Christmas Wish List

I found what I believe is the most perfect writing retreat--ever. (Or at least within my immediate reaches.) It's called "Explore the Literature and Landscape of the Horse", hosted by author and speaker Page Lambert this summer at the Vee Bar Guest Ranch in Wyoming. Each participant is paired up with a horse for the week and as the brochure states, "As we learn more about how a horse communicates with the world, we develop a deeper awareness of how we communicate with the world." I get goosebumps just thinking about it!

As someone who has lived in the suburbs of Minneapolis/St. Paul for the last 20 years, I can only imagine how engaging and life-changing an experience like this would be. My daily environment consists of strip malls, giant box retailers with giant paved parking lots, traffic lights, traffic congestion, and just plain traffic. This fall our suburb, which is on the outer fringe of the Twin Cities Metro, added two metro transit stations with daily bus service to the Twin Cities. I told my husband that was the last straw--it's time to get out.

Actually, we do plan to list our house for sale with hopes of moving to "the country", and we plan to keep an open mind for whatever opportunities come our way. In the mean time, I'll be dreaming about a cabin nestled along a rushing creek at the Vee Bar ranch, imagining what I can learn from a horse, as we spend 5 days "riding and writing" in the Snowy Range Mountains of Wyoming. And to think I'll have a real horse this time--not a little plastic one like I took to the Buffalo Gap Guest Ranch in September. (Although I have to admit, Rio and I did have a special time together.)

So yes, a week at the Vee Bar ranch with author Page Lambert and facilitator Sheri Griffith is at the top of my Christmas Wish List for 2009!

Barbara

Christmas--Celebrating the Joy of Faith and Family God's Way

As I look out my office window this morning, the ground is covered in fresh white snow. It's only a dusting...tips of short green grass poke through, as though they're not ready to be hidden away for the long winter that we get to "enjoy" here in Minnesota.

Yes, it is December...the season of Christ's birth. For many it is a time of family get-togethers, of decorating the house in red and green, and gift-giving. If you are looking for a heartwarming and economical Christmas gift, consider the book, Christmas--Celebrating the Joy of Faith and Family God's Way, Whitestone Books, a collection of true and tender holiday stories. Each story is a real life reminder that Christmas truly begins in the loving heart of the Father.

A Christmas Bundle is one of my stories selected for the book and shares my unexpected arrival for my parents late in life. With a willingness and obedience to God, Jessie and Percy Veden selflessly accepted the responsibility of raising another child in their 50s, a time when most couples were in the twilight of their parenting years. In a small, rural farmhouse, they welcomed another baby into their simple home, placing the well-worn crib in the midst of the warm kitchen where Jessie spent most of her days.

Christmas-God's Way is available on my website on the Anthologies page. While you're there, check out the other compilation books such as Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Sons, Cup of Comfort for Single Mothers, Groovy Chicks' Road Trip to Love, and Finding and Following God's Will.

Christmas Blessings,

Barbara