Family Celebrations

This is my sister-in-law's lovely and meaningful birthday cake. Many of the family members celebrated her milestone birthday this past Saturday. It's a blessing to have family. It's even better when we appreciate the gift of family.  Many of our elders advise, "Appreciate your loved ones. Appreciate your family while you are still able to do so."  Good advice.
Take care,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com  (website)

The True Healer

 

God manifests His grace to us in ways big and small in the everyday routines of our lives. This past Friday, I decided to eat my leftover Lobster Bisque. I put the cardboard cup container of  bisque in the microwave and set the timer. My first thought was, "I don't need to set this at the usual 2:50 minutes because this is a small cup." I ignored that thought. When the microwave signaled it was done, I opened the door and reached for the cup although my thought was, "I should get an oven mitt in case this is too hot." I unwisely ignored that thought, too. Of course, the container registered too hot to my fingers so they let go of the container as I threw it on the counter. I proceeded to jump up and down at the shock of a burning sensation. That's because some of the spilled bisque had stuck to 2 fingers on my left hand. I rushed to the sink and ran cold water over my fingers, which calmed the sensation down. The nerve endings in my fingers began to shout! I did the cold water soak again, then remembered the salve for burns. Here's God's gracious care: He protected my skin from getting blisters. He kept my fingers with movement. He allowed just a little swelling. He prevented infection. Today, no soreness. The salve helped, but God did the healing. Lesson leaned. God is good.

I'm a thankful Sylvia.

www.sylviabrownroberts.com   (Website)

Church Doors Book Gift Set

This is my Church Doors gift book set dismantled. It includes my three novels, a Church Doors pen and magnet, a writing journal, and a CD of gospel hymns sung a cappella entitled Good News. The hymns are performed by my sister (soprano Peggy Lee Brown), my brother (tenor Raymond Brown), and me (alto). People who've purchased these gift sets really like them, but I'm considering a new packaging concept. I usually put them in clear wrap plastic with a bow, but I like the idea of a handle for easier carrying. Maybe a clear gift bag? Hmm..any ideas?
Have a great day,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Weighing In

At most doctors' offices, the first request I get is for my co-pay. After that, it's, "Would you please step on the scale?" It's not my most fun thing to do. That's why I laughed when a dear sister-friend told me about her experience at the doctor's office,
When the staff member asked her to step on the scale, my sister-friend knew she didn't weigh as much as the office scale registered. She demanded, "This is not my correct weight. I weighed myself before I came here." She asked to be weighed on another office scale. The staff member complied. On the second weigh-in, the scale showed that my sister-friend weighed 10 pounds less than what the first scale registered! It matched the scale at my sister-friend's house.

How about that?  Life's small victories!
Smiles,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Fast Food

We stopped at a rest stop while driving from N.Carolina to the northeast. We went into a fast food place to grab a quick bite.  We don't usually eat fast food, but we wanted to gas up the car and quickly get back on Interstate 95. No time for a sit-down restaurant meal.
Only this turned out not to be fast food.

We ordered and joined about 8 others waiting for their food. The young lady at the register kept taking orders. People paid and got their numbered receipts, but the food took so long. We looked at the 6 people in the food prep area. They were moving in a trance-like state doing things: scraping the grill, wrapping sandwiches, walking past each other silently, making the wrong orders, occasionally bagging orders and giving them to the counter ladies who gave them to the customers. The takeout window customers seemed to fare better than those inside the place. Some customers started to walk away, even though they had paid for their food!  Then, a staff member began to distribute this food to those waiting for their orders. A cherry pie was thrust into my hands although I didn't order it. Amazingly enough, the remaining waiting customers didn't flip out while we were there. Wonder what happened after we left with our not-so-fast food...
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Transition

In this decade of my life, I'm used to hearing about colleagues, high school classmates, and people my age and older leaving this earth. I've given many sympathy cards, attended many funerals, viewed some bodies (I don't view bodies much these days because I want the memories of the person in animation to be my prominent ones.)
In a couple of days, I plan to attend the celebration of life service for a first cousin who left this earth at a young age. It was sudden and it was surprising. We live far from each other, so I kept up with him mostly through Facebook, as I do with many of my younger cousins who live far away.
Humans-we know our birth date, but we don't know our earth end date. God knows.

A pic of lovely flowers for my cousin Franklin.
Love,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

This is a video for the first and second novels in my CHURCH DOORS series. I'm writing book four now.

My novels are available on Amazon, B&N, Classics Books<book_cellar@mindspring.com>, and my website: www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Connected

A dear friend of mine completed her last round of radiation last week. About four years ago, I completed mine. I have a pretty good idea how she felt when she hit the celebratory gong after her last treatment. Surviving breast cancer surgery and the following treatment regimen gives you a type of fearlessness that can be uniquely shared by fellow survivors. I was at the gym a while ago with two fellow survivors, and before you knew it, we were showing our "tattoo" markings from our treatments. There was no self-consciousness, no denial, no we shouldn't talk about this in public! There's a sisterhood survivor spirit because we are still here and thriving. I first experienced this openness with three other women who were strangers to me before we were featured in the Fall 2015 issue of Real Woman magazine. Forever connected. Forever thankful.

Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Great Feedback!

This is why authors write. It's wonderful to know you've touched readers with your work! www.sylviabrownroberts.com