Dancing in the Rain

Ever had one of those days when crying seemed a good idea?

Yep, me too.

Especially lately.

From time to time, I write about our ill daughter. I don't talk about her often, just sometimes.

Her disease is a painful one to experience. Dementia. Alzheimer's. She's too young for it, but disease respects no gender, skin color, nationality, or age.

Of course all fatal disease is horrific, and we who stand by to comfort and help the ill person find it difficult. Some days we're at a loss as to what to say or do.

My dear, sweet, cousin, who was more like a brother to me, died a few years ago with oral cancer. The doctors removed his tongue. That was horrific, too. No longer could he talk or eat. He spent one day in bed. Silent. He then accepted his condition, got up, and became an inspiration for us all.  He lived his remaining days with 

a positive attitude. He wrote notes. He called on the phone and pressed buttons to make tones. He ran his business while ill.

He danced in the rain.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's learning to dance in the rain."--Vivian Green.

I don't know what Ms Green was going through when she penned the phrase, but isn't it excellent?

Some rainstorms last a long time. Dancing is a challenge during a torrential downpour.

A patient with dementia can live for 8 to 10 years or longer, declining each day. These patients degenerate until only a shell of a person remains. 

God didn't give us any pleasant ailments. Suffering isn't fun. Grief and misery takes work and faith.

Here's a scene from an a Sarah book coming in November. Sarah, a klutzy angel, is appearing as a 90 year old human lady. Julie, her charge, faces a monumental decision.

Julie folded her hands and chewed her lip. She finally glanced up. “Believing is difficult.”

Sarah answered without a beat. “Look at it this way. Ya go to sleep at night believin’ you’ll wake up in the mornin’. Ya get on an airplane believin’ it will get ya someplace. You go to the doctor sick and trust him to prescribe the correct medicine. See? You use faith in everyday situations. Ya just don’t think about it. You live it. Faith becomes part of you. Believin’ is a matter of choice."

Sarah gave good advice. Faith is a matter of choice, but at times, it's a difficult choice to make.

Here's one thing I've learned. It's okay to cry while you dance.

May the God of hope will you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 NIV.

Hope, Courage, and Humor

Let's Cruise Our Summer Away

Want to go on a midnight swim? Elvis did in Blue Hawaii. Elvis

How about taking a Sea Cruise with Frankie Ford? Frankie

Joseph McDade's got a midnight cruise going. Midnight Cruise


I took a cruise by myself several years ago. For some odd reason, my hubby didn't want to go, but I needed a vacation, so I went alone.

I flew from Houston to Los Angeles and was met by cruise personnel. I was going to Ensenada, Mexico with a mid-way stop on Catalina Island.

This adventure turned out a memory to treasure. My dad had recently passed away, and I was grieving. The crew did everything for me while I sailed the sea with them. My life had order.

I write about this adventure in the book: Sarah and the Midnight Cruise to Catalina Island.

The heroine, Carolyn, is single; I wasn't, but a lot of the other stuff happened to me.

When I arrived in LA, my luggage went missing. It had gone to Dallas.  The airline got it back to me before the ship left the dock.

I toured Catalina Island and found it romantic, filled with history, and charming. I'd love to go back. I found my ship photo.

Here I am. Can you believe that hair? What was I thinking? I look as though I placed a big power puff of flour on my head.  And why was I biting my lip? Perhaps the grieving had something to do with it, I'm not sure. I didn't feel like smiling, and I remember one of the guys telling me to smile. And so I did.

My faith remained fine, but my spirit needed refreshing.

I met interesting people. Lots of interesting people. I ate with  the same group at every meal. One was a couple taking their teenager on a trip before college. Another couple lived in Orange County and took this same trip multiple times for relaxation.

In the book, Carolyn met similar folks. She also meets Sarah.

Sarah, the angel, appears as a human traveler and is seated with the group for meals. She plans to help Carolyn find the right mate. Oh horrors!  She goes from one escapade to another.  At one point, the passengers thought the ship would sink. The Superiors called Sarah on the carpet for that bit of chaos.

Sarah and the Midnight Cruise to Catalina Island

Available in eBook and print.

Here's an excerpt from the book. And remember, the loss of lugage really happened to me. Authors often write scenes about real stuff. In this scene, Sarah remains invisible. She materializes as a human on the ship.

Carolyn strode to the Lost Luggage office.

A woman glanced up at Carolyn from her desk. “May I help you?”

“My bag didn’t arrive. I need to report it missing.”

An invisible Sarah frowned. Huh? Who took Carolyn’s suitcase? 

Sarah watched Carolyn fill out paper work and then the lady clicked away on her computer and made a few phone calls.

“I’ve found it. Your bag ended up on the wrong plane and went to Dallas. It’s at the DFW Intercontinental Airport in the Lost and Found area. We can deliver it to your hotel in about four hours.”

Carolyn stood akimbo. “Can you drop it by parachute onto a boat? I’m supposed to board a cruise ship in an hour.”

“That’s not possible, but let me see what I can do.”

While the lady clacked on the keyboard again, Sarah decided to fly to Dallas and bring back the case. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? She’d been there before, by accident of course, but she’d visited Dallas Love Field when she’d been Laney’s angel. From the air, she should be able to spot another airport in the area. DFW must be close to the city. Right?

On the other hand, getting lost was second nature to her. What if she failed to find the airport and didn’t make it back to locate Carolyn? Another way would be better, but what? Sarah snapped her fingers, and when she did, the two women looked in Sarah’s direction. Seeing nothing, they resumed their positions. Carolyn fidgeted in a chair and the customer service rep worked on the computer.

“I don’t understand this.” The lady at the keyboard glanced up in surprise.

“What now?” Carolyn lifted her brows.

“The bag handler said your suitcase disappeared. He had it by the grip one minute, and the next second it left his grasp. He’s in a state of shock, can’t find the thing anywhere and has no way to explain it missing. He’ll be reprimanded, but that doesn’t help you.”

Sarah clinched her eyes shut. Uh-oh…got another human into trouble. Sigh.

“That makes no sense.”

“I know. The poor man is taking a break, he’s shaking so hard, he can’t continue. His story is unbelievable, but he insists he held it and it literally left his hand.”

“Maybe he imagined he carried the bag. That’s the only plausible explanation. How will I be able to take a five day trip with no clothes?”

“We can replace the value of your belongings, and you can go shopping.”

“Buy a wardrobe and get to the ship in an hour? That’s impossible.”

As the two women discussed options, a man brought a case into the office. “Is this the missing bag? Carolyn Baker is the name on the ID tag.”

Sarah watched in amusement as both ladies mouth fell open at the same time. Too bad about the guy in Dallas getting into trouble, but the idea to call forth Carolyn’s bag had seemed the perfect solution. Maybe the Superiors would send someone to Dallas and help the poor muddled man. He truly had been transporting it from one place to another when she made it go bye-bye. Uh-oh! What if his managers thought he lied about having the luggage? Poopty doopty. Maybe calling forth the thing hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

I hope you'll read Sarah and the Midnight Cruise to Catalina Island. I describe the journey, and you'll feel you are there.

Can an Angel Help?

Insecure, dyslexic angel materializes as an overweight female to makeover a vulnerable human woman who has two men chasing her, but only one man is for real. 

A scene from the book

Oops! Hold it. Once she completed the makeover, the wrong man might win Valerie’s heart. Sarah needed to guide the female to the correct guy. Poopty doopty. How would she know which dude was the proper one? As usual, the Superiors left out information. Bummer. She’d welcome a little help now and then. A super important part of this assignment was left to her, and how on earth could she determine who was Mr. Wrong, or who was Mr. Right? Check his heartbeat? Measure his overbite? Give him an IQ test?

 Finding the intended guy could turn out daunting. You’d think the Superiors would give clues, but oh no, nothing doing. Nope—not them—never a single inkling—seemed against their policy to give hints. If she asked for pointers, they’d remind her angels and mortals had choices and then they’d go over that freewill stuff again as if she’d never heard it before.

Rumble. Rumble. Thunder rolled from the clouds to her ears.

“Sorry. I know I’m not supposed to criticize. It’s another bad habit of mine.” Sarah sighed and plopped down on the roof to study her charge. Looking through the roof, she saw Valerie.

My stars! The poor thing had voluminous hair sticking out in all directions. How did a female human tame hair? Valerie’s red, frizzy mane needed restyled. Maybe she could talk her charge into going to one of those hair places. Valerie needed a professional, and it wasn’t Sarah.

 ******

With an assignment to give an earthly lady a makeover, Sarah is perplexed. How could a dyslexic, low-esteemed, inexperienced, angel accomplish such a mission? Boost Valerie’s poise and help the mortal develop a healthy lifestyle? Impossible. On the other hand, the Commander gave Sarah permission to use any and all measures to succeed. So, this task could be fun. After all, appearing as an earth creature, wearing beautiful clothes—and shoes—especially stilettos, made her heart flutter.

Two men present a new challenge. One has nefarious motives, and the other might be an angel. Not only does Sarah need to help with Valerie’s makeover, but she must discover which man provides true love. Can she do it without making other angels in the heavens roll with laughter at her chaotic bumbles.

 Available in ebook and print

Sarah and the Angelic Magical Makeover