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June Bentley contacted me a few weeks ago inviting me to come for tea at her home in Garrison, Kentucky. June is the grandmother of one of my son’s former co-workers, and is an avid reader. She also has a lifetime of interesting memories and stories gleaned from helping her husband run the local grocery store for many years. Her roots in Garrison run deep. She’s an elegant woman who makes being 86 years old look good. We set a date for November 16. A couple weeks later, June called back to change the address she had given me. Instead of her home, we were going to meet at the First Christian Church in Garrison. She laughed and said that she had too many friends to fit into her house and they all wanted to meet me. When I showed up at the First Christian Church, I was astonished at the time and effort that had gone into preparing for the tea. June’s daughter, Lisa, and her daughter-in-law, Jennifer, had turned the fellowship hall into an absolute work of art. Each seating table was set with beautiful tea sets, lovely centerpieces, and there was a serving table filled with so […]

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I’ve been a member of ACFW for more years than I can remember. I’ve watched it grow from a fledgling organization to the huge and active proponent of Christian literature that it is now. I’ve also sat at the awards banquet at their yearly national conference year after year cheering my writer friends on as they vied for position for the coveted Carol Awards. I hoped, but never really expected, to final in the Carol, myself. Last week, I cooked at a primitive church camp on an island in Canada. No electricity, no cell phone, no indoor plumbing. Bathing was accomplished by plunging into a body of water named Ice Lake. I was driving home, feeling grungy and sleep deprived, with my oldest son. We stopped for lunch, and I received a phone call I’ll never forget. The caller, who was from ACFW, informed me that my book, An Uncommon Grace, was a finalist in the Carol Award. I started to squeal but she stopped me. “AND,” she said dramatically, “Your historical, A Promise To Love, is ALSO a finalist!” That’s when my son had to give me a stern look to keep me from jumping on the table and […]

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The six extraordinary children of Carl and Madelyn Rase….and me. I got to be an honorary Rase for an evening at the annual “Rase Roundup!” Steve and I grew up with this family and it was great to see all if them again. By the way, the scene from The Measure Of Katie Calloway where Katie gets a job offer based on her ability to make an apple pie was based on my memories of their mama’s apple pie. That pie was so good it has lingered forever in my memory, right alongside the feeling of welcome and peace i felt in their home.

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