Wait! Don't Cancel Christmas!

 

We're not having Christmas this year. 

No Christmas? 

Don't come home. We're not getting together. We're not celebrating this year. 

Okay...

You live too far away to travel and might bring the virus with you. Our sister works around people with the virus every day, and our brother went to a place where a large group of people gathered last week. You all could bring it home, give it to mom and dad. We can't have Christmas. 

So, what are we doing instead? 

Nothing. 

As I read the last text message on my phone, I contemplated my next reply. I wanted to scream at the phone, yell at my older sibling that canceling Christmas wasn't an option. You can't celebrate canceling joy in the world, especially at a time when so many of us need it. Sure, we can forget about the gifts, because that was never really what Christmas has or really be about. 

There are babies born every day, someone forgot to tell them they were entering a world in a season of a pandemic. We can't stop babies coming into the world no more than we can stop celebrating Christmas. 

Jesus came. He was born, and His life mattered. 

How we choose to celebrate the birth of God's son may appear different from what it has in the past. It's not the same as celebrating the birth of our own children or someone close to us. But nor can we cancel something that simply requires us to acknowledge the presence of HOPE in our lives. 

The party may be canceled this year, but the HOPE we can bring each other has no bounds. 

You can't cancel HOPE. 

He who came was a gift to us by God. 

You might not have wanted that gift, or asked for that gift, or even acknowledged that gift, but don't cancel something that is freely given. 

Christmas is a time of giving hope. You can do that in more ways than gathering around a table, fighting over the last cookie your sister-in-law baked because she makes the best ones. 

There are ways to give others HOPE in this season of turbulation.  

It's different this year, going against our usual traditions. For some, this is more difficult than others. I get that. I really do. As a person of habit, routine, and planning, there is a certain comfort that comes from holding onto what we know when our world feels upside down. 

The tree is still going up, some old ornament, and some new will grace its branches. Less gifts may reside beneath it, but not with less meaning. Less is more. Cookies will still be baked, and stockings hung. Cards and family letters will still go out to family and friends. Homemade hot chocolate and Hallmark Christmas movies on Christmas Eve won't go interrupted. Calling parents, siblings, and friends on Christmas day is expected. This year we might even Zoom, or Skype, or see each other's ugly faces on Google Hangouts. 

No worries. No stress of packing up the family and trekking to another town and sleep on couches or worry about flying and hotels. The money saved there, alone, can be added back in the family budget, shared in other ways. There are advantages to staying home this year. 

But staying home doesn't mean we cancel Christmas. 

It only means we embrace this season in a new way. 

It means we adapt and find grace for situations we can't control, and we sigh a relief in not having to deal with those hard to be around relatives. Next Christmas is still on. Next year, you regroup, add a little of the new from now, and mix back in the tradition. It might mean attending church services online, mailing gifts, or sending no gifts at all. It might mean digital Christmas cards or ones made by hand. It might mean being alone and taking in a shelter pet for company to help get through the day. 

HOPE comes in many forms. 

Hold on to it. 

Hold onto Christmas. 

Don't let anyone tell you that the reminder of Jesus coming into our lives has been canceled this year. The way we choose to celebrate His birth is entirely up to us. 

So I encourage you in this season, to go forth, continue to spread HOPE, and keep celebrating Christmas.  

 

Counting Down Our Blessing

 It's almost over, 45 days until 2020 comes to an end, but just because the year digits are changing doesn't mean our troubles are at an end. 

I plan on spending the rest of this year counting my blessings. 

It never gets old. Whenever you think life has you at your worse, there is always someone out there struggling more. It's not about struggles, and I don't plan on remembering 2020 as just that year the pandemic hit and ruined the world as I knew it. 

Instead, I'm making a list, each day of the good things because this is the year my oldest became an adult, this is the year my youngest became a teenager. This is the year we grew closer as a family and got a new family car. 

We can't control life, but we can control the way we remember it. 

This past weekend, I took off on a retreat with best friend, we'd both have seen each other at our lows and been there to see ourselves rise. That's what 2020 is. A valley. And these next 45 days, or however many days it takes, I'm climbing to the top. 

This the overlook near World's End in Pennsylvania.  As the last night of our retreat ended, we stood and watched the sunset. Looking up at the stars, we told God what we needed - not what we wanted- and thanked him for the one best thing he did for us in 2020. 

If you know God, you know you can't put a time limit on making something happen. It's His timing, not ours.

So count your blessings, not the days, and find comfort in this time.

How to Be A Good Neighbor in a Pandemic

We are going through this odd time in our lives. We don't know what tomorrow will bring and how long this season is going to last. We've had to make adjustments to our daily routines, and parents are figuring out how to home school kids and balance working at home with family.

Which is why we all need to be there for one another. Supporting each other. Connecting with each other.

Social distancing is a careless word for what we are supposed to do to stay healthy during a pandemic. Physically, yes. We need to stay at least six feet apart. No physical contact, but in distancing that doesn't mean we are to avoid helping others.

Social media is all about connecting with others. So saying 'social distancing' is misleading.

We need to be socially connecting and physically distancing.

Some areas are worse than others.

I call my mom once a week. That hasn't changed.
I haven't seen my parents since Christmas. I thought I would see the farm for Easter. They don't video chat, but I pray when this ends I can go home to spend more time with them. In the meantime, I've been reaching out and helping others, and I want to encourage you to do the same.

You can be six feet or six states away from someone and still be there for them.

It's a hard time for everyone. Be kind.
We're all handling this in different ways. If your online in different groups and chats, be respectful of other people's feelings.

If your neighbors are in need, share with them. You can drop food off on the porch or mow the grass for the elderly and disabled.  You can share recipes and ideas for managing at home.

Make new traditions. Start game nights. Try new things.
It's okay to ask if you don't know who to do something. Really.
It'll be okay.

We're all in this together.

I've never been a fan of hugs.
but I'm happy to send as many virtual ones as you need.

Tips For Working At Home With Kids

Many of us have had to shift our daily lives to establish a new norm of getting work done at home while caring for our kids. This can be especially rough for the parents who have depended on daycares and other caregivers to care for their children while they have gone to work.

But how do you get any work done when daycare isn't an option or you have other children at home who aren't in school?

While in the past, you might have gone into your workplace to do your job. Now, you may have been given the opportunity to do what you can in your profession from home. The hardest part is trying to get any work done while ensuring the care of your family.

They are home. You are at home.

How do you get anything done?

I've been working from home off and on for almost two decades. Raising my kids was my first priority, and so I've stayed at home and only worked outside of the house during times of necessity. Not everyone has that luxury, and by doing so, our family has had to make some sacrifices--most of them the cost of convenience or choosing between wants and needs.

Depending on the work you do, these following tips might be helpful:

1.      Work when the kids are sleeping. They told me when I had my first child to sleep when my baby slept. And if you have a newborn that cries all night, they'd be right. However, when my second baby came, I learned to get things done ins shifts. The kind where the babies slept and mom went to business. Growing up on a farm gave me the advantage of being a morning person. I get up two hours before my kids, it's my time to prepare for the day, and get something things done. And at night, the same thing happens. Kids in bed, mom goes to work for a few hours. Afternoon nap times? Take a siesta, too. A small one, then get up and take care of a few things. If your job is flexible, this might help you make some progress.

2.      Establish a routine at home just as you would in your office at work. Know you have a certain task that needs to be done each day or by the end of the week? Assign days for a certain task, just like you might already for your housework or taking out the trash. Have set times during the day where you go back and forth between focusing on work-related tasks and kid-related activities. It will take a little time to establish this new routine, but the key is to be consistent in getting everyone in the house on board.

3.      Trade off with your partner. Being at home 24/7 and taking care of kids, along with other responsibilities, can get overwhelming. Now is the best time to have each other's back and work as a unit to care for the family you've created. Compromises will have to be made, and one partner may have to take on tasks they usually haven't done before to balance the load of adjusting to working from home. Make a schedule of trading off who will care for the kids while the other works. Who will make supper or take turns with house chores? It's okay to assign a few new age-appropriate duties to your kids. They are part of your family, assigning tasks helps establish that you all are in this together, working together, and strengthens your family.

4.      Acknowledge limitations.  Some jobs just can't be done at home; adjustments and modifications may need to be made. That's okay. You were trying to think of a better, more productive way to accomplish it anyway, weren't you? Focus on what you can do when you can do it. And how to achieve it another way that will meet others' needs in the time they need it. It's not easy, I know, but you can do it. Brainstorm, talk to your boss, your friends in similar situations and collaboration.  Which leads to…

5.      Don't try to do too much all at one time. There is this theory of threes. Pick the main three things you need to get done for the day, both work-wise and home-wise, and focus on those. Take each day one at a time. You can fill out what the next day needs but try not to go over three. You don't want your list to run rapid on you and drown you in the little things that pop in your head that aren't as important as fulfilling your work's expectations and caring for your kids.

6.      Have a designated workspace. I don't know about you, but I work best when I work in a controlled environment. When the kids were in school I could work at a desk in the corner of our family room. It was quiet. More so, it' was like switching shoes and going from mom mode to work mode. Now that the kids are home more often, I have moved into a separate, closed-off space in our home. I share it with husband, and we take turns using it as needed. Without this space, I get too distracted by what is going on inside my home with my kids than focusing on the project on hand. Some people can work anywhere and block out everything around them. I am not one of them. I have learned over the years I need a desk; I need a space, and I need to be away from the temptation of watching other people and having the chances of someone interrupting me. Multitasking isn't always best in specific jobs.  

You can see my old workspace here. 

I hope it will help inspire you when setting up your own space.

It is possible to work at home and get things done with the kids around you. I've been doing it for almost two decades. Everyone is different, and you just have to find what works best for you and your family.

I hope these tips have helped or at least brought you the encouragement you needed to keep up morale in your home.

You can do this!

I'd love to hear some ways you've been able to balance your day between work and kids. Please post them below in the comments. 

2019 In Review

This year I wrote 372,542 words.

Not all of them have been published yet, but don’t worry they’re coming.

In 2019 I published 4 books and 1 novella. 2 under my clean YA fantasy pen name Eliza Chambers, and two cowboy romances along with 1 western historical novella.

Susan Lower Books

·        2/ 2019 The Postage Stamp Bride (Brides of Anne’s Creek) Book 3

·        4/ 2019 Salvaged Hearts (Hearts of Hidden Hills)

·        11/ 2019 Silver Stirrups (Silver Wind Equine Rescue Romance) Book 3

I went back and edited and added my solo book RESIDENCE OF HER HEART to the Hearts of Hidden Hills Series. It got an upgrade both inside and outside with a new cover.

Eliza Chambers Books

·        6/ 2019 Shards of the Moon (YA Speculative Fiction with a twist of folklore and mythology)

·        9/ 2019 Troll Hunter’s Apprentice (MG suspenseful fantasy)

I didn’t have a plan for 2019, other than to write. Life as a mom with almost three teens is unpredictable and at times downright hard. Life and parenting has its seasons, and I’m right there with the other parents as every child is different and every mom’s parenting experience isn’t the same.

This is why I’m looking forward to 2020 and while I have goals, they’re not about numbers. They’re about you.

In 2020, I pray for your year to be filled with hope. I want you to feel inspired and have strength for the days that get hard. I want you to know you’re not alone through the various trails in the various stages you are currently in or entering.

Someone once told me we are better together. The right people in our lives are worth the value of the greatest treasure.

A few weeks ago I wrote a different list consisting of numbers. A former accountant, I like numbers. For 2020 I wanted to write 500,000 words. I wanted to write 12-15 books, and so on. But really, when I thought about it, you can’t rush putting heart and hope into a story. So my goal for 2020 is to write more stories to give hope, that you’re never alone in life, and no challenge is never too big for God’s grace.

Through the chaos of middle-grade chaos and high schoolers determining their paths, 2020 is going to be an adventure. If you want to join it with me, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter.

Let’s do this together.

December Reading #TBR

Between Hallmark movies and all Holiday preparations, I usually take December off from writing and indulge in a few good reads of my own. If you’ve been getting my newsletter you’ll see recommendations there, too. (You can sign up here if you’re not receiving it.)

Here is my line up of books to read in December:

Have you read any of these? No spoilers, please! But I’d love to hear what you thought of them or recommend a Christmas story you read recently and enjoyed!

Tis the season for a great read! Click to tweet and share

Have Courage and Be Kind

A few weeks ago, the kids and I were watching Cinderella. As we’re entering the holiday season, I’ve had this one scene in the back of my mind. It’s the one where Cinderella’s mother tells her to have courage and be kind.

I believe we all need a little courage when times get tough and in those moments it’s easy for us to forget to be kind to one another. There is always a little piece of backstory you’ll never know about someone else’s lives.

Be kind.

Treat one another the way you’d want someone to treat you, even when you’re not feeling it.

I like to believe we are all like the Whos living in Whoville, singing and joyous for this coming of Christmas. I’d like to believe everyone has a giving heart and looks out for their fellow man. When you grow up in a small town, you develop this sense of always finding the good in people. As well as you should!

But what I really want to share today is there are people this holiday season who are not feeling the joy vibe like you are. There are those who are estranged from family, alone and grieving for the loss of someone dear. There are those struggling financially and struggling to hold hope when what they really feel is desperate and despair. There are those who are depressed and struggle with the ups and downs of holding onto hope and joy; to all of you, I say, “Have Courage and Be Kind.”

Kindness doesn’t take much time to share. It doesn’t cost much in comparison to the other gifts you’ll give and receive this year. It’s the price of a smile or a simple word. Tell the clerk at the shop “thank you” even if they’re just doing their job, everyone needs to feel appreciated.

Have courage.

Be Kind.

Click to Tweet: Have courage and Be Kind