He Could Be Me

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It’s easy to judge the homeless guy on the corner from the comfort of my car, and my life. It’s tighter for Jon and than it used to be, but we’re okay. We used to give ten bucks and now it’s two. Yeah, things have changed, but we can still share.

Now when I look at these guys from the comfort of my car I know it wouldn’t take much to be sitting on a different corner in dirty clothes, holding a sign, and wishing with all my heart I could be somewhere else.

Every now and then I hear someone talking about these homeless ones and he or she says, “They won’t even look me in the eye.”

My honest response: Why in the world would they? Who wants to see the condemnation in your eyes? Not them. Not me either.

As I consider my place in this world, I realize these important truths:

That could be me.
Jesus wants me to care.
Jesus is watching and when I take a moment to show I care, He sees both my faith and deed.

I don’t always obey when I hear Jesus say, “Stop and give.” Even as I drive away I know I chose not to take an opportunity to care the way Jesus does. How sad is that!

Matthew 25:36b ”I was sick, and you cared for me.”

(NLT)

I Wish I Knew

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This picture was taken at Christmas, 1963. That’s me in the fake-fur trimmed coat – my smile is a little “off” because I had lost my two front teeth. My little brother and cousins, Sheila and Scott, are also in the picture. I can smell her “toilet water” (she really called it that), and can remember the way she held my hand when we walked. She was my Grammie and I was her Honeybunch. I miss her.

I knew her love, her voice, her touch,

But, the truth is I didn’t know very much.

She was gone before I knew what to ask,

My chance to know has long since past.

Under her nice was she naughty too?

And, what was her favorite food?

I wonder what she’d tell me about him,

The first male to get under her skin.

Or about the one whose babies she bore,

And what about those styles she wore?

Who gave her that first kiss?

Was there someone she’d always miss?

What did she dream about when all alone?

Was she ever broken in heart or bone?

What made her laugh or caused her fear?

Did she shed secret tears?

What songs did she hear in her heart?

What did she do when things fell apart?

Oh Grandma, how I wish knew,

The woman who lived inside of you.

Joy DeKok

Author & Author Coach

Visit my other sites:

www.booksbyjoy.com (Books by Joy & Others)

www.authorinfusion.com

www.socialmediainfusion.net

My Latest Releases:

To learn more, visit AMAZON.

A Friend at the Other End

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I don’t enjoy flying and going far away without Jon is not high on my list of fun stuff to do. As I packed my bags, I prayed, “Lord, send me a friend, as soon as I land – just like you did at the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference.”

I first noticed her in the Minneapolis, MN airport. She had this cool yellow bag, and walked with confidence. Watching her I thought she had it all together, and wished I was more like her. I assumed she was flying to CA on some kind of important corporate business and was surprised when she rode the van to the Mt. Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference. We talked and agreed to touch base through-out the conference.

We kept our word by meeting at breakfast, lunch when we could, and the ice cream parlor. We talked easily about our dreams, disappointments, and goals. We took copious notes, shared them at coffee, and made it through the 2nd-day writer’s conference blues together.

I’m not sure how long ago we flew from MN to CA, but we are now both published writers (Her book; BlessBack is incredible – learn more about it HERE), and we still share our dreams, disappointments, and goals.

Julie is part of my writing legacy – she’s been there through the publications of all my books. She’s soared with me and stayed faithful when the wind was no longer beneath my wings.

The Mt. Hermon Conference birthed a lot of new dreams that year in the hearts of two writers, and God sent an answer to prayer – a friend at the other end.

Thanks, Julie!

Joy

This is the cover of Julie’s book – isn’t it beautiful?

www.juliesaffrin.com

Rain Dance – Again

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Sometimes being an author is hard, but even then, there’s hope. Either that I’m a radical optimist, and I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.

Recently, my publisher took Rain Dance out of print and returned the book rights back to me. That happens to authors every day. As I read the letter, I felt a sting of sadness – we both had big dreams for this book. Then, I considered putting it in storage, but first I prayed. As I did, a gentle surge of hope started to twirl in my heart. I asked God, “Really? You want me to try this again?” I paced and prayed some more. After I said yes, a peace I could not understand settled in.

The next step I took was to contemplate my target market – again. Christian women who are pro-life, infertile, or have chosen abortion and regret it. I stepped back into the book and tried to visualize Jonica – again. She’s young. So is Stacie. When I saw them with the eye of my imagination, I was stunned by how young. None of the covers this book has worn have represented that vital piece of them. The new one had to.

Determined, I started the search for the right cover graphic. I spent hours looking and almost chose another, before I found this one:

Rain Dance re-release date: April 15, 2012 – Kindle E-book only.

She made me smile, and she looked like I’d always (yes – always) thought Jonica looked.

The thought of her on the cover excited me. I tested that by printing this off and walking out of the room for an hour and then back for a second, third, and fourth look. I liked her better each time.

Here’s the catch: Rain Dance tells the stories of two hurting women – at times it’s sad as they battle their pain, hypocrisies, and more hurt before they both find the hope that heals. What do I want my readers to know before they start reading? There is no happily ever after for either of my girls, but there is a hope-filled and hard-won victory for both. Do I really want to give away the end? I’m not – until you read the book you have no idea how.

The other reason she appealed to me is that she is that in this picture, she radiates confidence – in my mind that confidence is in the One she has placed her faith in, her husband, her best friend, and herself.

I want my readers to see who she is when her circumstances don’t change, but her faith triumphs after a heart-wearying battle. Isn’t that what we all want from the novels we read?

So – here’s the 4th Rain Dance cover. Do you see why I thought it was time for the file cabinet and why I resisted God a little? I’m stubborn, but it would have been far easier to let the book go. Instead here I am admitting failure and announcing I’m going to try – again.

Have you ever read The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews? The 7th decision is, “I will persist without exception.”

This is my public declaration: I will persist without exception. I will release

Rain Dance – again.

Joy

Joy DeKok

Author, speaker, author coach, and social media manager.

Titles of my books: Rain Dance, Your Life, a Legacy, Poetry – Touch the World With Your Art & Soul, It Is Good, Room for Bandit, and Raccoon Tales.

My other websites: www.booksbyjoy.com www.authorinfusion.com www.socialmediainfusion.net

How I Wish I Knew

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I wish my mother had left me something about how she felt growing up. I wish my grandmother had done the same. ~Carol Burnett

I deeply loved my grandmas, and yet I know so little about who they really were. These days I hold my memories close and whisper questions that no one has the answers to. Were they ever naughty? (Yes, that really is my very first question!) Did they have a crush on anyone besides the men I know they married? If they did, who was he? Did they go to school? Where and for how long? Were their parents kind to them? What were their favorite foods, colors, songs, or books? I know my grandma Joy knew and loved God, but what about the other two? What were their marriages really like? Were they afraid to grow old and die? Did anyone hurt them? Did anyone help them? I know they loved me, but what did they like about me?

How I wish I knew.

What about you – what does someone in your life wish you would tell them? If you have daughters, ask them what they want to know. If you are a daughter, ask your mom your questions. Ask your grandmothers and your aunts. Be brave – share your hearts before you have only wishes left.

Leave the Legacy only you can – your life stories.

Joy

Order the Kindle version of Your Life, a Legacy today!

Hypocrisy in Your Legacy

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I don’t know about you, but I used to despise hypocrisy in others and I fought to keep my own hidden by denying it existed. The only one who believed me was me and even I knew I was lying, and I believe lying is wrong. This is just one of my personal hypocrisies.

Yes, it still annoys me in others, but it really annoys me when it’s mine.

I’ve talked to several people who fear revealing the times in their lives they’ve done or said something counter to their core beliefs and convictions.

I’ll tell you what I tell them: We’re all hypocrites. If we say we aren’t we’re lying.

Here’s an example: I was sitting in a restaurant enjoying a solo lunch. My peace was interrupted by a passionate discussion several tables away. A group of Democrats tore into the Republicans. (I am Republican) They used raw, vile language to describe my side of the voting aisle. They called us vulgar names. (hate-monger, homophobe, and stupid were only a few)They slung labels around like Frisbees and claimed conservatives were the side that used hate language. They praised themselves as the party of humanity, open-mindedness, intelligence, generosity, and kindness. They let anyone listening know they were progressive and anyone else was “willing living in ignorance in the dark ages.” During their diatribe my emotions ranged from shock to anger and back again. Finally one of them said, “They’re all a bunch of hypocrites.” I’d like to say I responded with great intelligence and debated them with finesse. I didn’t. I kept my thoughts to myself.

During this verbal lashing, these accusers proclaimed their own self-righteousness – the very thing they despise in people like me. Really – as they condemned us, they grew more confident in their arrogance. Their voices raised, hands clapped and others pounded the table. They were right and anyone who believed differently was wrong.

The part that left a lump in my throat was this: I saw myself in them. I’ve sat in groups of people who believe like me and have joined in as we said similar things about those with opposing beliefs.

After a deep self-evaluation, I wrote: When we go from confident in our convictions to self-righteous, we taint the truth of our message, shut communication down, and we become the thing we despise: hypocrites.

As I write my Legacy, I’m admitting to the times I acted virtuous, and wasn’t or compromised a core conviction. I prefer confession to defending myself or accusing someone else. There’s a happy “side-effect” to this: acknowledging my pretenses makes me more aware of them and liberates me from those in the past I regret.

Here’s an interesting truth no matter what side of the aisle you vote for: the very act of calling someone else a hypocrite is hypocrisy.

Until next time,

Joy

Joy DeKok, author, speaker, author coach, and social media manager.

Other websites:

www.booksbyjoy.com

www.authorinfusion.com

www.socialmediainfusion.com

You can order Your Life, a Legacy in the Kindle version HERE. The print version is still in process.