Awards

Dear Reader,
If you noticed, I now have 4 awards shown on the left side of my page.  Some of these have been waiting months for me to post and explain and thank publicly for them.  Each one was given to me by someone different, but I need to recognize them for it.

The first one is the Leibster Blog Award.  This award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  "Leibster" is German for 'favorite'.  So it is the favorite blog award.  The rules state that I must answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated me.  These would be Micki Peluso's questions for me.

Micki Peluso is the author of the book "...And the Whippoorwill Sang." It is an amazing story of how a family's life was shook to the core by the death of a daughter at only 14 by a drunk driver.  I loved the book, the way it was written, and how I felt like I became a part of the family.  There is laughter and tears, and I give it a 5 star review.  You can find it on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=micki+peluso&sprefix=micki+pel%2Caps%2C269.  I hope you will check it out.  I have to answer 11 questions, so here goes:

1.  What is your purpose in life?  Well, I believe it is to write encouraging things for others.  I believe that God inspires me and has blessed me with a talent that He uses to reach those that no one else can.  It is my work for Him.

2.  Are you currently working on meeting your goals?  I would like to think so.  I am writing three books at the moment.  I know that sounds kind of strange, at least it did to me when I first read of someone writing more than one book, but God has inspired me to write several things.  I hope to have at least one of them published by this time next year.  I am currently working on a book about trust, a devotional, and one about things I wish I had known when I was young.

3.  How do you find relaxation in this busy world?  I get up at 4am and go into my office to read my Bible or pray or write in my journal.  I only have an hour, then I exercise and my husband and I go for a 1-mile walk at 5:30.  Then it's shower, breakfast, and off to work just before 7am.  On Saturday mornings I get up around 5:30 and spend my time in prayer.  My husband leaves at 7 to have coffee with a friend and do the shopping, so I have several hours of "God time" which is the greatest time in the world for me.  Occasionally I am able to meet my best friend after work for dinner and a glass of wine which is wonderful too.  Oh, and ice cream at night before going to bed.  Nothing like it in the whole world!!

4.  If you could be anyone you wanted to be, who would you choose and why?  There is no one I'd rather be, then just me, Mrs. Tucker Tolhurst, and Mary's mom.

5.  Do you journal or keep a diary and if so, why?  When I was younger I kept a journal, but wasn't faithful to it.  In 2010 while in the International School of Ministry (ISOM), I started journaling again.  It was writing things that came to me from divine inspiration or just my feelings about things.  One of the classes was called 'Hearing God's Voice' by Mark Verkler.  It opened up an entirely new life for me.  I can now journal with God.  I write and He writes back.  That may sound strange, but God talks to each of us.  I am fortunate enough to be a writer and let Him flow through me in my words.  I am overcoming my anxieties about what man will say and just trusting God to work through me.  It is my heart's desire to please Him.

6.  If you could change the world, where would you start?  Right here, in my own heart.

7.  Do you value your friends and generally keep them for life?  I do value my friends and have some that I've known since high school.   I have others that have only been in my life for five years, but we are like sisters forever.

8.  Are you a good friend to others and to strangers who need help?  I sure hope so.  I guess you'd have to ask them though.

9.  What is your greatest dream and do you intend to reach for it?  My greatest dream would be to make a good living with my writing so that I could leave my day job.  I want so much to be a housewife again and take care of the man I love and write, write, write!  Someday!  Yes, I intend to reach for it!

10.  What brings you the most joy and happiness?  Laughing with my husband.  Walking with him in the morning.  We walk hand-in-hand and I carry the flashlight (it's rather dark at 5:30am), and we pray.  Seeing my daughter and hugging her is another wonderful joy for me.  There is really nothing else quite like it.

11.  What do you expect your readers to get from your writing?  I expect that they will be encouraged and know that God loves them no matter what.  I hope that they know that as children of the Most High God they are very special.  I also hope they realize that getting to heaven is only a prayer away (see the tab on top of this post), and all the good works you do won't get you anywhere without being born again.  I hope that my writing will bring some to Jesus and everlasting life. 

Thank you Micki Peluso for this wonderful award.  It is now time for me to nominate some bloggers and ask 11 questions.  My nominees are:

1.  Cherrye Vasquez  http://www.booksthatsow.com/
2.  Rosemary Adkins  http://www.extraordinaryireland.com/
3.  Patricia Garcia http://www.patgarciaschaack.com/the-by-ways-of-life/
4.  Sandy Humphrey   http://www.kidscandoit.com/
5.  Delinda McCann  http://delindamccann.blogspot.com/
6.  Sharla Shultz  http://awakenings2012.blogspot.com/
7.  Candy Bridges  http://candymariebridges.com/
8.  Linnea Larson  http://linneann.wordpress.com/
9.  Raani York  http://raaniyork.wordpress.com/2012/09/08/super-sweet-award/
10.  Linda Hales  http://theartdeli.com/

My questions are:
1.  What is your favorite holiday?
2. What is your most favorite memory?
3.  If you could go anywhere, where would it be?
4.  If you were your mother, what would you teach you?
5.  What is your favorite flavor ice cream?
6.  What is your all time favorite movie and why?
7.  What do you look best in, casual or dressy?
8.  Which do you prefer, dinner and a movie or sitting under a tree picnicking, and why?
9.  Mountains or lakes?
10.  Favorite person in the Bible and why?
11.  What time do you get to sleep on most nights?

Dear Reader, thank you for allowing me to tell you somethings about myself.  Please check the links to these authors, it is a very diverse selection.  I will tell you about my other awards soon.  Have a God blessed, Spirit filled evening!  Deirdre