Hello, my friend!
I hope you’re doing well!
My almost-three-year-old and I had a marvelous mommy/daughter day at the aquarium. The dolphins treated us to an impromptu show, swimming right up to the glass, bellies up, smiles wide and welcoming. We wanted to take one home and convert our pool into a dolphin tank for it, but alas, the size of our car prevented us, as did our budget for fish, so we had to settle for a purple stuffed dolphin from the gift shop. My daughter named the toy Elsa because we’ve officially entered her Frozen era. I wish you could hear the girl belt out “Let It Go.” I think Disney On Ice might be in her future!
Onward to this week’s Top 4; I hope you enjoy! I’ll be back in a few days with a special giveaway to celebrate the launch of RING OF WISHES (excerpt below).
FIX MISTAKES FASTER
“You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.” – Paulo Coehlo
CIRCLE OF LOVE
He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him In!
-Edwin Markham
“PASS THROUGH, NOT OVER.”
I saw the below sign next to a children’s tunnel at the botanical gardens we visited over the weekend. It called to mind this powerful verse from the book of Isaiah:
“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” – Isaiah 43:2
RING OF WISHES EXCERPT
“I told you this wouldn’t be a long visit,” says Emmett, “so I’ll come right out with it.” He leans forward and rubs his hands together.
Joan sits on the sofa, crosses then uncrosses her legs, then places both feet flat on the floor and sits up straight, bracing herself for bad news.
“This is going to sound crazy.” Emmett gives her a sidelong look, his bushy eyebrow arched. “It still sounds crazy to me, even in my shriveled-up prune of a brain.”
Joan feels herself relax a little. She can handle crazy. “I promise not to judge,” she says with a smile. Emmett’s right cheek tugs up into a smile, and Joan can see glimmers of the coy handsome man he’d been in his youth.
“Are you familiar with the ring Chess left to Rosalind?” His low voice dips down till it’s barely above a whisper.
“Somewhat. Marie wanted to give it to me as my wedding band, but Chess seemed protective of it. He didn’t say much, but I could tell he didn’t want to let it go. She called it strange. I distinctly remember that.”
“That’s all?”
Joan nods. Where is this going? She doesn’t know. It’s just a tacky piece of old jewelry, probably a family heirloom that’d made Chess sentimental. “Can I get you something to drink, Emmett?” Assured by the benign nature of the conversation, Joan’s manners have returned and she heads into the kitchen. “Iced tea?”
“I appreciate that. Thank you.”
When Joan returns to the living room and hands Emmet this tea, she notices a sheen of sweat on his forehead. She flips on the ceiling fan and checks the thermostat. Seventy degrees. Hopefully the iced tea will cool him off, and if not, she won’t hesitate to drive him to the doctor. She shivers to think of the not-so-distant day when her own daughters will look at her the way she’s looking at Emmett, examining him to see if he’s perspiring simply because he’s hot, or because he’s two seconds away from a stroke or massive heart attack.