Confessions of a Third Grade Teacher

This is me many years ago, teaching a spelling lesson to my 3rd graders. Former students, there are three things I do now that I asked you not to do when you were in my class.

I used to say, "Please sit still. Why are you tapping your fingers on your desk? Please stop twirling your ruler." Confession: These days, your former teacher often changes position in her recliner. I move my fingers and tap them when I try to remember something.

I used to say, "How did you lose your pencil/ paper/ book when you haven't been out of your seat? It has to be there. Did you look inside your desk? It didn't vanish into thin air." Confession:  These days, I do the same thing. I sit at my writing desk and can't find the pen I just had in my hand. 

I used to say, "Stop daydreaming and get back to work. Confession: These days, my daydreams fuel my writing, and I welcome them.

It was a blessing to teach so many students! Best wishes to you all.   sylviabrownroberts.com 
 

 CHURCH DOORS, The Newsletter (Post 1)

What's free, quarterly, informative, relevant, positive, and revealing? My email newsletter! This is near the end of my 2nd newsletter year (2023). This pic is a section of the May 2023 issue number 8 cover, with the theme: Forgiveness. The issue features a conversation about forgiveness with my friend and colleague Joyce, my confession about a character I created in my Church Doors series. I don't like him, but the story needs him.  There's a Trivia feature and a piece about The Gift of Forgiveness, along with a scripture reference, and more!

Issue 9 just published in August 2023. It's theme: Compassion, Collaboration, Connection. It received good reviews. One more issue is coming in 2023. Don't miss out! Go to info@sylviabrownroberts.com  and let me know you want me to email it to you in December 2023.

Always Sylvia

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Readers are Important to Authors

I'm always encouraged when I see readers with my novels. Most of the time, I don't interrupt them to tell them I'm the author. I get enough joy when I see them reacting to the characters in: 

Behind Church Doors 

Beyond Church Doors

Behind and Beyond Church Doors: Promises

Church Doors Book 4: Won't Quit!             Thanks, Dear Readers!😊

Always, Sylvia

sylviabrownroberts.com

The Joy of Giving

 

One of the ministries at our congregation of the Church of Christ is the Clothing Giveaway. It happens on the 2nd Saturday of the month at our church annex. We give our guests the opportunity to get free clothing. At our August giveaway, one of our new guests came in with her cart. She had two bunches of flowers in her cart, and I commented on the beauty of  their colors. We agreed about the beautiful flowers, and I returned to sorting clothing. To my surprise, she said, "These are for you." She handed me a bunch of flowers. She said she'd gotten them at one of her stops on the way to our annex. I was touched. Our team gets joy from helping others. I came to give, yet I also received.

Always, Sylvia    

sylviabrownroberts.com

 The Man Reading on the Footpath

It's a beautiful day for a walk along the footpath.  Look at him reading a book and smiling! When I walk by, I'll see the book's title. Wait a minute! The cover has a red door, like the one on the cover of my 4th novel: Church Doors Book 4: Won't Quit! 

He's reading my novel! When I'm near him, I get up the nerve to greet him and say I'm the book's author. He smiles at me. "I'm enjoying your novel." He reaches into his pocket and hands me his business card. I note that he's not wearing a wedding band. Hmm, I've got two single sister friends. Possibilities? The fact that he's reading an inspirational novel is a plus. When I apologize because I don't have my business cards with me, he replies, "No worries. Your name is on the cover and inside. I'll check out your website." I thank him and resume my walk. At home, I take out his business card and read it. He has a publishing company that specializes in inspirational fiction books!  What do you think?  Is this a consequence or a blessing?

Always Sylvia

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Lovely Hands

 

She's 90 years old, but she still has these lovely hands. These hands are special to me, and not just to me. They're special to my brothers and my sister. They're special to grandchildren, nieces and nephews, cousins, and the rest of the extended family, "adopted" children, church members, neighbors, colleagues, friends, former students, and so on. These hands are still used to help and to do for others. These are the hands of Mom Brown, and although she moves a bit slower since her stroke in 2022, she still moves quite well. She's become familiar with her cane and calls her walker her "friend"- she says what her mother used to say, "I'm going to do as much as I can for as long as I can." Amen. I know something else about her hands. She clasps them in prayer, day and night.💖

Always Sylvia

www.sylviabrownroberts.com

A Tablet Goodbye

 

I'm not a gadget guru, nor a techie, but I enjoy some of the devices that weren't around when I was growing up. This Baby Boomer came late to the tech party, but I've gotten used to my cell phone, laptop, and my tablet. I usually keep my Kindle next to my desk and use her to watch news and shows while I write and do tasks in my study. Sometimes I use her to watch movies and enjoy word games. Most of all, I read books on my Kindle and use Audible to listen to books. Last week I had three books downloaded. It's great because my room is crowded with books to be read and my Kindle takes up little space, plus she's easy to take while traveling. Today, my Kindle wouldn't start! I called the company and it turns out my warranty expired in 2020 and there have been at least two new versions/generations since my Kindle. Thankfully, the representative gave me good advice on how to proceed. I'll miss my old Kindle, but I'll be happy to meet my new one! Have you ever said goodbye to one of your tablets? 

Always, Sylvia        www.sylviabrownroberts.com

A Peek Into My Novel Series

My CHURCH DOORS novel series takes readers on a journey with single female character Nikolis McQuaige (NikkiMac) as she navigates the changes, challenges, victories, and trials that life brings. The first novel starts with NikkiMac's  rescue by a church deacon when she's attacked by a man in a nightclub parking lot. The deacon comforts a tipsy NikkiMac in a fatherly way, gets her home safely, and encourages her to attend the local church congregation. The novels reveal her unique perspective of  life, her church family members, and the urban community that surrounds the church. Readers say they recognize the characters from their own life experiences in and out of church and their neighborhoods. There are characters that elicit smiles, annoyance, laughter, and compassion. Readers watch NikkiMac grow as she learns faith lessons and discovers that victory over all life's challenges can only be obtained when she lets God lead her. More at:  www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Smiles,

Always Sylvia
  

Sometimes Giving is Better than Getting

In my last blog post, I revealed that I'm a purse/bag woman. I posted a pic of one of my last 2 bag purchases. I'm happy to announce that I've become more disciplined in this area of my life. Here you see the last purchased bag, but the joy isn't in the purchase or the ownership. The joy came in the person of my daughter, a very stylish young woman in her twenties. She came to visit us during the 2022 holidays and spotted this bag when she came into my study to chat with me.

"Moo, that's a really nice bag! I travel lots for my job and I can see myself with this sharp bag! You know you don't like to carry travel bags, you like the ones with the wheels on them. I like to carry my bags. See how nice it looks on me? The sisters on this bag are so fine!" She paraded around my study with the bag on her shoulder, with the straps in her hand, and so on. I admitted to myself that the bag looked fine on her, and it's true that these days when I travel to book vending events, I do prefer wheels on my bags. I gifted the "Pardon My Fro Squad Travel Bag" to her, and I feel good about it. 

Smiles,

Sylvia

info@sylviabrownroberts.com