Dancing with the Stars

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Lynn

268685-dancing-with-the-stars-online-gameIt is no secret around this house that I am a HUGE fan of the T.V. reality show, “Dancing with the Stars”.  I don’t think I’ve missed a moment of every season.  My family will also tell you that I LOVE to dance – yeah, I’m a rebel Baptist 🙂  However, as much as I love to dance, I’m not that particularly coordinated, and certainly not a ballroom dancer by any stretch of the imagination.  So I live out my dream of dancing vicariously through the T.V. show and applaud loudly each performance.

That said, on Tuesday after a good visit with my daughter and my two adorable grandbabies, as I was heading out the door I did a pirouette that would have made all the judges on Dancing with the Stars oooh and ahhhh.  Oh, wait…that was me groaning immediately after I broke my foot and ankle on my daughter’s less than Welcome mat.  Never saw it coming.  Stepped out the door, caught the edge of the mat and a split second later I was on the ground writhing in pain.  Didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out it was more than a twisted ankle.

I managed to crawl my way back into the house to collapse onto the front entrance floor and my daughter went into “care giving ” mode.  My 2-year-old grandson ran up to me and gave me a hug, “Grandma, do you have an owie?”  Through my tears I tried to act bravely so he wouldn’t be traumatized.  “Grandma, fell down but I’ll be okay.  Keep hugging me and I’ll feel better,” I said.

My son was called and took me to the Urgent Care center in our small town and several hours later I was back home trying to negotiate a tiny step into my house while balancing on crutches; my right leg in an air cast.  The doctor wants me back in two weeks for reassessment but until then I’m doing the “cast and crutches” dance and I’m a horrible partner.  This being my first broken bone, I have never used crutches or hobbled about in a cast.  It’s been a whole new learning experience and one I hope I never have to repeat.  Needless to say, I will never take my right foot for granted ever again!

I had a very busy week planned and for all intents and purposes, all those plans have been abandoned.  My sweet husband stayed home for a day to wait on me hand and foot…literally.  My three kids have been “on call” in case I need something because I can’t drive with a bulky cast on my foot.  Talk about a lead foot 🙂

Sleep has been challenging while wearing a cast but kicking my husband when he snored last night might be considered assault…poor man.

I have a large dinner party planned for Sunday.  Yes, I’m sort of freaking out a little, but I’ve told everyone that I’m not cancelling and I may be “directing” rather than “serving” but that’s okay!  Not sure what I’ll wear, but combined with a colourful Christmas sweater the whole ensemble may have a really festive look if I attach a few bells to my cast!

This morning I couldn’t help but giggle when I thought about my life verse:  “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  Prov. 16:9  Seriously? Where were you Lord, on Tuesday?

I think He’s smiling and telling me that no matter my circumstances I just need to Keep Dancing!

 

 

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Shoot the Wounded is a Semi-Finalist

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Lynn

AUTHORSdB has announced the semi-finalists in its Book Cover Contest. Amongst the Young Adult contenders is “Shoot the Wounded“, the first book in my “Wounded Trilogy”. Voting will commence on November 23rd and end on December 15th, 2013, and anyone can cast a vote daily for their favorite cover design. 50% of viewer votes compiled with judges votes determines the finalists and winners of each category.

Artist, Caleb Dow Booth designed all three covers for the “Wounded Trilogy” (Shoot the Wounded, Heal the Wounded and Love the Wounded). He has a unique perspective of the world that is evidenced in his paintings, from having lived in Texas; Budapest, Hungary; Alberta, Canada; and most recently in Italy. This cover design for Shoot the Wounded is a first for Caleb, using oil paint as his medium, he has sought to create a veiled narrative that will cause viewers to discover the message of the book by asking questions about what they see depicted on the cover.

To vote, click on the book cover and vote for daily.  (You will find stars under the cover or under my author name to vote.)  Giving it 5 stars means you really love the cover!  🙂

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For Such A Time As This (2)

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Lynn

Rest of the storyPaul Harvey coined a phrase, “The rest of the story”, and indeed with my son’s adoption story there is more to it.  I was too ecstatic with the thought of bringing my son home from the hospital and getting the adoption finalized to give too much thought at the time how God had brought this all about.  And it is only a story God could so masterfully have put together, so here’s ‘the rest of the story’.

While my husband and I were lining up an adoption agency and going through the home studies etc., our next door neighbour, Dana* was going through her second bout with cancer.  A beautiful young woman, she had two children already and Laurelle (my daughter) would babysit the little girl.  My neighbour discovered to her dismay that with the cancer treatments she was too exhausted to give the children the care and attention they needed, so she hired a day nanny to come in on a part-time basis and help with some of the household chores and look after the children.  After my neighbour went into remission and was recovering nicely, she still had the nanny come to help periodically.  I would often chat with my neighbour; I knew her struggles with cancer and she also knew of our dream of having more children and wanting to adopt.

My friend, Colleen, who was my Bible Study leader at church, had a cousin who acted as a birthing coach to young unwed teenaged mothers who were facing crisis pregnancies.  At the time, Margo* was counselling and meeting with a young soon-to-be Mom who had already decided she wanted to place her child up for adoption after the child’s birth.

One day three women met together over coffee to make Christmas crafts together.  Colleen (my Bible Study leader), her cousin Margo, my neighbour Dana, and her nanny.  (“Wait a minute”, you’re saying…”that’s four women…not three…do the math!”)  Well, the cousin and the nanny were one and the same person.

As the three are chatting, Margo, who had invited Dana to join her that day to make some Christmas crafts and to meet her cousin, gets to talking about what she does when she’s not playing nanny to Dana’s children.  She talks about a young Mom who is about ready to deliver her baby and is looking for a couple to adopt her baby.  Colleen, thinking about us, mentions that she knows of a family at her church who is looking to adopt.  She starts to share a little bit more about us but does not mention our names.  Then Dana pipes up and says that she has some neighbours living right next door to her who are also looking to adopt.   When she shares that her neighbours have a little girl who sometimes babysits for her children, Colleen and Dana look wide-eyed at each other, and realize they are talking about the same family…us!

Without knowing it, we have just received our first and second “endorsements” for approval as prospective adoptive parents, and the next time Margo meets with the young expectant Mom, she excitedly tells her about us.

Now, we are blissfully unaware of this conversation until we receive that phone call from Colleen a couple of weeks later saying “A baby boy has been born in Calgary, the family is looking for an adoptive family, are you interested?”

You can read what happens next: https://lynndove.com/2013/11/22/for-such-a-time-as-this/

And that’s the rest of the story!

*names are changed

Posted in Family Life, Inspiration & Devotion, Proverbs 16:9 - Journey Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment