"bird by bird"

Well it has been a long time, almost a year, since I last posted here. In January 2019, I had high hopes of coordinating my blog and my public Instagram (bookstagram) account (bee_tweenthelines) to share my love of books and blooms, and as it says in my Instagram profile, "with a sprinkling of fun in the kitchen. " I had good intentions. Then, I answered an ad (what was I thinking?) to write book reviews (I refer to them as book reports) for a neighborhood publication. In my mind this was going to coordinate beautifully. I have said it here before, "if you want to make God laugh, tell him/her your plans."

Before I begin, I am going to preface this next bit with, all is well. I feel compelled to explain where I have been to put it behind me and perhaps return to my earlier plans.

Early last year my husband was diagnosed with lung cancer. It threw us for a loop. To be honest, I think it surprised his GP as well. He had none of risk factors. Nothing in our health system moves quickly; everything seems to take two weeks. It was found by accident and, thankfully, very early. The tumor was very small and slow growing.  He had a lung resection surgery in May. There was no cancer found in the margins nor in the lymph nodes. Recuperation has been long, but reports continue to come back showing no recurrence. 

I was scared;
I knew I had to stand strong. 
I have never shied from saying I am a person of great faith, and this was to be a test. Whether I passed or failed is not my judgment. I did my best. I found my strength and peace  knowing God was present.

We were blessed with good friends who helped us find the best oncologist and surgeon, filled our freezer with food, changed schedules to be present when needed, and best, held us in their hearts and prayers.  

Thumbs up, we are doing well and ready to move forward!

Okay, so this is where I have been. I had to get it out of the way.  Now will I be able to keep all my plates spinning? I don't know. I like to think I can, honestly though, if I didn't know before I now fully realize, nothing is in my hands. I do enjoy meeting you here and connecting.  

The random picture. 
Though my book reviews are purely voluntary, meaning I do not get paid..... I am published. (Insert laughing emoji here.) It is a nerve wracking challenge for me. To be honest, each month I expect to be cancelled. I don't know how long I will keep up with it. I have two of the very best editors. (Everything I write here is unedited as if you couldn't tell.) I write, send it off to my people; between keeping up with children and jobs, they correct my spelling, punctuation, run-on sentences and basically tell me when I have totally confused them. Here's to those who have my back!

A favorite quote, and I will use it to close...

"bird by bird"
Ann Lamont

If my laptop continues to work...
I hope to see you soon!