Christmas Cheer is Here!

Thanksgiving in our new home

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  All of us have much to be thankful for.  I cooked a scrumptious Thanksgiving meal for family and friends.  What a special time it was celebrating the holiday in our new home.  But life moves on.  This past Tuesday my hubby, Rob, had his shoulder surgery (his first, I might add).  He is a trooper and I'm a great nursie, so we're doing pretty good, learning as we go.  I'm a bit tired and he's a bit grumpy (I blame it on his drugs ... oops ... meds.)  

As a friend, I need to make some phone calls.  As a writer, I just finished a writing project (finally).  As a Mom, I never come close to being the kind of Mom I would like to be ... saying the right things at the right time ... sending lots of money to kids and grandkids across the miles ... am I the only mother who goes through this?  The good news is that I come to my senses a lot sooner these days than in years gone by, realizing that no one is perfect.  So I continu, pressing for the prize that is set before me.

I'm rambling; I feel like I've taken some of Rob's drugs.  That's because two o'clock in the morning arrives just as I'm entering my REM sleeping zone.  But I must be faithful to rise up and give my Robinski his meds every four hours.  That's what all good nursies do.  I appreciate all the prayers you have sent our way.  We're feeling the love!
Oceans of blessings for the Christmas season!

Life begins each morning ... each morning is the open door to a new world -- new vistas, new aims, new tryings.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends.  His mercies never cease.  Great is His faithfulness.  His mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NIT

The Grace Filled Christmas Blog Tour

WELCOME TO THE GRACE FILLED CHRISTMAS BLOG TOUR!

I am thrilled beyond measure to be participating in the first annual Grace Filled Christmas Blog Tour 2012, sponsored by the Grace Awards.  It's another dream come true for me to be in the company of all these talented and gifted authors.  I would like to suggest a Christmas read that took me on a great adventure of sailing the seven seas on a WWII ship, and living to tell about it.  Yes, Lady and the Sea is a novel based on my true story.  You can travel with me without wearing a life jacket or leaving the comfort of your cozy chair by the fireplace.  You'll even spend a white Christmas in Stockholm, Sweden on board the MS Restoration.  So come, sail away with me.

"You cannot discover new oceans until you are willing to lose sight of the shore"

After two failed marriages, forty-eight-year-old Rosie Atkisson struggles to rebuild her life with her husband, Jesse, in Southern California.  But the settled rhythm of her newfound comfort is interrupted in l994 by a tug in her heart when she encounters a haunting photo of another aging lady, the WWII vessel MS Restoration.

A special mission to transport Russian Jews from Sochi, Russia, to Haifa, Israel means an adventure of a lifetime; does she dare pass up this dangerous assignment that will take her thousands of miles from her family and comfortable life?  In spite of her fear of water and the unknown condition of the ship, Rosie says yes to that inner voice that says GO!

After surviving fourteen months on board the old ship--from a hurricane to a heart attack, from miracles to the M word--menopause--and now being held at gunpoint in the Haifa Harbor--Rosie wonders if she will ever return to her own safe harbor.

Christmas on board the WWII ship MS Restoration
 Stockholm, Sweden ('94)

What makes Lady and the Sea perfect for Christmas reading and/or gifting?  Once Rosie found faith to say farewell to her safe shore and dive into a new ocean, her fourteen-month journey full of adventure, romance, and miracles enabled her to find faith for her forgotten dreams.  After traveling with Rosie, you too will find faith for YOUR forgotten dreams!  From teen-agers to 89-year-old great-grandparents, women and men who are reading Lady and the Sea are bidding farewell to their safe shores.  Lady and the Sea is the perfect gift for this season of miracles.

Purchase Links:  sharonleaf.com  amazon.com Books A Million, Barnes and Noble, E-books

I wish you a Merry Christmas, smooth sailing and oceans of blessings for this holiday season!

Please continue the GRACE FILLED CHRISTMAS BLOG TOUR through December at www.graceawardsdotorg.wordpress.com/grace-filled-christmas-blog-tour-2012/

About Sharon Leaf
Born in sultry South Carolina and raised in sunny Southern California, since turning forty, Sharon Leaf has traveled to over fifteen countries, including living in Sweden while attending an international Bible College, traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway, and volunteering on the WWII ship, MS Restoration, whose sole purpose was to transport Russian Jews from the Black Sea to Israel.  She received a degree in theology at the age of sixty, proving that it is never too late to fulfill another dream.  Lady and the Sea is Sharon's debut novel.  She lives in South Carolina with her husband and their malte-poo, Popcorn.
http://www.sharonleaf.com
http.//www.sharonleaf.blogspot.com

This is how I feel after successfully completing my 'editing-the-blog' journey

Hello everyone in Leaf Land.  Good News.  By my patience, tolerance, quiet spirit, lots of deep breaths, I finally discovered how to edit my winter photo at the top of my blog.  Hey, that is quite a victory for me.  And it's the little victories we have each day that make us who we are, right?  I knew you would agree.  Of course, before I reached the above state of mind, the reality of it all was: it took me hours last night, hovering over my iMac, sweating, drinking more wine than I should, slamming my office door so my sweet hubby and darling Popcorn wouldn't hear me bellowing into the computer screen.  Well, I'm not perfect.

Then I remembered:  Each of us may be sure that if God sends us on stony paths He will provide us with strong shoes.

I wish I had read this before I began my 'editing the blog' journey.  Oh well, better late than never.

Have a smooth-sailing day and I wish you oceans of blessings and strong shoes!

Go in peace.  The presence of the Lord be with you on your way.  

Judges 18:6  NKJV

Eeeek! Excuse Me, please while I scream

In the midst of my 'edit-my-blog' frustration, I will furnish this lovely photo of Istanbul '08

This is a short blurp, apologizing for the the present confusion on my blog.  I thought I would spend some quiet time updating my blog.  After two hours, I am still making the attempt to update my blog page.  However, I'm hitting some bumps, sprinkled with a bit of frustration.  A lot of confusion.  I'm not good at the latest updates on bloodspot ... see what I mean?  I meant to type 'blogspot', not bloodspot!  eeek!  See that BIG, HUGE, LARGE photo of the lovely snowfall in our backyard (taken 2 years ago in our former house)?  Well, its supposed to be half that size, but I can't figure out how to make it smaller.  And that's only half of it.

For now, I must close down shop and get on with my Sunday, which consists of taking Popcorn to visit Mom, to the market, and then back home.  Since this is the day of rest, I shall not attempt anything else to better my blogspot, as it might cause me to endanger myself and those around me.  Luckily, Rob is at work and Popcorn is hiding under the daybed here in my office.

I wish you smooth sailing and a pleasant Sunday.  And without sounding too selfish, I wish the same for me as well.

*To be continued

Hej da! Friends from abroad and at home

Okay, hello everyone!  I confess that I have been unfaithful to my blog.  Forgive me.  Thank you.  Our house full of Swedes departed Saturday, leaving a small hole in my heart.  We've known them for over twenty years, see them once a year if we're lucky.  They either fly this way, or we fly across the pond to spend time with them in Uppsala.  No matter how long or how short a time you've known someone, a friend is a friend is a friend.  And you know who you are.  I've always wanted to be a better friend, but somehow my friends, and there are many ... not bragging, just blessed and want to proclaim it ... accept me just as I am. And for that I am thankful.

I am in the process of writing a special blog for "The Grace Filled Christmas Blog Tour."  Once finished, I will sit down and write a longer and wittier blog.  Hmm, perhaps I'll call Aunt Eunice and have her write a blog for me.  Good idea, Sharon.  Yes, I sometimes talk to myself.

Latest news?  As of today, LADY and the SEA is available at The Lexington Public Library!  Somehow that excites me, mainly because I love libraries.  I checked out a book that I doubt if I'll even open for at least two weeks.  But no problem.  I can go online and re-check it out.  Oh, the joys of technology.  Reminds me, Rob got his iPhone 5G (is that what its called?)  And I, of course, inherited his 4S (?).  Whatever.

More news.  I receive lots of emails.  Well, not lots, but a lot for an 'almost-famous' author.  Today I received a Facebook email from someone who told me that she has been 'following me' and that I have inspired her to finish her manuscript that she started in 2007.  She will have it completed by Thanksgiving.  I inspired someone!  That makes me SO happy!  It's better than receiving a check in the mail!  So I shall celebrate this email by writing a few lines in the manuscript that I'm working on, LADY on the RUN.

Hey, we survived the election!  Now we shall survive the days ahead.  Not only survive, but we shall go out with joy and gladness.  It all begins inside of us, with our Jesus.  If you don't know Him personally, just tell Him that you would like to get to know Him.  And that, my friend, will make Him very happy!

Until next time, I wish you smooth sailing and oceans of blessings,


Sharon

Listen, my son, and be wise, 

and keep your heart on the right path.  

Proverbs 23:19 NIV