Author Archives: caverns of my mind

My Grown Up Christmas List

Posted on December 24, 2012 by caverns of my mind

I was going to write this incredibly inspiring post about realizing there’s more to Christmas than getting gifts and all the material possessions we may desire, and then I realized it’s been done before… on multiple occasions, and by multiple people.  What else could I say that hasn’t already been said?  I guess I could tell it from my own perspective and through the illustration of how I’ve learned this most important lesson.

I’ll keep it short though.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year, ever since I can remember.  I love listening to and singing along with Christmas music, decorating the tree, making and eating all those holiday goodies we regret later, buying and wrapping presents, and opening my gifts.  But like so many others, by getting wrapped up in wrapping paper and such, we often forget the true meaning of the holiday.

By the way, the true meaning isn’t just the quality time and the giving and loving we do more at this time of year, though that is what creates those warm, fuzzy feelings.  Whether you believe in Him or not, Christmas would not exist if one amazing gift had not been given a couple thousand years ago… the greatest gift ever given, because of what He would give to all of us a little over thirty years later.  Jesus was sent to sacrifice everything for us.  No, I’m not going to preach.  I just think it is beautiful and needs to be kept in mind.

2 Corinthians 8:9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. (NLT)

I certainly do not want to become poor, but I understand the idea behind giving in a way I didn’t for so long.  When Robert lost his job, it sure felt like we were poor, and we were unable to give gifts for Christmas, something that depressed me.  As you grow older, you receive less gifts, so it wasn’t that part that made me sad, but that I wouldn’t be going out in search of the “perfect” gifts for all my loved ones, hoping to outdo what I had done the year before.  Don’t get me wrong.  Robert and I always budgeted for our gift-giving so as not to spend what we didn’t have, but we always budgeted generously, especially for each other.  It became almost a contest to see who could stretch the money we allocated for each other the furthest and still get awesome presents.   It wasn’t as much about blessing the other person as it was about the process.

Somehow in all of that, we lost the simplest joy of Christmas.  Now that Robert is working again, we decided not to change much from what we did the last two years while he was unemployed.  We are buying gifts for the small kids in our lives, and other than that, we are giving to those who are in need, and through charities and projects we believe in.  If the adults in our lives do not understand this, than they really don’t know us that well.

I’m not saying giving gifts to family and friends is a bad practice- just try to keep it all in perspective.  Giving doesn’t have to be material objects either; giving time and love, or something you create yourself should be more important than a reindeer sweater with a puffy red nose someone will re-gift anyway.

Keep it simple.  Keep it heartfelt.  Keep it in perspective, and keep others in mind.

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It’s the End of the World as We Know It…

Posted on December 21, 2012 by caverns of my mind

Or maybe not.  Perhaps I shouldn’t be too cocky about it though.  In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (sorry, it’s on my mind because I am currently teaching it) as Caesar walks to the Capitol he sees the soothsayer who had given him the now famous warning “Beware the Ides of March” exactly a month prior, and as he sees this man he says in an arrogant fashion, “The Ides of March have come.”  The soothsayer simply replies, “Ah, but not gone.”  Less than an hour or so later, Caesar is a victim of multiple stab wounds.  So I’m waiting till the last time zone makes it into 12/22/12 before I begin grading any of the research papers turned in last week.

Ok…seriously, all this end of the world stuff, and thinking about Shakespeare, reminded me of a sonnet I wrote in tenth grade (they’re usually about love but our teacher said we could write one about nature):

The End

By: Terree L. Klaes

The sun is shining upon all the world,

But the clouds roll in like great massive waves.

Caught up in the wind, the treetops whirled.

It is desperate for the victims it craves.

In a powerful climax it gains speed:

Sweeping the landscape into an uproar

Scattering all of the soon to bloom seed,

Ruining human lives forevermore.

Gripping talons of sheer icy coldness

Rip relentlessly at helpless landscapes,

Going forth with devastating boldness.

People run in terror with no escapes.

Breaking through the clouds is the peaceful sun.

When I look for signs of life I find none.

If the world survived my poem (and Gangnam Style), certainly we can survive the end of the Mayan calendar.  My theory on a possible conversation between the guys making the calendar:

“We’ve made this calendar pretty far ahead.  Do you think it’s good enough to stop for now?”

“Yeah.  We can add the rest later, unless we get wiped out by disease and conquistadores.”

And then they both had a good laugh, because they couldn’t see into the future and were soon wiped out by disease and conquistadores.  Just sayin.’

And for more humor, here’s a snippet of something I posted on Facebook the other day:

Me: “I think the world is saved. I saw some calendars today that go all the way through to the end of 2013.”

Friend: “Were they printed by Mayans?”

Me: “Actually, I think they said ‘Made in China,’ but I’m hopeful.  I was told if I wait until after 12/21/12 to buy one it will go on clearance.”

And if you believe in God and read the Bible, be comforted by this, “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself [not even the Mayans]. Only the Father knows.”  Matthew 24:36 NLT

I added the part in brackets myself.

If you like disaster movies, you’ll love the clip.  If you’re sensitive to them, please don’t watch.  Either way, don’t blame me; it’s your choice.

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All Oppression Shall Cease

Posted on December 19, 2012 by caverns of my mind

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the music.  I’ve been singing as many Christmas songs as I could learn since I was first able to sing, as far as I can remember anyway (between singing Christmas songs and songs from Annie loudly, for all to hear when I was a child, it’s hard to understand why I’m terrified to sing in front of people now).  Though I do actually enjoy many of the more secular songs, like “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the dearest to me have always been the more traditional songs- the songs about the true origin and meaning of the holiday.  When I was younger, my favorite was always “Silent Night.”  It’s slow, reverent, and beautiful.  However, somehow I had missed for years the most beautiful of all Christmas songs.

Then in the early ’90s, while watching Home Alone, I heard it in the background while Kevin spoke with the “scary neighbor” in the church scene. “O Holy Night,” my favorite Christmas song gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes whenever I hear it done well.  None of those fast-tempo versions can do that though.  It must be sung slowly, and with real feeling.

Intrigued by one of the lesser performed verses of the song (indeed, it is difficult to find versions of the song with this verse), I decided to do some research into the song’s origins.  I found an intriguing piece of literature on the matter, and if you’re also interested, please read.  It’s a bit long, but quite interesting and worth the time.

To make a long story short, for the part of this song’s history most relevant to me, though not originally written for the purpose of abolitionism, the following verse was picked up by an American and used for an anti-slavery message during the Civil War:

“Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.”

Since I find my biggest passion to be fighting modern-day slavery, I guess it’s fitting that this is the dearest of all Christmas songs to me.

I’m sharing a beautiful and reverent version sung by an artist I have only recently heard, Kerrie Roberts. I love that she includes at least most of this often left out verse, and that she keeps the song simple and beautiful. Some modern artists insist on singing crazy vocal runs and just overdoing an already amazing song.

 

 

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Senseless

Posted on December 15, 2012 by caverns of my mind

The official news outlets and social media are inundated with the tragedy that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut yesterday.  The last count I saw was that 20 children and six adults (including the gunman who killed himself) were dead.  Senseless.

Then news started to surface that an attack had also occurred across the world in China as a knife-wielding man attacked twenty-two children.  Fortunately and miraculously, none of them sustained life-threatening injuries.  From my research, I see that there have apparently been a string of such attacks in China, and we in the U.S. are well aware this was not the first school shooting we’ve seen.

But why?  What drives a person to want to do harm to others, especially to small children?  They haven’t lived long enough to wrong anyone yet.

I learned of this tragic news when a student in my class of seniors found it while I had them doing some research online.  Class was almost over and we all talked about how there have been so many horrific stories in the news of attacks in public places.  Then classes changed and I thought I would try to put on a strong exterior for my last class of the day, but while they took a quiz, I looked up the shooting on my own and I had a hard time keeping from crying, let alone teaching class immediately after learning of this.

I teach high school, and we had been under a lockdown just earlier the same week because someone from outside our school had made some threatening remarks geared towards another high school in our town.  This person was found and nothing violent occurred, but it sure makes a story like this feel closer than it is.

“What if” kept echoing in my mind.  I watched my students as they took their vocabulary quiz and I wondered what I would do if someone attacked my class.  What if someone tried to harm my kids?

And I cannot stop thinking about the families of these victims, the pain in that community, and the terror the surviving children of this massacre must be experiencing.

Once my students walked out of my room at the end of the day, I went in my office and prayed for those families, that community, and those children.  Then all I wanted to do was get in my car, go home, and cry, so much emotion had built up.  As I drove home, only one word echoed in my mind as I fought back tears…senseless.

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Water is Life

Posted on December 9, 2012 by caverns of my mind

I truly believe that people who have the means should give to those who do not in a show of love.  I also believe this should be voluntary and not forced, so that it is done out of love and not resentment, because when you give out of love, you will find yourself blessed for your sacrifice.

In the U.S. and many other developed nations, we tend to take for granted what may be seen as luxuries to many others in our world.

Like clean water.

So now I am advocating for one of my favorite causes, Charity:water, an organization I found completely by chance and on accident.

My husband and I were on the programming team at our church, epic, and we were planning for a series called “Poured Out,” which in essence was about pouring out God’s love all over.  In searching for possible videos to use in context with this lesson, we came across this video and immediately wanted to have our church take on the fundraising to build a well, though nothing like this had been on our radars prior to that moment.

 

We played the video in church, filled empty water bottles with dirty water to display at church, and set up a link from our website for people to give donations toward this cause.  We encouraged people to give $20, which many did.  The goal to meet for building a well was $5,000, an enormous amount of money for one small church to raise.  I remember that as we grew close to our deadline we still had far to go to actually raise the amount for one well.  Then it happened.  An anonymous giver provided half the goal in one donation, putting us over the top for our total goal to help epic church donate a well.  I was driving to a doctor’s appointment when Robert called me to let me know, and I almost had to pull off the road because tears were filling up my eyes and I was so emotional.  It was an exciting and beautiful experience.

Then we had to wait.  With the dangers of civil wars where our well was to be built and the devastation in Haiti, which came soon after we raised this money, our project was put on hold.  Every once in a while, we would remember and Robert would check to see if anything was happening.  Then, just before Thanksgiving this year, he checked it again, and our well had been built!  The completion date was listed as October 2012.

It is in the village of Aragudi in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, where many for which it provides once had to walk up to two hours just to retrieve 5 liters of water from contaminated sources.  Now it only takes these people an average of fifteen minutes… and the 15 liters of water they can now get is purified.  These people take so much pride and care for their well that they even decided to build a stone wall around it, with a door, in order to keep animals out and from contaminating their water, their life source.  They each pay in a small amount to maintain this well, which helps them to feel a pride for contributing to this wonderful water provider.

The well in use

The well in use

It’s exciting to know that halfway around the world, in a different hemisphere, a well our church provided helps give life to a group of people we may never even meet, not on Earth anyway.  I cannot fathom how the simple act of providing clean drinking water has improved the quality of life for an entire village of 357 people.

I still do not know who the anonymous donor was who gave us the boost to be able to provide that well, but I pray he or she is blessed in knowing lives have been changed for the better because of this selfless donation.

The plaque on the well

The plaque on the well

Ephesians 3:20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

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Counting Potatoes

Posted on December 8, 2012 by caverns of my mind

A recent episode of Glee brought back some old memories for me.  Yes, I watch and love Glee.  One of the characters (Ryder Lynn, played by Blake Jenner) confesses that he cannot read, and after some tests, he is informed he actually has dyslexia.  In an emotional scene where he breaks down and shares his feelings about this, he says something that reminded me of when I was a kid.  He mentions how kids are broken into reading groups by levels when they are young and how nobody says anything about it, but everyone knows which groups are the smart kids versus the dumb kids (I paraphrased all of this).

It’s so true.  I was allowed to begin my fantastic school career at the age of four since my birthday fell a day before the cutoff date.  Being younger than everyone else didn’t matter so much later in life, but for the first few years of school, I felt behind in my ability to learn (probably just not mature enough- oddly, I still feel that way now sometimes about the maturity part), and I was placed into the One Potato, Two Potato reading group, with the bilingual kids and the kids who stuttered.  We were the lowest reading group and everyone knew it, especially me.  So, beginning in first grade, I felt I was stupid and I lacked self-confidence.

As an educator I absolutely understand the purpose behind grouping kids this way.  It makes it easier to focus on the needs of each child when they are grouped according to their levels in various subjects; it’s just too bad that these groups are so obvious to others and that kids in these groups begin to feel the labels define them, especially at such a young and developmentally formative age.  However, this doesn’t mean kids cannot overcome the stigma and grow out of these levels and labels.  It takes determination.

I always loved books.  I remember sitting on my mother’s lap, even before I was school-age, while she read nursery rhymes and Golden Books to me.  I remember pulling a stack of books off my bookshelves when my grandmother would visit, and making her read all of them to me.  I even remember when I began to recognize the words,  how I spent time pouring over every book on my bookshelves, and the excitement when a new Disney book would come in the mail each month for a period of my life.  I loved books with a passion that only grew as I grew.  I read myself to sleep quite often, and as I aged, I not only read until I fell asleep (though I fought it by using the one eye at a time method), but when I awoke the next morning, I often picked the book right back up, as long as it wasn’t a school day, because Mom would tell me I was dawdling.  I not only loved the stories, but I loved the way the words were put together to create these stories and the chance to learn new words.

My love of reading transferred into a love of writing and my reading and writing scores on standardized tests were in the above average range, yet I continued to be placed in the lower reading groups for some reason, so I continued to feel stupid.  When I moved to Virginia, I was never tested, nor were any scores taken into account; I was placed in the class that had room for a new kid in the middle of the year, with the kids who didn’t know how to pause at commas and stop at periods when reading aloud. It was so frustrating.  Finally, my freshman English teacher recognized my need to be in an advanced English class.  My self confidence grew and I finally realized I wasn’t stupid and was in fact more talented in that area of my life than any other. Now math was a totally different story…

My point?  Don’t let labels hold you back.  Do what you love with confidence because you never know where it can take you.

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My Sole Soul Mate

Posted on December 1, 2012 by caverns of my mind

hands

With the passing of Thanksgiving I’ve really been assessing how and why I am thankful.  One of the most essential parts of my life, and one for which I am truly thankful, is also one I often take for granted: Robert, my husband, the love of my life.  After 12 1/2 years of marriage, I realize I fall in love with him more all the time.  If you’re doing the math and have read my previous posts, you’re probably wondering how a woman who just turned 29 (for the 7th time) could possibly have been married for so long. I must have been a baby.

Indeed, we were practically infants.

Indeed, we were practically infants.

Seriously, I don’t know what either of us were thinking when we decided to get married at 21 (Robert) and 22 (me- yes, I’m the “older woman” by nine months).  I was graduating from college one day, and two weeks and a day later, I was married!  Then we moved 600 miles away less than two weeks after that.  I truly feel I began my life with Robert… my adult life anyway.

Just the beginning...

Just the beginning…

When we met, apparently Robert knew right away that I was “the one.”  I was less enlightened than this and fought the whole idea of romance at that time.  I had just decided I was happy without the complication of a boyfriend, but I’m glad I gave him a shot after all.  I cannot imagine my life without him, and how could I not be won over by such a romantic gentleman with whom I had so much in common?

Rockin' New Year's Eve Party 2010

Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Party 2010

I’m sure Robert knows me better than anyone, and still he sticks around.  Just kidding.  I’m actually really easy to get along with.  Since I’m an introvert, I tend to just keep the crazy inside most of the time, but I know he’s seen it and still loves me. In fact, as much as possible, Robert “gets me,” and he supports me.  Sometimes I feel like my ideas and dreams are crazy, but he has committed that we will stick together through it all.  Perhaps he should be committed for agreeing to that, but it makes me love and respect him more.

Micro-brew tour of Asheville, spring 2010

Micro-brew tour of Asheville, spring 2010

We’ve been through some rough patches, but we always make it through.  Some of these patches are private and not to be shared in a blog, and others include the frustration we faced a few years ago when Robert was unemployed for almost two years and we lived off my meager teacher’s salary.  We’ve heard of couples who don’t make it through stressful times like that, but we became closer in that time (we had more time to spend together- haha).

I gave this "love bug" to Robert when I first worked up the nerve to tell him I love him. She flew with me to Costa Rica last summer since he couldn't.

I gave this “love bug” to Robert when I first worked up the nerve to tell him I love him. She flew with me to Costa Rica last summer since he couldn’t.

During that time of unemployment, we read a book called The Five Love Languages, and we both discovered that spending quality time together was a primary love language for both of us.  I love quiet evenings at home watching movies with Robert, or spending time talking or being silly with each other and our kids (dogs).  When we were first married our work schedules kept us from seeing much of each other, and then I became a teacher and Robert felt like a widower.  That time when he was unemployed allowed us to get to know each other again and to spend what sometimes felt like too much quality time together.

Quality time with the dogs

Quality time with the dogs

I hear the complaints other married couples make of their spouses, but I really don’t have any serious issues with mine.  Sure, we squabble from time to time, but we talk and pray and work out our problems together.  It’s not perfect, but our marriage is solid.  We’ve learned to talk and listen, and sometimes just to hug it out.

We have been part of 2 200 mile relay races where we fundraised for Love 146, an abolitionist group we love.

We have been part of 2 200 mile relay races where we fundraised for Love 146, an abolitionist group we love.

Robert is a good man.  He’s loving, caring, a good leader, and a best friend.  Wherever he goes, people love him and look to him.   His heart is bigger than people can tell right away, and we share the same passions that make us happy as well as those that make us angry.  He is my other half, and I know God designed us for each other.

Garth Vader (Halloween in July in August party)

Garth Vader (Halloween in July in August party)

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Life of Pie

Posted on November 25, 2012 by caverns of my mind

As I gazed into my refrigerator,  scanning the array of splendor of my Thanksgiving leftovers, the slices from the peanut butter-chocolate pie my mother brought over to share for the holiday caught my attention, and I suddenly lost myself musing over pie.  I like pie.  I mean, I really like pie; however, I don’t eat it often.  It’s not always a convenient dessert choice when only two people live in my house.  It makes the rule my dad came up with of splitting desserts into as many pieces as there are people present to eat it a bit difficult.  Portion sizes are important and eating half a pie in one sitting is not a smart choice for anyone attempting to eat at least somewhat healthily.  Sigh.  And so, pie around here is a rarity.  We tend to go with candy bars or ice cream (a pint is a reasonable portion size, right?)

Then they occurred to me, the multifarious choices in the pie world, and that they do not have to be a dessert.  Sometimes pie is a meal.  Think about it: chicken pot pie, shepherd’s pie (yum!), minced meat pie (though I will not eat one- I saw Sweeney Todd), and pizza pie.  After all, “when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore!” That’s right, pizza is a pie, and the possibilities are nearly endless when it comes to pizza, though I prefer to stick with my pepperoni… and maybe bacon.

This time of year, some pies are considered staples for the menu.  Sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and pecan pies adorn tables at holiday feasts; yet, somehow I missed these for Thanksgiving.  Now I feel almost un-American.  And speaking of American, homemade apple pie is always scrumptious, and can certainly be worked into this season, or any other for that matter.

Some pies are actually rather ambiguous.  Boston creams are mostly cake, right? And Moon Pies are really more of a couple of cookies slapped together with deliciousness and preservatives, and then dipped into chocolate.  And then cow pies are really not edible at all, so do not be fooled, no matter what an older sibling may tell you.  I’ve always thought cutie pies were much better, however also not edible.

This is my chance to shamelessly show off my adorable MJ. Cutie pie, right?

Then some pies are unmistakable and classic.  Any pie that can have meringue spread on top fits this definition, especially the lemon meringue pie, both sweet and tart all at once.  I once made a Key lime pie and juiced those tiny little limes myself.  The pie was worth all that work…once, but I’ll just use the bottled juice next time, thank you very much!

When I was a kid, I remember my mother making some kind of frozen pie with yogurt and Cool Whip, I think. Those were good.  I preferred to make pudding pies when I was a kid because they were so easy, and I always licked the beaters (I recommend always turning the mixer off first).  Chocolate pudding or butterscotch pudding with Cool Whip smothered on top were my most common flavors.  I always ordered the French Silk pie at a particular restaurant when I was a kid.  Of course, after reading The Help I’ll never look at chocolate pie the same again, and I think I’d prefer to make it myself from now on.

Over the years I have learned to appreciate a type of pie I did not respect as a child: banana cream.  What was I thinking before?  I missed out on so much goodness…and an excuse to eat Nilla Wafers.

“Simple Goodness” -just sayin’

On a side note, I’ve always thought it would be fun to engage in a pie fight.  Not at my house though.

(This post is brought to you by my growling stomach.)

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I’m as Thankful as a Turkey the Day after Thanksgiving

Posted on November 20, 2012 by caverns of my mind

This Thursday, US citizens will celebrate Thanksgiving, a national day of thanks, as we should, for all the blessings we have to be thankful for.  However, as so often happens, the true meaning and feeling of this holiday seems to have been forgotten and become commercialized, just as the one that soon follows it, or rather has been nearly skipped over, seen as merely a pit-stop on the journey to the next.  President Lincoln was the first to actually declare Thanksgiving as a holiday, though something similar had already been tradition in New England before that (the Pilgrim and Indian story we all grew up on), so we’ve been doing it for a while now.  The idea then was to give thanks for the Union during a war-weary time, to give hope.  Now the Union has been preserved for some time (though I guess not all states are cool with that anymore), and we’ve adapted the holiday as a day to be thankful for all we have.

Families come together and gorge themselves on turkey that makes us sleepy, children and adults alike watch a parade with giant balloons and Santa Clause, and fans cheer on favorite football teams until we all fall asleep from the turkey.  Then many prepare themselves for the craziness of “Black Friday” (which actually has a positive meaning though the name sounds so…dark), since it starts so early the next day.  And now some stores actually have taken to opening their doors on Thanksgiving to get a head start on making that crazy Black Friday money. Greed.

And so, with food hangovers, people wake up long before the daylight even thinks of shining, so they can spend money they don’t even have, because there are deals to be had on merchandise they don’t even need!  The sick irony of this is that by the time many people have maxed out their credit cards on these “awesome deals” on material objects (many of which will be re-gifted anyway), they will pay multiple times the amount they “saved” just trying to pay off the interest on the cards.  The term “Black Friday” comes from the idea that retailers are put back “in the black,” meaning their profits put them in the black rather than the losses of being “in the red.”  So the only ones really winning are the retailers, which is of course good for the economy, just not the individual’s bank account.

All of this greed has commercialized our holidays from the end of October through the end of December to the point that people working for such places are forced to work on the holidays (in this economy one does what the boss says without arguing), missing that quality time with family,  so other people can go out and get more in debt.  As I mentioned earlier, some retailers care so little for their employees that they begin their big sales on Thanksgiving, and shoppers feed into it, deciding to ignore the obvious idea that the people they are yelling at about “the sign said half off…” are missing their holiday.  Our perspectives are all wrong!

This important video may help open your eyes.  Please click and watch.

FWP’s Video

I encourage my readers to truly think about all you have. Here in the US even the poorest are generally more blessed than the majority of this world’s population.  But in many of those countries where people are “less blessed,” they are more thankful for what little they have, like their families, and shelters over their heads, if they have them.

I’ve been seeing on Facebook that people are posting something new they are thankful for each day.  I like that idea, even though I didn’t participate, but I’m going to list as many of them as I can think about now.  I am thankful for…

God, my creator, who loves and provides for me,

my husband who loves me unconditionally,

parents who raised me in love,

my family (even the ones who sometimes drive me nuts),

friends who are like family,

my dogs,

my freedom,

my church, epic,

my health,

my home,

two cars that are paid for,

employment for my husband and for me,

a talent in writing,

always having food when I’m hungry,

wonderful neighbors,

all my needs always being met,

having enough that I can give to others.

I don’t have all the luxuries I once thought were important, but I’ve also reached a point in my life where I’ve realized I’d rather have what I need and help others to have the same.  If we are blessed, we should bless others.  Dwell on what you do have instead of what you don’t.  Chances are that if you have the capability to be online reading this blog post right now, you are fairly well blessed.  Be thankful.

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If You’re Thankful and You Know It

Posted on November 19, 2012 by caverns of my mind

I just ran a three-day free promotion on my book.  It was both amazing and frightening as I watched the number of giveaways climb higher than I had expected. I was like a nervous mother watching my baby take her first steps (or so I imagine, since I don’t have any kids and all). So far the number of my actual sales has only been about 10 percent of what I just gave away for free!  It’s like I just gave away part of myself, and I’m not sure if I’m getting anything back yet or not.  Scary!  Either I’m really stupid and just forfeit some hard earned and much needed cash, or this was a great idea and now that so many people have my book, they’ll all tell their friends and write up great reviews on my book’s page on Amazon.

So, here’s hoping the second is true, and that is why I need your help.  If you are one of the people who took advantage of my book’s free promotion and you have enjoyed the book (or once you have a chance to read it, if you enjoy it), please say thanks to me by going to my book’s page and hitting the “like” button at the top. Then, if you loved the book, please write up a quick review.  This will help me make some actual sales.

In case you somehow missed it…  My book’s page at Amazon’s Kindle Store

I wrote the book because I love to write, but I would also love to spread the word more and make some sales.  I know the book is amazing, but I need other people to know it as well.  Word of mouth, Facebook shares, and good book reviews are some ways you can say, “Thanks for sharing your hard work and awesome book with me, Terri.”

And speaking of Facebook, if you aren’t my fan yet, go like my page now.  I want so much for people to like me, to really, really like me!

Thank you for your support.

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