What was living in the Texas Winter Storm 2021 really like in a small rural Texas town, after living with COVID-19 for a month?
It was a catastrophe.
It’s 80 degrees just a few days after a brutal Winter Storm in Texas, in February as I write this. I didn’t want to wait until too much time had passed after the Texas Winter Storms, but neither did I want to write it (or post it) when I was still highly emotionally charged after experiencing it.
I can’t promise this will be the best post it could be. It’s probably pretty sporadic as my mind continues to wrap around and remember events. Even after writing it and letting it sit, it might be turbulent as my mind goes back and forth to the events.
I’m going to tell you my accounts of surviving COVID for an entire month and then just a week or so later surviving the Texas winter storm, along with the comments I heard online, as I’m feeling it now. It will be long.
First off, my husband was diagnosed with COVID-19 on January 4. He was super sick. We spent all that time apart and using safety precautions, aside from me checking on him and making sure he had what he needed. And honestly, making sure he wasn’t dying!
Unfortunately, I got it 20 days after his first diagnosis. Luckily, I wasn’t as sick as he was, and by that time he could handle caring for me and our pets, but I was still sick for 2 weeks. I am super suspectable to other problems with having Type 1 Diabetes and Asthma that my allergist says is turning into or is branching into COPD (because uncontrolled asthma can ruin your lungs no matter how healthy you try to be! Who knew? Probably more people than me knew.)
We both got over the worst part of it about the end of January. We still had some issues and a lot of fatigue, but was trying to get back in the swing of things. I personally knew some who are still suffering, and times were not easy. A friend almost died, and I will mention my aunt (who got it) later.
But we all do our best to survive. Then Uri hit. Or whatever the storm’s name is, I don’t know it was at least three and way more names than I can keep up with.
I’ll start my diatribe with the comments I head from others.
“You knew it was coming. We have this kind of cold for months and are fine. You should have been prepared. You’re just not used to it.”
Oh yes, I saw comments like these all over the internet, and every time I did, my blood boiled. I’m not one to say #TEXASSTRONG because honestly, we are all human. No matter what country or what state we are from, we all go through some major crap that Mother Nature loves to dole out. We all want to not only survive, but keep our loved ones alive. And we are all pretty damn strong. Sometimes those loved ones are animals. They may not necessarily be pets. We have all faced some pretty horrible conditions and let me tell you, the State of Texas is not without its horrible conditions. I have been through 100, 50, and 20 year floods and honestly have been through yearly flooding. I have also been through yearly temperatures that would cook an egg on a sidewalk. That’s what we are prepared for.
So to hear this really pissed me off. Thank you Shenielle from #3rdhourtoday for first pointing out to me that we just aren’t used to it. You’re correct. We aren’t used to having snow, must less ice, then snow, then ice, then snow on top of frigid temperatures that didn’t go over freezing for 8 straight days. We aren’t used to below zero, much less below zero wind chills for days on end.
And you know what else we aren’t used to? Having our power cut off for days. With absolutely no control. Even our own electrical departments were somewhat without control (although I’m still waiting to hear on truly how much control they did or did not have).
I lost my power on Monday. Our weather forecast told us that on Sunday night, we would have the worst of us hit. My husband and I, who work full time, planned on having things prepared way before then. But it hit on Thursday, while we were working. Luckily, my husband was able to come home early and we worked our ass off trying to get things prepared for a storm we thought would be over within 24 hours, maybe 48.
Before that point, the electricity kept going off and on. I don’t even know when it started because my days started running together. But we have acreage, we take care of a cat community, most of them feral. Everyone tells you to bring your pets indoors, but have you ever even tried to approach a feral cat?
We have been doing trap, neuter, release for years. That’s a post for another day if ever for me, but we live on acreage in a very rural area that is a perfect dumping ground, so we have a lot of new cats show up every year. Many of them I have taught to trust me, and I go out and feed them every single day. We have water set out and we have shelter. But they don’t trust me when I try to trap them, and they will only approach when they want to approach. The ones I care for have been trapped to be fixed. Why don’t I take them to an animal shelter? Because the shelters are not no kill, they will not be safe, and I have the means to provide for them. And I have way too much empathy. Enough said.
We have also had dogs dumped on our property. Fortunately, for whatever reason, dogs are a lot easier to find homes for than cats, so we have found homes for those. But, like many people in this world, we care for a cat community all on our own all with our own money and all with no complaint. I won’t say much more than that, because this is going to be long enough. Feel free to email if you want more info. But one thing I will tell you, each of them has a name and I care for and love each and every one of them, even if I can’t touch them. We have a routine. I find homes for the ones I can and I do it all on my own with no help, all my own money, and we spend a fortune. I love each and every one of them and will not justify myself.
Back to the storm. We spent days getting things prepared, although we already had a great system going. But we’ve never had a storm like this and it was worse than anyone expected, and honestly my husband and I bickered a lot because he thought everything was fine and I wanted to prepare for the worst. Only the worst was much worse than we expected.
Our electricity went off completely 100% off on Monday. The day the worst was about to hit us. Our home was built in 1994. We have single pane windows and haven’t had a chance to remodel our windows. The building we had set up for our cat shelter would have been a warm sanctuary at the point our electricity went out. We only use electric. Many people in our area do. The ones who do have propane, yay for them, but according to official posts, 86% of people in my community were without any electricity.
There is no way to prepare for what we went through. Not just me and my husband, but my family and my entire state.
We absolutely made the best of the situation. Here’s a few photos of us enjoying the outdoors before the next round hit. And here are a few of us making the best of the first night of having no electricity.
This is a 4×4 RC car we had some fun with before the worst hit. We had plenty of candles, but my husband went to the store and came back with these #8 birthday candles because he thought they would would be great. We quickly learned that the wax in these candles don’t burn for long. Also, enchiladas cooked outdoors in the cold was the only warm food we had. And maybe a bit overcooked, too.
We stayed above freezing in our bedroom because of my husband’s penchant for fixing old things. Years ago, he found this in the dumpster at his work and brought it home (to his workshop). As he likes to tell me, doesn’t seem so crazy now, does it?
This is one of the water troughs we keep outside for animals that we continually went outside to bust up. And yet, at times, busting it was almost impossible. I could stand on this one.
One week after the first of the storm, some of the deer from my front porch are out and happy to be here. Annabelle is happy the storm is over. Trying to stay warm, make the best of our situation, and playing Wheel of Fortune Bingo. He won!
My husband and I stayed warm because years ago, he pulled a propane heater out of a dumpster. I fussed at him for doing so, but my husband is a bit of a hoarder and likes to fix things. Good thing, because when daylight hit, he was able to get to town and find the only propane bottle left which was 100 gallons, and he was able to fix that heater. It’s the only way we had warmth. Our indoor cat bowls literally froze on our floor. My meds were in the process of freezing. I’m on insulin and yes, they have to stay cold, but they should not be frozen.
Meanwhile….
We live about 8 miles from town. Doesn’t seem like much unless you have snow on top of ice on top of snow. My dad lives about 20, crossing 3 creeks and hills and something called Dead Man’s Curve (yes where people have actually died on this curve). His road is treacherous in normal conditions. He cares for his elderly mom, my grandmother who practically raised me. She’s 93, so she was freezing at temps in her house at about 46 degrees at the highest temps. They were lucky enough they didn’t lose complete power, only they had rolling black outs for about 5 days (more maybe but we’ve all lost count at 5) and it screwed up a lot of things. The best power they had was only about an hour at a time, but the average was much less. That isn’t enough to stay warm in our conditions. And when we lost phone contact, I had no idea if they were freezing like we were, or able to keep enough power to stay warm. The worry about everything was brutal.
Expect me to repeat myself as I continue my diatribe.
Why didn’t you conserve power?
Oh, this is a good one I loved to hear. 254 counties in Texas and not a single county didn’t not have this winter storm. Many have never had or rarely have a touch of snow somewhere. Did I say that right? I don’t know, but every county in Texas had a touch of snow, but most way more than a touch. Did you know that the average snowfall in Texas is .1 inch? Our freezing spells at night are never many in a row. I can plan for when they’ll start and when they’ll end, but it’s rare to have a week in a row, even at night. This storm was all day, every day, sometimes below zero.
I am 45 years old, have lived in Texas my whole life, and can count on one hand the days of snowfall we have had. Two of those days was in 2021.
And not a single county (well, maybe one called El Paso with a different grid system) was without power.
Texas is huge, BTW. 10 countries could fit into Texas. 243 states the size of Rhode Island could fit. I really don’t know how much more to explain it than that. I am saying this so I can geographically explain the catastrophe that should never have happened, the shit we could never have prepared for. And the sheer size is basically all inhabited. Texas doesn’t have a lot of uninhabitable areas. Sure, we have a lot of rural areas. I’m in one of those areas, although not near as rural as other places. But most of our rural areas have communities.
Okay, back to conserving power.
Texas is large, yes, with a population of 29 million, but my actuall city has a population of 3,400. My county has about 20K. It’s a small county in comparison to others, but not as small as many.
My town had complete power 100% of the time and the outside of city limits had none. Downtown Austin, Houston, Dallas had power, but other places where people actually lived had absolutely none or if they had any, they had rolling blackouts. Yes, I get that hospitals needed it. Absolutely I understand. But the office building where I work that was vacant for days didn’t need it. And many other office buildings were functional when they did not need to be. Look, your office paperwork can wait (maybe buying a house or waiting on an aunt’s long-lost letter—insert sarcasm because I can’t think of any other sarcasm right now that fits what would be more important that someone’s life). What can’t wait is the fact someone might or might not die of hypothermia. Which actually did happen. Thank God not in my family.
I get that the excuse is now that places didn’t lose power because they were on the same electrical system as the hospitals. And I’m thankful hospitals didn’t have to suffer. But I’m tired of the excuses.
Even today, the news said Texas was 4.5 minutes away from being in a complete blackout. But I’ve got some ocean front property in Arizona. And even if it’s true, it should never have happened.
I wouldn’t want anyone to go through what I and my husband and many others went through.
The night my husband set up the heater, I constantly worried and didn’t sleep at all. Actually, I didn’t sleep for 6 days straight. Yes, I documented it (with or without my Fitbit App). I wouldn’t let him keep the fire going because, you know carbon monoxide and explosions and all the other myriad things I imagined happening. But we had lost communication with the outside world at that point and all I could think of is my elderly dad and grandmother being without power like we were, and them dying of hypothermia. Or my cats (you know, the ones I can’t bring indoors because they are feral and would freak out, believe me I tried) might die. I had a great set up with heaters for them too, only they didn’t have that now either. We had a great set up in a lot of places, but having no power really hurts.
Okay, so let me tell you about my aunt. She had a double lung transplant about 10 years ago. She was without power, or alternating power for a very short time, after recently having COVID-19 and being recently released from the hospital after 7 days. She was still using oxygen with her 10-year-old lungs and couldn’t keep it charged when the electricity went off and on. She lives on a ranch with livestock, baby calves that she asked her spouse not to tell her whether they lived or died. I’m betting the latter since at this point, she still doesn’t know.
She had some anxiety attacks, and she lives in an even more remote area than we do, as many Texans do. She did what she could to check on oxygen tanks only to be told they had none. She is doing okay right now, but still has a lot of issues, as many of us do after a traumatic event that we are now being chastised for as if we could control any of it.
And speaking of livestock, my husband and I love animals, and we have a lot of deer that we don’t care to shoot and eat in our area, so we feed them every day for the absolute enjoyment. We also have a fox that has lived on our property for years, more than one. We went out every few hours not only to check the outdoors, but to break up the ice for our deer. Many of our neighbors did the same for sheep and goat and cattle, etc. Even those with a heater pump couldn’t have it work without electricity. On one of our outings, we actually saw the fox running around, as if looking for food an water. Possibly even had babies holed up somewhere. This is the same fox we have seen for years who has lived here with us. (There is nothing to be afraid of about foxes, but I’m happy to go more in depth in that too if necessary).
And let’s not talk about the water pipes that busted in and outside homes because of one company—ER—ER—ERCOT’S—decision to cut power either entirely off, or rotate by giving us 20 minutes on and 3 hours off at a time during the coldest few nights of our entire lives and of Texas history.
So yes, please don’t tell me it’s because we aren’t used to it. Nobody should ever, ever be used to what we went through.
They blamed everything they could. And still are. Natural gas pipelines frozen. Wind turbines frozen. I’m certainly able to see the greed in that. After all how many states in our county have these same issues, but don’t have what we went through? Because they are prepared? Because maybe they spent a bit more money on taking care of equipment than on lining pockets? But this isn’t one of those posts, so I’m trying not to make it so.
Warming stations are available. Why not go to a warming station?
Ooh, I love this one too. Why not? Let’s see. Because, as I said earlier, many of our remote county or ranch roads are treacherous on a normal day. Much less adding ice, snow, ice, some weird ass rain coming down, then ice and snow again. My elderly dad could never safely get his mother out of the house, up into his truck, and then to a warming station 20 miles away. The 254 counties in this state have a ton of remote areas many people have never visited. My city of 3400 people has an entire county of another 20K people in remote areas, or small subdivisions that are not at all like a city but like living in the boondocks, which is the way most of us prefer it (when we have what we planned and paid for—such as electricity). I don’t even want to talk about warming stations because it pisses me off. We should have been warm in our own homes. And if something would have happened to the electrical grid, well damn that sucks, but it didn’t. You know what did? Other people’s greed.
And the fact no one wanted to tell us or warn us but then later they said they did warn us. Umm, no.
We trust we will power during the worst of circumstances, and believe me I’ve seen some pretty bad crap. 100 days of 100 temps with flooding and I still had electricity. Yes, if something happened where we didn’t have it, that’s one thing. But the DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE TO CUT IT WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING BEFOREHAND is the reason we didn’t have it. Period. I don’t know why any argument needs to be made. (And FYI, I’m not making the initial argument, already posting about arguments that have already been made and many many daily excuses as to why they were made).
Oh, and it’s funny how my electricity came back on just in time to hear pitiful excuse of why this happened, and an interview with ERCOT. Then they wanted to blame the actual power companies. And maybe they had some fault in this. My electric company only said “we will report as we know” or whatever and they only started reporting anything after ERCOT did their excuses presentation. Then they reported like crazy, although they ever had before. I’m still not sure why mine went completely down for several days. In this day of technology, the reporting system failed us (for those who might have even been able to get online).
So why weren’t we prepared? Maybe for the same reason many states wouldn’t be prepared for 100 days of 100 degree temps in a row with the worst flash flooding they’ve ever known after a horrid tornado and rainstorm during a hurricane all while not having electricity and having someone else have complete control of whether or not they have power or not. Do I exaggerate? Maybe on some accounts (except for the temps), but it’s not because it hasn’t happened.
At one point in my journal, I wrote I didn’t even know if my dad, grandmother, sister, aunt, and many others were even alive at this point. Because we lost communication. And the few times I reached out to anyone who could make a difference, I was given the same crappy diatribe. Then ERCOT gave us a bunch of diatribe. And now we are left to face with the consequences, dead livestock, animals, maybe lost lives some not even accounted for yet, and broken pipes. And definitely broken trust.
This was a long post, so to sum it up:
Texas housing isn’t set up for cold weather. We are used to 100 degree temps for 100 plus days with 100% humidity. Yes, humidity is generally over 80% here. I read that the average is 64.9 but I can tell you after living here my entire 45 years of life, that isn’t accurate and it is much higher (and we all know how averages are calculated).
You can never truly be prepared. No matter what you do. Leaving your home or not. I am very blessed in that I didn’t lose as much as some.
Nobody should ever have to be prepared for what we went through, when we were completely at the mercy of one company’s reign. Excuses will always be made. And the best we can do is move forward. Because the only thing we can truly control is our own attitude, and how prepared we’ll be prepared for next time. And I can tell you I have learned a harsh lesson on preparedness.
Lives could be lost because of pure greed and selfishness.
Lack of planning. Well, I’m not sure you can ever be truly prepared.
Oh, and one more thing. I can’t imagine anyone going through what we went through all while going through the COVID-19 we went through in January. All with no power! So many prayers for them!
I also want to say how incredibly blessed and grateful I am. It’s not just my state, but humanity in general that I continue to have hope for and that I continue to see stand strong. Things could have been so much worse for me. My deer came back to eat their corn and drink the water I provide for them. I lost no chickens and my rooster survived (although he woke me up weakly crowing at 1AM one night and we constantly worked on their coop to try to stay warm without electricity as well). It was the most helpless feeling I’ve ever had in my life, but my faith stood strong, my prayers were lifted up, and even though I battled a lot of stress during this ordeal, we survived. Many people are still battling and struggling!
I hope this is a wake-up call not just for Texas but the entire world on how not to depend on an electrical grid system many of us trust and don’t even give a second thought to keep things running in perfect harmony.
I also am still infuriated by comments, as if Texas deserved this or asked for it. Many of us are just like anybody else in this world, trying to make the world a better place in the small way we know how. Many states have suffered tremendously over the years and will continue to suffer. Annual storms, wildfires, and all the things we can’t really control but maybe in some small way we can. I have also seen conspiracy theories that say it was fake! I can tell you that it was not fake!
I apologize for a super-duper long post! And to end this (because I could probably go on and on), I’d love to hear your story, to know if you have ever been through anything catastrophic and traumatizing, how you dealt, and any advice you have now.
To celebrate my new holiday romance, With Every Kiss of Snow, join the fun by subscribing to 12 Days of Giveaways for your chance to win books and much more!
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When Remy visits Christmas Hills Resort, expecting it to be bustling with activity, Seth soon realizes his mistake in shutting down and invites her to help him prepare for an opening, even though Christmas is only two weeks away. Falling in love is only part of the bargain.
Remy Halliburton has celebrated the holidays every year with her family at Christmas Hills Resort until her parents died in a plane crash with the owners. She hasn’t visited since the accident but finally takes a trip to the snowy Colorado mountain resort she once loved, hoping her boyfriend will chase her and pursue her over his job. She wants to fall in love with Christmas again, but is brokenhearted to find the resort is not only shut down, but completely devoid of snow.
Seth Lockhart spent the last three years trying to keep the spirit of the resort alive after his parents’ tragic plane accident. This year, he plans to spend the holidays alone. But then Remy shows up on his doorstep, luggage packed and ready to celebrate. As they spend time together, their lifelong friendship grows into something stronger, and she has to face reality about her life back home. As the magic of Christmas surrounds Remy and Seth, every kiss of snow brings them closer to falling in love.
I’m super excited today to introduce you to Billie Breeden. She’s a retired nurse, now following her dream as a business owner with Color Street, and she’s here to offer tips for success in business and relationships. Not only relationships with your spouse, partner, or family, but relationships with yourself!
Let’s give a shout out to Billie Breeden. Thank you for joining us today!
by Billie Breeden, Color Street Team Leader
Hello! I am Billie Breeden. Thank you, Angela, for asking me to interview on your page. I am a retired nurse and a business owner. I am a wife and mother and grandmother. My husband Jack and I have been married 40 years this July. We have had some wonderful years together, lots of adventure, and love each other as much or more as we did 40 years ago. Angela asked me if I had any relationship advice since I have been married so long. The best advice I can give is to pick your battles, don’t sweat the small stuff, give more than you receive, and support one another.
The best advice I can give is to pick your battles, don’t sweat the small stuff, give more than you receive, and support one another.
Here’s the thing—we all have faults and weaknesses. If we dwell on the faults of one another, however small or insignificant they might be, they can turn into big things. Is it that big of a deal if your husband throws his dirty socks in the bottom of the closet and leaves them there? It is aggravating, but in the grand scheme of things is it worth fighting about?
My husband has always been my greatest fan and supporter and I his as well. We both have an entrepreneurial spirit and have tried and failed at many things. But we are always there for each other, encouraging one another to try again. It takes commitment and dedication to make a relationship work. I don’t believe you should expect more out of your spouse than you are willing to give. If you are keeping score on who has done the most, then failure is certain. Love one another deeply and give more than you receive.
I started my nursing career at the age of 22. I was a licensed vocational nurse for 17 years and I have been a registered nurse for 29 years. I went to RN school when I had 3 kids at home and worked full-time. I had to be very disciplined about studying, getting up at 5 in the morning while the kids were still sleeping, it was difficult at times, but well worth the sacrifice. Nursing was very good to me. It supported us many times over the years when my husband pastored small bi-vocational churches that could not afford to pay a full-time salary. The thing I loved the most about nursing is that you are there to support others at some of the happiest and some of the most difficult times of their lives. Seeing new life welcomed into the world was always a blessing. My last few years of nursing have been as a Director of Nursing in nursing homes. It is a very thankless job at times especially for the staff, but one thing I tried to instill in them was what a privilege and blessing we had to be able to help someone have hope and joy in the last days of their life.
I will be 68 this year. I hate saying that because it sounds really old. I don’t believe we are ever too old or too young to dream or accomplish our dreams. I do believe age is what we make it out to be. Last year, I did my first half marathon at 67, and I did a second one in February this year. I gave up a successful career in nursing to start a business in direct sales because I saw the potential to achieve my dream of being a business owner. We are never too old to succeed at something if we are willing to do the hard things. When I started training for the half marathon, I could barely walk a mile without getting out of breath. When I started my business in direct sales, I could barely talk to a stranger, much less sell them something. Unless we are willing to step outside of our comfort zone, we will never be successful. And we have to realize that success does not come without failure. I have failed many times, but I am not willing to give up my dreams because I have failed in the past. Our future is what we make of it.
We are never too old to succeed at something if we are willing to do the hard things.
Are You Madriding Me
Long Time No Sea
Tokyo Lights
Wanna Peace Of Me
My business is called Nail Spice. It is a direct sales business with Color Street. I always said I would never sell anything because I am not a salesperson. I happened on Color Street at a craft show. At the time I was selling organic soaps and skin care products that I had made myself. It was very difficult to sell, and I was not making money at all. The lady across from me was selling Color Street. I watched her all day. She had tons of people coming to her booth and trying and buying her products. I eventually made my way to her booth and tried a sample of Color Street and I was absolutely hooked! I always loved having pretty nails, but I hated regular polish because it was so much trouble and I despised going to the nail salon. I couldn’t stand the way fake nails felt and sitting in a noisy nail salon and paying that much money was just not my thing! To make a long story short, I was so obsessed with the fact that Color Street was 100% nail polish in a strip that went on dry with no tools or drying time and stayed on for 10-14 days, I signed up a few days later to become a stylist. I am now a Team Leader and have a team of 18 ladies under me! It is the most exciting thing I have done in a very long time and I am so passionate about it I think everyone should do it!! The great thing about Color Street as a business is you can go as far as you are wanting to go. Some people do it for a hobby and a little extra cash. Some, like me are making it their full-time business. It is just like any other business. It does take work and time and effort for it to grow. I am still learning, but here are a few things I have learned about being successful in life and business.
I am still learning, but here are a few things I have learned about being successful in life and business.
Have a daily routine. I get up early every morning before my husband does. I have a devotional and prayer time and I journal my thoughts. After that, I spend at least 30 minutes reading or watching videos on personal development. I believe this is so important no matter what you do. Never stop learning and growing. After that, I usually cook breakfast. I have been doing this for my husband from the beginning. We always had breakfast when I was growing up and it is how I start my day off right.
I spend several hours a day on my business. I work on social media posts, I do customer follow up, I mail out samples and stock orders, and look for ways to improve. I did this when I was still working full-time as a nurse. Again, you must be willing to do the hard things if you really want to be successful.
Know your why. Why do I want to be successful I business? Why do you want to be a writer? Knowing your why is what will keep you going when times are difficult.
Set goals. Short term and long term goals. And do something every day that moves you toward achieving those goals.
Take care of yourself. Eat as healthy as you can, exercise several times a week, even if it is a leisurely walk, and enjoy your life and your family. Have some fun!
I would love for you to check the beautiful nail strips out at https://nailspice.com and if you would like to try a sample you can go to https://billiebreeden.com and click the sample link.
I am in the process of developing my personal website: billiebreeden.com. (My husband is doing this for me, he is a multi-talented man!) My plan is to post business tips and motivational posts in addition to tips and tricks for my Color Street business. Check out billiebreeden.com for links to my business and social media accounts, and to request a sample. I would love to connect with you! My goal has always been to encourage others. I believe my purpose in life is to help others live their best life.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Billie!
I have to say, I have tried NailSpice and love them! I’m super hard on my hands as a writer, a gardener, and just housework and caring for animals, etc. NailSpice has been amazing to keep my nails looking great without hefty prices. And I absolutely love the creativity with Color Street names. Long Time no Sea and Are yo Madrid-ing me. How awesome is that? And a caveat: I do not make any type of commission on this or any other posts. Just trying to share real stories real people.
Thanks for stopping by. Next month we have Julia McKeena, CEO and founder of Managerine LLC. She’s got an amazing story, so be sure to check her out!
Today let’s welcome Alicia Hunter Pace and their new release SWEET GONE SOUTH! USA Today Bestselling Author Alicia Hunter Pace is the pen name of Stephanie Jones and Jean Hovey, who write together.
I’m going off the normal schedule I have planned (the first and second Tuesday of the month) because I am sharing authors at any time and always leave my calendar open for new releases. With SWEET GONE SOUTH, what better time than now? Especially because this includes an excerpt of a scene from Easter Sunday. I’m excited to share this with you!
Thank you so much to Angela for inviting us to visit with you on her blog. We are excited to be here and look forward to visiting with you all.
Yesterday, my god daughter, who is now thirty-five years old, the mother of two, and teaches sixth grade, texted me a picture of herself wearing her high school cheerleader uniform in the “Ready? Okay!” stance.
Weird stuff. It’s a sign of the times—social distancing times. I didn’t sit down to write about what’s going on with all of us these days, but then how could I not? It’s the life we’re living right now. We’re bored, we’re anxious, and we’ve got cabin fever, so we’re doing weird stuff.
At least my god daughter and I are.
Though it’s out of character for me, I have taken to watching Billy Dean Facebook concerts that he broadcasts from the deck of his house. If you don’t know who that is, he had some hits in the 90’s. I liked him at the time, but I don’t even know how I came to know about this. It’s not like I have been stalking him all these years. Maybe there is a little elf who comes to me in the night and whispers in my ear. But I’m glad he did, because it’s fun.
I also ordered eight salad plates with bunny rabbits on them, though I won’t have eight people to serve salad to on Easter.
I found myself looking at some ads for some really cute clothes, and thinking, “So what if they’re from one of those companies that have great pictures and awful clothes? How bad could it be?” I did not carry through. Maybe it was the elf who stopped me.
This might be the worst thing I’ve done: I incited my friend to order a pack of thirty-six rolls of wrapping paper (in six designs) to split with me—because that’s exactly what we need: eighteen rolls of wrapping paper each to add to what we already have. (We both have a wrapping paper problem, but that’s another blog.)
I guess we’re all getting through the best way we know how. Someone asked me what I was going to do when all this is over. I thought a minute and said, “I’ll probably go back to tearing around all over town going to this unimportant event or that, worrying about my husband on his commute to work, and making plans for one meal at a time and going to the grocery store every day.”
Don’t get me wrong. I want this to be over as much as anyone—mostly for those of you who are on the frontlines while my husband is able to work from the dining room table, the teenager goes to school online, and I get to be home ordering grocery delivery and doing weird stuff.
But, when better times come, I’m going to try to save some of the shiny parts of the slow down: better meal planning, being more frugal with what I’ve got on hand, and taking to time to watch a concert just because it makes me smile.
I wish you all safety and good health—mental, physical, and spiritual.
As Easter approaches, I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into the holiday from Sweet Gone South.
What have you done different from your normal routine?
Excerpt
Easter Sunday.
There were lilies on the altar, the music was soothing, and the bells rang sweet. Behind her, Lanie heard a quiet chuckle go through the crowd. Highly unusual. Episcopalians were taught at an early age not to talk, laugh, or fidget after entering the sanctuary. This was a time to prepare to worship. Lanie resisted turning around, which was also against the rules—until she felt an insistent little finger tapping her shoulder.
She gave her head a quarter turn, and there sat Emma Avery—in a bee costume, complete with antennae, yellow and black tights, and little black shoes. Lanie bit her lip and met Emma’s bright smile. Then she slid her eyes to the left. Pressed and perfect Luke Avery didn’t look so pressed and perfect this morning. He looked like a man who had fought a war—a bad one. His hair lay in messy curls all over his head, his tie was crooked, and his face was damp with perspiration. He met her eyes and shook his head helplessly.
During the children’s moment, when all the preschoolers went to the altar to gather around Father Gregory, there were more chuckles throughout the congregation. As Emma sat among the other children wearing their smocked and embroidered finery, Father Gregory smiled broadly and said something about all God’s creatures gathering on Easter Sunday. When Emma passed Lanie on the way back to Luke, she leaned in and whispered, “Buzz.” Throughout the rest of the service—hymns, sermon, prayers, communion—Lanie fought her laughter. By golly, Emma had said she was “’posed to be honeybee,” and she was.
Luke and Emma were just stepping onto the sidewalk when Lanie descended the steps.
Emma jumped up and down and waved to Lanie. Luke looked like a man who wanted to leave the country. Town matriarch, genteel Caroline Brantley stopped and laid her hand on Emma’s cheek. Emma turned her bottom toward Miss Caroline and pretended to sting her. Miss Caroline threw back her head and laughed with delight. She patted Luke’s arm before moving on.
“Lanie! Here I am!” Emma called.
“I see you.” Lanie bent to accept her hug.
“Buzzz!” She bumped Lanie’s leg with her little soft sculpture stinger.
“Ouch! You stung me,” Lanie said.
“I stinged Father Greg too!”
“Yes,” Luke said wearily. “You’ve done a fine job of stinging today.” Emma stung Luke, probably not for the first time, before turning her attention back to Lanie.
“I’m going to Beau’s house. I’ll see the Easter bunny and find eggs.”
“No kidding? Guess what? I’m going to Beau’s house too.” She’d known they were going to Missy’s Easter brunch. She’d made Emma’s chocolate place card. But lots of people were going.
“Yay!” Emma turned to Luke. “Lanie’s going to Beau’s!”
“I heard. Do you think she’s going to have her picture taken with the Easter bunny?”
Just then, Miley Sanders and her little girl, Teresa, walked by in their matching floral mother/daughter dresses. Emma studied them for a second.
“Lanie, can you to be the same as me?”
“Hmm. That might be fun. But I don’t have a honeybee suit.”
“My daddy will buy you one.”
Lanie looked at Luke, who rolled his eyes and looked heavenward.
“That might be nice,” Lanie said. “But all the stores are closed and there’s no place to buy a honeybee suit today.”
“Oh.” Emma looked disappointed.
“I might have another idea. We wouldn’t be exactly the same, but I have a blue dress and you have your beautiful new blue dress. We could go home and put them on before we go to Beau’s.”
“I’m ’posed to be honeybee.”
“And you already have been. You’ve done a wonderful job of being honeybee. Now you can be the girl who wears her new blue dress.”
She considered for a moment. “Okay.”
Luke’s eyes met Lanie’s. “Okay? Just like that? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through this morning?”
“I might,” Lanie said.
Thank you to USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Alicia Hunter Pace for being with us today! Be sure to click the book above to be taken to their Amazon page! Or find other links here:
Welcome to my first addition of Real Stories by Real People!
My goal is to feature two stories a month, the first and second Tuesday of the month. And one day a month, the last Thursday, I plan to feature a geographical location. Because stories are all about settings and people!
As an office manager, one of my favorite parts of the job is to interview people. Crazy, right? I don’t like hiring people (because that usually means someone left and then you have to go through the process of finding the right person, etc. etc), but I enjoy the interview process because as a writer, I have always been curious about people and what makes them them. You can say psychology was one of my favorite subjects in school. That and Geography, because I love learning about new places I will likely never go. Including the French Alps, which is where today’s guest works!
And my favorite part of writing stories is to create characters. This is why I’ve decided it would be fun to feature stories about real people I have met during my writing career! And maybe elsewhere. Especially in this day and age, with the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic and our world constantly changing, people are more important than ever, so I want to celebrate them and their stories!
And you never know, I might throw in a fictional character story/interview in as well.
So today, I welcome my first guest. Agnieszka Szumska loves DIY, organic food, and the idea we can all become better versions of ourselves.
If you are interested in being featured, please go HERE. You do not have to be a writer or business owner. You simply just be you.
Who are you as a person? What are you likes, dislikes?
I am very easy going person. I love to learn new things everyday. DIY is my thing. I love to make my own cosmetics and I eat only organic food. I love animals and I have a very special bond with dogs. I am vegetarian. I speak few languages – Polish, English and French. in the past I was fluent in German but without practice it all went away.
I love good food. I love long walks. I am a book worm as well. I love the idea that we can all become a better version of ourselves. That is why I watch Impact Theory and Marie TV. My goal is to be my own hero.
I hate liars. I try always to surround my self with good people. I am a person who somehow always have an advice for someone who is asking for it. I try not to criticize people. I always try to see their problem from their point of view.
I like to relax with a good music. Sometimes it is Vivaldi and sometimes it is coco jambo.. heheh.
I always try to find a movie that will bring me something. A good real life drama is good but a silly comedy is often very welcome as well.
I love tea. When I was living in UK the afternoon tea was my thing. With the whole corona situation I have decided to take care more about my health. I started yoga and meditation. It was not easy because my brain is always busy busy busy. I have huge imagination. When I was little girl I was talking to the moon and trees.
I find nearly everything interesting.
What is your career?
I am a receptionist in a small hotel in the French Alps.
Walk me through a typical day in your business/career/life?
Since I work only in the winter and summer season, days at work are very intense. After the season it is totally different.
What is your biggest pet peeve about that day/business/career/life? Biggest frustration? Biggest source of joy?
When I am at work I love to have that high quality contact with the customers. Many of them became my good friends.
What I do not like about my job is that sometimes people are very aggressive for no reason at all.
Do you have any relationship advice?
Yes. Be kind and full of respect. Give as much as you are receiving.
Do you have any favorite quotes?
Mostly quotes of Paulo Coelho.
Where can we find you online?
I have an Instagram account agnieszka 11_31
Thank you so much to Agnieszka for being the first person to jump into my Real Stories by Real People!
Be sure to check back next week, as I have a retired nurse turned Color Street Team Leader on the blog.
“Must Love Flowers” by Debbie Macomber is a heartwarming and inspiring book that tells the story of Joan, a widow who had been living a life of solitude for the past four years. When Joan finally decides to take a chance on life again, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery that is both beautiful and emotional.
Macomber’s writing is captivating and filled with vivid descriptions that bring the story to life. The characters are well-developed, and their interactions feel authentic and genuine. As Joan learns to navigate the ups and downs of life, the reader is taken on a journey of growth and self-discovery.
Overall, “Must Love Flowers” is a must-read for anyone looking for a heartwarming and inspiring story. Macomber’s writing is both beautiful and thought-provoking, and the characters will stay with you long after you finish the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a touching and uplifting read.”
Today, I’m super excited to feature Maria C. Wheeler, the author of Lost in the Circle, Found on the Line: A Collaborative Journal Experience. She has some great advice to share!
This is a short, but powerful journal with prompts for the decades of your life and themes to get you writing. Artsy and interesting. I enjoyed it immensely! This is the type of book that is better to have a physical copy with prompts to encourage artistic expression in many ways. I actually used it to journal some memories of my decades and appreciate how beautiful it is to do so!
Without further ado, here is Maria C. Wheeler and her journal: Lost in the Circle, Found on the Line: A Collaborative Journal Experience
Guest Post and Interview by Maria C. Wheeler
As the oldest of five children, I quickly learned to become the responsible one, helping my mom with countless chores and sundries of life, all the while angling to vanish from the throngs of chaos. From a very early age I preferred to roam around the neighborhood fields and woodlands, hunting for creatures under and over the existing lushness, humoring my obsession with collections of nests, leaves, shells, turtles, salamanders, birds and insects. For me, those were the moments when time stood still….I was a born naturalist living in suburbia, poised to escape as soon as I possibly could. My first heartbreak was the realization that the natural world I knew was to be forever altered through the mechanisms of faulty zoning regulations and short-sighted local government, intent on commercial and residential development at all costs. The open spaces, the creatures, the freedom of wandering vanished forever and with that a special quality of life was gone. That sadness of loss propelled me to get out of town and garner a degree in Wildlife Ecology from the great state of Maine. I learned to appreciate further the beauty of the wilderness, animals that roam free, and respite that comes when we’re in balance with the natural world. It is at the very core of being content.
‘Lost in the Circle, Found on the Line: A Collaborative Journal Experience’ was inspired by years of writing, observing, and drawing, all done in the vein of self discovery. These vehicles propelled me to overcome obstacles by taking the time to think, reflect, and create a book that helped me learn about my true self. The resulting journal positively impacted my life, increased gratefulness, and highlighted those core master values I felt were important to influence my life and, in turn, change the world for the better. I strongly believe the interactive creative nature of this book facilitates connection to help others discover their full potential and elevate sensibilities to a higher level. To create is to inspire others to create with the resulting artifact as my gift to you which becomes your gift to yourself and ultimately the world beyond.
I am a visual artist trained as a Garden Designer and educated with a degree in Wildlife Ecology. As a result of wearing three hats, this journal engenders a unique nature-inspired creativity with the circle as a prominent symbol for unity, strength and connection. As an artist I know that the mind/hand connection is a powerful way to open consciousness and thought processes, challenging perception and making the abstract tangible. It helps you to problem solve and captures what needs to be said without words. My work as a Garden Designer encourages observational skills and the importance of developing a plan to provide harmony and order. And, as a naturalist and ecologist, I learned that healthy ecosystems always involve interacting organisms, connected through the cyclical nature of the seasons. The natural world is a gift for us to reflect upon, appreciate, and develop love of its extraordinary beauty. Art, design and nature are all elements connecting us to patterns, which in turn create structure necessary for us to become our best selves. We must know who we are to be able to give – in order to receive – with exponential potential. This is the tenet behind this collaborative journal: each of us have something to learn, to share, and to recognize that we all live our lives in full circle.
My greatest influence is music. As an art form, music has an ability to transform us into our most creative selves. The vast variety is so very inspirational, from classical, to jazz , to blues to pop and rap, music has the power to elevate our mood, calm our demeanor, inspire and encourage reflection. I was trained as a pianist which influenced my love of many forms of musical expression. I firmly believe learning to appreciate music is one of the great gifts of the world.
My favorite part of writing ‘Lost in the Circle, Found on the Line’ was assembling the draft and organizing with the poetry and artwork. This book is the product of many years of journaling, writing, drawing and living a life. As such, I developed a strong power of an idea as an organizing force: We are the creators of our lives with the process being the fulfilling part; to develop creative habits that lead to introspection. This journal becomes a chronicle of your life – with writing, poetry, drawing, painting, photographs, collages and more; a collaborative beautiful artifact, empowering us to promote our authentic best selves, for our selves and the world beyond.
I consider myself a reader, and especially enjoy fictional novels. Wallace Stegner, especially, ranks among my favorite authors as an environmentalist, historian, and talented writer. It is his command of expressive language, descriptive scenery and poignant storytelling that garners one’s attention from the first line to the very end; an art form harnessing extraordinary stories, withstanding the test of time and cementing themselves into our very being. ‘Hard writing makes easy reading.’
My biggest passion is cooking. Or rather, good eating, as ultimately, that is the aim of preparing a good meal. It is the joy in the process of planning, chopping, melding, sautéing, and improvising…. The anticipation of those flavors bursting into a smile and heightened by the communal pleasure of sharing with friends makes the world go round. Cooking for and eating with loved ones ranks among one of the most satisfying primal connections of all time. It is love incarnate.
When I am feeling stuck in a creative venture, I find it helpful to disengage from the project. Walking away and not thinking about it for a period of time encourages novel ideas. Consciously thinking about ‘nothing’ clears the mind and opens it to a refresh. It really works!
My dream vacation would be Comino Island, Malta. With its remote location and its blue lagoon, it’s been described as heaven on earth and that sounds perfect to me.
Advice to my younger self: some relationships are seasonal and endurance is about retaining your spirit through the storm
Relationship Advice: empathy is everything. It allows us to feel, it allows us to understand another person, it allows us to be loving and kind. Integrity is integral. It indicates trustworthiness, accountability, and reliability. You know when you know.
Favorite quote:
‘Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.’ Ernest Hemingway
My husband and I were sitting outside enjoying a glass of wine on our covered porch on a rare spring day in Texas when the Texas 2021 Hail Storm hit. We were talking about what we needed to do, and about Toretto (whom I’ll mention later). And in April, we get plenty of thunderstorm watches and warnings, so this was nothing new. The watches and warnings are easy to ignore.
But nothing, nothing prepared us for what came next.
When it came down it was like, oh wow this is hail. It is getting worse. Let’s record it. So I recorded it, and so did my husband, and it just kept going on and on. I finally stopped recording because I was getting messages and calls and also wanted to talk to my sister. Because my sister is the one person I always want to talk to when I’m going through something tough. Then I’d record again, then stop. The worst of the hail went on for at least 10 minutes. Maybe…probably more (I was on the phone with my sister quite a while and finally said I would call her back, so it is hard to judge the exact timing of everything.)
And at this time, all I could do was think of my lost animal, Toretto. I have been searching for him for three weeks now. He is an outdoor cat, but was a rescue cat. You might remember me telling you about our cat community. Toretto was very injured when he came to us over a year ago, and the vet would have convinced most people to put him down and out of his misery. But we were not giving up on him. Maybe I’m a crazy cat lady? Proud of it too. But Toretto was happy. We healed him. We tamed him and he was doing well. Very well. He would jump up on my shoulder and stay there wherever we went. He always wanted to be near us, but he still had some issues, such as leaking because he had a lot of damage to his spine and bladder. His tail was paralyzed, and we were working with a specialist on what we were going to do next. (I would post those pics, but not everyone wants to see something like that.)
He disappeared in the middle of the day, while I was at work and right after my entire routine changed (along with the time change). We think he went off to roam. Many people I talked to say the same. He is neutered, but cats in a cat community who are used to the outdoors will do that. And I’m still grieving very hard! Crying every day. I don’t talk about it much but if affects my life very hard. I’ve done a lot, sending flyers, but in my community (minimum 5-10 acre tracts) it is not always enough.
It’s been a hard year. We got COVID, then battled the Snowpacalypse, then got sick from a COVID vaccine, (I was down for days, but honestly in hindsight I was still recovering from COVID when I got the vaccine so my immune system was probably running rampant). Then we lost Toretto. Then we had a hail storm that did a lot of damage and cost a lot of money that insurance will not cover. A lot of out-of-pocket expenses and a lot of things that are irreplaceable. Things that might appear to be junk, but that do have value.
I hate to complain, because that never helps and also many people suffer or are going through way worse. I was often reminded of the fact by well-meaning people that at least we are still breathing and alive. But why aren’t we allowed to feel our emotions? Hmmm? My emotions are running pretty rampant right now. Why should I be ashamed of them? Why are people so scared of emotions?
But that’s a post for another day.
And the worse of all of this is someone very close to me is sick, and it isn’t my place to say what is happening with her. I wrote the story of her double lung transplant years ago, but I lost it and can’t imagine re-writing it now. It was very emotional then, and it’s very emotional now. She had three siblings (one of them was my mother) and she lost them all. She is the only surviving child of my grandmother (who is still alive). She had a double lung transplant, and has issues. I told her that no way in hell would she not beat this because her mom couldn’t go through losing another child. WTF!
So yes, it’s been a lot to deal with, on top of other things that are too personal to mention. It’s just been very very very very tough! And mindset…I know it’s very important but how hard is mindset sometimes, right?
So…here some photos of the Texas Hail Storm April 2021!
The ground was covered with hailstones everywhere after the Texas Hail Storm April 2021 hit!
I was inside my house when I saw something in my yard running in the yard. I ran out side to see what it was. A turtle! Who knew they could run so fast! We get a lot of turtles in our area because of our area, but next time I know to listen to them. He must have known something was coming!
We obviously should have measured this, in hindsight, but we were a bit busy. But hubby still thought to take a photo of his foot in comparison!
Later, hubby decides to take a photo of a tennis ball in his shop at work to compare. Everyone asks us how big the hail was, and we hate to exaggerate, but sometimes I say we are under exaggerating. It was big, and it was a lot at once!
There is a lot more to share, but for some reason I keep getting errors. I will try to share more later. In the meantime, here is my video link:
Toretto, the first time he crawled into my lap after I gained his trust.
Sad about my Subaru. I bought it the Saturday before September 11, 2001. One of my first brand new vehicles, ever. Drove it until end of 2019, but it needed some work so we let it sit (without a garage unfortunately). Canceled insurance because it was just sitting there, but we planned to work on it when we had the spare money and time. I had a huge attachment to this vehicle, but look at this damage!
Damaged birdhouses. And yes, I worry about all my living beings, so this broke my heart.
We saw several damaged bird eggs on the property after the storm.
Up close and personal.
Hail stones from the Texas Hail Storm April 2021!
We haven’t given up on finding Toretto. He used to be so wild, we had to use gloves to hold him. This photo was just a few weeks before he went missing.
So here are a few photos of the hail storm in Texas. I admit that I am still processing a lot, because it is a lot to deal with, and all while trying to work. I’m grieving a lot right now, and grief really sucks, but I have a lot to be thankful for as well.
Today is a review of Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price.
It’s been a difficult year. A very different year. But even in the most average of years, the book by Devon Price, “Laziness Does Not Exist” would be a great fit.
Because, let’s face it, many of us are overworked. And if we aren’t working too hard at work, we’re working too hard in our personal lives. I, for one, am the kind of person who always needs to feel like I’m accomplishing something.
What is rest? What good is rest?
Well, no matter what spiritual belief you have, even God rested from His work. And us humans are still having such a hard time with rest. Now, in the biggest pandemic of most of our lives, I think rest is one of the most important things we can do. And something many of us aren’t allowing ourselves (and sometimes even others). That as well as masks and social distancing.
I think that’s why this book, “Laziness Does Not Exist” by Devon Price really spoke to me. I was able to read and review this with Netgalley, and I’ve been going through a lot of doubts lately when I take a small break.
No rest for the wicked, right?
So I needed this book now more than ever. And I think it can help a lot of people.
Here’s my official review of “Laziness Does Not Exist” by Devon Price.
With all the books out there about go, go, go, do, do, do, succeed, succeed, succeed, this was a wonderful change and much needed book. He talks of our struggles, and how the laziness lie can lead us to believe we just aren’t working hard enough when things aren’t working out or that we should always be overachieving. He demystifies myths and beliefs such as having a simple life (I love mine) makes us lazy, or the effects of achievement hunting. But the author also reveals why we might feel so fatigued (we likely do way more than we give ourselves credit for!) and gives great tips on how to learn and grow and enjoy productivity in positive ways that combat the laziness lie. Highly recommended.
Do you ever lie to yourself about feeling lazy? What are those, and what are ways you can combat that lie?
I’ve been reading Danielle Steel novels since Danielle Steel started writing novels. But for some reason, it has been years since I have read one even though she has always fascinated me.
Thanks to Netgalley and in being able to read and review the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), I’ve remembered my love for this amazing author.
Neighbors will be released January 5, 2021.
Of course, you don’t have to wait until then to read this International Bestseller’s many books! Danielle Steel is touted to be the fourth bestselling author of all time, and there’s definitely a reason for that. (Now let my wipe the envy off my sleep and get to my review!)
An engaging book by a brilliant writer with a style that is almost lyrical in its cadence.
Something clicks with reclusive Meredith, once a celebrity superstar, when an earthquake destroys her neighborhood. She makes quick friends and seems to find her way again as she gets outside of the box and the grief that has kept her down for fifteen years. Yet her caretakers, Jack and Debbie, the two people she trusts most in the world, are not what they seem.
The writing is elegant, just like Danielle Steel. Although I found that it started a tiny bit slow, the story moved me and kept me reading because I just had to know what was going to happen next. The characters, all so very real and true, had depths that can shake life up a lot, and it certainly did Meredith’s. A fascinating must read.
This book was amazing. I felt like I took my own trip to Italy to experience all the activities, tastes, and textures with each character, and I’m ready to go back! Heart-wrenching and heartwarming. Francesca, frustrating at times because she didn’t see how putting her work before her family was hurting her daughter and, at times, saw it but just didn’t do anything about it. Her character arc was so interesting and so realistic as she realized the things she was doing and the things she needed to change. Eighteen-old Allegra, a bit of a rebel but so very mature and likable. I loved watching her grow into the woman she wanted to be. And then Sophia, the matriarch who longed for her daughter and granddaughter to find their way back to each other. She believes a trip to Italy will do it, and she had her own story to learn and grow from. I could see and feel the emotion, the characters, the setting, and did not want this book to end.
This book is available for pre-order for release date of January 12, 2021.
My husband looked at my quizzically when I started laughing uncontrollably with my head buried in this book. I haven’t read a romance novel this laugh-out-loud funny in a long time. Peppered with steam between two characters with tense chemistry and all the havoc two sets of families can cause. Teen boys who blame Mallory, their stepmother, for everything—including their father’s death. Gabe’s mother-in-law who would like nothing more than to control his and his son’s lives, and matchmaking friends help to make things go terribly wrong. A small town that knows and judges everything, gossip, and poignant scenes. A shining example of how fun and chaotic Christmas can be, especially when blending families. Heartfelt romance at its best. But this isn’t just a Christmas story. It can be enjoyed any time of the year. So, so good.
I’ve been thinking a lot about kindness lately, and this book was wonderful! Such a difference between being nice, and being kind, and she gives great tips, insights, ideas, and reasons, along with sharing personal stories she has experienced in her life. Kindness truly is a superpower, and this is a powerful book that goes so much more into depth of not just kindness, but living a great life and being true to yourself. I grew up being taught to “be nice” but being nice is sometimes viewed as a weakness. But being kind, this is a superpower unlike any other and the author is adept at going into detail. She also shares stories of celebrities she has interviewed as a host on Good Morning America and teaches that being famously kind is what we should strive to be. Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to review this audio book. It was so nice to listen to and experience, and I believe anyone who works with others could benefit greatly from this book.
I think it has been about 9 years since I got that early morning phone call from my aunt that she had successfully had her double lung transplant.
And she is still celebrating each day.
That is why Breath from Salt was so poignant to me.
Although the book is about Cystic Fibrosis, which is not the disease that could have killed my aunt, the book does mention Bronchiectasis and explains in pretty good detail about the disease I’ve never heard of until my aunt.
But I had heard of Cystic Fibrosis. My good friend in school had it, and is thriving today. Unfortunately, years ago when so many families suffered, it wasn’t known at all. This book walks you through the discovery and shares many stories of families. Gets a bit scientific at times and goes very deep into CF.
This book solves the mystery of medical research, where a genetic disease that affected thousands of children before it was discovered what it was, the love of the families who suffered, and the love of the doctors and researchers and fought and continue to fight today to cure this disease or at least make it possible to live with.
Here’s my official review:
A poignant account of Cystic Fibrosis and stories of what people encountered and research made to discover this disease and get us where we are today. I especially loved the stories of real people. It hit home with me because my aunt had a double lung transplant because of bronchiectasis, which is mentioned in the book and I had never heard of until my aunt’s issues. One of my friends in school had Cystic Fibrosis and is now very successful in her life, but I unfortunately didn’t know much about it and things like that weren’t really talked about back then. Deeply touching and moving story about this disease for anyone who is interested in learning new things even if you don’t personally know someone affected. I learned a lot about research, science, and even medical organizations as well as stories about real people and real families. Highly recommended. Great writing. I couldn’t put it down.
