The Call of Music

When I was a little girl with a square, red-cheeked face, and chubby fingers, about the age of three, I started to tinker on our upright piano, and tried with my little brain to make a melody. Nana, my music teacher grandmother, said that it was time to teach me how to play the piano. It didn’t matter that my fingers were short and fat, the desire grew in my heart, and so we began.

The music filled my heart and soul, even at a young age. I used to sing to the horses, cows, and bulls on our farm, sometimes standing right next to their giant pillars of legs. Father once found me singing to our two thousand pound bull in his bullpen! The animals seemed to have a sense of my vulnerability and innocence, and didn’t ever attempt to hurt me. I always felt that I knew what they were thinking.

As I grew up, I never lost my love for music. Indeed, the piano, accordion, organ, and guitar were my first conquests. My first singing solo was at the age of nine for the spring concert in elementary school. My interest burgeoned after that, and father took me to as all the Broadway musicals that came to St. Paul and Minneapolis. I remember my brothers hollering to our parents, “Mom, Dad, make her stop!” I played the piano in our living room for hours on end, and they didn’t appreciate that it interrupted their evening TV entertainment. After that, they bought me a piano for my bedroom. Every moment that I didn’t do chores, homework, or make dinner, I spent at the piano.

When I was thirteen years old, I began voice lessons with one of the most renowned voice teachers of all time, Madame Mady Metzger-Ziegler, famous for her hay days at the Berlin Opera, the Deutsche Staatsoper. She taught me well and hard, and stretched my voice to the full breadth of a coloratura soprano: four octaves. She sent me out for auditions for various community events and productions, which led to my first leading role in an opera at the age of fifteen, and the opportunity to record with the Boston Pops at the age of sixteen.

Through my teen years, twenties, thirties, and forties, I performed at various amateur and professional venues, and then I stopped. I still don’t know for certain why I stopped. In my fifties, I rediscovered music at our very large church and became part of the choir, with occasional special roles. That led to the beginning of my own music ministry, a mini-choir of twenty-two people who sang mostly gospel music. After that, I started a Praise and Worship Band, and began to tour the area. It expended an enormous amount of energy: the practices, the setup and breakdown of equipment, the performances, and I lost fifteen more pounds.

I wrote music all hours of the day and night, built a recording studio, and recorded the music. Lyrics poured out of me in a flood of inspiration, and then “The Spirit Series” of books, which went international at the onset. The time spent writing and publishing the books overwhelmed me, and so I discontinued my music ministry. My husband, Don, suggested on a beach in Hawaii, “Why don’t you try writing some fiction?” I thought, “Why not?” I retreated to our room upstairs and retrieved my notebook and “The Faith Series” of Christian fiction began. I’m now in the middle of the fifth book in this series, and it, too, is spreading around the world.

Up until about three months ago, my church attendance started to wane with travel, problems with insomnia, and my workload, all bad excuses for not attending church regularly. At one point, I didn’t attend church three weeks in a row. That’s when it happened: the Holy Spirit convicted me big time for not using the gift of music that God had given me at a very young age. I wasn’t using it to worship Him, which is the reason God gave me the gift in the first place. I understood what God wanted and returned to church to sing out in the congregation in a full emotional voice of praise. I concocted harmonies and descants for worship and praise songs and sang out my love for God with my hands in the air. It made me feel so much better.

Groups of people chose to sit near us, and people said to me, “I hope you’re going to sing today.” This morning, my heart felt overwhelmed with glorious thanks to the Lord for being so supernatural that the Creator of the universe could come down to earth in the form of a little baby. The more I sang to His praise, the more I felt like continuing to do so. When God is gracious enough to give us a gift, it is not for a defined period of our own determination, but for a lifetime. God never calls us and then takes back the call. From this moment on, I will sing to the praises of the Lord, until I sound like a croaking frog. To God, it will sound like an angel singing in perfect angelic harmony, such are the ways of the Lord.

Run for Your Life!

 After they had joined hands, Lilia's dad prayed. "Dear Father, please bless this food to our use and us to your service, and help us always to remember to put our work in your hands," and everyone closed with, "Amen." The family enjoyed their evening meal. It was a time of sharing a little about what their day had held.

"Can I go first?" Lilia demanded to know with excitement.

"Go ahead, honey," her mom urged her on.

"You know how that nasty Jimmy is always pulling my hair and running off so I can't catch him? I can't stand him! Today was the last straw. We played softball at school, and it was my turn up to bat. Jimmy ran over and yanked my hair so hard that I screamed! Then, somehow, he became stuck between me and the catcher, so I threw down my bat, grabbed him, shoved him to the ground, and sat on him! Everyone cheered! I grabbed his arms, and held them down in the dirt while he kicked and screamed! Defeated, that's what Jimmy was! That'll teach him!" Lilia spat out the words so quickly in celebration of her victory over Jimmy that spit shot out of her mouth towards her family, and they quickly jumped back to avoid it. She licked it away with her tongue and awaited their congratulations.

The three startled faces of her mom, dad, and grandpa stared back at Lilia. She saw big eyes and slight smirks, but that's all. She couldn't figure out why they weren't seemingly happy for her.

Her grandpa began, "Lilia, in Hebrews 13:5, the Bible tells us 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

"What does that have to do with Jimmy, for crying out loud?" cried Lilia in complete exasperation. She slapped her forehead with her hand. This feels like a trap, she thought.

"What does that mean to you, Lilia?" queried her grandpa seriously. He gazed at her intently and waited for her to answer.

"It means that when I need God's help, he'll always be there to help." Lilia wondered if this would help at all. Gramps is so smart in the ways of the Lord, she thought.

"Yah, that's partially right. It means that he's always with you, not just if you call him to be with you." Her grandpa could see the dawning of truth in Lilia's eyes, as they grew wider.

"You mean that when I sat on that brat, Jimmy, and held him down, God was there?" This isn't good, Lilia thought.

"Yes, Child," her grandpa admitted simply.

"Oh, this stinks! Now, you're telling me that what I did was wrong and God knows it?" Lilia felt appalled and knew that she was losing ground.

"Yes, Child, he does. You see, Lilia, God is not with us for just inspiration and extraordinary circumstances, he's with us in everything we do, even mucking out the barn or feeding the cattle or riding your horse, King," said her grandpa as he drove his point home. He folded his hands together in front of him in finality.

"Well, if he's always with me, then I'll have to write a song to sing to him while we're working to remind me, something like, 'I'm cleaning the barn, praise the Lord! I'm feeding the cattle, praise the Lord! I'm shucking corn, praise the Lord! I'm hauling hay, praise the Lord!" All the smirks turned into outright laughter. Lilia's dad looked like he needed a tissue for his watering eyes.

Her grandpa brought everything back to the right tone. "You're getting closer. Child, everything that we own or have is given to us by the Lord: the horses and cattle that eat the hay, and the hay itself. If we remember that God is always with us, we can honor him with our work and our actions," he said as he nodded his head in affirmation.

"I guess I didn't honor God today when I sat on Jimmy," reflected Lilia remorsefully. She bowed her head in shame at the realization of the truth.

"No, you didn't," chimed her dad. "Someday that boy will be twice as big as you, and he'll definitely remember that you bullied him. Then, what will you do? Huh?"

"I'll sing 'Praise the Lord!' and run for my life!" Lilia cried with humor, and she could see that they threatened to burst forth with laughter.

Her mom slowed things down a bit. "Think about how you can make it up to Jimmy."

"Do you think he'll forgive me if I say I'm sorry and make him some brownies?" Lilia asked hopefully, mainly to please her mom, since she still held Jimmy in low esteem.

"That's a good start, Lilia. I'll help you after dinner," her mom replied, as she smiled encouragingly at her daughter. Lilia doesn't mean to be a bad girl, she just gets carried away in the moment sometimes, her mom thought. Lilia sighed deeply as her spirit stretched and grew with the Word of God.

Christmas Letter 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

The books are hilarious, inspirational, uplifting, and sometimes shocking stories of a fellowship of young people in Wailua, Kauai, who allow God to be their guide as they struggle through their youth and humanness. Sometimes their adventures are endearing, and other times they are downright outrageous. Confidence: Reliance on the Spirit is the second book in “The Faith Series,” a series of 5 to 6 books. The first book is Innocence: Simplicity of Spirit.

This year was one of the most remarkable years in my life to date. Anything is possible when we follow God’s leading.

The holding company for the original publisher and another very large publisher transferred me to the large publisher in June, and gave me a wonderful new contract, which I couldn’t refuse because the terms were so much better than the old contract! The new publisher has a worldwide marketing plan for the books, which has already gone into effect. The first book featured at the World Book Expo in Frankfurt, Germany a few weeks ago. Out of the 800 authors that the publisher represented, 30 or so authors received deals with major distributors in other countries. Innocence: Simplicity of Spirit received multiple deals in China, Turkey, and Greece. It seems that these countries are looking for books written for young adults with American values.

Next is the London Book Expo, and then we, Don and I, will represent the books at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at UCLA, which draws 130,000 or more attendees. After that, Don and I travel to the huge New York Book Expo, and then the books go to the Beijing Book Expo, and then back to the World Book Expo in Frankfurt, Germany to complete the year.

The publisher also features the books in “Bowker’s Books,” the book list that bookstores use to shop for new books. Soon, the books will be coming to a bookstore near you. They are currently on all the big bookstore websites, along with the books from “The Spirit Series.”

We are a few weeks away from the release date for Confidence: Reliance on the Spirit, and the publisher’s website is not up yet. In the meantime, you may order Innocence: Simplicity of Spirit, and pre-order Confidence: Reliance on the Spirit from the website below:

Website: www.storiesforbelievers.com

Blog: http://storiesforbelievers.blogspot.com

E-mail: storiesforbelievers@live.com

Thanks for all your support. We plan to look up this holiday season and give thanks for the miracles while we continue to place our work in God’s hands. May God bless you and keep you in his tender loving care now and always.

Peggy and Don

Fourth of July

The Christian family Fourth of July was an exciting day for everyone. Lilia couldn’t wait for the fireworks tonight. She loved it when all the kids ran around in the dark with sparklers. It looked like disembodied lights, which made their way around the yard on their own. It was a perfect end to a perfect day of family activities.

At one o’clock in the afternoon, the families started to arrive. Lilia could feel the excitement build. The new family from church arrived, too, the Lindermans. Kids age five to age fifteen poured out of their van in every direction. Mrs. Linderman had had a baby every year for eleven years, and she didn’t have any help. Lilia’s mom didn’t know how she did it and neither did anyone else.

Her mom introduced Lilia to Mr. and Mrs. Linderman. Lilia liked the gentle and sweet Mrs. Linderman immediately, and took an instant dislike to Mr. Linderman. He employed loud and crude language, words that children shouldn’t hear, or for that matter, even adults. Lilia speculated about what the kids would be like. The little children appeared quiet and held onto their mother. Lilia liked Mary and Larry, who were eleven and twelve, but the thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen year-old Dean, Dick, and Bill were another story. They were just like their dad, profane and disruptive.

The afternoon with the three young men challenged Lilia’s temper. Her father suggested she give the three young men rides on her magnificent American Saddlebred horse, King. Dean kicked King and abused him, and so Lilia returned Dean to the paddock and ordered him to dismount. Bill insisted that he was next. The first part of the ride commenced smoothly until he decided to fondle Lilia’s breast. The mortified and angry Lilia reared King and dumped Bill on his butt on the ground. She left him there in the red dust, cantered King home, and ended the afternoon of rides.

After dinner that evening, everyone felt amicable, even the nasty Linderman boys. The moment approached that all the guests waited for, the fireworks. The dark navy sky turned darker yet and cars gathered on the highway. Lilia spied the sheriff’s car three cars down. Contented adults and children filled the picnic tables, chatted agreeably, and waited for the famous Christian Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza.

The dads delivered sparklers to all the younger kids with a warning not to burn themselves. Lilia trotted around with the children, waved the sparklers, and pretended to be happy. Dick, Dean, and Bill lit sparklers, too, but Lilia couldn’t figure out why. Usually the older kids weren’t interested in sparklers. She gazed on at their actions in utter horror. Like planned clockwork, Dean, Dick, and Bill launched their half-burned sparklers, one, two, and three, into the large box of fireworks before anyone could stop them.

The box exploded like a bomb right in front of the boys. Dick shrieked that he had burned his hand. Dean and Bill tore off from the onslaught of fireworks artillery. The guests howled, screamed, yowled, and wailed as moms and dads dashed to protect their children.

The aerial repeaters shot off in whatever direction the original explosion forced them. They careened into cars, scarred buildings, and broke windshields. Firecrackers danced and popped unpredictably and threatened anyone nearby. The spark-emitting fountain shot out sparks right, left, up, and down on the mound, all at the same time. The ground spinners ripped furiously across the grass in every direction. Moms, dads, and children sprinted away uncertain of the next bombardment. Rockets and missiles crackled, popped, and spewed stars on the grass where the children played. The high-pitched screams of the children curdled Lilia’s blood. Roman candles burst and repeated as the missiles shot over the heads of everyone there, and forced people to dive to the ground in the dirt.

Lilia stooped behind a car next to the wheel to shelter her legs. She quickly donned her baseball cap as sparks lit on her hair. She felt discouraged for the people on the highway, who anticipated the cosmic light show, but didn’t know for sure what had happened. The only thing the highway spectators witnessed was ground explosions and chaos as moms, dads, and children ran and shrieked all over the yard. The onslaught ended as quickly as it had started. Adrenalin ran so high that people half-fainted on the ground.

Without a word of apology, Mr. Linderman whistled a loud and distinct whistle that all his kids recognized. The mom and children scooted to the family’s van and hopped in. Darrell rolled down his driver’s side window, waved good-bye to the other guests, and yelled with great pride, “Aren’t my boys a hoot?”

Precautions Are a Risk

Precautions tend to increase and reinforce fear. I don't want the fear of attack to make a coward out of me or keep me from fulfilling God's plan for me. Therefore, I stand bold and alone and wait for the guidance. I trust in God and he leads me with my hand held in his gentle grasp. It seems like an uncertain future from earth, but the truth is that our future life is more certain when we look up.

Love at First Sight

Apelehama had an unidentifiable twinkle in his eye when he left for his date with Mandy. “What’s up, Dad?” His son, Jacob, inquired with a lift of his brows. His dad appeared uncharacteristically happy today when usually he had a sober demeanor.

“None of your business, Son,” his dad said with a look that warned, “Don’t go there.” Apelehama had on his best Tommy Bahama shirt, usually reserved for Sunday, a soft olive green color with beige grass and leaves. He knew the coloring complemented his dark skin nicely.

Earlier in the day, he had gone to Hal’s Barber Shop, so Hal could tame his wild head of hair. Hal had asked him a similar question, “What’s going on, Apelehama?” He had said nothing, just shook his head.

He planned to pick up Mandy at five o’clock in the afternoon. The sun set around six o’clock to six-thirty in the evening, since the island never went on daylight savings’ time.

Mandy lived over on the Poipu side of the island, in one of the big houses facing the ocean on The Point. When Apelehama arrived at Mandy’s at five o’clock in the afternoon, Mandy was ready. She wasn’t one of those women who were always late. She believed that everyone’s time was just as valuable as her own time was.

Mandy looked like a princess this evening. She wore an ankle-length, soft green and lavender, spaghetti strapped dress in a simple drop-waist style. Her white skin had tanned to a golden glow in the last few weeks from all her work in the yard. The effect was very striking. She also wore simple diamond earrings, a silver bracelet, and an aquamarine ring, just enough and not too much. Mandy didn’t like big earrings, like many women. To complete her ensemble, Mandy wore strappy, silver, low heels, sensible but exquisite.

Mandy met Apelehama at the door, “Good evening, handsome man,” she cooed and gave him a hug. She loved the feel of the soft hair on the back of his neck and his scent of citrus cologne. She felt it was very sexy, but then who could resist six-feet, four-inches of a statuesque Hawaiian Adonis, who possessed the grace of an athlete. She tossed her red bob haircut out of her eyes to reveal the shining blue-green wonders that he so adored.

“You become lovelier each time I see you, Mandy. How do you do it?” He admired her stunning beauty as he held her around her waist, and the reality of her love caressed his heart. Apelehama hadn’t meant to fall in love at first sight. He generally was not impetuous, but it was something that was completely out of his control. The vulnerable and guileless expression on her face had spoken volumes about her personality, and he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. He had simply strolled to the door of the meeting room for The Third Quarter group at church and escorted her to a chair, next to him, of course.

“It has a lot to do with you, my love. You chase away the blues,” Mandy smiled lovingly up at his imposing stature as she held his large brown hands in hers. She stroked his handsome face with her long elegant fingers.

The two of them always seemed to be so happy together. Jacob and Francine had recently met an Apelehama that they had never known before: light-hearted, sweet, and with a sense of humor. Until Mandy, they had only known the quiet, serious, and wise Apelehama. It was obvious that Apelehama and Mandy brought out the best in each other.

Apelehama held Mandy’s hand as they walked down the front steps to his truck. He opened the passenger-side door for her, and helped her up into his truck. In the gentle trade winds, the sweet smell of wild ginger wafted through the air and the perfect temperature hovered around seventy-eight to eighty degrees. The day felt like a blessing to be alive in God’s kingdom.

Mandy relaxed and enjoyed Apelehama’s company. There didn’t seem to be any reason to talk. He quietly drove them to the Wailua River boat landing where a covered boat and a driver waited for them. He held Mandy’s hand and helped her into the boat. He directed her to the bench at the back where they could sit together, and he could put his arm around her.

Apelehama directed the boat captain to drive slowly. He didn’t want gas fumes to ruin the evening. A slight, light shower created a rainbow through the sunshine and made all the plants appear sparkling fresh and new. When they arrived at the Fern Grotto, he helped her out of the boat. He held her hand and guided her to one of the first seats just inside the lava cave. The philodendrons and ferns glistened like diamonds with the freshly fallen rain and magically reflected the evening sun.

Mandy sat quietly, but her heart knew even though she said nothing. She watched him pull up his pant leg slightly and go down on one knee. He peered solemnly into her turquoise jewels. She felt as if she was on stage in an enchanted drama where the actors discover that they have heartfelt feelings for each other.

Apelehama opened the ring case, which contained the five-carat, princess-cut diamond he had chosen. It was simple and lovely, big enough for her to realize the depth of his love, and uncomplicated enough to complement her sophisticated style. He had no long speech prepared. He only asked with earnest desire in his gravelly baritone, “Mandy, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

This moment couldn’t be more enamored, Mandy thought. Goose bumps arose on her arms, but it wasn’t cold. “It would be my honor, Apelehama,” Mandy said with sweet sincerity and emotion, “I love you.”

“I love you, too, ” he countered with a catch in his throat. He slipped the ring on her finger where it fit perfectly. He took Mandy’s hand, pulled her up to his chest, and kissed her passionately. The fire in him took her breath away. She blushed and felt a little faint as she leaned into him. Without another word, he took her hand, and walked her back to the boat. They didn’t need any pictures of the moment because they would remember it forever in their minds.

They glided back down the river. When they reached the landing, Apelehama lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the boat with ease. Something about the motion said that she was now his. It was a motion that seemed too personal until now. She luxuriated in his touch in a manner that no woman had ever exhibited before, and it made him feel like a king. At seventy-two years of age, he was not a shy fiancé. No, he would make certain that he was man enough for her.

The Monk Seals of Poipu, Kauai

On this last trip to Poipu, Kauai, we were fortunate to see the Hawaiian Monk Seals sleeping on the beach. There were two of them snoozing in the sand. They slept so heavily that they appeared to be dead! They had to be a mother seal and her young nursing baby because that is the only time that you will see a Monk Seal with another Monk Seal. The mother seal nurses the thirty-pound newborn baby for six weeks, until it weighs around two-hundred pounds, and then the young seal is on its own! This mother seal was about six feet long and weighed about four hundred pounds. Her baby must have been close to the end of the nursing stage, since he or she looked to weigh near two-hundred pounds.

They flopped up on the beach early one morning, and the lifeguard cordoned off the area so that people could not approach them too closely. They are very solitary creatures and prefer to be alone, and they are extremely sensitive to humans. A mother Monk Seal will actually abandon her young nursing seal if disturbed by people. They are the most endangered marine mammal located in the United States. There are around twelve-hundred of them living in and around the Hawaiian atolls.

The mother and her young seal slept on the beach all day until the tide came in. The sleepy heads didn’t want to wake up yet, and so they climbed up a little further on the beach. An hour passed and the surf increased even more in the late afternoon. The water sloshed around the mother and cub, and pushed them up on the beach and then pulled them back in the water. They enjoyed their snooze so much that they purposely slept on. It looked like two dead seals washed in from sea. My husband and I laughed as they slept so solidly in the moving surf. Most other creatures would notice when a big wave crashed over their back. The high tide at Poipu pushed the mother seal and her baby around for about an hour. It was hilarious!

When the sun waned towards the horizon, the mother woke up first, shook her head, and waited for the baby to wake up. When the baby finally opened its eyes, the mother seal led the way, and the two seals swam away from the reef out into the Pacific Ocean. The baby would nurse and the mother would enjoy her gourmet cuisine of bottom fish, eel, lobster, and possibly an octopus! They have the amazing ability to dive down to around sixteen-hundred feet, and so they stay well fed.

We viewed the amazing couple of seals for three days, and then they must have found another sunny beach to occupy.

I praise our Maker for the order that he created in our world for all species of animals, including the Monk Seals. However, I am thankful that the closest our Maker came to make me a Monk Seal was to make me a writer instead! Imagine living your entire life without the companionship of another human being. He not only gave us fellowship, but he also gave us his grace through his Son. Our lives are infinitely better than the lives of the Monk Seals, although, I could certainly handle living in Hawaii, couldn’t you?

Hummingbirds

Back at the ranch again, Jim and Lilia relaxed up on the roof of the lean-to. “Look, Jim,” Lilia said quietly and pointed at a mother hummingbird sitting in a carefully constructed nest on a low-lying branch of a queen palm tree. They gazed at the conical miracle. “It looks like green plastic, but I think she constructed it from spume and greenery collected from the area,” Lilia whispered to Jim in awe of one of God’s creations.

Jim peered into Lilia’s amazing turquoise eyes, and said, “Lilia, you’re a hummingbird, too. Your life hums at the speed of light just like the hummingbird’s does.”

“What kind of bird or animal are you like, Jim?” Lilia asked with curiosity. She tilted her head at him and wondered if he’d play along with her.

He chuckled and replied, “I’m probably a tall and proud elk, but to keep up with you, I’m forced to be a coyote.” They laughed easily together.

Over a period of eighteen days, Lilia and Jim watched the nest. She pointed out every change to Jim. The two little eggs hatched and became two tiny little beaks, which stuck straight up from the bottom of the conical home. The beaks emerged into heads, and then the bodies became visible. One little hummingbird tried out its speedy wings, and then poked at the back of the other hummingbird with its beak to tell it,” Move over.” Eventually, the only way that the two little birds could fit in the nest was similar to shoes in a shoebox: head to tail and tail to head.

Jim and Lilia knew that it wouldn’t be long before the little birds took flight. The next morning they climbed up the ladder to the top of the lean-to, and looked down to view that the birds were gone. Star jasmine grew up the side of the barn and lean-to. Lilia and Jim lay on their stomachs and observed as the mother hummingbird and the two little hummers feasted on the nectar. Jim felt sad that the birds had grown too big for the nest, but he took solace in the perfection that the miracle of God displayed in their growth. He realized that it was no different with Lilia. God displayed her growth for the world to see, too.

The Feral Roosters of Kauai

Each morning as the sun rose, the feral roosters encouraged us to get out of bed. It didn’t bother me too much, since I was still on Pacific Coast Time and wanted to get out of bed anyway. For those folks who may have wanted to catch a few more winks, I said, “Good Luck!” The crowing roosters numbered in the dozens. Everywhere we looked, there were chickens! We saw big fighting cocks, hens with babies, and even chickens sitting in a chair next to us at the outdoor grill! There were battalions of chickens marching around our table as we ate. A big chicken pecked at a little chicken who cocked to close to a table, and feathers flew up in the air in cackled panic. Some of the chickens were beautiful bantams, some were Bantams mixed with white chickens, the outcome of which was an odd-looking gray chicken with gold specks! There were chickens of all sizes squished in the streets, inconvenient road kill.

Don left to retrieve something from our condominium. I wasn’t alert as the big bantam jumped up on the little table between our beach chairs, and grabbed the pineapple right out of Don’s Chichi! He leaped off the table and took cover with his bounty under the bushes. Dozens of other chickens fought him for his prize, and they exchanged the piece of pineapple from beak to beak, much like a pineapple relay!

I don’t remember all these chickens from our earlier visits to Kauai, and there’s a good reason why. Hurricane Iniki blew in with a fury in 1992. The force of the wind released many of the fighting cocks and other chickens, and they went forth and multiplied. The variety of chickens is interesting to see, but they are truly a nuisance to the locals as they cackle and hackle all day long.

Someone came up with a recipe for the chickens. The recipe directs the chef to slow cook the chicken with spices and a rock. When the dish has cooked completely, you throw away the chicken and eat the rock! Free-range fighting cocks are tough!

God Thinks Bigger Than We Do

God’s plan is often bigger than our own, and he proves that to us daily when we decide to represent him. Recently, we traveled to Xcaret, Mexico for vacation. I looked forward to some down time. At home, everyone knows that I work for the Lord. At home, I am constantly in view to others, questioned, and requested to pray. I don’t mind that I need to be an example of my faith because that is what I do for a living – write Christian fiction. When we went on vacation to Xcaret, I had hoped to remain anonymous and relax, but that didn’t happen.

The first day there, Don and I spent the day to ourselves, and enjoyed the largest swimming pool in the world at the Grand Mayan. It is one-fifth of one mile long and triple-decked, an unbelievable construction to behold. At home, I exercise two to three hours a day or more. I don’t always feel like doing that on vacation, so I thought that the least that I could do was to walk up and down in the swimming pool, something that a physical therapist said was fantastic exercise for the alignment of the spine and the balanced workout of muscles. I walked the length of the pool up and back fifteen to twenty times a day.

In the publishing world, I am known as the “turquoise cowgirl” because that color looks best on me in photographs, since my hair turned white. (There’s still a vestige of blonde hair, but it is mostly white even though people think it’s still blonde when they look at me.) In my turquoise cowboy hat and turquoise bathing suit, I walked the length of the pool repeatedly. Occasionally, I’d walk up to the swimming pool bar and order a water, or soda, or glass of wine. I love to habla con el gente local, and so I spoke to the men operating the bar. Invariably, their favorite question is, “What do you do for a living?” They are curious about Americans in that way. Maybe they wonder how we manage to have enough money to afford a place like the Grand Mayan – one of Mexico’s most extravagant resorts. In our case, the trip was a perquisite.

When I told them that I write Christian fiction, they honored me in a way that I don’t deserve. One young man’s eyes filled with tears. He told me his name, Jesus Gebril, and asked me never to forget who he was. Everyone requested more information, and so I started to pass out my business cards. The service poolside became better than I ever expected after that. They all wanted to talk about their faith. It was so refreshing!

The next day, we had a difficult time finding a place to sit. A wonderful couple, Mary and Richard from Pennsylvania, shared a table with us. We started talking and they, too, were curious about what we do. I gave them a business card. A couple next to them requested one, too. I was so proud of them, Marilyn and Tom from Michigan, because they had come to Mexico with business-size cards written in Spanish that led a person down the path to believe. After that, these two impressive couples had our chairs staked out for us each day before we even arrived at the pool!

That was just the beginning. In my walks in the pool, several people confronted me, a couple from San Diego, a couple from Washington D.C., a couple from Virginia, a couple from our home town, Calabasas, California, and countless others. They all asked the same question, “What do you do?” I handed out business cards to all of them. Many of them started to walk with me in the pool and talked about their faith, or lack of faith. I listened and tried to be a good example of my faith. Faith is such a highly personal topic, and yet they wanted to discuss it. That same day, we had the photo shoot on the beach with a professional photographer from the area. He took most of the shots on and under the famous pier on the gulf, where several beer commercials had been made. A crowd gathered for that event, which brought more people to my lounge chair to ask for business cards.

My plan to relax and remain anonymous was not God’s plan for me. Each day the number of people that I met escalated. I collected e-mail addresses and business cards from them to add them to my mailing list. We talked and talked and talked about God and faith as we walked in the swimming pool. Poor Don kept wondering if I was ever going to sit by the pool and relax. It never happened. I stayed on my toes and remained thoughtful and alert for the entire trip. When people prepared to leave, they asked for pictures. Many of these people I will never see again, but they still wanted pictures of us together. It was very touching.

I could have been stubborn and insisted on my privacy, but it was not part of God’s plan for me on that trip. It made me realize that I need to be prepared every time we travel. I need to carry business cards and my Bible to maintain my meditative demeanor. The number of people that God placed in my path made me look around in wonder at his plan. I think that people innately seek purity, whether they are aware of it or not. They are drawn to people who also seek purity. Whatever it is, it staggered me. Now, as we plan to leave for Kauai, I’m curious as to what will happen on this trip, but it isn’t for me to say. I place my life in God’s hands and follow as he leads the way.

From Goo to Zoo to You?

He took a snapshot of his wife at the beach. It was a perfect moment in time with the late afternoon lighting the gulf waters and the tide rolling in on cue. The snapshot is of less than a second of the woman’s life, and yet when one views it, you see the coordination of an ongoing time continuum that maintains the light and the dark, and the planets in alignment so that the sun and moon can rise and set, and incoming and outgoing tides arrive on schedule.

If one were to take that time continuum for one person and stretch it over the space of his or her lifetime, it would seem nothing short of miraculous that all the pieces held together in perfect coordination. If one were to take the time continuum and stretch it from the beginning of time to the end of time, and then multiply it by the number of people who have ever lived, and calculate the permutations and combinations, it is impossible to believe that the orchestration of that world happened randomly.

If one were to view the perfect order in which all those people existed under a predictable moon and sun, among predictable planets, it would seem so wondrous that only an entity of greater and far superior power could ever have conceived of it.

Add to the picture, the number of organs and functions in a body, and how they work so perfectly together to maintain the human in either a state of homeostasis or of adapted imbalance. Add the number of critically aligned elements that must work together to create an ongoing physical history, and the mind cannot conceive of anything so vast and universal.

The evidence is too overwhelming to ignore. God lives and watches from way out there in his third heaven. We have unending miracles for which to be thankful, even if we are just standing here and doing nothing. It isn’t that hard to believe.

He Gives and Takes Away

As a believer, the one thing that I pray for most of all is acceptance of God's will. I want to welcome the testing, and know that I won't always feel the pain of humanness, but be transcended to a better place in the future. We have something to look forward to when we die. I care whether or not I cause a change in my earthly journey, otherwise, why did I even come here? I think about everything. My mind is my nemesis and blessing. That's often the way it is with a blessing from God. It's often, too, why we love someone. We're attracted to a characteristic, which later we find to be a downfall.

Daisy Lou and Emily Lou traveled from Ireland to be a part of our animal family. They were only six weeks old when the kennel owner brought them under the front seat of the airplane to La Guardia Airport in New York. They rested for four days, visited a vet for a health check-up, and then flew to Los Angeles. These two little West Highland White Terriers were just about the cutest things to ever come into our household, aside from our beautiful Missy, whom we lost after eleven and a half years.

Of the little Westies, Emily, was clearly the leader of the pack, and her sister, Daisy, was gracious enough to let that happen. Daisy had a graciousness about her from the day we first met her. She'd always let Emily have her way, even when she knew Emily was wrong. Emily loved to float with Don on the floater in the pool. She loved to swim, which is something our vet had assured us these two dogs would never want to do, there in the name "terrier," of the earth. Once Emily received permission to go into the pool by the removal of her collar, there was no stopping her. She'd dive in repeatedly, swim the length of the pool, climb out, and dive in again. She absolutely loved the water! She could even climb up on the floater in the pool without help!

Daisy didn't like the water at all, but Emily taught her to like it. If Emily floated, Daisy would consider floating, too. It wasn't second nature to Daisy as it was with Emily. The sound of sirens was something that drove Emily to distraction. She'd launch a high, screaming howl that was enough to break your eardrums! We never witnessed such an event with Daisy while Emily was alive. Sadly, Emily was taken from us at the age of two and a half years. She had a rare kidney disease, which took her down. Her last day with us was Father's Day 2002, and she spent it floating with Don in the swimming pool.

After Emily died, Daisy remained extremely sad, and it was evident if we didn't find another Westie pronto that we risked losing her also. We rescued a male Westie with a heart defect. He took to us right away. He had heart surgery one year after we found him, and is now currrently as healthy as he can be. Daisy, who never liked floating, now floats around the pool with my husband, and is teaching Gregs to do the same. Daisy, who never liked standing on the step in the pool, loves to stand there now, and has taught Gregs to do the same. Daisy, who never howled like a siren, launches a high-pitched howl every time she hears a siren. While Emily was alive, she didn't engage in any of these behaviors. I think that Emily taught her, and so Emily's legacy still lives on through Daisy, and now through Gregs.

It's the same way with people and families. We may not realize it at the time, but we're being influenced by our family's presence and the people around us. More than that, I pray that we are influenced by God and His Word. Nothing gives me more peace than to know that God loves me despite all my flaws. It has been a while since God has tested me severely, and it happened last weekend when he threatened to take my husband from me. I know I might not be able to say this again for certain in the future, but when I thought I was going to lose my husband, I realized that I loved God more. That's something for which I have been praying for many years. I had to thank God for the testing. It gave me renewed confidence in my faith. My father is gone. He died in 2004, and yet part of him lives on in me, the "never give up" part. He taught me in life, and he taught me through his death. In the end, I'm simply a composite of all the people I chose to admire, and they have become part of me. God is at the center of all of who I am. I dwelt with Him and now he dwells in me. And, that's more reason to spend time in His Word: to gain resilience.

Eleven-Year-Old Best Friends: Singing in the Rain

“Hi, Lilia, this is Mele. Are we still on for tonight? You heard that it’s going to rain, didn’t you?” Mele asked excitedly.



“Yes, we’ll do it tonight!” Lilia exclaimed with pleasure.


“Mom’s bringing me over at five-thirty. Will that be okay?” Mele inquired politely, as she always did.


“That’s great, Mele! Invite your mom and dad to come over after dinner. I’ll put out the invitation here. See you then!” Lilia scurried back to her bedroom to ensure that her white shorts and white t-shirt were available for use.


After dinner, Lilia's parents, Jacob and Francine, and Mele's parents, David and Ioka, and Lilia's grandpa, Apelehama, settled themselves on the covered veranda of the ranch house with their coffee cups. They wondered what the girls had planned for them. Mele and Lilia appeared in white shorts and white t-shirts. They held their bodies upright with perfect posture, as if they were about to dance a ballet. It was a lovely rainy evening, what the girls had been waiting for. Lilia had arranged a medley of songs for them to sing and dance for their parents.


They walked past their parents very gracefully. They pointed their toes and let their weight rest on the balls of their feet, like dancers would do. They glided down the veranda steps and out to the muddy circular driveway into the rain. Lilia cued her dad to press "start" on her boom box. When the music began, Lilia and Mele took off singing and dancing: “Si-i-i-ing-in in the rain, I’m si-i-i-ing-in in the rain…” Their feet plop-plopped in the mud puddles and quick little steps swished-swished. They crooked their knees and feet, hooked their thumbs in their front pockets, and performed a cowboy hoe-down.

Next, they did the Hokey-Pokey for the interlude, which included all the motions in the song itself, “Put your right foot in, put your right foot out, put your right foot in, and shake it all about. Do the hokey pokey, and turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about!” They shook jazz hands all about in a circle as they splashed each other more furiously. God in His heaven sent down more rain to bless the dirty dancers, and mud flew from here to there and everywhere.


They returned to “Si-i-i-ing-in in the rain, I’m si-i-i-ing-in in the rain. What a glorious feeling I’m ha-a-a-appy again!” The finale included a splash-off between the two girls. Frenzied feet kicked mud at each other and swooshed the crazed mud, up, out, everywhere, into desperate motion.


For the ending, Lilia and Mele sang, “Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo” as they skipped to the steps to take their bows. The adults viewed two little faces with eyes, but that was about it. Mud drip, dripped down their hair and off the ends of their noses. Mud hung on kneecaps and in between toes. Muddy particles of dirt stuck to every inch of them. Eyelashes blink, blinked in their new camouflage.

“It’s nice when God gives us the props that we need!” Lilia and Mele guffawed together. They took their bows. Francine and Jacob, and Ioka and David sat in nonplussed and stunned silence. Lilia's grandpa burbled with laughter, and then he threw his head back and roared with the hilarity of the dance idea. The two girls threw them a very innocent expression and blink-blinked at them in their muddy attire. Their parents chuckled and then broke forth with uproaorious laughter as the rain sent streams of mud down their faces. Lilia turned to Mele and cried, "That's what I was going for, a sense of utter abandonment!"

Mele slapped Lilia on the back, and hollered, "You goofus!"


Jacob whooped with laughter as he slapped his thighs, and then said, “Okay, you two little piglets, out to the barn, we’ll hose you off before you take your showers.” Jacob never knew what was going to happen next. Lilia and Mele always kept them on their toes. He liked it that way, though. It made life on their little ranch a lot more interesting.

Dog Training Man: Arrow the Pharaoh Service Dog

I first noticed the Pharaoh service dog in the red vest as he and his owner walked through the airport in Atlanta. He was a magnificent creature. He had a long torso, a lean conformation, and a sleek head. He looked a lot like the dogs pictured at the pyramids in Egypt. In fact, they were his ancestors.

I didn't expect to ever see the man and his beautiful dog again. My husband and I boarded the airplane to Los Angeles. As the plane roared down the runway for takeoff, my husband said, "Did you notice the dog under the seat next to you?"

There he was, the lithe, royal-looking Pharaoh dog. He rested under his owner's legs and spread out under the legs of the man in the center seat as well. The man mentioned to me that Arrow was new at flying.

I petted the exquisite dog's head. Arrow became nervous and started to shake due to the airplane floor vibrations in takeoff. He scooted over to my side of the aisle and leaned up against my legs. The dog felt comforted when I slowly stroked his back and cooed to him that everything would be all right. Eventually, he stopped shaking and the owner encouraged Arrow to climb back under his legs, Arrow's assigned resting place.

My curiosity was piqued, and so I asked the owner, "What function does Arrow perform for you?"

"He senses when I'm about to have a seizure," he replied.

"What does he do when that happens?" I inquired.

"He goes crazy and jumps all over me, which is to remind me to take my medicine," the owner smiled.

"That's remarkable," I replied with astonishment. "How does he know? Does your scent change?"

"Some doctors have told me that, and some have said that it's because of the increased activity in my brain waves," he explained. Now, all the people surrounding us on the plane listened to the conversation, too.

"That's very interesting," I replied with wonderment. I giggled and said, "I have a male Westie at home who goes berserk when I walk or talk in my sleep. I guess he's a service dog, too. My female Westie could not care less. How do you train your dog or find the right animal?"

"They test the dogs for certain characteristics and awareness. I train the dog myself, or I should say, he trains me, and then we can travel anywhere together." We chuckled together. The owner continued, "I was in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Arrow and I retired to our room and turned in for the night. In the middle of the night, he barked crazily and jumped all over me. People talked loudly in the hallway outside our room. I thought perhaps that they had set him off, and so I turned over and went back to sleep. An hour later, I woke up on the floor and all the bedding had been torn off the bed. Arrow laid on the bed with his legs crossed and stared down at me with superiority. He threw me his smug "I told you so" look.

I laughed at Arrow's sense of humor and attitude. "I guess it pays to listen to your service dog," I smiled in return.

We returned home to Los Angeles, and finally crawled into bed around two o'clock in the morning. I awoke to the furious barking by my male Westie, Gregs, and realized that I was sleeping on the rug in the hallway. Every time that I venture out on my nocturnal meanderings, Gregs is the catalyst to wake me. I understood that God had given me a service dog, too, to help protect me, and that knowledge gave me peace. "Gregs, thank you for your alert demeanor and caring heart. You're a good little service dog," I cooed to him as I cuddled and petted him profusely.

Sometimes we think that we choose the animal, and sometimes we think that the animal chooses us. Maybe the truth is that God pairs us together because of our natures. In other words, he created the person and dog to have an affinity for each other. It's just another way that God looks out for his children. If in that small way, the Lord protects his sheep, how many more ways do you think there are of which we are completely unaware?

The Iguana's Breakfast

We were sitting in an open air restaurant in Xcaret, Mexico eating breakfast. I was eating a customized and freshly made omelet. I first spied the large Green Iguana as he slowly approached our table waddling back and forth. He was huge, at least three feet long to the end of his tan and black-striped tail. He slapped his feet down on the pavement right next to my feet, and looked up at me with his third eye hidden behind the light scale on the top of his head. He stuck out his tongue and inquired, "What's for breakfast?"

They are attracted to the colors yellow, orange, red, and blue, and their most favorite food is, guess what? Eggs! He flirted with my leg with his tongue and encouraged me to share some eggs with him. Some fearless Hispanic children scurried over to our table with a spoonful of eggs and started feeding him.

The rakish creature had a great big fat tail, which he fed on when he's not in the feeding mode. His feeding mode only happens six times a year or so. I think he devoured his full two-months quota on that morning.

It was clear that he thought himself to be a handsome devil with the row of spines running down his back, which made him look like a dragon. He winked at me flirtatiously, and I couldn't resist his advances. I would never eat an entire omelet anyway.

He seemed to love my customized choices of cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach for my omelet. He gobbled it down with relish and came closer. His foot rested on my shoe. I was very surprised by the weight of it. I realized he must weigh fifty pounds or so, or more. I let him lick the plate. He offered his thanks, winked devilishly at me, and slipped back down the wall to the lagoon.

I didn't expect him to be loyal to me, his morning's conquest, but instead I waved good-bye and cried, "Have a nice life!"

Forgetful Husband or Convenient Amnesia

The seventy-six-year old Richard had been happily married to the fifty-nine-year old Maggie for twenty-eight years. They worked the Saturday of Labor Day weekend 2009, but then decided to have a little fun on Sunday.

They had a lovely day together. They attended church and went out for breakfast afterwards. They picked out a movie, "All About Steve," and laughed uproariously all the way through it. Richard drove them home after the movie, and then they jumped into their swimming pool for a little sun time. Richard floated around on his floater and snoozed while Maggie sunbathed in the privacy of their backyard.

It came time to walk and feed the dogs, which Richard graciously offered to do for Maggie. In the meantime, she drove to the grocery store to buy chicken and steaks for an evening barbeque. When she arrived at home, Richard had finished feeding the dogs. She said cheerily, "I have the meat for the barbeque, Honey," and smiled sweetly at him. She took out the pan and placed all the chicken and steaks in it, and handed it to Richard, the master barbeque expert at their home.

Richard gazed quizzically at the pan filled with chicken and steaks, and asked, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

Maggie thought perhaps she had assumed a little too much, and answered patiently, "Do you mind getting the barbeque started?"

"Where is it?" he asked her.

She stared at him and realized that he was completely serious. She kept calm and suggested, "Let's sit down at the breakfast table, sweetheart." He complied and sat down. She asked him, "Richard, what year is it?"

He answered with conviction and a frown, "2004, of course."

She frowned now, too. "Who is the President of the United States?"

He replied quickly, "Bush."

Her heart started to race, "Who am I, Richard?"

"You're Marilyn Monroe," he answered with a smile. Indeed Maggie had been Marilyn Monroe for a costume party many years earlier.

She took the pan filled with meat, covered it, and deposited it in the refrigerator. She collected her keys, purse, and sunglasses, and said quietly, "We're going to the hospital." She took his hand and led him to her truck. He complied, climbed in, and buckled his seat belt.

For those of you who have seen the movie, "Fifty First Dates," you'll remember a character that they named "Ten Second Tom." Tom's memory only lasted ten seconds, and then it was gone. Richard had become "Thirty Second Richard."

Richard asked Maggie seriously, "Where are we going?"

She replied calmly and nicely, "We're going to the hospital?"

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you don't remember, and there might be something wrong," she replied and patted his hand.

He sat quietly, and then asked thirty seconds later, "Where are we going?"

She answered each time with patience and aplomb, but internally became quite concerned. They arrived at the Emergency Room, and she held his hand and walked him to check in. She said, "He's lost around the last five years. He doesn't remember." Maggie hadn't even checked him in when she was allowed access to the doctors. They went to work on him immediately. They changed him to wear a gown, took blood, put him on oxygen, took a Cat scan, arranged for an MRI, and captured a chest X-ray.

Richard inquired of Maggie, "Why am I here?"

She explained patiently, "Because you don't remember."

The doctors asked him each time they entered the room, "What year is it?"

Richard answered that it was "2005" one time, "2008" another time, and "2010" yet another time. Maggie realized that he was just guessing. His mind moved so quickly to adapt to his circumstances that he processed everything that was said to him in the hopes of finding a way out of the hospital. He insisted that he was okay and wanted them to release him.

He was so insistent that Maggie finally questioned him with a big question, "Did you know that your friend, John, died?"

"John died?" he said in horrific shock. "When did he die?" he asked with emotional upset.

"Last May," she replied gently. "You see, honey, you don't remember."

That line of questioning from Richard continued for several hours, and then he started fidgeting with everything around him in the hospital room. He asked the same questions repeatedly, "Where's my phone? Where's my wallet? Where' my handy knife?"

"I took them home for you, Richard, when I went to get fresh clothes for you," she answered.

"What happened to the clothes I had on?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"You had a little accident, honey," she replied and felt embarrassed for him.

"I peed in my pants?" He asked her incredulously.

"I'm afraid so, dear," she replied thoughtfully.

The night commenced with that particular line of questioning, and then morning arrived. The doctors ruled out transient ischemic attacks or mini-strokes, a heart attack, any chemical imbalances, or other aberrations. They concluded that her husband was in excellent physical condition, and there was no strong reason to keep him in the hospital. The couple prepared to go home. The internist greeted them before he left, and said, "It is transient global amnesia. There is a one in a hundred thousand chance that it will happen again in his lifetime. It almost never happens twice, so don't worry about it. It only lasts six to twenty-four hours."

The couple doesn't know what caused it, and probably never will, but thanked God for the testing of their faith and the blessing of restored health. Richard doesn't remember most of the twenty-four hours that he was in the hospital, or any of his Sunday. Those hours are gone from his memory forever.

Maggie commented to Richard later that afternoon, "Don't you think that it's odd that you didn't just lose little bits of randomly selected times in your life, but instead you lost one specific chronological time frame? God designed us so perfectly that even memory loss can be managed mercifully."

"Yes, Marilyn Monroe, dear, I agree." He winked at her and smiled. She'd never know if he really thought she was Marilyn Monroe or not, but it pleased her that he thought of her in that way.

"Thank you, dear Father, for the blessing of Richard," she whispered to her Maker.