We all have to deal with rejection. If you’ve chosen a career in publishing, rejection becomes a frequent visitor. Professional rejections sting, but they only get me down for a day or two. That’s when I pick myself up and see what I can learn from the experience. My writing has grown stronger out of rejection. For this, I must say I’m thankful.

But what about personal rejection. This kind doesn’t have the same way of transitioning into motivation after a cool down period. When someone close to you, a mother, father, sister…you fill in the blank, turns their back or essentially says that you are not worthy of their love, that kind of rejection clings.

Last week I was studying from Beth Moore’s, Jesus the One and Only, Bible study. The topic, rejection. I’d been waiting for a response from a proposal that’s pretty important to me, so I thought, “Oh, no. God’s preparing me.” Well, I did get news on the proposal that day, and it wasn’t a rejection. God’s humor never fails to amaze me. But I still felt like that little section of the study had something important in it that I needed to grasp. As it turns out, the rejection I’d need to face was a much more personal rejection. Even with years of experience in this area, I’m still trying to find a way to see myself as lovable in situations that say I’m not. So I return to the verse from the study.

This is what David had to say:

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;

fight against those who fight against me.

Take up shield and buckler;

arise and come to my aid.

Brandish spear and javelin

against those who pursue me.

Say to my soul,

“I am your salvation.”

Psalm 35:1-3

I think the point here is something I try to remind myself of often. God’s got this! He’ll handle my rejections much better than I ever could. He’ll deal with those that wish to hurt me and he’ll provide all that I need to survive.

Christmas is suppose to be a time when families draw together. For many people, loving extended family is only an image from a Hallmark movie. Christmastime can be a reminder of what could have been or should have been. As I’ve struggled through some thoughts of self-pity this week, something came to me. I’m so blessed. I have a life full of people who love me, not because they have to, and not because we’re tied together by biology. They love me just for who I am. How could anyone have it better than that?

I hope your Christmas is sprinkled with love!

Christina

Tomorrow is the big day. I’ve been planning for November 1 for a couple of months now. So why is it that I find myself nervous? Last year I jumped in without too much thought to what I was getting into. This year, I’ve spent a great deal of energy learning more about plot and story structure. The story that I’d been planning to write for the last six months has been tabled until February. Pushed aside for something more marketable. Don’t get me wrong. I love the new idea, and the characters are coming together in my head, it’s just a newer idea. It hasn’t had the time to become so fully ingrained in me.

Enough of my rambling. I need to save all my spare words for tomorrow.

If you’re participating in Nanowrimo, add me as a writing buddy. “Christina” is my username. Very original, huh?

Happy November,

Christina

Catching a relatively dry and not too windy day on the Oregon coast is amazing anytime of year, but at the end of October when we’ve been drowning in the valley, I didn’t think we had a chance. I took my girls and one of their friends over yesterday. Rain poured down on us as we drove. Somewhere before that last hill crest, the weather cleared. After a little shopping, we went for a walk on the beach. No coats needed.

After that we took off to a tea house. When we arrived we found that it had closed and a new shop opened. A chocolate shop. How could that be wrong? They served us samples of their clam chowder, made with coconut milk and chocolate. Seriously yummy. The girls each had hot chocolate, and I had limeade with huckleberry and dark chocolate. We ate bread with dipping oil (and chocolate), chocolate beanies and weenies, and chocolate bread pudding. They had chocolate macaroni and cheese, but we left that one to the imagination. If you’re in Newport, stop in and give it a try. Donya Marie’s Beyond Chocolate is the name.

With our tummys full, we headed over to Newport High School to watch Ryan’s soccer game. All the boys played great, and the Warriors won. The game went on until the sun had sunk so low that the refs called it. Not a drop of rain, and barely any wind.

You can’t read this story without finding yourself longing for an adventure in Alaska. Ms. Leon’s creates a main character that acts as a reflection of the land she loved, both wild and beautiful. The story takes the reader along on a ride with Kate, an adventurous young lady pursuing her dreams to be an Alaskan bush pilot during the Great Depression. The author has done an amazing job of research. Details enhance the story and open the reader’s mind to experience they may never have explored before. Sprinkled within Kate’s story are the struggles of Paul, a man using Alaska as an escape from his past. The characters are vivid, as is the setting. I enjoyed the secondary characters as much as the main characters.