Peace of Mind

Fear is all in your mind.

Fear is not a response related to whether something actually has the ability to cause harm. If we don't believe something can harm us, we're not afraid of it.

Who is afraid of a marshmallow or a pencil eraser? Only the people who believe those things have the power to harm them.

People can fear things that aren't dangerous and can walk uninhibited up to something they should be afraid of.

Today's post on my Seek God With Me blog discusses a way to live without fear. Having peace of mind is valuable in this society.

A Mothers' Day Movie

Mothers, sit back and relax! It's your day.

Of course, Mothers' Day should last all weekend. When you think about it, who are the ones keeping things moving along? The mothers.

In case you really do get to watch a movie and eat popcorn, Here's a great movie to rent: Lady For A Day.

I shared this review in my ezine this year. Basically, it's about what a mother would go through for her daughter. There's always a book review and a movie review in my ezines. Why don't you sign up right now in the box on the sidebar?

Lady For A Day, filmed in 1933, is a great movie for mothers.

For years, destitute Apple Annie has written to her daughter who lives in Spain. In her letters, Annie wrote beautiful lies about being a member of New York’s high society. But now she’s sad because her daughter is coming to visit.

Annie’s daughter wants her to meet the man who has asked to marry her. However, her fiancé and his father are members of Spain’s aristocracy. Not only will Annie be an embarrassment to her daughter if she found out the truth, but the Count will not give his blessing to the marriage.

Dave the Dude wants to help Annie since she’s his good luck charm. Annie’s friends come to the rescue and help her pretend to be rich during her daughter’s visit. They dress her up and fake a society event, but things don’t go according to plan.

With the fabulous May Robson playing Apple Annie, Warren William as Dave the Dude, and Glenda Farrell as Missouri Martin, director Frank Capra was able to tell the story of these lovable characters through a very talented cast. Capra went so far as to put several Los Angeles beggars in small roles to add authenticity.

Columbia tried unsuccessfully to get W. C. Fields from Paramount to play Judge Blake. The role went to Guy Kibbee who was also in Mr. Smith goes to Washington as Gov Hubert “Happy” Hopper.

This highly recommended Capra film captured four Oscar nominations: Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Writing, Adaptation.

Wading Into The Deep

Do you live near an ocean?

I live near the Gulf of Mexico. When I’m at the beach, I can wade in the shallow waters and look across the horizon at the water that never seems to end. The water reminds me of God. It’s enormous and filled with life.

I don’t have any beachfront property, but if I did, I’d sit outside everyday and listen to the waves sing to me. The calm voice of the foamy water surging in it’s own rhythm soothes me. It has an eternal whisper.

If only we could understand the language of the waves.

The Gulf of Mexico was a part of the earth long before I was. The Bible tells us it isn’t eternal. There will be a new earth eventually.

But for now, its longevity anchors me, steadies me, and makes me think of God.

Is there something in your life that brings out the eternal in your conversation? What is eternal in your life?

This is a good place to start when you want to talk about deep things with your kids.

The habit of meaningful conversation will help your efforts to better your relationships with your kids or anyone you love. To aid in getting started, Mary DeMuth has made available a package of 150 conversation starters as a download for $5.”

Check out the FREE STUFF page on Mary’s website where you can find NINE FREE STARTERS.

The Wise Seek Wisdom

On today's Seek God With Me blog post, I've shared a scripture that encourages us to use a little common sense.

Sometimes we know more than our lives show. Mistakes happen. We sometimes find ourselves slapping our heads while muttering, "I knew better than to do that." And then we do the same thing again.

We don't always act on the wisdom we have. But we can get off that merry-go-round and begin to walk in God's wisdom.

The book of Proverbs in the Bible is full of God's wisdom. Some of it is easy for anyone to understand and some are riddles which have to be studied to be figured out. There are challenges for everyone.

The biggest challenge seems to be getting people to read them.

To find out which of the proverbs I've commented on, check out SeekGodWithMe.blogspot.com

Profanity in Fiction

Yesterday, Jeff Gerke posted part two of his interesting opinion regarding the necessity of profanity in fiction. Gerke, a Keep Me In Suspense blog team member, wrote part one of his profanity message on April 21.

I totally agree with these articles. If you write fiction, you'll want to read them.

There is more to an argument than cussing. There are other ways to manage the pain of accidentally hammering your thumb than screaming a not very creative expletive. I like seeing the bad guy being bad - without all the unnecessary dialogue. Many villains are scarier with their mouths shut.

Thanks, Jeff. I look forward to your next post.

I'm A Sports Car

If you could be a sports car, which sports car would you be?

I took a quiz and was told that I'm a Mercedes SLK. I'm okay with that. LOL! Here's the picture for those of you who, like me, enjoy nice cars.

I'm a Mercedes SLK!

You appreciate the finer things in life. You have a split personality - wild or conservative, depending on your mood. Wherever you go, you like to travel first class. Luxury, style, and fun - who could ask for more?

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

The Whisper

When someone whispers, they are usually close to the listener. The message can be an important secret or sweet-nothings shared by lovers.

The whisper is a more intimate communication than a boardroom discussion or a classroom lecture. It's not something strangers would normally share.

I love knowing that the God who created the universe has made it possible for us to hear His whisper. For more information on intimate communication with God, read today's post on my Seek God With Me blog.

I love being close enough to God to hear His whisper.

My Goals

My writing goals are as big as mountains to me, so I look at accomplishing my goals as if I were mountain climbing.

Since it’s a good idea to review goals from time to time, I wanted to share some goal-setting, or mountain climbing, tips.

Don't ever go mountain climbing alone. With God as your guide, you’ll know what to pack, when to call it a night, and how to prepare for the next day.

Be a list maker. Create routines, but stay flexible. Constantly make changes to the plan in order to get the important things done.

Keep an adventurous attitude. Don't get bogged down in how long it takes to accomplish a big goal. Notice the little joys along the way. Feel the wind in your hair. If this task is worth doing, it's worth enjoying.

Don't look down until you get where you're going because you might get disoriented or too scared to continue. Focus on the task at hand and always do your best. Take safety precautions. The armor of God will work.

Keep a record of your journey's highlights. That will remind you of how hard you've worked to get where you are and will keep you from giving up.

When you get to the top, take a picture. That will remind you that you made it once. Have that picture handy when you start up that mountain again.

It Happened One Night

My Christian romance ezine, Domino Monthly, will have its first anniversary this summer. So to celebrate, I’m sharing some of the reviews from those issues.

It Happened One Night, the 1934 version, is one of my faves.

Clark Gable, as down and out newspaper reporter Peter Warne, happens to get on the same bus as a millionaire’s daughter who has run away from her father. Claudette Colbert does an excellent job as Ellie Andrews, the spoiled rich girl.

Ellie wants her father’s approval of her marriage to King Westley, his competitor. Her father is against the marriage and can’t make Ellie listen to reason. When she hops a bus to escape her father and his private detectives, she finds a seat next to a newspaper man who can keep a secret.

When Peter finds out that this is the scoop he’s been waiting for, he has to protect the girl – and protect his story from getting out. The closeness brings the couple together, but they keep many things from each other.

Because of one of his hottest scenes, Clark Gable angered underwear companies when he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his bare chest. This started a trend of men not wearing an undershirt.

It was funny to me that Peter happened to have a rope to raise a blanket that would become a wall as sturdy as the walls of Jericho. What a hero! And how convenient that the rope was exactly the right length!

I love how Ellie finds out that Peter truly loves her and what she does about it. I always think of Julia Roberts when I see that scene.

According to IMDB.com, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert both wanted to make this film as quickly as possible, and then move on to something else. No one anticipated that this would be the first movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Actor (Clark Gable), Best Actress (Claudette Colbert), Best Director (Frank Capra), and Screenplay.

After watching this movie, see if you can pick out who resembles “Looney Tunes” characters Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, and Pepe LePew.

The American Film Institute ranked this movie as the #46 Greatest Movie of All Time. Personally, I would rank it higher.

Now, don't forget to sign up for the ezine. There are reviews every month.

Point of View

Being a writer, I enjoy reading books that have high quality writing. I've read plenty that didn't. My favorite books show the protagonist's heroic qualities without slapping the reader in the face with writing that says, "Look at all the big words I know. Look at this one particular detail that isn't really as important as I'm making it seem. Look at how I can hop from head to head and tell what everyone in the room is thinking - all in the same scene."

I keep learning how to improve my fiction as I go. A good resource for fiction writers is a site I found recently called MY BOOK THERAPY.

Rachel Hauck and Susan May Warren contribute their ideas and experience to the blog. Examples from their books help readers understand the day's lesson better.

Yesterday's post started a discussion on Point of View. This is a topic that many beginner writers really need to study. I've read novels that try to bring emotion to the story by sharing what both characters in the scene are silently feeling. It's distracting. I didn't finish reading one story (I don't remember who the author was) because of all the head-hopping. When the hero gets to finish his thoughts without being interrupted by the heroine's thoughts, I'll keep reading.

My Book Therapy explains what to look for. I'm looking forward to more of this valuable resource.