Writing plans for June

My writing schedule for the month of June will be a continuation of ideas and queries from the month of May.  The only new thing that has occurred is that I am officially looking for an Editor. I had to!
I have read and proofed Prayers of Motherhood for so long, that I no longer could look at it with a discerning, and critical, eye. So, I began looking for a fresh pair of eyes.

So far, I have only had the free consultation of the first few paragraphs.  Just to see what is suggested for me to change.  Once I have giving the suggestion a thorough look over, then I will make my decision to either go with this Editor or look for another.

When I needed a break from Prayers of Motherhood, I wrote poetry.  Poetry is the form of writing that helped me the most as a adolescent and teenager, and has continued to be a form of release for me as an adult.  To say that this is my favorite form of writing would be an understatement.  For this reason, I am pleased to announce that I have finished my first chapbook manuscript; A chapbook is a collection of poetry. 

So, now I am researching publishers accepting submissions.  Please go along this ride with me.

See you guys next time!

What I have been up to

It has been a while since my last blog post.  What have I been up to?

• Marketing Revised: Prayers of Motherhood. Specifically, researching new ways to market it.  Social Media did help me to introduce my book to potential readers, but now I need to come up with additional ways to advertise it.  So that interest and sales will continue to increase.
• Researching and querying Literary Agents to represent a children's book series I have written.  Threshold and Grandpa explains Bible Verses and principles to children, of any age, without being preachy.
• Working on, compiling, a poetry book titled Any Given Sunday Morning.  This is a collection of poems that tells what a typical Sunday consisted of as a child growing up in North Carolina in the mid 1960's to early 1980's.  A manuscript I plan to enter into a poetry contest.
• Looking for a part-time job.  I only want 20-25 hours a week. 
• Being a single mom of a thirteen year old boy.
• Trying to grow closer to God.

Well that is all that I have been up to lately.  It may seem I have been up to a lot; but not really.  Because, I did not work on everything on the same day.

Love you guys!!  Write to you next time.

Book update

This is the cover shot to Revised: Prayers of Motherhood

"...Early the next morning I stood in my bathroom holding a white stick with a pink plus sign in the window.  In a state of shock I prayed: ..."

The above quote is an excerpt from the newest addition of my book titled Revised Prayers of Motherhood.  Which is available for purchase, in paperback, through Amazon or downloaded to Kindle. Make sure to put in the search box Revised:Prayers of Motherhood.

Please feel free to leave an honest comment and an honest review of the book.  Also you can send me a message at: momsclub456@gmail.com.

I hope that you will enjoy.

Update

Hey, Guys!  Sorry for the lapse in between blogs.  But sometimes life happens.  Nothing major or life changing occurred; I have just been busy with life.

Here is a few hints to upcoming blogs.

  I have a thirteen year old son who is in the 7th grade.  Knowing that he feels more comfortable talking to and asking male family members for advice, I began looking for a devotional that was written by other teens or males in their early twenties.  After researching it a while I found exactly what I was looking for.

   The revised version of Prayers of Motherhood is available through Amazon and Create Space.  A blog is coming giving you an update of the changes and corrections that were made to the original book.

   A three or four part series on Understanding the book of Songs is planned.  This series will give you some ideas on how I interpreted it.

  I hope you are as enthusiastic about the upcoming blogs as I am. 

I will see you in the next blog

Psalms: Problem and Answers

Today while I was doing my bible study out of the corner of my eyes I noticed the explanation summary for Psalm 142.  The summary said, and I quote,:

"A prayer when overwhelmed and desperate.  When you feel cornered by our enemies, only God can keep us safe." (Life Application Bible; NIV; Zondervan)

This book was written by David while he was in the cave.  Feeling stressed out and desperate he prayed:

"When my spirit grows faint within me it is you who watch over my way,  In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me.  Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me.  I have no refuge; no one cares for my life." (NIV) (Psalm 142:3-4)

Have you ever felt like that?  As if you are suffocating from the problems in your life and that there is no one there to help you? What do you do when you feel this way?

David says: "I cry out to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy,  I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble."

Jesus left us the gift of prayer so that we could speak to God on a one on one basis any time of day or night.  So, when there is no else who is there for  us we can always, like David said, we can pour out our complaints before God.

So, when you feel distraught with no one else to talk to take it to God in prayer.

S. O. A. P

During my daily quiet time with God I am always looking for a way to better understand his word in order to grow closer to Him.  So, I prayed to God to give me a better understanding of his way.

The answer came to me one day while I was watching a video and a woman was explaining how to use the acronym S.O .A,P. 

Letter by letter the acronym means Scripture, Observation, Observation, and Prayer.

Scripture: Write down the scripture that you are trying to understand,

Observation: Where, when, why, and under what circumstances was the verse said or written.

Assessment: How does the verse affect you in your life or any given situation that you are in.

Prayer:  Ask God to give you understanding of the verse or praise him for giving you understanding,

This occurred a few days ago.  Since then I have adjusted it to fit me and my daily Bible study,  I do not always use the O (Observation) part of the acronym.  So instead of the acronym spelling SOAP it now spells SAP: Scripture, Assessment, Prayer.

I hope that this helps you in understanding God's words.  Please feel free to adjust it according to your needs.

God did not allow this to happen!

Today, January 30, 2016, I clicked on my Social Media to find, in my Suggestion to Watch list, the breaking news of the shooting and killing of six at a Mosque in Quebec, Canada.

How am I sure that God did not let this happen?

One of God commandments, that he instructs us to follow, says; "Thy shall not kill." (Exodus 20:13)  Ask yourself, why would God instruct us to follow this commandment when he would allow others to be killed.

God's words are not contradictory!

In fact God's word instructs us on how we are suppose to treat foreigners. 

In Leviticus 19:33-34 God instructs Moses on how he wanted him and the Israelites how to worship him and gave them a guidebook on holy living.  During these instructions he says: "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.  The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native=born.  Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.  I am the Lord your God."
 

If God did not allow this to happen then who did?

Satan knows that he has limited amount of time left before the second coming of Jesus Christ.  So, he is feeding off of people's spiritual weakness and deep rooted hatred for others.

This is why we must dress in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-17) everyday.  Praying as we take each and every step.

An Update

Hey Guys!

     Just wanted to give you an update on what I have been up to. 

• I am currently proofing the revised version of Prayers of Motherhood.  A task I hope to have completed in the next couple of weeks.
• Accumulating some drafts for this blog.
• Writing down, and organizing, ideas for not only this blog but also for upcoming books, short stories, and developing other projects.
• But mainly I have been living life, praying, and raising my son.

So, look for notifications in the near future for new blogs and maybe a few surprises!

Changes are coming

Hey Everyone,

In the next couple of weeks there will be some extra posts and pages added to my blog.  I will be starting Book Blog Pages.  These pages will consist of three elements.  The first page will be a picture of the book with a small summary of what the book is about.  The second page will consist of my bio.  And the third page will consist of excerpts from the book.

I hope that you will enjoy these changes.  But do not worry A Sarcastic Question and Prose and Paragraph will remain the same. 

I hope that you will enjoy these changes.  Feel free to leave me a comment, because your feedback helps me to better my blog.  Also, feel free to share any post that you have enjoyed and that you feel will help someone else out.

See you in the next couple of weeks.

Why did I self publish?

Those close to me know that ever since I leaned to compose my first complete sentence, writing has been a passion of mine. At that time, and experience level in my life, most of mine stories was about whatever stray dog was dumped at our house that day or that week or to aggravate my older, teenage, sisters by writing stories about them getting a pimple.

As writing, and reading, became a very important part of every day of my waking hours, the goal of having my words in print, either formatted in a hard cove or paperback format was a dream of mine.  I began to submit my unedited, manuscripts and query letters to any and every publishing house that I could think of.  To which, the only type if replies that I would receive were rejection letters. 

Decades later, I received my first acceptance letter for the Prayers of Motherhood manuscript.  To say that I was excited would be an understatement.  Having been taught to read the small print before you sign on the dotted line, I began reading the contract; I had studied to be a Paralegal.  I found the, smoking, small print of the very last page where it stated that in order for them to start the publishing process on my book, they will need close to $4,000 for the PR and Marketing cost.  At the time I was an unemployed, single mother.  I did not have $4,000 and was not willing to put my self or allow my family go in debt, so that I could have my first book published.

Homeward Bound

The following days after giving birth felt like, literally, riding an emotional roller coaster.  As the Estrogen and Endorphins began to battle against each other to see which one would reach its normal level first. Leaving me feeling confused, emotional, and exhausted.  Needing some sort of clarity, I said a silent prayer:

"Lord, I am feeling some kind of way right now.  A way that I have never felt before.  Are these normal post system of child birth?  Oh Lord, I cannot stand feeling this way."

Because I began running a fever, and my son was having trouble breathing, we stayed in the hospital for a week before we were released.  As a hospital orderly pushed me to my sister's waiting car, I said a silent prayer:

"Lord,"
"Yes, Rachel."
"What are they thinking releasing this innocent infant into my care?"
"You will be fine Rachel."
"But, I do not know anything about taking care of an infant."
"Recall how you have helped your sisters raise their children."
"But, they went home in thirty minutes to an hour later."
"You learned more than you think."
"I understand Lord but I will be responsible for him 24/7 365 day a year."
"I will be there each second to help you."
"Thank you, Lord."

     As I cautiously maneuvered myself into the back seat of my sister's car I unknowingly placed my arm around my son for the short ride home.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

You can now purchase the entire Prayers of Motherhood series on Amazon or Kindle.

Hey Guys! Sorry for the lapse in posts but I have been creating a backlog of drafts and working on a special project; which will be revealed in the next couple of weeks.  So stay tuned.

Love you guys,  My sisters and brothers in Christ.

A Question Prayer

Dear God;

Let thy will be done.

As you know we had on election for the next President of the United States.  We both know who I voted for but when it is all said and done the candidate that you have pre-chosen won in the end.  So that all events will occur before your son Jesus Christ will return.  Knowing and  fully believing in this I need to ask you a few questions about the current state of this world.

One of the candidates said that they will send a group of people, who they categorized as minorities, back to their birth countries.  Lord, do they not know that you created everyone and everything on this earth?

If they were successful in returning minorities to their earthly homeland who will spend money in the stores to help contribute to the economy?

Lord, do they not know, or accept and acknowledge, that you are King ?  That you created everything and everyone and while they may make promises about what they will be able to do, once and if, they are elected you are a God whose promises never changes.

Although they want to seat on the throne of President of the United States, You will forever sit on the Heavenly throne.
 

A Child of God response to the election results.

Okay we know that Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States of America.

  This morning when I googled the election the first words out of my mouth was: "To God be Glory."  Meaning that I believe that God's will was done. 

What did I do next?  Wake my son up to get ready for school and then went on with my morning.

Why?

 I am fifty two years old and have been through several elections.  Some of the candidates I voted for won and some lost.  After each of these elections my bills still needed to be paid, I was still responsible for clothing, maintaining a roof over my son and my heads, and feeding the both of us; Through the glory of God.

What will I do tomorrow?

Wake up, help my son get ready for school, pray, and go on with my life.

In case you were wondering I am an African American child of God.

Prayers of Motherhood: Lord, I'm a Mother

Eight and a half months into my pregnancy, during my weekly OBGYN appointment, the nurse abruptly excused herself from the exam room.  A few moments later she came back in with the doctor.  The doctor immediately placed her stethoscope on my stomach and a few minutes later told me that they need to admit me to the hospital because they could not hear any amniotic fluid around the baby. 

The doctor's office was on the top floor of the hospital.  So, before I was calling my sister to bring my over night bag that I had pre packed, signing admitting papers, disrobed, hooked up to an IV, and they had induced my labor.  All in the matter of two hours. 

With the rush of my morning, and the unknown about giving birth for the first time, I had a difficult time relaxing.  To help me relax they decided to give me an epidural.  Thank God for the person who invented it!

From 1:00pm until 8:00am the next morning my labor was pretty uneventful.  Then at 8:15 the next morning the baby's heart monitor begin to alarm at the same time my blood pressure began to rise and I began running a fever as the baby heart rate slowed down.  The next thing I knew I was on a gurney being rushed to the OR for an emergency C-section.  At exactly 8:39am the doctor was holding up a five pound baby boy for me to see for the first time.

Prayers of Motherhood: Hugging the Pocerlain Throne

I have always had a love affair with food.  Especially if it falls in the Junk category.  Also, fast food and heavily processed food was easy to prepare and convenient.  To sit down after a long day work and enjoy a good meal was a wonderful end to any day.  So, when morning sickness  hit me like a brick to say that it through me for a loop would be an understatement.

The first change in my diet was craving foods that would have caused me to gag in the past.  One of my mom's favorite deserts was a sponge cake cup filled with cottage cheese topped with strawberries.  My least favorite ingredient on this desert is cottage cheese.  Now I was craving the same food.

But the one change that really affected me was when the smell of poultry and other meats begin to cause me to gag or run into the bathroom to hug the porcelain throne.  Being unable to tolerate the smell of food and some taste of food I became worried that me or my child was not getting the same nutrition I prayed.

"Lord, is this a joke.  You know how much I enjoy eating a good meal but now I enjoy it for a few minutes before I have to go and hug the porcelain throne.  Also, I do not understand why it is called morning sickness because I am sick at any time of the day.  Because of this I am beginning to worry about both my and my baby's health and nutrition.  You know how much nourishment we need please help me to be able to keep down enough food down for both me and the baby.  I pray this in Jesus name Amen.

As my pregnancy progressed I learned to adjust my diet to include food that did not upset my stomach.  I even came to began to enjoy other foods such as cottage cheese.

Prayers of Motherhood: Back Pain and Slight Fever

I sat in my Nurse Practitioner's office complaining of lower back pain and a slight fever.  She immediately ordered blood and urine test.  A few moments later she reentered the exam room  and asked me an odd question: "Are you late?"  Misunderstanding the question I immediately answered: "No, I have the day off from work."

She lets out a little laugh and said: "No, I am talking about your period."

I told her that I was not sure because it wasn't time for it.  So she told me that if it was late to consider taking a pregnancy test and come to see her.  I said okay and left her office.

More than four weeks passed before I remembered my Nurse Practitioners instructions while I was in the drug store waiting for another prescription to be filled.  Becoming tired sitting on the fold out chairs I took a walk down the feminine products aisle and began comparing prices on pregnancy tests.

The next morning I stood in the bathroom holding a pregnancy test stick with a bright red plus sign showing in the window. 

Still in a state of shock I said a four word prayer: "Lord, I am pregnant!"

The following week my Nurse Practitioner confirmed the results.  I was about to become a mother at the age of thirty nine.

Feeling stressed out about the change that was about to occur in my life, at some point, I prayed.

"Lord, I am about to be a mother.  becoming responsible for someone else's life when I have been only responsible for mine.  I am so afraid and confused.  You know what I need Lord.  Please help and guide me according to your will.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

With my hormones raging the stress and apprehension did not ease up over night.  However, day by day I was able to handle whatever surprises the first trimester threw at me.  Or so I thought.

Prayers of Motherhood

Hey Guys! Sorry about the time between posts but as you know sometimes life just happens.  Thank God it was not anything negative or life threatening I was simply busy creating a back list of drafts for upcoming topics.

The new series that I am beginning today titled Prayers of Motherhood.  This series will help you to understand how prayer helped me adjust to one of the happiest, but also difficult, changing time in my life. 

We will began with why I, and how I was taught to. pray.

From an early age part of our nightly routine was to kneel beside my grandmother's bed and recite the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6: 9-13).  We were not allowed to lay our heads on our pillow until we recited it correctly: word for word.  Then in high school I met a woman named Miss B, who taught me that I could pray at any time of the day no matter what I was doing. 

Prayer has been a constant part of my every day routine; whether I was aware that I was praying or not.  But, it never helped me more than the time I became a mother.

A mew blog is coming

Hey Guys!

Sorry that it has been a while between blogs.  I am currently stock piling drafts and at the same time getting my son ready for school.  but, a new post is on its way!

None more special than these (fictional for me...)

Lord in your word you say in Matthew 19:14 "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." 

Lord, is my childhood innocence there cashing in on her inheritance, after she was taken from me so abruptly. Did she come to you violently as if thrown on to a concrete floor forcefully that it knocked her unconscious; as I had been.  Or did she ascend into heaven like a feather straight into the bosom of Abraham?

Lord, please keep my childhood innocence safe and content.  Because it can never be returned to me.