Farewell Fort Mill, I will miss you.

Moving is always bittersweet. The packing is very bitter and the cleaning is even bitterer (is that a word? it should be). The sweet part of our move is now we'll be ten minutes from our daughter, Jacquie, and her family. They are the family who drops by just to say hello, or calls and asks if we can come over for a BBQ, or go boating on the lake. Rob and I are so looking forward to that. Ahh, family.

Today I took Popcorn and we drove down some Fort Mill country roads for the last time. When I moved here six years ago, I loved exploring the back roads. As I listened to Tim McGraw with the wind blowing in my face, I couldn't get enough of this country feeling. I still can't. Never will. This is where I belong.

I might be saying farewell to my hometown, Fort Mill, but I will never say good-bye to my Fort Mill Friends. They have made my country move complete. Anyone who knows me, knows that I hang on to my friends, from my junior high school buddies, Teri and Kathy; to my neighbor, Shirley--we raised our kids together and opened our homes to the weekly "Good News Club." And my friend who always has an ear to listen to my whining, grumbling, and other negative attitudes--Debbie, what would I do without you?? Friends are those who stay in our hearts no matter how many miles apart we may be, and when our paths cross, it is like we never parted. Friendship takes two. I'm blessed to have friends who feel the same way as I do.

My last box is packed, but the memories that I take with me to Lexington can't be put in a box. They will live in my heart. I love you, my Fort Mill Friends, and I plan to have many parties and y'all are invited! Much love, smooth sailing, and oceans of blessings,

Sharon

A Message for All Generations, Lest We Forget

Photo taken in SoCal on my granddaughter's high school graduation 2009)

Update on my life: We sold our Fort Mill house last week so I've had to speed up the packing process. But while I'm taking my afternoon coffee break today, I had to share something special that happened to me at our monthly Literary Luncheon two weeks ago.

I was feeling a bit guilty for not doing more marketing for Lady and the Sea. Then God smiled at me.

Before the critiquing began, a fellow-writer announced, "I gave Lady and the Sea to my two grown daughters for Christmas, and my 13-year-old granddaughter called me the other day and said, 'Grama, I read Lady and the Sea and I loved it. I have never heard of the Holocaust!'" My mouth dropped as fellow-writer continued, "Then my daughter got on the phone and told me, 'Mom, Lady and the Sea has opened the door for my daughter and me to talk about premarital sex, teen pregnancy, and other hot topics of interest." (yes, my debut novel touches on many hot topics of the day.)

My soul and spirit was touched by this testimony. So attention all you mothers out there, think about giving your daughter a copy of Lady and the Sea. And don't worry if she doesn't pick it up right away; I believe she will read Lady in God's perfect time. There are many layers to the story for women of all ages. My prayer is that every reader will find that certain story within the story to find faith for their future.

I will share another testimony in my next blog, but now I must put my coffee cup down and pick up another empty box. Until next time, oceans of blessings!

You can order Lady and the Sea on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, e-books, and

www.sharonleaf.com

Video is actual footage taken on MS Restoration in 1994.

Moving, Staying, Retiring

Huntington Beach CA 2012

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.

My head is spinning. I have dived in to my new ocean and I'm swimming in the swirling waters. For those of you who don't know, upon our return home from SoCal, Rob and I bought a smaller home in Lexington, SC where we'll some day retire. Look at your map and you'll find Lexington just northwest of Columbia, the capital of SC. Our cozy brick home is on a golf course with a small lake in our backyard--yep, we're trading one lake for another-- surrounded by tall Carolina pines. The club house looks like a big barn because the property was once a dairy farm. No cows left, but lots of squirrels, geese, and deer.

Our daughter Jacquie, hubby Tom and granddaughter Destinee live on the much larger Lake Murray about ten minutes northeast us. We've been apart for over five years so having them close by is a blessing indeed. We're not too far from their office, Life Wellness Center, so that makes me a happy camper. With shops and eateries close by, it makes for a nice place to retire. Retire? What does that actually mean? I'll let you know down the road a ways.

Our Fort Mill home is still for sale so we'll be living here for awhile until Rob retires next year. In the meantime, you'll find us driving down the Interstate every week or so, taking bits and pieces of furniture and treasures (that's what I call my stuff I can't part with). But right now I have a desk full of correspondence to answer, bills to pay, a manuscript to revise, and floors to swifter, and of course, little Popcorn to take for a cold brisk walk. Bye for now ... happy sailing and oceans of blessings!

Come unto me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads,

and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 NIV

wRiting, Running and Romance

Huntington Beach--Surf City--January 2012

The gift of life unwraps itself through TIME; all we need to do is sit back and enjoy its contents.

If I could put TIME in a bottle...wish I could. But TIME has its own schedule. Hopefully we are learning to fit treasured memories into each fleeting moment before its too late. Take some free time to wRite those memories down; beLeaf me, you won't remember them all. I now wish I would have kept more journals. I kept a Running Journal when I trained for my first--and last--half marathon. I even wRote a book about the parallels of Running our physical and spiritual race, taken from Hebrews 12:1. I'm dusting thee old manuscript off and I'm excited about the project, Lady on the Run ... or perhaps Lady and the Road ... don't know for sure yet. TIME will tell.

And for the record, I'm taking more time to get that Romantic feeling with my cowboy, the feelings that ye old menopause tries to steal away. Beware, ladies, Ms. Meno can come in like a roaring lion and stay for long periods of TIME. Don't allow her to steal the Romance out of your Relationship. Aunt Eunice has a few words to say about that in her next blog.

The passing of Whitney Houston reminded me once again of how precious life is. How critical our daily choices are. The importance of when we almost drown in a storm, Jesus is there to lift us back up, and with His grace we continue towards the finish line that He has set before us. Yes, at times we are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves us. He loves Whitney. We love her too.

Shout and sing for joy, you people of Jerusalem, because the Holy One of Israel does great things before your eyes.

Isaiah 12:6 NCV

Books, Birthdays, BeLeaf

January 30th: I'm spending the last hours of my 65th year pondering a few special moments. There were so many, but here are a few random thoughts...

March 2011: I completed my manuscript, Lady and the Sea and submitted to WestBow Press.

May: my annual Grits Getaway brought girlfriends from SoCal, New York, and Boston.

June: Our daughter & family moved from SoCal to South Carolina ( just a stone's throw away from us.)

October: Lady and the Sea was released on Rob's birthday.

December: A month full of book signings, my East Coast Book Launch Party, and a family Christmas.

January: 23rd: Sold our SoCal house in 7 days!

29th: West Coast Book Launch Party with friends galore!

My sixty-fifth year was the best! Now I am excited to see what my sexty-sex year holds. I am ready to lose sight of my familiar shore and dive in to a new ocean that God has waiting just for me! How about you? What are you waiting for? God has some exciting oceans for you too. All you have to do is have faith, and beLeaf. Oceans of blessings and I'll see you on the radio!