How Many Pencil;s Do You Have?

In my makeup drawer and on my desk---Pencils!

Let’s all celebrate the creation of the pencil!

I use them every day.  To help my face, I have one to line eyes, another to color brows, and one to contour lips. 

You wouldn’t want to see me in the morning before I use these pencils.

I have the popular number two pencil at my desk to jot notes.  Sometimes I write grocery lists, and other moments I make notes about a novel in progress. A pencil sharpener sits nearby to keep pencils ready to write.

This wonderful device was created over 150 years ago, and with it, came the tool for the common man to communicate.

It’s Hymn Lipman’s brainchild. He gave us the first pencil with an eraser on March 30, 1858, and wow! Was that ever a handy-dandy invention?  You betcha it was. Back in school days, where would I have been without that little gadget at the end?  My teachers would have used a lot more of her red pencil if I hadn’t had an eraser option.

We call them lead pencils but in truth they are graphite, a form of carbon.  By the time humans learned our pencils were made with carbon, it was too late.  The name “Lead Pencil” remained wedged in our minds.

We take pencils for granted, but how are they made?

When a tree destined to become a pencil reaches the minimum age of fourteen years, it is eligible to be felled and cut into logs for writing devices.  None of the tree is wasted. Left over lumber, leaves and roots are left to fertilize the earth.

Logs are cut into small slats, and these are treated to become dry and soft.  Without this procedure, pencils couldn’t be sharpened.

Within the slat, a groove is carved to fit the carbon, or lead.  The coloring, carbon, and glue go into the slat. Then another slat is placed on top to make a sandwich.  After going through a heat process, the two slats meld into one. 

The product is then cut to the desired length and packaged to sell.

Let’s give a round of applause for the everyday

 pencil! It’s a good thing to celebrate.

Where would these books be without a pencil?

             

      

                        

Gay N. Lewis
Sarah: A Mission of Love
Sarah: Laney's Angel

Sarah and the Widow's Mate
www.GayNLewis.com
http://www.gaynlewis.blogspot.com
https://www.amazon.com/author/gaynlewis
http:www.prismbookgroup.com

 Amazon

The Supernatural

A dear man I loved lay dying.  Speaking couldn't be done. Oral cancer had robbed him of the abilities to talk, eat and drink.  After fighting the disease for many months, Hospice came in to help.

His eyes grew wide as he motioned with his hands. Although he couldn't say and was to weak to write, people around him knew he saw visions of supernatural sights.

With a glowing face, he'd point and smile.

When anyone would ask, "Is it good?" He'd nod yes.

Not long after that, he went to heaven.

He left us with a wonderful legacy, and at the end, even though he couldn't speak, we know angels brought him comfort and escorted him home.

Angels exist.

In my books, I write about a little angel who brings a laugh to us as she attempts to complete her tasks on Earth.  In many ways, she's like us.  She experiences doubt about her abilities but she grows and develops with time.

Sarah and the Internet Dating Service will be released soon, and I'm working on a new Sarah book now. It's a joy to bring uplifting stories to readers who are tired of dark days.  There's a lot of bad stuff on the news.  I enjoy giving readers an escape to a better world.

Sarah: A Mission of Love

Sarah: Laney's Angel

Sarah and the Widow's Mate

www.GayNLewis.com

http://www.gaynlewis.blogspot.com

https://www.amazon.com/author/gaynlewis

http:www.prismbookgroup.com

A Vision

A man who’d served as a missionary until retirement died last week. He was in his ninth decade.

He’d been spry and living a full life until that fateful morning. He traveled and continued to enjoy a bit of ministry.  When he didn't come downstairs for his usual breakfast, his wife climbed the steps to check on him.

“Just don’t feel much like getting out of bed right now.” He replied to her question about his status.

“Okay, I’ll bring a tray to you.”

She brought breakfast, and while he ate, he pointed to the corner of the room.  “Who is that man, and what does he want?”

His wife saw no one and ignored the question.  She reasoned that since he wasn’t on medications, he must have awakened from a dream about a man.  After all, throughout his life, he’d talked to many men about the Lord.

“Thanks honey.  That was a good meal.  If you don’t mind, I’ll take a little nap and then get up.”

His wife came to see about him as he woke up.

“Who is that man?  What does he want?” He asked the same question.

“I don’t know.  Why don’t you ask him?”

Following his wife’s instructions, the old missionary did so.

“What did he say?” His wife wanted to know as she gazed at the blank space where her husband stared.

“He wants me to come with him.”

The man later died that day.

Angels exist.  God allows us to see them.

Maybe they appear to take us to heaven.  Or warn us about danger. Maybe they bring comfort or messages. 

I enjoy writing about fictional angels.  My books contain a mixture of fantasy and theology, but my creations can never compare to stories about the visitations of real life spirits.  In the next few weeks, I'll share more of these true experiences.