THE ART OF PLAYING CARDS ~ October 31, 2011 by Fred Ayotte
MEMORY LANE
I grew in a household where card playing was a family tradition. From an early age, I learned how to play children’s games such as War, Fish, and Old Maid. As I grew older, my parents taught me how to play Hearts, Barouche, Cribbage, and more advanced card games. Therefore, as my daughters were growing up, carrying on this long time family tradition of playing cards came naturally.
When they were very young, one of their favorite games was Fish. We would play literally, for hours. As much as I loved playing this game with them, I would get quite tired after a while. However, they never wanted to quit.
As you know, the game of Fish is the matching of cards. You start by asking the other player if they have a certain card. If the answer is yes, they must give it to you. If not, then you just pick one from the deck. After hours of playing, if my young daughters didn’t have the card I asked for, I eventually would pick one from the deck and put it in my matched cards whether they were a pair or not. Soon afterwards, the game would end. Nobody could figure out why they ended up with unmatched cards. I know some of you may call this cheating….I called it relief….lol.
It wasn’t until many years later that my daughters put “two and two together” and figured out what I had been up to so many years earlier. We all had a good laugh about it. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my oldest granddaughter, Abby who was five at the time, was listening. She is now fourteen.
Some years later during one of our many visits to my daughter (Abby’s mother) in Saskatoon, we decided to play some cards (Fish to be exact) with our young granddaughters. Abby who was now eight years old was organizing the seating. She was telling her mother and grandmother where to sit as well as her younger sister Becca who was five. Becca is now eleven.Then she looked right at me in a very serious demeanour and said “Grandpa, you sit beside me. I want to keep my eye on you because I hear you cheat at Fish”. My wife and daughter just burst out laughing.
Alas, my reputation had caught up to me after all these years. Everyone had a good laugh and no one has let me forget it since.
Thanks Fred, for sharing this cute little story. As you can see by the pictures, Abby and Becca didn’t hold your “cheating ways” against you!
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INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES AND ANECDOTES ~The Forest For The Trees ~ October 30, 2011
At times, life has a way of getting so complicated that we can’t see the forest for the trees. Simple pleasures bring much peace and serenity. Gratitude for these simple pleasures is what makes them all the more special and our lives all the more enjoyable.
“The thing that is incredible is life itself…Why should we be here in this sun-illumined universe? Why should there be green earth under our feet?” (Edwin Markham)
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BOOK REVIEW ~ Collecting Innocents ~ October 28, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
TITLE : COLLECTING INNOCENTS ~ The Second Novel in the 911 Abduction Series ~ 211 pages
AUTHORS : CK Webb & DJ Weaver
PUBLISHER : Suspense Publishing
Once again, Webb and Weaver have shown their skill and prowess at developing a suspenseful and thrilling novel. This mother/daughter duo have managed to captivate their readers by thickening the plot when necessary with many twists and turns in order to keep them on their toes. I was riveted to the page as I read Collecting Innocents and you will be too. It drew me back over and over again as I was eager to discover the threads from the past and how they would link up to the present crime. Webb and Weaver have skillfully woven a web of suspense, fear and mystery. Collecting Innocents is a must read!
This second suspense novel in the 911 abductions series is a real thriller. It is a follow-up to Cruelty to Innocents where the stage was set with a series of mysterious disappearances of young children. These previous abductions always took place at the scene of an emergency situation in Aberdeen, Maryland when their caregivers were preoccupied with helping others. Due to this crisis, an emergency agency was formed by Sloanne Kelly and her fiance Shawn Tyler called Saving Angels Agency after the abduction and murder of Sloanne’s best friend’s daughter.
Collecting Innocents is a continuation of this same plot. This time; however, not only children but also their parents and automobiles, are strangely disappearing after emergency calls from 911 Call Boxes on a stretch of highway between Florida and California on Interstate 10. These highway crimes take place in the short distance between Slidell Louisiana and Vidor Texas. The novel starts off with the mysterious disappearance of Tammy Pruett and her young daughter, Moira. There have also been two other similar abductions but no one seems to see the connection in these crimes with the exception of Lieutenant Jake Mackenzie, better known as Mac to his friends.
Mac is a former employee of the Maryland, Aberdeen Police Department and well aware of the abductions that took place there just over two years ago. He has the uneasy feeling that some how or other these new crimes are connected to the past and what took place. They are hauntingly familiar and he cannot put his uneasiness to rest. Unable to convince the Sheriff and other police departments of his suspicions, he reaches out for aid from Shawn and Sloanne and their capable staff at Saving Angels Agency. The gruesome details of the cases unfold in such away that fear is instilled in everyone involved. Shawn and Sloanne once again have the opportunity to put their experienced investigative team to work. Along with the capable help of Birney Sullivan, the former news reporter from Maryland, Aberdeen, these three experts work together to help solve the case.
CK Webb was born and raised in Mississippi, and dreamed of writing like the greats; Emily Bronte, Edgar Allan Poe, and Stephen King, to name a few. CK joined the US Navy and traveled the world, but eventually returned to settle down in the tiny town of Millport, Alabama. A self-proclaimed ‘reformed bad girl’, this thirty-something writer now shares her life with her husband and two beautiful children.
CK also enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and book club. Although CK delights in preying on the fears of others and enjoys killing people…thankfully she does it the legal way; in her novels. She has just completed the first two novels in the ‘Innocents’ series which she co-wrote with her best-friend and mother, DJ Weaver. CK writes in a variety of other genres.
Originally from Pascagoula, Mississippi, DJ Weaver relocated to north Mississippi in 1980. She attended Mississippi University for Woman and Mississippi State University, studying paralegalism and Human Resources Management. DJ recently completed two books in the three-novel Innocents series, Cruelty to Innocents: The 911 Abductions and Collecting Innocents, which she co-wrote with her daughter and best friend, CK Webb.
DJ writes in a variety of genres. When she isn‘t writing, DJ develops and maintains WebbWeaver Review blog, where she reviews books and interviews published authors regularly. She serves as co-chairwoman of WebbWeaver Book Club. DJ also writes book reviews for Suspense Magazine. DJ is a 50-something year old mother and grandmother who works part-time and makes her home in Millport, Alabama.
Websites: http://theinnocents.weebly.com WEBWEAVER
FB fanpages:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Webb-Weaver-Fans/104281169603829
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-CK-Webb/154867487887428
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-DJ-Weaver/156387674395890
JUST FOR LAFFS ~ October 27, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
QUOTE OF THE DAY ~ “Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling. And even more beautiful, is knowing that you are the reason behind it! “~ Source Unknown
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES AND ANECDOTES ~ Simplicity ~ October 26, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
I have learned the hard way about the negative consequences of over complicating life. I have found it is much better to live life as simply as possible in order to reduce stress and to find more pleasure in the small things that can be so easily overlooked if our lives are too busy and complex.
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QUOTES AND ANECDOTES
“No problem can be solved until it is reduced to some simple form. The changing of a vague difficulty into a specific, concrete form is a very essential element in thinking.” (John J. Morgan & Ewing T Webb.)
GROWING UP AND LIKING IT ~ Book Review ~ October 25, 2011 by Loraine Lotter
Growing Up & Liking It is inspiring, motivating and definitely worth reading if you are in need of a life changing lesson or two. The book is full of great quotes and tips on how to cope with every day’s problems, stress and let-downs and truthfully, it was just what I needed to perk up my day. It was like a breath of fresh air.
I love the author’s laid-back writing style. You can tell that Dolores is an inspiring, humble and excitable person, accepting the challenges in life and embracing them in faith. Growing up and liking it is full of great stories, making the book so much more stimulating to read. Each line, each little joke, whether it be a factual story or not, will make you smile and keep you captivated just as it did with me.
It encourages us to stay positive, no matter what the circumstances may be. Your problems will never be bigger than you, for God will not put a hindrance in your way if you cannot handle it. I love Dolores’ advice as it is true and encouraging. The book really helps and influences you in such a way that you will accept who you are when you finish reading it. It will encourage you to think before you act so that you will make the right choices in life.
It will stimulate you in a way you can only imagine, helping you find peace and balance by following the easy, simple steps provided. Packed with loads of tips for relationships and a happy marriage, this book is really inspirational. This book is all about laughing at the small things in life, learning from every choice you make and living life to the fullest. It’s definitely a must-read for anyone who needs a little encouragement and advice in life.
Book Review by Author Loraine Lotter.
BOOK REVIEW ~ My heart, his soul ~ October 24, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
My heart, his soul…the first novel in the Heart and Soul saga by author Loraine Lotter is a well written, fictional novel for the young adult or the young at heart. It starts off with the seventeenth birthday party of a typical rebellious teenager by the name of Abigail, better known to her friends as Abi. Abi doesn’t have a lot of patience for family gatherings. She succeeds in exiting the scene when her father gives her his nod of approval. She manages to arrange a trip to the racetrack with her good friend Gabriel. Gab would much prefer to be more than just Abi’s friend but she has no interest in complicating their friendship by putting it at risk by ever entertaining the idea of any kind of romance. At the racetrack, a handsome young man catches Abi’s eye.
Needless to say, she is very enthralled when she discovers at the beginning of the new school year that he is attending the same school as she and her friends. His handsome looks and incredible sapphire eyes not only capture Abi’s interest but also the attention of her best friend Calleigh. This turn of events is certain to create the typical teenage jealousy and animosity. The new boys name is Derrick and he appears to have an aura about him that Abi can’t quite put her finger on. At seventeen, he lives alone with his brother but other than that, very little is known about him. Gab has made it very plain to Abi that he does not want her to have any kind of relationship with Derrick but Abi is mystified as to the reason why. At first she thinks it is jealousy but she soon realizes it is far more than that.
There are many unanswered questions about Derrick’s apparent secrecy and private life. This is when the novel takes an unexpected turn as an intriguing sci-fi twist is added to the plot of this captivating read. Loraine Lotter, then methodically lets the plot of My heart, his soul, unravel in order to entice her readers into wanting more. The conclusion acts as a cliff-hanger for the sequel, The Betrayal, in the Heart and Soul saga.
To learn more about Loraine Lotter or to purchase her book please visit Amazon or her website.
Accept it…It’s NOT for YOU ~ October 23, 2011 by Desiray Lewis
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES AND ANECDOTES
Many people question why bad things happen to good people? I, myself, use to wonder that so many years ago. I can remember searching the Scriptures trying to find the perfect answer. Then one day it hit me. ” It’s because of sin”. It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are, sin was the reason for the fall of mankind.
Now when we find ourselves asking this question, our answer should be, “the reason why I am going through this is because Jesus knew I could handle it”. Understand that everything we experience has nothing to do with us, it may be for the next person we will meet. Yes it hurts, yes you feel as though you can’t make it, but God sees you as Victorious.
God allowed you to go through what you did so that you could help someone else. Doesn’t it all make sense now? Do you see why you went through what you had to? Do you not see the blessing?
Desiray, thank you for sharing your faith with us and for your thought-provoking explanation for human suffering . To learn more about Desiray, please visit Chosen Woman
JUST FOR LAFFS ~ October 21, 2011 by Dolores Ayotte
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Some of the greatest contributions to literature were made by people who threatened to write a book but never got around to it.” ~ Source Unknown
MEMORY LANE ~ A Change Of Seasons ~ October 20, 2011 by Diane Dean White
A Wo-Man’s Voice
I’ve been so involved in motherhood for most of my life that I hardly noticed when it ended. Oh, there was the year when our first bird left the nest, just an hour away to go to college. This was a new experience and so she stayed at the girls’ dorm. I recall passing her bedroom each day, and I’d look in at her stuffed animals scattered about her colorful bedspread, her band jacket hanging in the closet, and little pieces of memories on her dresser. By the time I got to the piano in the living room, the tears were really falling. Then I’d eagerly wait for her last class of the day to be over and call her!
We had two more at home and actively involved in their lives at school, church, and in community functions, so I hardly noticed when the second one left, as he lived in the area and came often for meals. We were so busy and the changes were slight at that point.
Two years later when our youngest left, I packed to go with him! His school was three hours away. When we could no longer stand it, my hubby and I would take a drive on a Sunday afternoon and go see him. We would spend a couple of hours visiting, always ending up with a nice dinner, where he would get a good balanced meal. Then I’d hug him good-bye and cry all the way home.
During the week, I’d drive by the ball field where we had spent so much time watching the boys play; my heart would ache for a rerun of those years. All the schools they attended were scattered throughout town, and I’d see kids going to the 8th-grade dance, as ours had once done, the parades, and sports activities. Who said “You Can Never Go Home Again?” I’d welcome them all back in a minute, but I knew that wasn’t how things were to be.
Another season passed, and our daughter was engaged and planning her wedding. There were things to do, places to go, and decisions to be made. It was a busy time. The nest was empty, but the activities were keeping me going—it was an exciting and happy time.
It hit me one afternoon when I went into my OB/GYN’s office for my yearly checkup. I looked around the room, where mothers-in-waiting were seated; their world was just beginning. Mine, I felt, was taking another turn. Hadn’t it just been me sitting in this office, awaiting, first, the birth of our daughter, now soon to be married, and soon after the boys? Where had the years gone? I headed for the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink and started to sob!
I knew this was a mere interruption in the pattern of things, but raising my children was the most important job I’d had in my life—why did it hurt so much? I knew friends who were starting new careers and many had jobs they were still at. But my job had been my husband and children. What would my life be now?
I splashed some water on my face and wiped my eyes, and then I went back to take my seat with the young mothers. Why couldn’t they have a separate room for us menopausal women? Don’t they know how hard it is to sit and look and be reminded of the days when our stomachs were huge!
When I got in to see my doctor, I made this suggestion openly to him. He prescribed hormone replacement, some brisk walking, and for me to “get a life.” I told him I’d had one and always would…my children! I got a lecture, a prescription for estrogen, and a sample of Prozac tablets.
That was several years ago. Today I’m doing the work I enjoyed before our children came along and that I placed on hold for those wonderful years. I also have three darling granddaughters, and what a blessing they are to me…as we watch our children grow into happy responsible adults.
Maybe the seasons change too quickly, but each one is a wonder of beauty. And God gives us the strength to make changes in our own lives when needed. After the brief separation and realization that my children were doing exactly what we had prepared them for, a new season began…changes and excitement for different goals with the man I married and dearly love. God gives us special gifts, and our children are priceless. But so are those memories we’ve made, and each one will last a lifetime, wherever we are. © Diane Dean White 2010
Thank you so much Diane for sharing such a heartwarming story!
Note from Diane: Thank you all for your kind comments, and although it was “tempting to get that prescription filled, I relied on the Lord’s help and got back to writing, and tossed the Prozac away!”
The above story was featured in Chicken Soup to Inspire a Woman’s Soul, and Chicken Soup for the Soul; Grand’s and Greats. Please visit Diane’s website for more inspirational and heartwarming stories. www.DianeDeanWhite.com
Diane is a former newspaper reporter and author of two books. She contributes to various publications and shares heartwarming stories with readers. She and her husband Stephen, reside in Florida.
