tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68783994581521996902024-03-08T03:33:05.634-08:00Finding Joy in the JourneyEven weary travelers can find joy along their journey! ;)Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-22413740878283138602024-02-25T13:58:00.000-08:002024-02-25T13:58:09.315-08:00An Early Spring<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfuswbJj986P3syueBBFbaXhr98CuHgQiCil429INSsFxLjhxWxJQ7u5yDq6EdaHaa-HzRG7PCNdn7IHs9C4T-AUWuiK8x-oh-6DxOwKKilL41U_BlIaAf_alOg6wv-M-0TQlljKEnUlnaAfAW6iP-N7JmRoIHjzlJ3skRepRt1oSl6Q76EijPWcaLuzc/s2853/IMG_7884.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2717" data-original-width="2853" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfuswbJj986P3syueBBFbaXhr98CuHgQiCil429INSsFxLjhxWxJQ7u5yDq6EdaHaa-HzRG7PCNdn7IHs9C4T-AUWuiK8x-oh-6DxOwKKilL41U_BlIaAf_alOg6wv-M-0TQlljKEnUlnaAfAW6iP-N7JmRoIHjzlJ3skRepRt1oSl6Q76EijPWcaLuzc/s320/IMG_7884.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;">Nothing like an early Spring to make you shake off the frost and head outside to see those early morning rays of the Sun.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;">Things pretty much remain green here in the Blue Ridge with the Pines and Grasses. The Oak, Maple, Poplar and Dogwoods remain bare for a little longer.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;">Looking forward to completing my fourth in the Legend of the Mer series.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;">Thank you for being patient with me while I finish Will's story.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;">Happy Spring 💮</span></p>Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-16727526059502710842024-01-11T12:51:00.000-08:002024-01-11T12:51:42.040-08:00Song of the Coyotes<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEMfLi2Nhc8M94u3EQSQ5eY335bXeuHgVr7i5013jkRAkzwJ-wkPQ7pB65TFq7ig2PlumXqcyZqwYGaDpQ6Yq5DQjgZaUTFfisgMmNGufMGeprX9zqU8bGaEYExXsNXhNsXGVyhoD4C9bV4Sqs2je7Bbymxj9M2w9bPWoz8Pa_6X-klnjNDsyTOccWxgk/s4025/IMG_7209.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2625" data-original-width="4025" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmEMfLi2Nhc8M94u3EQSQ5eY335bXeuHgVr7i5013jkRAkzwJ-wkPQ7pB65TFq7ig2PlumXqcyZqwYGaDpQ6Yq5DQjgZaUTFfisgMmNGufMGeprX9zqU8bGaEYExXsNXhNsXGVyhoD4C9bV4Sqs2je7Bbymxj9M2w9bPWoz8Pa_6X-klnjNDsyTOccWxgk/w384-h251/IMG_7209.HEIC" width="384" /></a></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Song of the Coyotes</u></b></span> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">Each night I lay my head down</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">Deep in the Winter chill</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">I hear a sound beginning which starts as a lonely shrill</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">It soon becomes a song with a high pitched two-tone</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">A few join in to say you're not alone</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">Several more add their voices high and strong</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">Now all the woods are singing the Coyotes song</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">It's a sweet sound to me and soon I drift off with the tune</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">I dream of them singing together beneath the Winter moon</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">The Coyotes are Guardians of the highest ridge top</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">May their wild song continue and never stop</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">I pray God will keep them safe and forever free</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">May they always sing their Coyotes song to others and to me </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: helvetica; font-size: large;">- Sheri L. Swift</span></p>Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-32606463723709278872024-01-03T11:37:00.000-08:002024-01-03T11:37:33.993-08:00Winter Musings<p style="text-align: center;"><br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8DlxF_-2ptxk1zCUby_6IUK3YSYsZcutEm92rYgsYLSLG10ZN1Wc5nGUXgfaKcm1L6XPh0uPdNuG-20Xm40NcsI-t2WIi1t7vvXXJwQtMGtjKY7QAIimfxPSTO3WNJQvLoYWgtq7KGC_Fkn258MgaXmz-B6nDOqxmQTxsOxc1_v4xiKqG9H3vbohdtAI/s1014/Winter%20backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="761" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8DlxF_-2ptxk1zCUby_6IUK3YSYsZcutEm92rYgsYLSLG10ZN1Wc5nGUXgfaKcm1L6XPh0uPdNuG-20Xm40NcsI-t2WIi1t7vvXXJwQtMGtjKY7QAIimfxPSTO3WNJQvLoYWgtq7KGC_Fkn258MgaXmz-B6nDOqxmQTxsOxc1_v4xiKqG9H3vbohdtAI/s320/Winter%20backyard.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Winter Musings</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Some days are ordinary</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Some extraordinary</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Some bleak</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Some spectacular</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>I suppose life is like that</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>You never know what to expect</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Just when I think the sun is gone</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>And the spark with it</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Comes a new snow day</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>With it's soft billowy snowflakes</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Some days it's quiet</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Except for the laughter of children</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Some nights are filled with mist</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>All the worlds asleep</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Other nights the storm rages</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>With whipping wind</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>The torrents of ice mixed in</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>Bangs hard against my window</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>And I'm awake</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>I pray</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>I sleep</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>A new day dawns </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>How marvelous it is</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;"><b>- Sheri L. Swift</b></span></div><p></p>Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-80888484951329250862021-12-20T19:11:00.000-08:002021-12-20T19:11:28.335-08:00The Season of Joy<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7TdIYLdT-x8KgoFiHEjtM_Cp9A0bOyNubcWjVicV1S9AnG0IGHEZMRRIhYHqZwGp_jg39_YCfaCgOb3oa556XxMKauAc8EvbAyUJyeM_Pp6thDnp8f1N2nPWqlsjOWqTKbDDf8ykEMBFcNYqiEVsC781ZDtAfIqrMVOHSdvOg8BoGxpbXPe4IGGKIkg=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7TdIYLdT-x8KgoFiHEjtM_Cp9A0bOyNubcWjVicV1S9AnG0IGHEZMRRIhYHqZwGp_jg39_YCfaCgOb3oa556XxMKauAc8EvbAyUJyeM_Pp6thDnp8f1N2nPWqlsjOWqTKbDDf8ykEMBFcNYqiEVsC781ZDtAfIqrMVOHSdvOg8BoGxpbXPe4IGGKIkg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><b><u><i>Choosing </i>Joy</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I've learned in my nearly 60 years that joy is a choice sometimes rather it be during an every day occurrence or a Holiday.</span></div><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">It's been a rough year for me, in fact a few. I've been tired without knowing exactly the reason and times of extreme pain.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I discovered I had a tumor recently which was removed and it had a lot to do with my illnesses.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">My firstborn daughter and family moved to VA nearer where I live. We got to spend Christmas for the first time with my Son-in-love and two Grandsons.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">We had Christmas early this year so everyone of us could be a part of it and a few new friends as well.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Something amazing happens when I'm with my kids and grands. I choose joy and everything else seems to disappear for awhile.</span> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I don't know what the future holds but I'm spending this new energy writing as much as I can.</span> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Pray you have the very best Christmas and a joyful season ;)</span> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"> </span></div><p></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-37514963637895995672021-10-23T13:46:00.001-07:002021-10-23T13:49:36.987-07:00HOAX By Leanna Sain<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5COuMMh3pBAcKueI3ZvJ6vc57jlg-aredcl0PrdPK_RthsaI_PT4_hLZSk3XZPNIsWxwp2lFLIy418lxtCaE5KiVddcG09e4OVL1rwPrKUBXecyU3INmEviP_FIWBaQaTLUXMnOVbORQ/s500/HOAX.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5COuMMh3pBAcKueI3ZvJ6vc57jlg-aredcl0PrdPK_RthsaI_PT4_hLZSk3XZPNIsWxwp2lFLIy418lxtCaE5KiVddcG09e4OVL1rwPrKUBXecyU3INmEviP_FIWBaQaTLUXMnOVbORQ/s320/HOAX.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><a href=" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FB4XKMP?pf_rd_r=V143S6YEY7ZX0J51DNK2&pf_rd_p=1ab92b69-98d7-4842-a89b-ad387c54783f&pd_rd_r=e342fdf9-cdf3-42bb-9412-07e070d9ce6d&pd_rd_w=VdlV1&pd_rd_wg=V0O9N&ref_=pd_gw_unk ">Hoax (Amelia Island Suspense Book2)</a><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: verdana; font-size: xx-large;"><u><span style="color: #073763;">HOAX</span></u></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Soon-to-be bride, Lacey Campbell, discovers a secret just days before her wedding causing her to doubt everything she's always believed about her family.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">When her strange premonitory dreams begin again - visions of snarling canines and dangerous Inuit Knives - <i>past experience </i>tells her that danger isn't far behind. With her police-chief fiancé, Ford Jamison, she struggles to preserve her famous grandfather's legacy while searching for a possible claimant to his estate.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">As she pursues the truth, she risks losing everything - her future with Ford, her precious restaurant, Black Pearl and even her life. Can she escape the peril, outwit her hidden adversary, and reveal the biggest Hoax of all?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="TextRun SCXW42566944 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW42566944 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><i>By Leanna Sain</i></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #073763; font-family: verdana;">My Author friend Leanna Sain is at it again with her 2nd book in the <i>Amelia Island Suspense</i>. Can't wait to check this one out. Amazon is taking preorders now with a release date of November 16th.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="TextRun SCXW42566944 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW42566944 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p>Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-1155035186210871452021-09-02T23:50:00.002-07:002021-09-03T00:06:55.113-07:00It's been a while<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdH18nmW31h-sKlA8BTMvxsA2ZAxzLnnYQOfO7GkKBUNQ4yQ_bw6wmNw5Udog3NEIHlnYPVS-c1GaHFTdfwgDBy0NchpkvJLBByvAnZzAUuWBzAzNOvmcekjav_ZRiHNY1GZT1r4yor3z/s160/107656855_3375833189106975_7697376755471647076_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="160" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdH18nmW31h-sKlA8BTMvxsA2ZAxzLnnYQOfO7GkKBUNQ4yQ_bw6wmNw5Udog3NEIHlnYPVS-c1GaHFTdfwgDBy0NchpkvJLBByvAnZzAUuWBzAzNOvmcekjav_ZRiHNY1GZT1r4yor3z/w231-h231/107656855_3375833189106975_7697376755471647076_n.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">What a year this has been. The thing which took the wind out of my sails was my youngest daughter above and little granddaughter were in a terrible accident in January 2020.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Each were in separate hospitals with serious injuries. I did a lot of praying.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">My little granddaughter liked to help take my Christmas decorations down. I promised her in the hospital I would keep my artificial tree up till she could come next.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Little did I know it would be months before that happened. I was so thankful each had healed completely.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">In the end we all laughed and decided to put a sheet over it and enjoy it again the next year.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">My grandsons thought it rather ghostly on Halloween.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">As soon as they all left I promptly removed the sheet and it was Christmas once more.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">The photo above was taken about that time.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Thank you God :)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p>Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-40672401678103614702020-07-14T12:43:00.001-07:002020-07-14T12:43:05.660-07:00Remembering Grandpa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ78EbHppfHjbCTnX-foEBVz7kUGqdD7C8EtltCC7DieRZQIsVGkNDcehSEvKka1sZMa6aQUp7xAg2682S7ojZeLpKc0ZMBLxaiKsm6ETdXi0nLxBEd-JeYb1h91eOymPW190IxPL0NjWH/s1600/4th+of+July+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="714" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ78EbHppfHjbCTnX-foEBVz7kUGqdD7C8EtltCC7DieRZQIsVGkNDcehSEvKka1sZMa6aQUp7xAg2682S7ojZeLpKc0ZMBLxaiKsm6ETdXi0nLxBEd-JeYb1h91eOymPW190IxPL0NjWH/s320/4th+of+July+2.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">The other day like always I picked some of the blue Hydrangeas growing in my garden for my 4th of July table.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">I especially planted blue Hydrangeas some 20 years ago in memory of my Grandpa McLain. He always had them in his front yard.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">From my earliest memory of him I couldn't wait for him to walk in the front door. Some days I ran into the yard as he got out of his car.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">The reason being from the moment he grabbed me up he would twirl me around in the air or by hand on the floor.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">I felt as if he were Fred Astaire and I Ginger Rogers dancing away in perfect step.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">He made me smile, he made me laugh.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">He always had a dance in his step and a kindness to everyone he met. No one was a stranger to him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">It's his bright smile and a tune he whistled all the day long I will also never forget.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">The Hydrangeas with their pom pom shapes remind me of Grandpa cheering me on, "You got it Kid." ;)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-45121644554586979992019-12-10T20:18:00.002-08:002019-12-10T20:54:45.125-08:00He gets me :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-sV95HgtBdGAz-EbZWiW-Wo3b2_w7p9mtb-sei9KVhLdlSEJXDoHzx8GJh-1vwgEyhg25_Znt3rzVcHA_jHIS3kP0hkbjRWHsSVZpxHeIio9ijY8FSoRYLbWZrms0yznECmYck6qtwLq/s1600/20191125_111802_HDR_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1402" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-sV95HgtBdGAz-EbZWiW-Wo3b2_w7p9mtb-sei9KVhLdlSEJXDoHzx8GJh-1vwgEyhg25_Znt3rzVcHA_jHIS3kP0hkbjRWHsSVZpxHeIio9ijY8FSoRYLbWZrms0yznECmYck6qtwLq/s320/20191125_111802_HDR_2.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sweetheart surprised me with a new Christmas stocking this year. He knows I'm a Mermaid girl.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After a back injury this past summer I've been away from the computer. I only have two weeks left of physical therapy and then back at it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think I've got the best job in the world. When I write I get to travel with the Mer and their extended family.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the fourth Legend of the Mer things are hard for Will. He's always been different in the way of sensing things deeper and hearing all of the pod, not just his family's thoughts.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wills not sure he can keep his family's secret or even keep his sanity. Somethings got to change....</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and the best of New Years! 🎄 ;)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-140142089515320892019-10-30T18:46:00.000-07:002019-10-30T18:49:17.909-07:00HUSH by Leanna Sain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdQvB7gIgdrGcVape6sojc9PQSyRn4pHdZxFoUAul7W3Acp2iqwgKJ52K1VDx2QjL9x0N2GtkLdo4HihvLmybuQtCf_seX_T074THSs0n1tD-JTTZwzOBxNlHWReUMec4tFWaBTDY15t3/s1600/Hush2+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVdQvB7gIgdrGcVape6sojc9PQSyRn4pHdZxFoUAul7W3Acp2iqwgKJ52K1VDx2QjL9x0N2GtkLdo4HihvLmybuQtCf_seX_T074THSs0n1tD-JTTZwzOBxNlHWReUMec4tFWaBTDY15t3/s320/Hush2+%25285%2529.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Hush – by Leanna Sain<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">She dreams a murder before it happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">A young woman is strangled while her killer sings the words from
the lullaby “Hush, Little Baby.”</span></i><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Lacey Campbell’s life is full, but not idyllic. As head chef for
a chic restaurant and primary caregiver to a mother with Alzheimer’s, she
doesn’t have time for the nightmare and at first she tries to deny it. But the
next day, she discovers it's a disturbing reality. When she dreams the second
heinous murder she knows it’s time to tell the police.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Detective Ford Jamison is called back to the little coastal town
to help with the case and soon notices an alarming trend: the killer is using
the lullaby as a “blueprint” to target women who resemble Lacey. This doesn’t
slow the killings and now Lacey is afraid to fall asleep at night because the
next face she sees in her dream might be her own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">As a hurricane churns ever closer to the little coastal town,
danger and suspicion spin out of control. Time is running out. Can they stop
the killer before the last verse of the lullaby?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">~~~</span></div>
<span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I got reconnected with this local author recently. She weaves quite a suspenseful tale and can't wait for this new one. She graciously answered these questions for my blog:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">1.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When
did you decide to become a writer? In other words, what made you actually sit
down and write something? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A Halloween party was the catalyst. We were at a friend’s house—a
recently purchased, 100 yr. old farm—and after supper we hiked out to a spooky
cemetery. It was the perfect Halloween scenario, complete with the big full
moon. On the way back my flashlight glanced over to the right and spotlighted
an old wooden gate. While one sort of expects gates at a farm, this one was
hardly ordinary. There was no fence—just a gate—sitting all by itself at the
edge of a pasture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “Um, Lisa? Why is there a
gate with no fence?” I asked my friend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “Dunno. It was like that
when we bought the place.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “Dum, dum, duuuum,” I sang
in my scariest voice in an effort to maintain the Halloween spirit. “The gate
to nowhere.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We both laughed, then she said, “That sounds like the name of a
book.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “Yeah, it kind of does,
doesn’t it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “Why don’t you write it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> “Hmm,” I replied, my mind
suddenly taking the idea and running. “Maybe I will.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And that was the story seed for my trilogy: <i>Gate to Nowhere; Return to Nowhere</i>; and <i>Magnolia Blossoms. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Every
writer is eventually asked this question, but where do your ideas come from? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I call them “story seeds,” and they can come from anywhere. I keep
a little notebook in my purse to jot down whenever something strikes me. Those
get added to a Word document on my laptop. Right now the list of story ideas is
so long, I’ll have to live forever to get them all written</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">3.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Why
do you write what you do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s what I like to read. I love a good edge-of-your-seat story
with a dash of history and sometimes a touch of magic realism stirred in. And a
love story…there must be a love story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">4.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What
is the hardest thing about the creative process of writing? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Having enough time to get it all done. I don’t have a problem with
the actual writing. It’s the “marketing part” that gives me fits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">5.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If
you’re a Christian, what are the challenges you believe Christian writers face
now and in the future? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve heard a Christian man—a Sunday school teacher, no less—say you
have to include the sex, and bad language if you want to sell books. That
comment floored me! I disagree. For a Christian, your writing is part of your
testimony. And I think people are desperately looking for books and TV shows
that don’t include all that. The problem is they’re hard to find. I’m doing
what I can to remedy that.</span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">6.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If
you would, please tell us what was the hardest thing about writing your last
book? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My latest book, entitled <i>Hush,
</i>is different that the rest of my book. I wrote it while watching my mother
struggle through the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease. I used the writing as
a sort of therapy, a way to get rid of some of the hard emotions I was dealing
with. As a result, this book is a little edgier than my others. I created a
minor character suffering with the disease, which allowed me to weave some of
the things my mother said and did right into the story. I dedicated the book to
Mama to honor her, but that didn’t seem to be enough, so I decided to donate
half of what I make on sales to Alzheimer’s research. There’s not a cure for
this horrible disease and there’s a 100% mortality rate. We need to find a
cure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">7. What are
you reading now, and who are a few of your favorite authors and why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sue Grafton: I love how her mind worked. Amazing mysteries. I hate
that she never got to finish her “Z” book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sarah Addison Allen: I love the magic realism she weaves through
her stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Frank Peretti: What a great story teller. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Ted Dekker: consistently able to produce those “edge-of-your-seat”
books I mentioned </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">earlier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I hope everyone will check it out and how awesome you're donating half to Alzheimer's research.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Leanna Sain, earned her BA from the University of South Carolina, before moving back to mountains of western NC. Her Southern suspense or “GRIT-lit,” showcases her plot-driven method that successfully rolls elements of best-selling authors Mary Kay Andrews, Nicholas Sparks, and Jan Karon all together, making it her own. She loves leading discussion groups and book clubs. For more information or to contact her, visit: </span><a href="http://www.leannasain.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">www.LeannaSain.com</span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Buy
Link: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Amazon:</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hush-Leanna-Sain/dp/1645262502/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=hush+leanna+sain&qid=1571856279&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #196ad4; font-family: "helvetica neue";">https://www.amazon.com/Hush-Leanna-Sain/dp/1645262502/ref=sr_1_1?</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Facebook:
</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Leannasbooks"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.facebook.com/Leannasbooks</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Twitter: Leanna Sain@Leannasbooks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Website and blog: </span><a href="http://leannasain.com/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">http://leannasain.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Goodreads: </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/LeannaSain"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">https://www.goodreads.com/LeannaSain</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-44383261854117148222019-10-27T10:44:00.000-07:002019-10-27T10:46:27.242-07:00The Autumn Dance <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MYv7iOtBUu3l4bTI8PSo4Lzkzgnhudb2M4kx4vW9n891bR5OG-Zrjp2FqWSOfAv0X_QO0lKwJ1LQYRkqEBa3BttOpX3022rKhHFdazVCgA201cRjyvs62fsZK6ELLgik1z29e-HDUxLQ/s1600/Autumn9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4MYv7iOtBUu3l4bTI8PSo4Lzkzgnhudb2M4kx4vW9n891bR5OG-Zrjp2FqWSOfAv0X_QO0lKwJ1LQYRkqEBa3BttOpX3022rKhHFdazVCgA201cRjyvs62fsZK6ELLgik1z29e-HDUxLQ/s320/Autumn9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>The Autumn Dance</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The trees know when the time is near</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The breezes change from warm to cold</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is a rustling in the wind</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">An ancient ritual long been told</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The leaves clap with overwhelming glee</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For their purpose has become clear</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Their array of colors are gold, orange and reds</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It is now the Autumn of the year</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">From mountain tops to nestled valleys</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The wind sweeps across and down</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In late amber sun, freezing rain or snow</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The multi colored leaves can be found</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The leaves know the time has come</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">They let go and take a chance</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That they may fulfill their purpose</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And join in the Autumn Dance</span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">- Sheri L. Swift </span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-68579940753248379572019-06-14T10:59:00.000-07:002019-06-14T12:02:00.916-07:00The Old Chair In The Corner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-Vl149G5-uNhkE4mnT6ZnIUTzua0beGEnAz4UYsrlKy6tw3Taid99WdnaQHdhAPC1hg3em_eF2JOnXhP8uNXSpcni19YU0wiLYXQZsg0N3cCAdgaqwoWXAhmroMt473hMYdBO5rKcVrI/s1600/20190613_151232_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid-Vl149G5-uNhkE4mnT6ZnIUTzua0beGEnAz4UYsrlKy6tw3Taid99WdnaQHdhAPC1hg3em_eF2JOnXhP8uNXSpcni19YU0wiLYXQZsg0N3cCAdgaqwoWXAhmroMt473hMYdBO5rKcVrI/s320/20190613_151232_2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">When my husband and I bought our home I looked at the house plans for hours. I imagined where each piece of furniture would go.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the corner of the dining room I knew one day I would purchase a grandfather clock and place it there.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As time passed my husband came across this old solid redwood chair at a bargain. </span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I planned on placing it out on the front porch.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The richness of the redwood and my love for the Calaveras Big Trees from my former state of California kept me from putting it outdoors.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It soon became invaluable for another seat at the dining room table.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Our daughters and their friends played games or put together large puzzles.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As our family grew and our daughters married it was even more necessary for an extra seat so we could all sit down and eat together.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Now adding grandchildren to the mix it is still used for all the above.</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">No I never got a grandfather clock but what I have is so much more valuable :)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-71060772166393505222019-02-26T12:27:00.000-08:002019-02-26T12:30:40.166-08:00A Summer Longing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Sun decided to peek out today in the Blue Ridge Mountains and how I longed for the warmth of the Summer rays to shine down.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These photos were taken at Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. One of my favorite places and inspiration for my Safe Harbor Island.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Winter days always make me long for Summer. That's why it's easy to write my Mer stories then.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love to listen to Toby Mac's <i>Hold On</i> and my <i>Mer Songs </i>Playlist to help inspire me as I write.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm always out and about when Summer arrives so there's little time for writing with Grandchildren to play with and places to experience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For now my mind drifts away with the sound of the North Atlantic Ocean crashing on the shore.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Things are getting pretty interesting with Will Prentis as he settles into his new home.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Mer of Torbist may be going to war again with the Mer of Tiselius. This</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"> gives King Titus and Queen Lana a lot to think about for their Kingdom and those they love.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Well I guess I better get back at it.... ;)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-35451904423803331152019-01-07T10:50:00.000-08:002019-06-14T12:08:38.444-07:00An Amazing Shot <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVBxbHiSyQv8H6WQDEdRqfCx5Zf5UcXwOfI5DPXJUJznJSsDt9puzS7aeU4azxyQpUjbzewW4el0nJAr7XDqpIWsEOp5COHlqCyTdr-yeQGbRF-Trb6ZcSNbaePiaEIKF4A5nYMkAqQIM/s1600/FB95IMG9515417847036879501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="562" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVBxbHiSyQv8H6WQDEdRqfCx5Zf5UcXwOfI5DPXJUJznJSsDt9puzS7aeU4azxyQpUjbzewW4el0nJAr7XDqpIWsEOp5COHlqCyTdr-yeQGbRF-Trb6ZcSNbaePiaEIKF4A5nYMkAqQIM/s320/FB95IMG9515417847036879501.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This scene was captured by my youngest daughter I lovingly call <i>Baby Girl </i>though she has a baby girl of her own. </span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This photo was taken atop Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-MybjBpqZIxu2Ca85Wnw6O0-49l3xpdbE5rga3AKKUqXU5rt4q27WfsZXljbkC02V4lT0vBnF-Ytb7Co9k4f1AxXOIXp3Nh37yprQRY16v3zVVH2Y8_rXYdPyadi8HDJ_E6_39gWqj34/s1600/FB_IMG_1522807249526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-MybjBpqZIxu2Ca85Wnw6O0-49l3xpdbE5rga3AKKUqXU5rt4q27WfsZXljbkC02V4lT0vBnF-Ytb7Co9k4f1AxXOIXp3Nh37yprQRY16v3zVVH2Y8_rXYdPyadi8HDJ_E6_39gWqj34/s320/FB_IMG_1522807249526.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">She loves going for runs and hiking; when she does she can't help but take a pic of these amazing views. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the distance you can see the famed 'Mount Pilot' from the <i>Andy Griffith</i> series although it's name is actually Pilot Mountain.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I couldn't help but relate to this photo; how majestic it is. It made me think of times when I've felt like I was in the deepest darkest place.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been there through cancer, sepsis, congestive heart failure and even kidney failure.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Somehow although I was at first frightened by these events, I felt a sense of peace come over me and the presence of a loving God holding my hand.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">That's what this photo speaks to me. :)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-41121887829707867872018-06-12T12:26:00.000-07:002019-06-14T12:10:58.514-07:00An Easter To Remember<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYEWAaOjrl8DRRYaA3RCqjKNaf1KcduRKGwX2VPANaFwyCY_hZBIOoyjfsIvMkq25OpG1CGKiTIjnbq2Ic1vVGN8k96KaGyNuW5EktNIT159AwVwBtOOdYrdTHsKH5iI6Tq4Hpx4i_MVl/s1600/Easter+Celebration+76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYEWAaOjrl8DRRYaA3RCqjKNaf1KcduRKGwX2VPANaFwyCY_hZBIOoyjfsIvMkq25OpG1CGKiTIjnbq2Ic1vVGN8k96KaGyNuW5EktNIT159AwVwBtOOdYrdTHsKH5iI6Tq4Hpx4i_MVl/s320/Easter+Celebration+76.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm just now getting around to posting this. It was such a special year.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember no matter what the weather was predicted, I prayed we would have a sunny day for our celebration on Palm Sunday which was the day our family celebrated.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0M4l1UFxOzAXuJv_01aKsbDFBZhlVD3DDMgp6AjX0_2Wra3c7aPWFFfTta_epeHU2ZCC2GVTCH4eVQx2VL6sdxgZLqfQJVJYPeEibtu95mSi9OvFfqtRd055AF5T-tqUykY-mxQZ-Lqh/s1600/Blizzard+March+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0M4l1UFxOzAXuJv_01aKsbDFBZhlVD3DDMgp6AjX0_2Wra3c7aPWFFfTta_epeHU2ZCC2GVTCH4eVQx2VL6sdxgZLqfQJVJYPeEibtu95mSi9OvFfqtRd055AF5T-tqUykY-mxQZ-Lqh/s320/Blizzard+March+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few days before wasn't looking so great, lol.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaLRff0ji3fHVoA2o9AXxxd-TksdYX5lU5qgP8OKNiL8RLf6junDHeFi8tI_G_C0k4as-YtatFGs8fgIyAhOLcL0va9hMICYU2NQ2Q2ouQbhNd-F5NC8XIZgNKRwVliSEYwyCP8lCa9Y_/s1600/Easter+Celebration+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaLRff0ji3fHVoA2o9AXxxd-TksdYX5lU5qgP8OKNiL8RLf6junDHeFi8tI_G_C0k4as-YtatFGs8fgIyAhOLcL0va9hMICYU2NQ2Q2ouQbhNd-F5NC8XIZgNKRwVliSEYwyCP8lCa9Y_/s320/Easter+Celebration+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOHYLXRwoiznHyhCiucU4zso4rb7L2vxx3iKiToBG4Cu_Et48_qvTKM-zSRiTe8M43G89eWL9SsxNOuFwHnZO05m44iebYpmODd3IbU_FJMigVgqKiUWS_fRToyf65Pz9NnEe6S7fnxWn/s1600/Easter+Celebration+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOHYLXRwoiznHyhCiucU4zso4rb7L2vxx3iKiToBG4Cu_Et48_qvTKM-zSRiTe8M43G89eWL9SsxNOuFwHnZO05m44iebYpmODd3IbU_FJMigVgqKiUWS_fRToyf65Pz9NnEe6S7fnxWn/s320/Easter+Celebration+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCJYvzdLcwwbp8arGjHzesD-BTdlX8BH9Oj7bQPtWI1nhcAcjfTlnPcQzLrP7m45-aQw1AhLVhSxlBJU-UXstCuIoBnKI_V3iDeuAcpkW-FpcYu_ZjtDGZcBJNp7O11dkoI-NFh1i2ebj/s1600/Easter+Celebration+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCJYvzdLcwwbp8arGjHzesD-BTdlX8BH9Oj7bQPtWI1nhcAcjfTlnPcQzLrP7m45-aQw1AhLVhSxlBJU-UXstCuIoBnKI_V3iDeuAcpkW-FpcYu_ZjtDGZcBJNp7O11dkoI-NFh1i2ebj/s320/Easter+Celebration+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">We were determined to celebrate no matter, lol.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Though everyone bundled up, they had the best hunt they'd ever had including a snowball fight or two.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4S16yoYnWI2UyLmxxZDluGrvj1xnOkdxWTReKlcjWiOnzIKmlByAgLhw3yJ8Oh8-fT2n6HydPIL8b4kdgZ6ws4f4B1PkMV9NJzYRxGJgOr7scFn0RSgS2ZBSQIQTOTg0uZqaBBJ8QDljo/s1600/Easter+Celebration+36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4S16yoYnWI2UyLmxxZDluGrvj1xnOkdxWTReKlcjWiOnzIKmlByAgLhw3yJ8Oh8-fT2n6HydPIL8b4kdgZ6ws4f4B1PkMV9NJzYRxGJgOr7scFn0RSgS2ZBSQIQTOTg0uZqaBBJ8QDljo/s320/Easter+Celebration+36.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72GVAQmsBP7HaHBuW7mGCXkUYeBGrwagKDEjZbDc55Svb5aKz2qDQcNzHpx5PK96kaIk_VC4_biudrnTSo-TPLU0ulpFCmi3y_Ua7Jv8wWS9FYenqloardOMXZDfkLSXqxcCkh3hyphenhyphen0FaH/s1600/Easter+Celebration+75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72GVAQmsBP7HaHBuW7mGCXkUYeBGrwagKDEjZbDc55Svb5aKz2qDQcNzHpx5PK96kaIk_VC4_biudrnTSo-TPLU0ulpFCmi3y_Ua7Jv8wWS9FYenqloardOMXZDfkLSXqxcCkh3hyphenhyphen0FaH/s320/Easter+Celebration+75.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMZ1dlh_tWqoRNsW2Mhxae2T80enqv-RJ5RpmQEOmiyZ7xpCjQlVdiZTlNn6mSLf26b7MPmR9N8Sp9KfPBW4CYPfGC5JB0Sf_Kq1vvtyIw75xW4pHhDugvYkK0mC_-S-TcuNswXDEFCuA/s1600/Easter+Celebration+78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMZ1dlh_tWqoRNsW2Mhxae2T80enqv-RJ5RpmQEOmiyZ7xpCjQlVdiZTlNn6mSLf26b7MPmR9N8Sp9KfPBW4CYPfGC5JB0Sf_Kq1vvtyIw75xW4pHhDugvYkK0mC_-S-TcuNswXDEFCuA/s320/Easter+Celebration+78.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Except for my oldest daughter Sarah from CA, all the girls and their families were able to join in.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">God gave me even more than I asked for. It was beautiful and sunny. :)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-75077397492563633722018-03-04T15:14:00.000-08:002018-03-04T15:16:18.375-08:00Signs of Spring :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rsUxdHBVaNt7iYEXlpmaZF9yIoG6LMUuKwZb1ko572jGNfEOYApt5SujX4Qa-vddjXa6Q1hhM33qP1wsawclxk9yeL936q_mgYCdqpeZGyHibYTjxhi8jUA19hcXdaMpR8-QJatei6JG/s1600/J+%2526+S+Spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-rsUxdHBVaNt7iYEXlpmaZF9yIoG6LMUuKwZb1ko572jGNfEOYApt5SujX4Qa-vddjXa6Q1hhM33qP1wsawclxk9yeL936q_mgYCdqpeZGyHibYTjxhi8jUA19hcXdaMpR8-QJatei6JG/s320/J+%2526+S+Spring.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Today was a beautiful spring-like day here on the Blue Ridge.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Got Sweetheart to take a selfie with me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">After a few days of strong winds the sky is blue and the birds are singing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">What a difference a year makes. I'm feeling better than I have in a long time and eager to get back to my full writing goals.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Legend of the Mer IV is back in the works and Will Prentis is getting the chance to tell <i>his</i> story.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #45818e; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Hope you're all having signs of spring too and good health ;)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-48923252176101717782017-11-22T10:10:00.002-08:002017-11-22T10:12:30.417-08:00A THANKFUL HEART ~ Why I took off a year from writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8Q_sBxFatoBruLoIaDNFlL2LdbqTQt4eqXHQReLlaLYulVVgMynbmyge1mtzdj75FCgtECkp79eaOoZIb2oNHwB23HxODkQffZQ80f9eT-ZFD2JEE6bHPU6dLpSFSCXOQfSj1Wf8fFqj/s1600/Thankful+Heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga8Q_sBxFatoBruLoIaDNFlL2LdbqTQt4eqXHQReLlaLYulVVgMynbmyge1mtzdj75FCgtECkp79eaOoZIb2oNHwB23HxODkQffZQ80f9eT-ZFD2JEE6bHPU6dLpSFSCXOQfSj1Wf8fFqj/s1600/Thankful+Heart.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last Fall I became very ill with bronchitis, which became acute bronchitis. By Winter I had pneumonia and was eventually put in the hospital and given a diagnosis of congestive heart failure.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I was told I had a beating heart of 20% and went for a heart catheterization.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When I met the heart Dr. who would be doing the procedure, he asked if he could pray with me. I said yes because I know all things are possible with God.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We prayed and I was so blessed he had. When we began the procedure he smiled and told me I had 0% cholesterol or blockages.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I knew <i>that</i> was <i style="font-weight: bold;">God</i>, nothing I had done. I could barely even walk at that time, let alone breathe.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Dr. told me now I had to become stronger so my heart could catch up.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As hard as it was I knew I had to stop writing until I could get well. I did however continue to read/edit, read/edit, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For some that might seem silly, but for me I put myself completely into my characters minds and situations which is pretty much exhausting like running a few miles, not to mention the research.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I began light exercise again, walking more, but mostly taking time to rest. I also made it a point to spend all the time I could with my family.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My mom, stepdad and even my oldest daughter came out from California to spend Easter with me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A few months later my Dr. appointment showed an increase to my heart to 40% of a beating heart.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My last echo cardiogram showed a strong heart with over 55% of a beating heart which is in the 55-75% normal range.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yes I believe I received a miracle that day even if I had to put in the effort to help. God doesn't always heal us instantly and most importantly we have to receive the healing in faith.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I plan to resume writing Legend of the Mer IV in January. Thank you to my fans who have been so patient with me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. There's always something to be thankful for. :) </span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-5166725957606350952017-09-28T11:09:00.000-07:002017-11-22T10:13:57.032-08:00Signs of Fall in the Blue Ridge Mtns<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTRolY80SoHLMEz8pmABvuHGQztexojU9F0RWG0dN65HDBxotr5yRtVoyXgMlVolSgPbGa6OX6qf4Wz59La7ag6P_peX8ADkwM4HMO4PJoKgxzUYuOjgIrn1fmLJX-g77SwjMIlay5A9U/s1600/Fall+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="366" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTRolY80SoHLMEz8pmABvuHGQztexojU9F0RWG0dN65HDBxotr5yRtVoyXgMlVolSgPbGa6OX6qf4Wz59La7ag6P_peX8ADkwM4HMO4PJoKgxzUYuOjgIrn1fmLJX-g77SwjMIlay5A9U/s320/Fall+2017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The leaves are turning and the temps are lowering here in the Blue Ridge Mountains.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is a view of my backyard I took a few days ago. I love to watch it change from green to orange and then scarlet.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPwJ02GiQwnpWAJvBnvwjTA-7NXUr4K8DXT_bHXsx0rjuRsBvtjPm8M7WMIoKvZtf4TTRPF_hQ0hNYEQFqe30mwCOLllNhRMpjrhEzN6DDYqSptulZHxidiiI8LYdGsUz_2oCLNF2iVJe/s1600/Grandpa+McLain%2527s+Beef+Stew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="206" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPwJ02GiQwnpWAJvBnvwjTA-7NXUr4K8DXT_bHXsx0rjuRsBvtjPm8M7WMIoKvZtf4TTRPF_hQ0hNYEQFqe30mwCOLllNhRMpjrhEzN6DDYqSptulZHxidiiI8LYdGsUz_2oCLNF2iVJe/s320/Grandpa+McLain%2527s+Beef+Stew.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the first things on the menu is my Grandpa McLain's beef stew. My mother always made it and now I make it to keep down the chill in the air.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just add a piece of crusty sough dough bread and there you have it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hope wherever you are this Fall you have warmth, good food and the closeness of your family and friends. ;)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-1322182047880595872017-08-19T12:12:00.001-07:002017-11-22T10:15:10.540-08:00Finding Joy in the Journey: LEGEND OF THE MER ~ Seahorse Lullaby (Re-post)<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Reposting a poem for summer ;)</span></div>
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<a href="http://sherilswift.blogspot.com/2011/07/legend-of-mer-seahorse-lullaby.html?spref=bl">Finding Joy in the Journey: LEGEND OF THE MER ~ Seahorse Lullaby</a>: Within my book (Legend of the Mer) there are two songs that the Mermaids sing. One of them is called the Seahorse Lullaby. I was nearly r...Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-18033985998742202972017-07-13T10:34:00.000-07:002017-07-13T10:37:00.531-07:00THE GOOD LIFE ;)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><u>THE GOOD LIFE</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you've ever read my Legend of the Mer book you will hear the above three words mentioned.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My character Lana has some challenges in her life, but all in all they have led her to <i>The Good Life</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You might say that pretty much sums up my life as well. Not only did my family move from CA to VA in 1995 giving up all we knew and many we loved.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I survived cancer in 2008/2009. Went through years of radiating and a few surgeries as well. In some ways you might say I've become a warrior and have overcome many battles.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm still struggling with some of my health issues, but when I look back from where I've come to today I can truly say I have lived <i>The Good Life</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">What do those three words mean; a life filled with love, laughter, family, friends, sometimes tears, overcoming adversity, contentment in a life of mediocrity or even mountaintop living, and most of all faith in my Creator to see me through.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My husband John has also been right there beside me all the way. My daughters and grandchildren have encouraged me as well as other family members.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm currently writing the fourth book in the Legend of the Mer series and you might say the Prentis family as well as extended members of the family are enjoying <i>The Good Life </i>as well.</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-40069841689903117682017-03-21T10:54:00.003-07:002017-03-25T12:23:47.870-07:00An early Spring in Virginia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgfKSds4-uvRrq_ixZsk92txrFkLkIE1bUQr1Q5CYTyRZGH63ESyO3HNTkfSnmxgOyhouJkqA60788-ldc1kCXuWES0Yy-ajtRJZLiE_eXTTW5i0FkhyC5GsyrQJH_Ebujeyo4OnLe7ZY/s1600/Spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgfKSds4-uvRrq_ixZsk92txrFkLkIE1bUQr1Q5CYTyRZGH63ESyO3HNTkfSnmxgOyhouJkqA60788-ldc1kCXuWES0Yy-ajtRJZLiE_eXTTW5i0FkhyC5GsyrQJH_Ebujeyo4OnLe7ZY/s320/Spring.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Many of our flowers and tree blossoms have been frozen and heated and frozen again for weeks here in Virginia this early spring.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">I'm hoping my pink and white Dogwoods will have some bloom in the end. If any of you have read my book The Hart of Telendaria you'll know I'm especially fond of them and the Wisteria around the property.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">I suppose there is some metaphor in this; perhaps we are too eager for things and we need to take a pause now and again to make sure it's the right timing of a matter.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">I am hopeful for Easter this year, perhaps because of the back and forth with the weather. Somehow Easter for me is the beginning of spring and the renewal of all things.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Happy Spring ;)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-86549463391732490662017-03-01T09:08:00.001-08:002017-03-25T12:23:23.550-07:00Re-blog St. Patrick A Pirates Tale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-JWRUVdOCCLpiciZL5d8z0JOo7jrYAlfMcEtSftRiL6hc9oZHRUFhy7L7C2CfngnusMgrieKpIW09H2_7lgKMPz239ajERbM0n2YIglFcXV_TgD0sZLRQx7UKnMgEWFqpUShqcEnKEQV/s1600/St-Patrick-Stained-Glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-JWRUVdOCCLpiciZL5d8z0JOo7jrYAlfMcEtSftRiL6hc9oZHRUFhy7L7C2CfngnusMgrieKpIW09H2_7lgKMPz239ajERbM0n2YIglFcXV_TgD0sZLRQx7UKnMgEWFqpUShqcEnKEQV/s1600/St-Patrick-Stained-Glass.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.myholidayireland.com/2015/st-patricks-day-beannacht-la-fheile-padraig-2015/">Source</a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Not many people realize St. Patrick wasn't born in Ireland, in fact he was born in Britain. Some say he was born into a privileged family with his father being a deacon and minor local official.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">It was at the age of 16 Pirates kidnapped him for a ransom and carried him away by ship to Ireland.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He spent six years working as a herdsman and depended upon his faith to see him through; apparently his father didn't pay a ransom for his son.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One night he had a dream which told him a ship was ready to return him to his family. He escaped his master and found passage to Britain.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He nearly starved and had a second brief captivity before he was reunited with his family.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the <i>Confessio, </i>his spiritual autobiography he tells of another dream where he's given a letter headed "The Voice of the Irish." As he read it he seemed to hear a certain company of Irish beseeching him to walk once more among them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He had doubts of his calling, but in the end did return to Ireland with confidence in the Lord to see him through.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After many years of service, Saint Patrick died in Ireland having fulfilled his calling.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For more amazing facts about Saint Patrick, his faith and his love for the Irish people, check out <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/446636/Saint-Patrick">Encyclopedia Britannica</a> which was the source for most of my information; also <a href="http://www.myholidayireland.com/2015/st-patricks-day-beannacht-la-fheile-padraig-2015/">My Holiday Ireland St Patrick's Day</a></span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-29948014826158833162017-02-03T10:14:00.001-08:002017-02-03T10:21:52.311-08:00The Symphony of Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dSu5VshEa0ucszVtIdY57UUPUBPzDXBDmNPtc_3uttezJgiMKMyTsPA5sow7_NttbJG11fVnbzLlaPnajjmarlRCfTqanNoePu2Zg47L50NzvB0PJFXmP_DXLZthRS6Hfjg03JNMTQcK/s1600/3rd+Snow+backyard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dSu5VshEa0ucszVtIdY57UUPUBPzDXBDmNPtc_3uttezJgiMKMyTsPA5sow7_NttbJG11fVnbzLlaPnajjmarlRCfTqanNoePu2Zg47L50NzvB0PJFXmP_DXLZthRS6Hfjg03JNMTQcK/s320/3rd+Snow+backyard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b><i><u>The Symphony Of Spring</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>The earth sleeps in quiet slumber</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>Beneath the frozen ground</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>Most of the leaves have fallen</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>Frosty mornings without a sound</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>All await their Creator</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>To conduct His symphony of Spring</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i> The tendrils long for the dance</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>They listen for the birds to sing</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>The new saplings are eager</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>To stretch forth their limbs</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>The Rhododendron waits in anticipation</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>to stretch forth her stems</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>The Hydrangeas await the warmth</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>The sun will soon shine its ray</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>The hard ground will unlock</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>Upon the appointed day</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>When the Creator conducts</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>His music will ring</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>And all the earth will rejoice</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>And join in the symphony of Spring</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>- Sheri L. Swift</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: medium;"><i>2/3/17</i></span><br />
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Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-11970001881444607882017-01-08T10:04:00.000-08:002017-01-08T10:07:42.661-08:00A SEASON OF ILLNESS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkkNWFvlSzvvqsTwGPF3DKZler4mlJQK9UxsaINX0Soffs2d0FdFzjtOnB6eH2pnS0vf4zNrR7sw8JNiE5AxztaVm20-pStAsLw0wMTCXWjVM24n_sv5jK0uYHcnjF0hNHS4_T4lTLUjX/s1600/2nd+Snow9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkkNWFvlSzvvqsTwGPF3DKZler4mlJQK9UxsaINX0Soffs2d0FdFzjtOnB6eH2pnS0vf4zNrR7sw8JNiE5AxztaVm20-pStAsLw0wMTCXWjVM24n_sv5jK0uYHcnjF0hNHS4_T4lTLUjX/s320/2nd+Snow9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">My Sweetheart doesn't like it so much when I brag on him, but he outdid himself yesterday.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've been down for a few weeks with bronchitis and he's pretty much been taking care of me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Last night he made this delicious roast, potatoes topped with sour cream, carrots, brussel sprouts with craisins and drizzled balsamic vinegar.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2X3g8A7IykY8EGkHCC2wZqiygaIyu2dcWFgVmhsORIFFcKNEEjAUwJZBn_YW2_K9pOXoaslxRztaQn1U6FL34THtWHWfQs9AEF1OJoUUEKOm6hz_CSe07aE4tx2STL1Ywvn1JnFwNWwc/s1600/2nd+Snow10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2X3g8A7IykY8EGkHCC2wZqiygaIyu2dcWFgVmhsORIFFcKNEEjAUwJZBn_YW2_K9pOXoaslxRztaQn1U6FL34THtWHWfQs9AEF1OJoUUEKOm6hz_CSe07aE4tx2STL1Ywvn1JnFwNWwc/s320/2nd+Snow10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He also made this scrumptious cherry pie with Truvia baking blend.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have to admit, I've been pretty spoiled these past few weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For any of you who have read my books you'll know he's my Aidan and my Titus. ;)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-17107754383103028932016-12-02T10:12:00.000-08:002016-12-02T10:59:04.890-08:00A Season for Celebrations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>CANDY CANE SUCKERS</u></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpTAOaOVuM7-JVvWQg4EJaOwTILjVCZlw5rnOIwy3xNGZW7iVwXD6pfanOX45eQuupR0KQ8zUrjBZ578npinLruiBiK4gtoj-muamxyWdmhATzlv-u1XHoCcgZtPl4M1h0A722ILU82d3/s1600/Candy+Cane+Sucker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrpTAOaOVuM7-JVvWQg4EJaOwTILjVCZlw5rnOIwy3xNGZW7iVwXD6pfanOX45eQuupR0KQ8zUrjBZ578npinLruiBiK4gtoj-muamxyWdmhATzlv-u1XHoCcgZtPl4M1h0A722ILU82d3/s320/Candy+Cane+Sucker.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tph98Sqn76mdwX9Fmm7DK6HmHCGjdZcKpu5XueV_GtIQoMdh1txl1q5-TgcFq2wCI3nFqUYOAjJVI1PmFmVUp83b6iV6XsKU9sBjQidjBPQ3qij7ZHYoDZ-lqUfCS9VLl1CwikNzdQ4F/s1600/Candy+Cane+Sucker3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1tph98Sqn76mdwX9Fmm7DK6HmHCGjdZcKpu5XueV_GtIQoMdh1txl1q5-TgcFq2wCI3nFqUYOAjJVI1PmFmVUp83b6iV6XsKU9sBjQidjBPQ3qij7ZHYoDZ-lqUfCS9VLl1CwikNzdQ4F/s320/Candy+Cane+Sucker3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This year I decided to make something simple, yet special for my Christmas guests and grandchildren.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jvlffOqUjJ2xtaMvRjp7bWcKhk3cWCLzClIYUIYZP9z5aE2PKT7HjfZk0vf7bx9eAEwZFve0JWaZC0ghVXbvJQr2g4dtSRjm4gg0Ye45Gu6uQ2sT9TCshrkNBBzVNRhwVA2HC09eopBt/s1600/Candy+Cane+Suckers4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jvlffOqUjJ2xtaMvRjp7bWcKhk3cWCLzClIYUIYZP9z5aE2PKT7HjfZk0vf7bx9eAEwZFve0JWaZC0ghVXbvJQr2g4dtSRjm4gg0Ye45Gu6uQ2sT9TCshrkNBBzVNRhwVA2HC09eopBt/s320/Candy+Cane+Suckers4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-FJTDGhN1HFSi82-24L2DOQC-QxyBJRY9mK-JmE8xG-1FcEpOb0sPm0guoqYn6uP-jspGk195LPHKkqsN9O9BKjBkZSWUxKCD6Fs7u41bk_VGdsi_axceTZ4GxbIFB9kVnkBTwZSgKWT/s1600/Candy+Cane+Suckers5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-FJTDGhN1HFSi82-24L2DOQC-QxyBJRY9mK-JmE8xG-1FcEpOb0sPm0guoqYn6uP-jspGk195LPHKkqsN9O9BKjBkZSWUxKCD6Fs7u41bk_VGdsi_axceTZ4GxbIFB9kVnkBTwZSgKWT/s320/Candy+Cane+Suckers5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I just put two mini candy canes together with a lolly pop stick between the bottoms. I poured melted white chocolate in the center and topped with Christmas sprinkles.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I bagged them and tied with curling ribbon and placed them into a basket.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is just the beginning of a magical Christmas this year.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can't wait to see the smiles on the faces who receive them. ;)</span></div>
Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878399458152199690.post-78754837022338371082016-11-15T09:05:00.001-08:002016-11-15T09:05:05.650-08:00A Pause For Thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkPlO6wsrUVPoy1qF8cfUrtdakfnTMWjcsNO1q50FvSX8LKHCEUYsTjjsBglEij7Jd07bJKn2Oa0ShNpPwvS2KMMHxiv90BBPNZmoI1XxEVLtr1VBdjG78LBSgzf5CyNfIWGbGJCkLUW6/s1600/Autumn3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkPlO6wsrUVPoy1qF8cfUrtdakfnTMWjcsNO1q50FvSX8LKHCEUYsTjjsBglEij7Jd07bJKn2Oa0ShNpPwvS2KMMHxiv90BBPNZmoI1XxEVLtr1VBdjG78LBSgzf5CyNfIWGbGJCkLUW6/s320/Autumn3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Too many times while traveling down life's highway we forget to take a pause and not only see the things around us, but to also listen and <i>feel</i> them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some of the next generation may never hear the rustle of leaves falling or a bird singing unless they see it on a screen.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Living in the state of Virginia I'm blessed to see the contrast of colors the leaves display this time of year.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope there will always be some who will dare to venture outdoors and feel the crunch of the fallen leaves, the morning dew upon the grass.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I hope there will still be birds nesting in very tall trees singing their happy songs.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Fresh air and the feel of a passing breeze through the pines letting loose their fragrance.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Also the smell of wood smoke from someone warming by a fire.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The rows of orange pumpkins growing on hill upon hill. The feeling of straw in your hair after a hayride.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm thankful for these things, but also for teachers who will teach others about them and their importance.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For now I take joy seeing my children and grandchildren also enjoying all that nature has to offer on these fine fall days.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm also looking forward to gathering together to celebrate a time of family and God's bounty of food.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><u>An Autumn Sunset</u></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>When first I saw an Autumn sunset</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I thought perhaps I was dreaming</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>How rich the red and amber colors</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Through trees the sunlight streaming</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I thought I saw a glimpse of Heaven</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Shining through the crisp blue skies</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I realized it was a gracious gift</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Given to those who would open their eyes</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>~ Sheri L. Swift</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>11/15/16</i></span></div>
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Sheri L. Swift, Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585820531737824211noreply@blogger.com0