And the Winners Are

I picked the winners by random number for my Honor Mom Contest Giveaway. I do so appreciate all of you who joined in with my giveaway fun. I enjoyed hearing from you and loved all your Mom stories. Sometimes I wonder what Mom stories my own children might someday tell about me. Not sure I want to hear them!!

I can't share all the wonderful stories I received, but I did read each and every one. Some made me smile. Some made me wipe away a tear. Thank you for sharing about your mothers and about yourselves as mothers. 

I think it's kind of neat that I started the contest on Mother's Day and now I'm ending it on my mother-in-law's birthday. She was such a sweet lady and always ready to smile. She loved her family so much. She's been gone on for over ten years now, but when my husband and his brothers and sister get together they tell Mama stories that make them smile and remember just the way you all have told me in the last couple of weeks. 

Yellow Roses

So let's see some of those stories. First from Judy who always wanted to do things to make her mother happy. 

Money was always tight growing up & still is. There were so many things I would have liked to have done for my mom. Whenever I would do something for her, she would tell me to save my money. I shouldn't spend it on her; I might need it. Yellow roses were her favorite & were a luxury for her. I would try to send them to her not only for Mother's Day but for her birthday when I could. Throughout the years I would try to send little surprises to her just to let her know I was thinking of her. I used to save the books I had read and mail them to her so she could enjoy them as well.

Mama's Hands

And now Diana tells about all the things her mother did to keep her childhood safe and happy. We do have to always appreciate Mama's hands.

Growing up as a kid I don't think you see everything that goes on in a family to keep it going. Now looking back as an adult and a mother myself I see life so much different. My mom worked from the time she got up by the rooster crow till she went to bed at night to the sound of the crickets. She did everything from cleaning to cooking and keeping our clothes clean by washing them by the old ringer washer and her dryer was the great outdoors even in the winter. That wasn't her only job. She would leave early and go work for a cleaners and put in 8 hours a day there working in a hot box doing laundry for hospitals and businesses. She'd come home and then prepare the dinner for the evening and clean up after 6 kids. Read the Bible to us before bed. She was a hard worker. I look at her today and she is getting where she can't get around now. I look at her hands getting crippled up. The hands that loved us and the hands that corrected us. Her hands did a lot in raising us. I am very thankful for my mother. God's gift is a wonderful mother and I got one.

And Then the Lilac Bush Bloomed

Here's a beautiful story from Jennifer. The Lord sometimes give us special gifts simply because He loves us.

My Mom passed away on a day in June after more than 14 years of battling Multiple Myeloma (bone marrow cancer). She was a  Principal in an elementary school. My Mom stated just days before her death that all she wanted to do was help people and she hoped that she had done so. For me - I am not sure that I have a favorite Mother's Day as my Mom tried to make everyday special even when she was struggling with her disease. What is interesting is that my Mom loved to garden and we had lilac bushes in our yard that had never bloomed - we have lived in this house for more than thirty years - yet when my Mom came home for hospice the lilac bushes all suddenly bloomed. This fact made my Mom incredibly happy.  

Making a Mama Smile

Rhonda shares this smile with us about her Mother's Day. 

Last night my 21 year old son took me to dinner and paid...lol. Love that he is independent now.

Drum Roll Please - The Winners Are...

And now my winners. Terri R. and Kim R. Must have been a lucky day for R names. I've sent e-mails but haven't heard back from either winner yet. Also, I picked a couple of "just because" winners. Debbie V who recently lost her house to fire and Nancy V (now it's the V names!). I drew for a winner just from those of you who commented here on my blog. I do so appreciate each and every one of you who read my blog and make comments. But Nancy Vance, you didn't leave a way to contact you. So, if you'll send me a message at annhgabhart(at)yahoo(dot)com, I'll get in touch. Or you can leave your e-mail here.

Thanks again, everyone, for joining in my giveaway fun. My new book, The Innocent, is about to hit the stores. So we'll do some more celebrating with giveaways soon. Stay tuned.

A Giveaway to Celebrate Scent of Lilacs & Grandmothers

Mom with one of her great-granddaughters

Every time I have a new book release or in the case of Scent of Lilacs re-released, I like celebrating with my reading friends. And what better way to celebrate than to give away some things?  

And what am I giving away?

Funny that you should ask since I was just about to tell you. A Grandmother’s Bible. Some of you may remember I did a giveaway with this Bible a couple of years ago, but so many people commented on really, really wanting to win it that I thought why not give another copy away? I’d been trying to think of something that would tie in with my book’s title, Scent of Lilacs. Maybe I should have hunted up a garden catalog and mailed the winner a lilac bush. That would have been neat, but then the winner might have lived in an apartment without a yard. With lilacs on my mind, I remembered that purple Grandmother’s Bible–a very lilac purple. Plus, in the story, Aunt Love is always trying to improve Jocie’s behavior by quoting Scripture to her. Not in a sweet, grandmotherly way, but verses from the Bible at any rate. 

So top prize in my new giveaway is a beautiful lilac leather-bound Bible (NIV) with all kinds of extras for grandmothers to help guide their grandchildren along the right paths in life. Two second place winners will get their choice of one of my books and a grab bag book by a different Christian author. And I haven’t forgotten those of you who say you never win. One by one, we’re changing that. If you tell me you never win when you send your entry, then I’ll enter you in a special drawing for a lilac scented candle and your choice of one of my books. To enter send me an e-mail from my website or leave a comment here. 

Since I’ve got two giveaways overlapping a bit here, you can leave that comment on this post and also scoot in at the last moment for an entry in my blog giveaway. Jocie on Hollyhill Book of the Strange will be shouting out the three winners of Scent of Lilac next Monday on her blog. Thanks to all of you who have made the month fun with your comments. Deadline for entering the new Scent of Lilacs celebration giveaway is midnight EST April 1, 2013. You must be eighteen to enter.

For fun, I invited you to tell me a grandmother story. You don’t have to in order to enter, and a bunch of you have loved telling me about your grandmothers. I haven’t gotten to read all your stories yet, but I will. Meanwhile, I have read a few to share with you tonight with the permission of the writers. So here goes.

First, can any of you top Mary’s grandmother in numbers? She says, “When my grandmother passed away I was one of 101 grandchildren and she also left 103 great-grandchildren. I had 3 more children after she passed and I have lost count of all the cousins and great cousins in the family now. We have started having a Cousin's Luncheon every month, and try to get different cousins to come each month. There are just too many of us to get all together at once.”

Now if they all showed up, they’d have to reserve the whole restaurant and make sure it was a big one. My dad used to look around the table when we all got together and tell Mom “Just look what we started,” and there were only three of us girls and seven grandchildren.

 

Grandmothers can be teachers too as they help us learn as we grow. That’s plain in this story from Jeanne.

“When I was growing up during my teenage years my mother opened a little dress shop and it seems like she was always at work.  We moved to be closer to her shop but since she worked long hours she just didn't feel like cooking when she got home and neither of my older sisters ever leaned how to cook.
My sister's were much older and I didn't like being alone at home so every day after school I would stop by my Gramma B’s little apartment for a "chat." As soon as I told her about "dinnertime" she told me not to worry that she'd teach me how to cook on her old coal stove - you know the kind - the ones that make the best cookies in the world!

During the days and weeks ahead she didn't teach me just how to cook. She also taught me that I had to learn how to do the things I needed to, as she said, "survive in this world." My Gramma taught me the important life lessons and she taught me to not only cook but to also sew. She taught me to be independent but to remember the importance of friends. Most important of all she taught me about tolerance, giving to others and helping those less fortunate. This was all taught me by a woman who had little in possessions or wealth. She taught me from the heart what was truly important in life.

Most of all she taught me to never think badly of others and I remember the day she inscribing in my bible - Never judge that ye be not judged -  and in parentheses after it "Always give everyone you meet a second chance."

I'm 65 now and I only hope that I am teaching my own grandchildren those important lessons as well and spending time in the kitchen with them teaching them how to bake.

That’s the way of grandmothers. Wisdom passed down from one generation to the next along with a lot of love. Some of those who’ve entered say they never had a grandmother, because of distance or death. But all of them have said how much they love being grandmothers now. For the last story this week, we hear from M.

When I was little my grandmother (knowing I liked chocolate) would take me grocery shopping with her. As we came to the checkout counter she would say, "I LOVE Hershey Bars but I couldn't possible eat a whole one. Would you share one with me?" Then she would open it, take one or two squares and hand me the rest. Eventually it dawned on me what she was doing. Even today when I see a Hershey Bar I think of her.  

I’m glad so many of you have loving memories to share with me. I’m looking forward to reading more of your grandmother stories in the days ahead. And if you haven’t entered, please do. Remember no story necessary to enter, but the stories are fun.

Also I’ll have a guest post on "Scattering Hope with a Smile" about Scent of Lilacs giving me "New Writing Hope." Leave a comment there on Jo's blog for another chance to win an autographed copy of Scent of Lilacs. I hope I'm not giving away so many books that nobody will have to buy one! :)

Thanks so much for reading and I hope these stories have made you remember how much you were loved by your grandmothers.

Quotes for Spring

I love Spring. I also love summer and fall and even winter. That narrows things down a little, doesn't it? But I wouldn't really want to live where there weren't seasons. Where it was always warm. Where the sun shone all summer and only made cameo appearances in the winter. I love the Spring sunshine and when the flowers burst into bloom and chase away the last of the winter blues. So here are some quotes to keep you springing through Spring.

The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day He created Spring. ...Bern Williams

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. ...Joseph Addison

Life is like riding a bicycle. You don't fall off unless you stop pedaling. ...Claude Pepper

So hope all of you keep pedaling and have a good trip. Try to pedal past some lilac bushes and take a deep breath to get that great lilac scent all the way down to your toes. As those of you who have read my Hollyhill books know, that's Jocie's favorite scent. And then it won't be long till you can roll your car window down and drive by some locust trees in bloom. Ahh! We had locust trees all over our yard where I grew up. You sometimes stepped on the locust thorns, but Spring smelled good! I love that scent just like David does. Last there's this little green bush that grows wild out in the field. I have no idea what it is. You can't even see it bloom unless you look really close, but boy, does it smell deliciously sweet when it is in bloom. I haven't noticed its scent yet, but I'm always disappointed if I miss it in the Spring.

Happy lilac and locust bloom hunting. Enjoy Spring.