how long could I keep my eyes shut to his truth. And refuse to see the treasures within trials and the blessings that often follow burdens.

As a blind friend, I invite you to take a look, move beyond that setback, disappointment, or discouraging comment. If not, you’ll miss the bouquet of blessings, fragrant with His love, and sweetened by His compassion.

Unlike Reagan, don’t wait for someone to tell you to open your eyes. Instead, relish in the banquet the Lord has before you, and “Taste and see that the LORD is good…” Because when facing tough times, “… blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”

(Psalm 34:8)8

Legacy

Janet Perez Eckles,

Grateful for the privilege of inspiring you…

My website in English

En Español

My story (video)

Inspirational video  just for you.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Friendship

10 Jan

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders

Why do we seem drawn to certain people?
Isn’t it difficult to explain?
The chemistry is different-
but the bonding is the same.

We are God’s creation-
I know He had a plan..
With His Holy Spirit
He relates Himself to man.

He guides us in a mysterious way-
He truly knows what’s best.
Sometimes we blunder through and wonder,
“Lord, is this a test?”

God truly wants the best for us-
The battle has already been won.
All the Lord is endeavoring to do
Is conform us to the image of His Son.

When we meet a fellow Christian,
There is a meeting of the heart.
There is an immediate “bonding”-
A fellowship set apart.

If you have yet to meet our Savior-
Don’t waste another minute
Open up your heart to Him
and ask Him to come in it!

P.S. In your Golden Chain of Friendship,
Will you please count me a link?

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Starting the New Year Face to Face

8 Jan

Last night the bloggers for Old Things R New met face to face for the first time in our history. It was an incredible and laughter filled evening.

photo

From left to right, Judy Wills, Divoran Lites, Onisha Ellis, Lynn Shepherd (web genius and daughter of Louise) Louise Gibson, Janet Peres Eckles. Back row, Bill Lites

I created the blog January 13, 2012 and my first post was to announce my daughter, Rebekah Lyn’s debut novel. I had no idea what I was doing, but knew I needed a platform to help promote her work.

In Febrauary 2012,  DiVoran Lites, my long time friend and mentor, brought her fun and inspiring wrting to our blog. She has now published three novels which you can find here.  Her husband Bill, loves travel and vintage WWII airplanes and we were pleased to add him on April 19,2012. In September of 2012  we welcomed Judy Wills, a talented pianist,  whose life as a military spouse brought us an inside look at family life both in and out of the military. In 2013 we were blessed with two new bloggers, Louise Gibson, whose poetry about nature, feline friends and life touches many hearts and brings smiles to the readers face, and last but certainly not least is Janet Perez Eckles, a dynamo of energy and faith, who shares her life experiences with us through weekly posts that encourage us to dig deep into our own faith and challenges.

Janet was recently interviewed on Emotional Mojo   a nationally syndicated show that  combines the best of Psychology, personal development, life coaching, and daily inspiration in a single Mojo brand.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →