Your Special Thought Today?

What's the special thought you had today that prompted you to help someone else? Did the thought pop into your head unexpectedly and you moved to act on it right away? Did you shake the thought off because you had other tasks to complete? This image represents a special thought I had today. A lady approached me and said she reads my novels by borrowing copies from a friend. I thanked her and asked, "Did you enjoy my 5th novel also?"

"No, because I haven't read it. I told you that I borrow copies to read, but my friend hasn't gotten novel 5 yet. On my budget, I can't afford to buy novels." My thought? Go to my car, get a novel, and gift it to this lady who likes to read my novels. That's what I did. She thanked me profusely. That was my special thought with action today.  What was your special thought with action today?

I'm Always Sylvia ~ www.sylviabrownroberts.com
 

I Enjoy What I Do.

Here I am with my novels at a local school's Black History Month event. The students gave outstanding presentations! I was there to talk about my stories and vend my novels, but I was more focused on their skills and their joy. I'm a retired teacher. I'm also a teacher for life. 

Vending novels has more than one bonus: You're thrilled that people purchase your books. If you communicate well with people who stop by your table, those people may not purchase your books that day, but many of them will share the news about your books to others. I enjoyed attending this event!

Author Life

This woman holds the 5th novel in my Church Doors series: MORE GRACE. She looks pensive, and a little sad. I wish I could chat with her about her reaction(s) to some chapters in this novel. As an author, I have intense reactions to some characters even as I create them. One that stands out in this novel is Juan, an elementary school student targeted by a teenager who tries to make him carry and pass off illegal drugs to other teen drug sellers. I felt Juan's stress as I wrote about him. Main character NikkiMac, Juan's teacher, made a bold move to rescue him. When I ended that chapter, I took a deep breath!

I'm always Sylvia.    www.sylviabrownroberts.com  

Pray. Read. Keep Calm.

 I'm usually mellow, but when I had to make two trips to the drug store to pick up medication for a loved one, my mellow was challenged. On the first trip, after a 15-minute wait, the drive-up window wasn't open on time. I went inside, and the medication wasn't yet prepared. I was asked to come back in an hour. When I returned an hour later, the drive-up window was open, but I was told there was a 15-minute wait. I decided to browse inside the store for those 15 minutes. I felt the urge to complain, so I prayed silently for the grace to conduct myself as a child of God.  Then, I noted that the small staff was working as quickly as they could and were respectful to the customers. Even the head pharmacist stepped in to help the staff with the customers. They were short of staff, but they tried to be effective.

A calmness arrived, so I went to my favorite area of the store and viewed the magazines and books. I saw books by some of my favorite authors. I daydreamed about my novels being on this rack in the store one day. Before 15 minutes went by, my name was called by the head pharmacist, and he handed me the medicine. He said to me, "Thank you for your patience, Miss."

"You're welcome," I replied. I meant it, but I do plan to set up the pharmacy delivery service for my loved one. 😉

I'm Always Sylvia    www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Take a ME Break.

Sometimes, I make myself stop multitasking and say out loud, "Sylvia, stop!" A nice, hot cup of coffee, a couple of sweet cookies or tea biscuits, and a good read call me. My body finds her way into a comfortable chair and dedicates at least thirty minutes to me. Although I've written five novels in my Church Doors series, I enjoy rereading them. I laugh at many of the remarks the characters make. I hope readers enjoy my novels as much as I enjoy writing them. I also hope readers post reviews about what they like. 

I'm Always Sylvia.                     www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Ironing Out The Wrinkles

 Our feisty 92 year-old Mom tries to do as much as she can, and we remind her to pace herself. Today, I was pleased when she asked me to iron the cloth bag she ties to her walker. She washed it and was about to iron it herself, but she decided to rest a bit after a morning of cleaning the bathroom and some other small chores. As I set up the iron and the ironing board, I thought of the way she taught me how to iron when I was a girl. She's still precise about doing things well, and she taught all her children the same. "Don't give it just a lick and a promise," she'd say.  In my adult life, I avoid ironing. I buy clothing that doesn't require ironing. I'm thankful for the easy-care fabrics that we didn't have long ago. Today, I ironed her cloth bag very carefully, making all the moves she taught me and my siblings.  I'm proud to report that Mom said I did a great job. 

I'm Always Sylvia.  www.sylviabrownroberts.com

It's Email Newsletter Time!

 Here I am with a copy of one of my email newsletter pages. I'm holding a picture of me with MORE GRACE, the newest novel in my Church Doors series of Faith Works Stories.  I like to make one copy of each of my email newsletters and place it  in a notebook. That might seem odd to some people, but it works for me. I'm an author who often builds story scenes from the experiences I have as I go through the day. I find people interesting to observe. It can be a unique sound of laughter, the way they walk, the style of dress, the way they interact with others, the joy they spread, the way they speak, and more. 

I invite you to subscribe to my email newsletter: Church Doors, The Newsletter. The September 2024 issue is scheduled to publish on September 23, 2024. Email me at info@sylviabrownroberts.com  and let me know to email the newsletter to you. We have a Giveaway in this issue! I look forward to hearing from you this week.

I'm Always Sylvia.  www.sylviabrownroberts.com