SWS

The path to happiness is freedom

The path to freedom is acceptance

The path to acceptance is contentment

The path to contentment is happiness

Qute a dilemna...don't you think?

Which Way?

Time to Ponder yet again.  You know the drill... I post a prompt that has multiple meanings and we get see what you write! Add you post to the linky and wait for the magic!!
(If you want to send me words that you would like us all to ponder - please feel free to do so!)

Today's word is CROSS (you can always grab the prompt early by visiting the Pondering Page

Whenever I think of cross, I think of a cross roads and having to make a choice, and then that reminds me of the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz who pointed both directions 
I am pretty sure the subtle meaning behind that has to do with choosing either path has a different set of circumstances and outcomes, but if we all believe in destiny and all things happen for a reason, that road really doesn't matter.  (Okay enough philosophy during a pondering post)

There is also Cross which means being mad at someone, not really sure where that came from.

And then all of my friends that find sacred meaning in "The Cross" - you know, the one where Jesus was crucified.

Perhaps cross should just meaning the intersection of two non parallel lines - because after all they will eventually cross!

So.... anyone know what the heck is a Hot Cross Bun?

Happy Pondering!


P.S Happy New year to all my Jewish Friends.  (some of us are caught in the middle :) with no idea which road to take)

Sunday Ficiton - Ch 7

For earlier entries please go to Fiction Page

Before Bruce was born, Nicole had a full rich life. She loved being a mother; however she missed her freedom. Another baby was not something she had planned for, but after she found out she was pregnant she embraced the idea. The new baby would arrive right around Bruce's second birthday.

Nicole found herself much tireder than she had been with her first pregnancy. By the time Nick returned home after work, she was ready for bed. Nicole and Nick became virtual ships that pass in the night, they would see each other in the mornings before Nick went to work, and they would see each other when he returned after work. When he traveled Nicole asked her mother to come help her.

Bruce required full time attention. He was walking and running anywhere he could. He would only entertain himself for short periods of time. Nicole tried to get to the park every day; but as the Nebraska winter settled around her it became much more difficult.

By mid-April life had again settled into a routine. Nick was traveling one week per month and Nicole's exhaustion had diminished. Bruce loved to point at her belly and say, "My baby."  Together the little family prepared for their new arrival.

July 14, Bruce's second birthday, Nicole went into labor. Her parents came over to take care of Bruce and Nick took his wife to the hospital. Together they witnessed the birth of their daughter. Nick wept and knelt by his wife's bedside. "I am eternally grateful to you for allowing me to witness this. I will never forgive myself for missing Bruce's birth. This has truly been the most remarkable event of my life."

The day Adriana went home was the day Bruce fell in love. He loved his new baby sister and was never far from her side. If she cried, he was right there, stroking her head letting her know everything would be OK. He shared his favorite animals with her; gave her his blanket; played by her side and never left her alone.

Before she arrived Bruce would not sit still for very long, but after she came he would spend hours just sitting next to her. He would talk incessantly, although he was the only one who really knew what he was saying.  As time passed, the bond grew stronger.

When Adriana could crawl she followed Bruce everywhere he went. When she started walking they would hold hands and go places together. One of Bruce’s first words was “Dri” because that was all he could get out of her four syllable name. That nickname stuck for life.

By the time Bruce was ready for kindergarten, Nicole was ready to go back to work. Although she loved her children, she needed more stimulation in her life. The routine between her and Nick had grown old as he had returned to working long hours, traveling at least half of the month and being fairly absent. They no longer discussed this, nor did they argue.

On their tenth wedding anniversary Nick surprised Nicole during the children’s birthday party. He announced that he was taking his wife on a much deserved, long needed vacation. They were going to fly to Cozumel the next day for a week and the children would be staying with their grandparents. Nicole was stunned as she looked from her husband to her mother and realized they had both been in on the surprise.

When they landed in Cozumel a limousine took them from the airport to their resort. Nicole walked into their suite and gasped. “This is amazing!” The entire suite had ocean view windows, there was a sunken tub in the middle of the enormous bathroom, and the bedroom was furnished with a luxury bed that just invited people.

“How can we afford this?” Nicole asked.

“That’s the first thing you think of when you see this?” Nick laughed. “I have a client that owns this hotel chain and he owed me a favor.”

“Well please thank your client for me, this is stunning!”

“And so are you,” Nick said, wrapping his wife in his arms. “I know I don’t say it often enough or loud enough, but I think you are more beautiful now than you ever were. Motherhood has done you right. I am constantly amazed at how you manage to keep everything together.”

She looked up at him and tears began to seep from her eyes. “I didn’t even think you noticed,” she said. “I feel like this has been the longest ten years of my life and the shortest ten years of my life. Does that make any sense?”

“Strangely enough, it does.” He replied as he leant down and kissed her deeply.

They spent seven days doing whatever they wanted, with no regard for time. If they wanted to sleep until mid afternoon, they did. They took long moonlight walks on the beach, ate at local restaurants, wandered the old streets of Cozumel and literally fell in love again.

Tread Mill?

Time to Ponder yet again.  You know the drill... I post a prompt that has multiple meanings and we get see what you write! Add you post to the linky and wait for the magic!!
(If you want to send me words that you would like us all to ponder - please feel free to do so!)

Today's word is TREAD (you can always grab the prompt early by visiting the Pondering Page

I sat down to write this post and couldn't for the life of me remember why I picked this word!

I am hoping some of you come up with better meanings than I have come up with

Tread is what the pattern on a tire is called, and the pattern on the bottom of a shoe, so why is it called a treadmill?

The Gadsden flag - yes that is really what it's called - was a symbol of freedom during the American Revolution. Wonder what would happen if all these factions that are claiming independence used the same flag?

Of course there is the saying "Tread Lightly" which means to go softly and not disturb

and then there is Treading water - which has nothing to do with a sole of shoe or rubber...

So what do you think?

Write a post and link up.

Happy Pondering

Before Baby

For earlier entries please go to:  The Fiction Page

Before Bruce was born, Nicole had a full rich life. She loved being a mother; however she missed her freedom. Another baby was not something she had planned for, but after she found out she was pregnant she embraced the idea. The new baby would arrive right around Bruce's second birthday.

Nicole found herself much tireder than she had been with her first pregnancy. By the time Nick returned home after work, she was ready for bed. Nicole and Nick became virtual ships that pass in the night, they would see each other in the mornings before Nick went to work, and they would see each other when he returned after work. When he traveled Nicole asked her mother to come help her.

Bruce required full time attention. He was walking and running anywhere he could. He would only entertain himself for short periods of time. Nicole tried to get to the park every day; but as the Nebraska winter settled around her it became much more difficult.

By mid-April life had again settled into a routine. Nick was traveling one week per month and Nicole's exhaustion had diminished. Bruce loved to point at her belly and say, "My baby."  Together the little family prepared for their new arrival.

July 14, Bruce's second birthday, Nicole went into labor. Her parents came over to take care of Bruce and Nick took his wife to the hospital. Together they witnessed the birth of their daughter. Nick wept and knelt by his wife's bedside. "I am eternally grateful to you for allowing me to witness this. I will never forgive myself for missing Bruce's birth. This has truly been the most remarkable event of my life."

The day Adriana went home was the day Bruce fell in love. He loved his new baby sister and was never far from her side. If she cried, he was right there, stroking her head letting her know everything would be OK. He shared his favorite animals with her; gave her his blanket; played by her side and never left her alone.

Before she arrived Bruce would not sit still for very long, but after she came he would spend hours just sitting next to her. He would talk incessantly, although he was the only one who really knew what he was saying.


To be continued.....



Linking up with my friend Josie at Two Shoes Tuesday where today's prompts are before and after.

Sunday Fiction Ch6 - really!

For earlier entries please go to:  The Fiction Page

Bruce's birthday party was an enormous success. It was not apparent that Nick and Nicole had fought earlier in the day. They enjoyed their family and friends and invested their time on Bruce. The after party clean up went smoothly as Nick did the yard and Nicole did the kitchen. By the time the day ended they were both too tired to discuss anything.

Monday morning arrived and Nick awoke early. He made coffee and breakfast for Nicole and as she sat down at the table he said, "We need to talk."

Nicole looked at him and asked, "About what?"

"About me being the target of your anger and distrust. I have not done anything to deceive you and I don't really understand why you believe I have. I think there is something much deeper going on with you and it is just easiest to blame me."

"Okay," She responded.

"Okay? What is that supposed to mean?"

She looked at him and said, "I hear what you're saying. You're entitled to your opinion and okay. I know you don't think you've deceived me, but I think otherwise. I am still very hurt that you did not make it to the hospital when I was in labor. I don't believe the story you told. I suppose I have to get over that. I think that is where this anger is coming from. When I think about it; I get angry and of course you are the target of that anger."

"What can I do to prove anything to you?" Bruce asked. "Have I not been a good husband, father and provider since Bruce arrived?"

She looked above his head to the left and thought about his question. "I'm not sure you can do anything. I think it is all about me and the betrayal I felt that day. I just can't seem to let go." She stopped and looked at him. "I know you are a good father and husband; there are just times when I forget."

"Do you think it would be good for us to go talk to someone about it?" He suggested

She emphatically said, "No. I can handle this and will try to get better."

He said, "Okay, we can try it your way, but if I feel like I am being a target again I am going to insist that we do something."

"That's fair," she replied. "Will you be home tonight?"

"Yes," he said. "I'm working out of the office today and leave for Bismarck tomorrow."

Nicole greeted Nick at the door, "How was your trip? Did you get any new business?"

Surprised at how affectionate she was upon his return he replied, "It was a very successful trip. I finally landed the company I had been wooing for the past two years. When something like that happens it makes all of the unsuccessful trips disappear."

"Good!" She exclaimed. "I know how taxing all of this travel is on you and it is nice to hear you say something has finally paid off. Dinner should be ready in about an hour, why don't you go relax and hang out with Bruce?"

"Sounds good to me!"

The three of them dawdled at the table; Bruce in his high chair, smearing food all over his tray and himself, Nick and Nicole watching.

 "Every time I go away and come back something has changed with him," Bruce said. "I feel like his childhood is flying by."

"I'm not sure you'd feel like that if you saw him every day," Nicole said. "Is there any possibility of you changing your job so that you travel less?"

"Not sure that will happen any time soon. Right now I am the strongest closer we have. But I can certainly talk to my boss about it. It would be nice to be able to devote more time to the family and still be able to service my clients. The only problem I see is that these clients like to see me to make sure they are still being taken care of."

"I understand," Nicole said. "Why don't you go give Bruce a bath and I will clean up."

The summer was drawing to a close and Nick’s travel schedule had slowed down. The Patterson’s managed to spend over a month together with Nick home every night. They had gotten into a routine wherein Nicole would spend the day with Bruce and when Nick got home he would give her at least an hour to herself and then they would have dinner. Nick giving Bruce his bath and reading him a bedtime story and Nicole cleaning up after dinner. Once Bruce was in bed the two of them would spend their evening together catching up on the day’s events or planning their future.

At the beginning of December Nick came home and could not find Nicole. The car was gone, Bruce wasn't home, and there was no note, nothing. He tried to remember if she had said she was going anywhere that day and couldn't.

Finally, around six thirty she pulled into the driveway. He met her at the car and asked, "Is everything okay?"

She smiled and said, "Yes, why wouldn't it be?"

"You weren't home when I got here and I couldn't remember you telling me that you were going anywhere today."

She laughed, "Silly, I told you I was going to see my parents today. We left right after you did this morning."

He shrugged it off, knowing she had never told him that. "Oh, how was the day?"

"It was really good. I miss the farm life. It just seems to be so much calmer and quieter. Things are based upon a clock, but rather on a routine."

"We have a routine," he replied.

"I know, but somehow it just doesn't feel the same."

That night when they were getting ready for bed Nicole said, "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I'm pregnant."

Book Review Friday - Extraordinary Rendition

I was asked by Astor+Blue if I would like to read and review a novel by Paul Batista. I read their press release and I was hooked!

To say the very least about this novel - the twists and turns never stop coming and I have to admit that once it was done I felt like I had been on a roller coaster for days! I love reading novels that make you stop and think, "Could this be real?"

Definitely a must read!

Extraordinary Rendition

Novel Based on Constitutional Controversy Delivers Complex Thrills

“Batista does it again when international intrigue collides with murder in Extraordinary Rendition! A high -priced Wall Street lawyer gets the shock of a lifetime...  law school never prepared him for this!  It's a fast ride--buckle up!"

--Nancy Grace, Attorney, TV Personality and New York Times Bestselling Author of Death on the D-List

When Ali Hussein, suspected terrorist and alleged banker for Al Qaeda, is finally transported from Guantanamo Bay to the US mainland to stand trial, many are stunned when Byron Carlos Johnson, a pre-eminent lawyer and son of a high-profile diplomat, volunteers to represent him.  On principle, Johnson thought he was merely defending a man unjustly captured through Rendition and water-boarded illegally. But Johnson soon learns that there is much more at stake than one man’s civil rights.

Hussein’s intimate knowledge of key financial transactions could lead to the capture of—or the unabated funding of—the world’s most dangerous terror cells.  This makes Hussein the target of corrupt US intelligence forces on one side, and ruthless international terrorists on the other.  And, it puts Byron Carlos Johnson squarely in the crosshairs of both.

Pulled irresistibly by forces he can and cannot see, Johnson enters a lethal maze of espionage, manipulation, legal traps and murder. And when his life, his love, and his acclaimed principles are on the line, Johnson may have one gambit left that can save them all; a play that even his confidants could not have anticipated. He must become the hunter among hunters in the deadliest game.

Written by no-holds-barred-attorney Paul Batista, Extraordinary Rendition excels not only as an action thriller, but as a sophisticated legal procedural as well; tearing the curtains away from the nation’s most controversial issues.

Provocative. Smart. Heart-pounding. A legal thriller of the highest order.

Buy it here:

·         Amazon: http://amzn.to/XdbrYp

·         B&N: http://bit.ly/1ns9goE

·         Astor+Blue: http://bit.ly/1kwDo7K

Hot is as Hot does

Time to Ponder yet again.  You know the drill... I post a prompt that has multiple meanings and we get see what you write! Add you post to the linky and wait for the magic!!
(If you want to send me words that you would like us all to ponder - please feel free to do so!)

Today's word is HOT (you can always grab the prompt early by visiting the Pondering Page



Have you ever gone to eat something and you are warned it is hot! Now does that mean it is spicy? or does that mean that the temperature of it is hot?  That is a big question here in So. Cal - we like our food spicy!!! so then there are varying degrees of hot - Who created that guage?

Here's another conundrum: Feeling a child's forehead you can say He/she is hot... but if you say that about someone older (without feeling their forehead) that means something completely different!

And then of course there are varying degrees of 'hot' - some people might think that 75 degrees Fahrenheit is hot outside; while others would find it quite pleasant.

How about a hot wire? Doesn't that really mean that it is a live wire and electricity is flowing through it?
And where did Hot Dog come from ---- it is not a dog....

Interesting word today ...... Happy Pondering

Link up and we'll come by and see what you think of with the word "Hot!"

Sunday Fiction ch 6

If you have missed earlier entries please check out The Fiction page.

Chapter 6 will be continued later an the week as personal things have come up that will deley this post

Book Review Friday - New Orleans Requiem

Have you ever picked up a book that sucks you in from the first chapter? Has it been a while? Fear not.... I have the perfect book for you to put on your reading list.

I was approached by Astor + Blue to see if I would be interested in reading and reviewing a Puzzling and Plump New Orleans Murder.  Investigating an unusual murder in which the victim was left with four board-game tiles on his chest, New Orleans medical examiner Andy Broussard and psychologist Kit Franklyn realize that they are the next targets.

Donaldson does such a great job of creating a scenery, story and mystery with such a twist at the end that even this seasoned mystery reader was surprised. The characters come to life within the sites and sounds of New Orleans. I would highly recommend this book.

Buy now on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1x1PivM 

Buy now on Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/Z4GWVk 

Read more about NEW ORLEANS REQUIEM on DJ Donaldson's website: http://dondonaldson.com/books/new-orleans-requiem/ 

Visit Astor and Blue Editions: http://astorandblue.com/

Book it!

Time to Ponder yet again.  You know the drill... I post a prompt that has multiple meanings and we get see what you write! Add you post to the linky and wait for the magic!!
(If you want to send me words that you would like us all to ponder - please feel free to do so!)

Today's word is BOOK (you can always grab the prompt early by visiting the Pondering Page

Book – this word brings to mind so many different things. First of all, being a writer at heart a ‘book’ is something you read. In my opinion, e-books are not really books – they are documents on a computer. But I know there are plenty of people who disagree with me.  My favorite part of a book is the back cover that gives a synopsis of the story. (Hey, we used that word last week!)

I also think of book as scheduling – book a flight, book a trip, book a meeting….

Or of course book ‘em Dano which is something within the law when a person is booked for doing something wrong.

Now my question is this….what’s the difference between a book and a magazine or even a journal?

Write a post, link up and happy pondering!

Target

For earlier entries please go to:  The Fiction Page

Bruce's birthday party was an enormous success. It was not apparent that Nick and Nicole had fought earlier in the day. They enjoyed their family and friends and invested their time on Bruce. The after party clean up went smoothly as Nick did the yard and Nicole did the kitchen. By the time the day ended they were both too tired to discuss anything.

Monday morning arrived and Nick awoke early. He made coffee and breakfast for Nicole and as she sat down at the table he said, "We need to talk."

Nicole looked at him and asked, "About what?"

"About me being the target of your anger and distrust. I have not done anything to deceive you and I don't really understand why you believe I have. I think there is something much deeper going on with you and it is just easiest to blame me."

"Okay," She responded.

"Okay? What is that supposed to mean?"

She looked at him and said, "I hear what you're saying. You're entitled to your opinion and okay. I know you don't think you've deceived me, but I think otherwise. I am still very hurt that you did not make it to the hospital when I was in labor. I don't believe the story you told. I suppose I have to get over that. I think that is where this anger is coming from. When I think about it; I get angry and of course you are the target of that anger."

"What can I do to prove anything to you?" Bruce asked. "Have I not been a good husband, father and provider since Bruce arrived?"

She looked above his head to the left and thought about his question. "I'm not sure you can do anything. I think it is all about me and the betrayal I felt that day. I just can't seem to let go." She stopped and looked at him. "I know you are a good father and husband; there are just times when I forget."

"Do you think it would be good for us to go talk to someone about it?" He suggested

She emphatically said, "No. I can handle this and will try to get better."

He said, "Okay, we can try it your way, but if I feel like I am being a target again I am going to insist that we do something."

"That's fair," she replied. "Will you be home tonight?"

"Yes," he said. "I'm working out of the office today and leave for Bismark tomorrow."

Linking up with my friend Josie at Two Shoes Tuesday where today's prompts were target or deceive.