Magpie in the Mist and Giveaway Winner

The darkness was crowding in again.

Her mind’s eye spun from clarity to shadow, but it was she, standing on the brink of a large body of water. The evidence of her own tears stretched before her...brooding, beckoning…a salty taste on the lips that threatened to engulf all she was.

“The choice is yours,” the voices said. They lied. Those tears were hers; she could not help but own them. And owning them, it seemed they owned her, too. Their murky depths called out to her like sirens…soothing, sending her soul deep. Breathless, she fought her way to surface, gasping.

Was it true? Could the wounded walk away?

∞§∞

Congratulations to Karen of Still Crazy After All These Years for winning the I Am Learning plaque! It will be making its way to you shortly, my friend. =)

I Am Still Learning: My Giveaway

I couldn't get a great angle here because the light from my kitchen window shines in, but this quote says "I am still learning," and I am happy to say that a bronze plaque exactly like it will be the prize for my 1,100th blog post giveway, to begin today (March 6th) and end Sunday night (March 11th) at 11:59 PM.

The rules are simple and few. All you have to do to enter is be a follower and leave a comment on this post. Easy enough, right? The winner will be announced Monday morning, March 12th.

Life teaches us a lot of things, and today my husband and I are learning once more how difficult it is to say goodbye to a beloved friend prematurely. He passed away yesterday and will be sorely missed by his family and friends (of which he has many). His was a life well-lived, and we have loved and will continue to love him.

Near my bedside table, I have a little poem that reads, "Little by little, time goes by. Short if you sing, long if you sigh. Note by note, life's music plays on. Songs ever changing but never gone." We know that our friend Dave will never be gone, and we look forward to seeing him again one day.

I want to thank all of you for visiting my blog so faithfully and allowing me to create this arena for expressing my feelings, organizing my thoughts, sharing my joys, and working my way through sorrows. It would not be the same experience for me here without your warm (almost tangible) presence and supportive comments. I want you to know that I appreciate your friendship, internet or otherwise. I am learning (yes, like the plaque says, I am still learning) that friends are friends, no matter where you meet them.

{so glad to know you}

=)

PS. Don't be shy to enter if you are a new friend. We have to start somewhere, right? ;)

And the Winner Is....

The shiny red bowl has spoken once again. Congratulations to Connie, who wins not only my 900th post giveaway, but the Expect a Miracle sign that goes with it.

Thanks to all of you who played this little giveaway game with me, and an even bigger thanks for making this blogging experience such a rewarding one. I am deeply grateful for every visit and comment you make. As I've said before, blogging is even better than writing books...and that's all because of you!

1,000 posts, here I come...

=)

Sun, Sand, and a Giveaway

My view looks pretty sunny these days, which makes me want to celebrate 900 posts at Sue's News, Views 'n Muse with a little giveaway.

Since life's been handing out miracles, I've decided to give one BIG prize this time to one LUCKY winner. (And then I promise never to talk about miracles again. Well, not for a while, anyway.) Below is the piece of art from Etsy that will go to the commenter whose name is drawn from my loverly red bowl. All you do to participate is make a comment on this post and be (or become) a follower. Easy!

(FYI, the buddha is just window dressing.)

I'm not sure how the artist does it, but the plaque is a piece of mahogany painted to look like stone. Pretty cool. It can hang either outside or in the house.

Thanks to all of you for being such wonderful readers. Writing my blog, along with reading yours, is one of my favorite hobbies. This party couldn't happen if you didn't come, and I'm ever so grateful that you do!

The giveaway will end Sunday night (July 31st) at 11:58 PM, and I will announce the winner Monday morning. Good luck, y'all.

=)

for more happiness, click below

Winning Is a Good Thing

The bright red bowl has spoken.

Giveaway winners are Lisa H., Caroline, and Lisalulu, in that order.

Congrats to all of you!

If you haven't already, please email me with your mailing addresses.

In that email, please list all three pendants in order of preference.

Now check out the right sidebar and pick the book you like best.

(My email address is in my profile.)

As for the rest of you, thanks for playing!

And thanks even more for being such an integral part of my blogging experience.

You've got a friend in me.

=)