Tuesday, March 1, 2016

When your day goes SPLAT!





Have you ever had a day like this?  Where everything has gone wrong?

 Or is there a time when you've just crumbled, like this bread?
Just the other day, I felt just like these loaves of Snickerdoodle bread, literally falling in a grocery store and going SPLAT!  Yep, I tripped with a bowl of fruit in one hand and a birthday card in another, and did the most magnificent belly flop ever! Not tripping and landing on my backside… No, that would've graceful in comparison. Instead I was completely laid out on my stomach, the fruit bowl and card flew ahead of me, while I flopped on the concrete floor of that grocery store. 

Talk about going splat! And in front of all the people in this very crowded store.

Before you even say something against the store, or lawsuit, or even get angry because I fell in a public place, I must say the two employees of the store were immediately by my side.  And a young man in his 20s who was at the nearest check-out line immediately reached for me, extending his hand and helping me to my feet. I think he knew instinctively that I wanted to get up as soon as possible. 

Of course, once on my feet, I realized how hard I had banged my knee.  But nothing was broken, I was standing. I'm sure I was a bright shade of red, so I chose not to have them write up an incident report.  Amazingly, the fruit bowl stayed in tact so it was thrust into my hands, again by the caring young man, and I was on my way.

It was only after I got into my car that the tears came. OUCH! And of course, I was a little in shock.  One second you're walking out of the store, on your way to your church life group meeting, and the next you're splayed at on the floor, having done what I'm sure was a spectacular belly flop.  I'm surprised my breast implants didn't break!

Once in the car, I wasn't sure what do next.  My hubby was home sick, and I was scheduled to facilitate our life group meeting that night. But I was happy to be in my car, away from all of the prying eyes of everyone in the store.

What about you? Have you had a day when everything goes wrong? When you're whole day takes a wildly different turn?

How many of us lash out in anger? How many lash out with tears? How many of us want to crawl in a hole and hide? 

Part of me wanted to stay on the ground (I immediately sat up from my belly-flopped, splayed out position), just to have a moment to collect myself. But there were too many people around. I can still hear the gasps of those who witnessed my great tumble.

But the other part of me wanted to run…rather limp…away as fast as I could. Being angry never really crossed my mind. Suing the grocery store seemed ridiculous –  nothing was broken, no permanent damage. So, I drove on to my life group meeting and my friends.

I turned to them, tears in my eyes, trembling, and feeling somewhat ridiculous. And they showered me with hugs, ice packs and Tylenol. And onward we went with our meeting. I have no idea what I said, or how well the meeting was facilitated, but I think I just wanted to keep pushing forward. To move on as quickly as I could from the spectacle of falling down.

Could I have done that had I chosen to stay on the floor? Or crawled inside a proverbial hole? As tempting as that was, I think it's always best to move forward from the days where we go splat.

I want to be the type of person who can put the past behind me.  If I had crawled into my shell or driven straight home, I would've missed that time with friends – embarrassed as I was to have them see my tears - just from a silly fall.

There's always something to learn from those tougher days – in the times when we stumble and even fall on our faces.  The beauty is, we don't have to stay in that place. We can find a way to limp out of there, and find healing with friends and loved ones, even during your most embarrassing day.




ACFW New Releases: March 2016

March 2016 New Releases

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.

Contemporary Romance:

The Nanny's Secret Child by Lorraine Beatty -- She had a chance to be a nanny for the child she gave up at birth, and couldn't say no. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

The Goodbye Bride by Denise Hunter -- Lucy Lovett can't remember the last seven months of her life. She doesn't remember leaving her fiancé Zac Callahan, moving to Portland, Maine, or getting engaged to another man. All she remembers is loving Zac more than life itself. Zac was just beginning to get his life back on track after Lucy left him with no explanation. And now she's back--vulnerable, homeless, and still in love with him. Has he been given a second chance with the only woman who stirs his passion and haunts his dreams? Lucy knows she must unlock those missing months and discover why she threw everything away. And Zac knows that if he follows his heart he'll win back the love of his life--but if Lucy's memory returns, his would-be bride might say goodbye forever. (Contemporary Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing [Thomas Nelson and Zondervan])

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson -- Marie Carrington is hoping to find safety and sanctuary on Prince Edward Island, where she reluctantly agrees to help decorate a renovated bed-and-breakfast before it opens for prime tourist season. Seth Sloane didn't move three thousand miles to work on his uncle's B&B so he could babysit a woman with a taste for expensive antiques and a bewildering habit of jumping every time he brushes past her. He came to help restore the old Victorian--and to forget about the fiancée who broke his heart. The only thing Marie and Seth agree on is that getting the Red Door Inn ready to open in just three months will take everything they've got. Can these two wounded souls find hope, healing, and perhaps a bit of romance on this beautiful island? (Contemporary Romance from Revell [Baker Publishing])

A Glimmer of Hope: A Novella Prequel to Isle of Hope by Julie Lessman -- Lacey Carmichael is a wounded girl serving up trouble. Jack O'Bryen is a pastor's kid bent on serving God. But can they find a glimmer of hope for a future together? (Contemporary Romance from Julie Lessman LLC)

   
General:

Grace in the Flames by Michelle Massaro -- Three people. One God of Grace. John Douglas thought he knew the future God had for him--raise a family and grow old with his bride, Hannah. But then a deadly house fire incinerates his faith, destroying the man he'd been. Worship leader Jenni Dupont conquered her demons years ago and has the scars to prove it. But temptation strikes when her world is shattered, and this time she's not sure if God can carry her through. Bar waitress April Johanson lives with the secret trauma of an abusive past. Desperate to stay off the streets of Vegas, she'll do whatever is necessary to pay the rent. When their lives intersect, God will ask them to do the impossible. To love Him even if… (General from Harvest House Publishers)


Historical Mystery:

Dressed for Death by Julianna Deering -- Drew and Madeline Farthering attend a Regency-era house party but end up with a murder mystery to solve when one of the guests dies from a drug overdose. Then the dark question arises of whether the death is an accident or murder. Drew is shocked when the police arrest someone he's trusted and admired since his childhood--someone who's been smuggling drugs into the country for years. Questioning his own ability to see people as they really are, Drew doesn't know who to trust, and he's not ready for the secrets he's about to uncover--or the danger he'll bring down on everyone he holds dear. (Historical Mystery from Bethany House [Baker Publishing])


Historical Romance:

The Cowboy's Bride Collection by Susan Page Davis, Vickie McDonough, Susanne Dietze, Nancy J. Farrier, Miralee Ferrell, Darlene Franklin, Davalynn Spencer, Becca Whitham, and Jaime Jo Wright -- Ride onto the open range alongside cowboys and cowgirls who embrace the adventures of living in the Old West from Kansas to New Mexico, Colorado to Texas. Whether rounding up cattle or mustangs, training horses, fending off outlaws, weathering storms, competing in rodeos, or surviving drought these cowboys work hard each day. But when hardheaded men have their weaknesses exposed by well-meaning women will they stampede away or will a lasting love develop? (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)

The Marriage Bargain by Angel Moore -- Lily Warren's new hat shop is her ticket to self-reliance…until a fire threatens to destroy her dreams. And when Edward Stone--her landlord and the town blacksmith--bursts into her private rooms to rescue her, Lily's reputation is tarnished. So Edward proposes a solution that could save her good name--even as it puts her independence at risk. With an orphaned niece who needs a mother, Edward believes a marriage of convenience is the answer to his and Lily's problems. But he didn't plan on developing feelings for his new wife. Perhaps it's time for the wary blacksmith to try forging something truly precious--a real family… (Historical Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Mystery:

A Fool and His Monet by Sandra Orchard -- Despite her mother's pleas to do something safer--like get married--Serena Jones has joined the FBI Art Crime Team and is learning how to go undercover in hopes of catching the art thief who murdered her grandfather. When a local museum discovers an irreplaceable Monet missing, Jones leaps into action. The clues point in different directions, and her boss orders her to cease investigating her most promising suspect. But determined to solve the case and perhaps discover another clue in her grandfather's murder, she pushes ahead, regardless of the danger. (Mystery from Revell [Baker Publishing])


Romantic Suspense:

The Stronghold by Lisa Carter -- Drug violence, revenge killings, and kidnapping are nothing new along the U.S.-Mexican border. But now teenage girls are disappearing from the Apache reservations of Arizona and New Mexico. Apache tribal cop Pilar To-Clanny and FBI Special Agent Alex Torres have a long and tumultuous history. When someone close to them disappears, Pilar and Alex must risk everything to rescue the child, including facing the unresolved issues of the past, and venture into the no-man's land of the drug cartels. Can Pilar and Alex work together to stop a sadistic killer before he strikes again? On a quest to rescue those they love, who will rescue them?  (Romantic Suspense from Abingdon Press)

Protecting Her Daughter by Lynette Eason -- After someone attempts to abduct her daughter, single mom Zoe Collier flees to a remote ranch for safety. But when the would-be kidnappers follow them to Wrangler's Corner, Zoe must figure out why somebody wants Sophia. Local vet Aaron Starke is determined to help Zoe investigate--and to keep his intriguing new neighbors safe. Zoe's used to relying on her own wits to survive. But quick-witted, caring Aaron is just the type of man she needs in her corner. And he might be her partner for keeps…if they can find the truth without losing their lives. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])


Women's Fiction:

Breaking Free by Jennifer Slattery -- Women's ministry leader and Seattle housewife, Alice Goddard, and her successful graphic-designer husband appear to have it all together. Until their credit and debit cards are denied, launching Alice into an investigation that only leads to the discovery of secrets. Meanwhile, her husband is trapped in a downward spiral of lies, shame, and self-destruction. Can they break free from their deception and turn to the only One who can save them? And will it be in time to save their marriage? (Women's Fiction from New Hope Publishers)