Letting Go

A few days before Easter, our household received momentous news. Our youngest received his acceptance letter to Moody Bible Institute.

I'm happy for him. Really. Even if Chicago is a loooooong way from northern California. Even if he's my baby. There is such a comfort in knowing that though he will be far from home and family he is never far from God. As it so happens, we both believe and serve the same God who will continue to connect us, no matter the distance.

At the same time, I'm mindful to resist an urge to be too proud. This is my son's life, purpose and ministry and it's a matter between him and the Lord. I'm merely incredibly blessed to be along for the ride with a front row seat.

Before I get something in my eye, here's a photo of our beagle Riley. Like me, she has mixed feelings. She was asked by big sister to give a "high five" in celebration. See the first photo - she's not so sure about all this.

The second photo is her attempt at being a good sport, and my attempt at catching it in action. Sorta missed it, but there you go.

Excerpt from Harte's Peak...do you love the Gym?

June 20th is release day, and will be here before I know it. There's lots to do in preparation for a book release, and as the weather warms across the continent, I'm going to laugh about the fact that Harte's Peak is set during the snowfall at winter time. Maybe it will cool some readers off.

Meanwhile, there's a fitness craze going on where I work. It started a few weeks ago and coincided with the calendar indicating spring had sprung - co-workers are pairing up and going for walks at lunch time. Carb elimination is rampant - bread is the bad guy, and salad is our new best friend. Of course, the men have already lost weight. Don't get me started.

I thought about a scene in Harte's Peak that involves our hero, Ryan Colton, getting our heroine, Vera Carrington, ready for the slopes. Vera is a girl after my own heart - she'd be the one to say that if she's found dead on a jogging trail people should know she was killed elsewhere and the body moved there.

From Harte's Peak, releasing June 20th in all digital formats from The White Rose/Pelican Book Group:

From treadmill to stair stepper. Running nowhere to climbing nowhere. What joy.

The person who’d invented these machines had a wicked sense of humor. By the end of their session, the sweat dripped profusely from every pore she owned and surely some she didn't.

Ryan threw a towel at her, and she slid down the length of the wall in a heap. He was treating her like one of the guys. Why, then, did she hate it?

"Good work. Tomorrow we'll step it up a little. I didn't want to be too hard on you the first day."