day by day…

So another year has gone by, and we’re getting close to the end of the first month of this new year, and finally I’m putting something here again. It’s been a while.

The anxiety is still (unfortunately) an issue. So again and again, I realize I have to do my best at taking life day by day.

And writing, painting, Bible study, genealogy and historical research… phone calls with family and friends… spending time with my husband and our cute Chloe… taking walks when my body cooperates and the weather does too… music and prayer… brain retraining and tapping… watching comfort shows… laughing… finding ways to connect with joy…

These are the things I do that help with the day by day.

If you struggle, if life is challenging, find what helps and do those things. I realize that can be challenging too. But it matters.

❤️️

 

time seems strange…

For a few years now, I often say to friends (and have blogged about before) that time seems strange. It’s fast and it’s slow, both at once. And that’s the way it has continued to seem during these many months when I’ve been silent here.

I’ve still had quite the struggle with anxiety. I’ve still needed to find ways to try to go through the days as best as I can. I’m still spending my time doing what I’ve talked about here before.

Like… time with my husband and our cute Chloe.

Like… time in fresh air.

Like… painting every single day, even if it’s only for a few minutes.

Like… writing. I’m working on a sequel to my novel, New Life in New Melody – and now, in addition to the paperback and kindle, the hardback is available!

Like… talking with friends, and genealogy and historical research, and prayer, and Bible study, and participating again in this year’s #the100dayproject (I’m doing #100daysofcirclesandhearts for my focus this go-round).

So time passes. And sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s not.

But it still seems strange to me.

Fast and slow, both at once.

~~~

 

my new novel is here…

Slowly and gradually, I’ve been working on a new novel – and now New Life in New Melody is finally available on Amazon, in kindle as well as paperback format.

The story isn’t completely new. As a matter of fact, my earlier novel, In New Harmony, is contained within the pages of this one.

In New Harmony is told from the point of view of 13-year-old Nora Thornton. With New Life in New Melody, the chapters from Nora’s POV are alternated with chapters from the POV of her mother, Marilee.

The story and the characters wouldn’t let me go, even though I told myself I should start on something completely new – and one reason it took me so long to release the new novel is that I would stop myself repeatedly along the way, telling myself to skip trying to complete this project and move on to something different.

But Marilee’s part of the story kept nudging me to tell it, and so I did.

Last year, I put a chapter from the new novel here – the working title was a bit different from what it ultimately became, and I ended up changing the town’s name to New Melody, but that chapter is mostly the same as it is in the finished novel. You can take a look at that chapter if you’d like to take a peek into the not-quite-middle part of the book.

And if you’d like to read the entire novel, I hope you’ll check it out here.

♥