Can We Be Too Busy?

"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The questions is: What are we busy about?" (Henry David Thoreau)

I used to have that quote on my desk calendar because I think it's a great question to ask ourselves. I get busy. Lately I am often way too busy and I have to stop and think am I busy about the right things? I don't know if you are like me or not, but when my kids were young, I was always busy then too taking care of them, making sure they got to school and to their ballgames and church. I thought when they grew up that I'd have so much time. I haven't found that extra time. It seems that somehow we fill our hours or somebody fills our hours for us. I like being busy. But there are times when I think I need to slow down and enjoy the moments. 




I did some of both of that this week. I was busy, but I took time to let the grandkids who live close come spend the night. I had promised one of them that before the summer was over I'd walk with her to this creek and cliff area on my farm. She reminded me that summer was over last month, but before the winter snow started flying, we did get to take that walk. It was still warm and she did get to splash in the creek. She caught a frog. She ran down the creek like a surefooted deer. Promise kept even if it was a little later than planned. 

Then I took part in the Christian Fiction Fall Scavenger Hunt. Wow!! That has been quite an experience for me. Over 1,300 people (so far) popped in here at One Writer's Journal to read Lyn Cote's guest post about the "real McCoy." And a lot of my visiters left comments. I love getting comments from you readers and I usually try to answer each comment personally, but hundreds of comments has overwhelmed me and my blogspot memory here too. It keeps telling me I have to reload the comments. So if I haven't answered your comment, it's not because I haven't read it. I did and I appreciated each and every one of them and I love that so many of you are checking out my Facebook page. I hope you'll chime in on the conversations there in the days and weeks ahead. But I may not get every comment here answered. I will have your name in the giveaway when I have the time to double check to make sure I have all the names in my hat before I do the drawing. 



To top off my busy week, I had my Hometown Book Launch party for Christmas at Harmony Hill today at my local library. Here's some of the beautiful reading friends who came to hear me talk about writing my Shaker Christmas book. They ate my brownies too even if they were a little crumbly. 

But it's past sundown on the week now. A new week is about to start. Time to slow down and think about what's next. And that's coming up with a new story so that somewhere down the road I can get busy again and maybe take part in another Scavenger Hunt and have another one of my book parties!! 

What do you like best to be busy about?

Oh, for those of you guessing on my blog post mystery picture that I posted on Wednesday, I love your guesses. I'll reveal the rest of the picture Wednesday and let you know if you guessed right, but you have until November 1 to leave a comment on any of my blog posts other than the Scavenger Hunt one (those people have the chance to win a Shaker novel). The mystery picture comments are to perhaps win a copy of Orchard of Hope. I'm hoping I can keep all these giveaways straight. Wishing you all great luck in the many drawings in the Scavenger Hunt.

A New Mystery Picture for Book Giveway Fun

"Vision - It reaches beyond the thing that is, into the conception of what can be. Imagination gives you the picture. Vision gives you the impulse to make the picture your own." ~ Robert Collier


I love taking pictures. I got my first camera when I was twelve. It was a Christmas gift and I took as many pictures as I could afford. Back then you had to buy film and flashbulbs and then pay to have the pictures developed. I didn't have the means to keep the camera loaded all the time, but I did enjoy using up the film when I had that extra cash. Now kids can grab a camera, or more likely a phone, and take photo after photo.

Several years ago when I still had a regular film camera and was taking pictures of my Sunday school kids, they kept wanting to "see" the picture right away the way you can with the digital cameras. I did finally come into the modern age and I do enjoy the freedom of shooting all sorts of pictures without having to think about the developing costs. 

"Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art." ~Ambrose Pierce

I like sharing things I spot on my walks with you on my Facebook author page. I enjoy capturing fun times with my grandkids. And I like playing around with the photos to make mystery photos to have fun here on One Writer's Journal. 

This is the mystery photo from my last blog post. You made some great and poetic guesses. Loved them all. And most of you figured out what the photo was or at least were very close. Here's the "rest of the picture." The drops are dew drops. Thanks for your guesses. You're entered in the drawing for the newly packaged Orchard of Hope. Thanks also to those of you who said you liked the cover.

Now you can guess on the new photo at the top. If you made a guess on the Knockout rose picture and decide to give the new mystery picture a guess (or say you have no idea), you will get another entry into the giveaway. Remember, it's more fun to guess first and read the comments with the other guesses after that. But you can leave any comment here between now and November 1 to enter the giveaway. I'll pick two winners on November 3.


"Everyday we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and if possible, speak a few sensible words." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Remember to check back here on Friday, October 18 for the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt. My guest is going to be Lyn Cote. It is going to be fun chasing around through the blogs, reading about all the books and authors, and collecting clues. Great prizes too. Who knows? You might get a chance to read a good poem or see a great picture or hear a few sensible words. :)

And if you're in the area, you're invited to my Christmas at Harmony Hill Hometown Book Launch on Sunday, October 20th at 2:30 p.m. at the Anderson County Public Library. We'll talk books and laugh about me actually looking at Christmas stuff here way before Halloween. That has NEVER happened before! But I bought a couple of Christmas door prizes.

Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.
Ambrose Bierce
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/picture.html#vEporMBMokDOF3qj.99