Memories of dad

I suppose all of us who have lost our dads take a few minutes on Father's Day to wander down memory lane. My dad passed sixteen years ago, at the age of seventy-six.


Dad was always a hard worker. He held two jobs for most of his life, especially when my sister and I were younger. Our uncle owned a stationary store in town and, in addition to his full-time job as a route rider for a milk company, he worked a couple evenings a week and on Sundays at the store.


My sis and I used to ride our bikes down to the store, where dad would fix us ice cream cones. One of our big moments was to meet dad at the corner of our street and the highway when he was on his way home from work so we could hop in the car and ride back to the house with him


Dad loved his cars. He took good care of them, inside and out. I still remember him in a heated discussion with my uncle, declaring with a vehement punching of a fist on the kitchen table, "you will never, ever, see gas cost a dollar a gallon!"


Dad loved the Adirondack North Country, where he was born and raised. He married mom and raised us out on Long Island, but when we went on vacation, it was back up-state. I remember one time he called mom around ten in the morning and told her, "I'm getting off work at noon today. Be packed." She threw some things in a suitcase and we headed up to spend the week-end with relatives in the Adirondacks.


Dad loved the cold weather. I can recall going for walks with him in the snow. When we walked in the Adirondacks, it would be so cold that the snow would crunch beneath our feet.He never could tolerate the heat. Neither can I.


Dad played the piano with a talent that was a pure gift. He never learned to read a note of music and I was told he taught himself on an old pump organ. He loved the music of the big bands era. If I listen hard enough, I still hear some of those sweet melodies as vividly as I did when they floated across our living room fifty years ago.


I wish dad had been around to meet our granddaughter. I think he would have just adored her. I wish he were here to see our kids in their successful careers. On the other hand, he'd probably be miserable in today's world. All the technology, the economy, the politics, would be a constant source of irritation to him!


He lived a good life, and in those last months, when cancer attacked his body, he fought a brave fight and brought encouragement to all those around him.


Today, especially, I miss him.


Love you dad!


Thanks for reading my blog!

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL

It's great to be back in the blogosphere. I've missed my readers and I hope you've missed me!


I can't think of a better topic on Patti's Porch today than to tell you about the Heaven is for Real event my husband and I attended a couple of nights ago.


I'm sure many of you have heard about the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo, which tells the incredible story of his three year-old son's visit to heaven while undergoing surgery. I couldn't believe it when I learned this event would be held in a high school gymnasium in the next town, a community of about 8,000 people. Through the hard work and financial contributions of several area sponsors, those of us in the oft forgotten rural section of Southeastern Colorado were able to experience a truly delightful and inspirational evening.


The band Read You and Me played praise and worship music for quite a while. It was a bit loud, but it set the tone for the fact that the audience was there to have an encounter with God and give all the glory to Him.


Mr Burpo, a pastor from a small church in Nebraska, then spoke about their family's experience. He took us through the heart-wrenching moments when they thought they might lose their precious son and the observations young Colton shared with his parents for months afterward that verified he had actually visited heaven. The Biblical references a child could not possibly know or fabricate bring authenticity to his words that, in my opinion, cannot be refuted.


We next viewed a home video, where Colton revealed some of his observations to his dad. There are several videos that can be accessed. This is one.


A local pastor then interviewed Todd and his wife, Sonja. I love the way this family handles the message God has given them to share. They don't exploit their now eleven year-old son by putting him on stage to testify to what he saw and learned. They don't preach "you have to believe this." They simply plant seeds with solid facts and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. 


We saw Colton briefly when he came on stage to sing Amazing Grace with the pure sweet voice of a child who knows without a doubt that God, Jesus, and heaven are for real.


Have you ever had a mountaintop experience? Most of us have, where our hearts are so full that we feel like we will burst with joy.


I can't say I felt that type of emotion after this event. What I walked away with was more of a sense of confirmation and anticipation. It reminded me of when I am planning a trip and someone who has been there says, "Oh, yes, all the things you've heard about it are true. You're just going to love it!"


There sure have been a lot of questions rolling around in my brain since Wednesday evening, though. Here are just a few:


What kind of work will God have for me to do when I get there?
(Colton talked about homework!)

Will I really be able to see everything around me without glasses?

What will it be like to travel with wings? (Colton says everybody gets a pair!)

Is my dad driving the open roads in the most luxurious car ever?

Is my grandmother, who loved gardening, tending a garden so gorgeous it is beyond human description?

Are my mother-in-law's many children who preceded her in death gathering together at the table to enjoy her home-made tortillas?
(Colton talks about meeting his sister, who his mom miscarried long before Colton was born).

How many people aren't there because I didn't share my faith when I could have? (Wow, that's a tough one!)

Heaven is for real. I have peace in the knowledge that no matter what I endure on this earth, whether it be pain, heartbreak, financial insecurity, or disaster, it pales in comparison to the glory that awaits. There will be stumbling blocks on this path we call life, but all I have to do to reach my final destination is accept the gift God gave me, His son. I am blessed to have heard this story first hand of a little boy who confirms it as absolute truth.


If this event comes to your area, I strongly urge you to attend. Read the book. See for yourself the truths God has revealed through the eyes of a child.


Thanks for reading my blog.












  

In Case You're Wondering

In case those of you who visit my web site are wondering what happened, I managed to totally mess up all of the changes my web master did to my site. She added a new header, updated my About Patti page and added two new blog pages.

Enter non-techie me and my creative granddaughter! We thought we would add some font and color changes, but somewhere along the line, we managed to initiate template changes as well, which wiped out all the HTML on my web site! It's all still there somewhere, but my web master is writing on deadline for the next few weeks and won't be able to do a total fix for a while.

My granddaughter thinks this is her fault because she made all the "clicks" in blogger. I reminded her that it was me who gave her the go ahead to make the "clicks." If only we had known that in our "clicking" fervor to design we were destructive!

In the meantime, my new web pages are accessible at the top of the sidebar, but until I get everything straightened out, I won't be promoting them a whole lot. My About Patti page also takes you to the Doteasy for now.

So sorry about this! I'll let you know when I'm back up and running at full speed.

Thanks for reading my blog!

What we need

The Lenten season has come and gone for another year. I posted a few weeks back that I was going to give up chocolate this year and explained the reasons why.

I learned an amazing thing during that period of self-denial. I don’t need chocolate. That realization leads me to wonder how many other “things” I indulge in every day that I can do without. God provides so much that we take for granted. He doesn’t always provide all that we want, but He definitely supplies all that we need.

Today, I feel God fulfilling one of my deepest needs, the need for His calming presence. My husband is in surgery as I write this for what the medical profession calls a "fem pop bypass" to his left leg. It took him some time to get to this point since he was supposed to have the surgery last year. 

An angiogram ordered by his cardiologist revealed that he needed open heart surgery first. He was supposed to have a quadruple bypass, but damage to his aorta allowed the bypass of only one artery. That was done the day before Thanksgiving. 

I don't know why my anxiety level was higher this morning prior to this current surgery than it was the day of the open heart surgery. Maybe it's because a lady in our church recently had leg surgery that went terribly wrong and resulted in an amputation. 

Whatever the reason, my husband and I said a prayer this morning and when the two of us together gave it all to God, it lifted a great burden from my heart.

The operating room nurse just called out to the waiting room to tell me everything is gong great. My husband has waited a long time for this surgery and I'm so blessed to know that God is with him every step of the way.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Interview with Author Jerri Ledford

Today, it is my pleasure to welcome and introduce multi-published author Jerri Ledford. Jerri, welcome to Patti’s Porch.

Tell us about your three book Biloxi suspense series.

This is my first fiction series.  Biloxi Sunrise is the story of two homicide special investigators on the Biloxi Police Department. They’re investigating a string of vicious murders along the Gulf Coast while dealing with their own personal demons from their pasts. Both have secrets, and those secrets could be the thing that gets them both killed.

Biloxi Blue, the second book in the series, bring Jack and Kate back. This time, Jack has been promoted to Captain, leaving Kate behind as a special investigator with a brand new partner. When bodies start turning up again, Kate and her new partner must find the killer, while she and Jack grow further apart. When the murderer comes after Kate, Jack and her new partner must race to save her before she winds up dead.

The third book, Biloxi Heat, features Jack’s niece, Lisa, more prominently. She’s all grown up now, going through school and preparing for her own career when her friend’s husband dies in a house fire. Lisa thinks it could have been arson, so she calls Jack and Kate in to help her figure out what’s going on before her friend (and herself) become victims of a murderous arsonist.

I've read the first book. Sounds like the next two will provide the same level of great reading. 

The first book, Biloxi Sunrise, touched on many subjects: exploitation of children, the wounds abuse inflicts on women, and loyalty among police officers, to name a few. What research resources did you use to create Biloxi Sunrise?  

I use the internet a lot, but I also spent some time at the Writer’s Police Academy learning about some aspects of the book. I also learned a lot during that conference that will apply to both of the other books in this series. 

I also read a lot. I have a shelf dedicated to my resource books.  It includes things like Police Procedure and Investigation, The Idiots Guide to Criminal Investigations, and Crime Scene Investigation.  In addition, I’ve read lots of books about criminal psychology, abnormal psychology, and forensics.

People are another resource I rely heavily on.  I’ve traveled a lot in my lifetime, and when people talk, I try to listen.  I pick up bits and pieces here and there. That always gets filed away for future use.  I’ll also interview experts in a given field when necessary.

I think the fact that you used interviews with people added depth to your story. Great job!

What do you like most about writing suspense stories?

It’s the story.  How do people who are otherwise just like me and you get through the circumstances that they find themselves in? I find that I’m very drawn to understanding how other people think.  And when you put someone in a life-threatening situation, you’ll see a side of them that might not otherwise show up.  That’s the part of suspense that I love…when the characters become more than I ever thought they would.

Television is loaded with cop shows. Did you model your main character, Jack Roe, after any of them?

I have to laugh at this.  Someone recently said Jack reminded them of Jack Malone of Without a Trace. In fact, Jack was conceived LONG before the TV show ever hit the airwaves.  Jack came to me in the mid-nineties, and he’s been with me ever since. Driving me up a wall!

Jack has an amalgamation of traits from people that I have loved and cared about over my lifetime.  The military background comes from my father and another man that was at one time in my life. His strength and pride from several people, and his loyalty to family from someone that holds my heart to this day. He’s all of the good traits of a bunch of people all rolled into one.

The books in this series are available only in electronic format. What do you see as the pros and cons of this publishing venue?

This is a pretty tough question.  I am a huge advocate for electronic publishing.  I think it’s definitely going to be the major publishing platform in a few years.  It offers a lot of plusses.  For example, time to market is an often-quoted benefit.  I’m currently working on Biloxi Blue. I started the book in November. It should be available for purchase around the end of April.  That’s a 5 month lead time.  

Whereas, if I were to go the more traditional publishing route, the book takes between 12 and 18 months to hit the stands from the time I finish writing it. By relying on electronic publishing, I’m increasing my productivity considerably.

But there’s the other side of digital publishing, right now. Because it is much easier to publish electronically, without the fetters of the traditional publishing world, a lot of people are doing it.  That makes getting noticed much harder than it’s ever been.  Constant marketing is required. And because I am self-published, I’m held to a much higher standard than traditionally published books.  I’ve taken lashes for mistakes in the first book yet I’ve seen traditionally published books with much worse mistakes that are never called out.

Traditional publishing, however, also has some advantages.  As of right now, electronic publishing only claims about 10 percent of the reading market.  By not having the book available in print, then I’m missing out on all the possible sales that would fit into the 90 percent of books that are still purchased and read in paper format.  There is just a much larger marketplace for paper-based books.  Personally, I don’t think it will remain that way, however, and so I’m taking the time now, while digital publishing is in its early stages, to try to establish a following of readers that like the types of stories that I write.

You offer some great insight into this controversial issue, Jerri.

SEO: Search Engine Optimization is one of your non-fiction books. How important do you feel it is for a new author to be easily located on the web?

If you’re a self-publishing, or indie author, it’s essential.  You name has to be everywhere.  And if potential readers see your name and want to know more about your books, they better be able to find that information quickly and easily.  The internet, you see, has made it so much easier to move on to the next name on the list.

So, being present means you have to participate in social media. Have a web presence. And share that with everyone that you know.  That alone could be a full-time job.  I could hire a person to do nothing but work my online presence and keep them busy for as many hours a day as I spend writing.  Of course, that’s not feasible, but I can dream, right? 

You have published many different forms of writing, from articles and news stories to book-length work in both fiction and non-fiction. If you could choose only one form of writing, what would it be?

Fiction. Hands down. And I didn’t even have to think about that answer. I’ve always wanted to write fiction. I have so many stories to tell.  The other writing was a way to build my skill, earn a living, and mature enough to have something to write about in the fiction world. But if I could only do one kind of writing, it would always be fiction.  I love telling stories. I love exploring characters. And I love sharing bits and pieces of who I am and what I believe with the readers that pick up my books.

What is your favorite pastime when you are not writing?

You mean there’s something besides writing?  =)  Okay.  I’m kidding.  I DO spend a lot of time writing.  Sometimes up to 16 hours a day.  But when I’m not writing, my very next love is my family.  I spend as much time as I can with my kids.  Right now, that means shuttle service and soccer games.  But over the years it’s meant many different kinds of things, from homeschooling to playground patrol.

I also usually have a camera slung around my neck. I love taking pictures. Of people, of places, and things.  Whatever happens to strike my fancy.  I’ve even had a few pictures published, though I’ll probably never be the first person that anyone thinks of when they think of photography. Still, it’s something that I love to do.

Creativity seems to play a big part in my life.  I like to cook. I like to make jewelry. I used to sew a little, too, though I haven’t done that in a while. And I like gardening.  It’s all about making something. 

And when I’m not writing, or I need a break from writing, these other creative endeavors usually kick in to occupy my time.

I'd say you are a very busy lady!

What advice would you give to new, unpublished writers?

Be persistent.  Over the course of my career I’ve learned one thing. The person that hangs on the longest usually ends up with the job. I won’t ever claim to be the greatest writer on the planet.  I’m not, and probably never will be because I’m too hard-headed.  But that same trait (being hard-headed) has landed me more jobs than most writers.  Mostly it’s because I don’t know when to stop.  I see something I want to do, and I work at doing it.  It doesn’t matter if I don’t have the right experience or knowledge.  I can learn how to do anything I want to do.  And for some reason, hearing the word “no” doesn’t faze me.  I just keep right after it until it happens.

I’m not sure what trait you would call that, but I’ve always said I was just too dumb to fail.

Where can your readers find you on the web?

Oh, I’m all over the place.

Web

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Linkedin

Google+

Thank you, Jerri, for stopping by!

Thanks for inviting me! I’ve enjoyed sharing a little about myself. And I invite your readers to email me directly if you have any questions.  (jerrilynn (at) gmail (dot) com)

Below is my review of Biloxi Sunrise:

It had been a while since I’d read a mystery, and I sure chose the right one! Biloxi Sunrise hooked me from the first scene and kept me engaged with the characters right to the end.

As a police officer, Jack Roe has sworn to serve and protect. Yet, the fact that he didn’t protect his own wife and daughter from their deaths haunts him every day of his life. Now, he has a second chance with his sister and niece, but the job gets more difficult with each new threat to their well-being.

Kate, his partner, hides her shameful past from him. Her shortcoming leaves him vulnerable to danger as he burrows deeper into a murder investigation.

Counselor Dana McNally harbors her own secrets as she delves into the lives of the broken and abused women she strives to heal. Her growing relationship with Jack puts her on a collision course that thrusts him in harm’s way.

This novel carries all the elements of a great story:  believable characters, a well-constructed plot, and suspense that keeps you up all night turning the pages.

I’d love to read more books by this author. Thanks for a great read, Jerri!

Thanks for reading my blog!