NovelSisters

watching, reading, and writing stories

Oct 20

Forever

by lydiamhill

Image Source: http://www.hulu.com/forever

Sorry I haven’t been posting recently. It’s been a busy week at my home with large remodeling projects and a crazy work schedule. However, over the weekend, I had some downtime to relax and decided to try out a new TV show that started this fall.

It’s called Forever and follows the adventures of a Dr. Henry Morgan who has the strange condition of not staying dead. he has lived for at least 200 years and every time he dies, he finds himself alive again somewhere in water. The show follows a Sherlock Holmes style crime solving plot line, with the doctor’s having a long history that provides a vast knowledge that few can match, and an eye for catching details. It reminds me of Elementary, another of my favorite shows which will be returning again this fall.

But the one thing I really like about this new show is it’s take on life, and the meaning it has. Since the doctor keeps on living, certain things that are normal for the rest of us, have worn off on him. He needs to be reminded of beauty, the importance of relationships, even if they do end, and that things can change and history doesn’t necessarily have to repeat itself. In any case, I’ve found the show to be quite entertaining and I’m interested to see how the season progresses.

Here’s a link to a preview of the show if you’re interested: 

Life TV

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Sep 29

A Lesson in Joy

by lydiamhill

 

Girl, Joy, Smiling, Happy, Children, Child

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/girl-joy-smiling-happy-children-206144/

I’ve been learning a lot about joy recently. Partly because it keeps coming up at church as we read through Philippians, but also because of what I’ve been going through lately. I tend to be a happy person, and look for the positive in each situation. But when circumstances get hard, I feel like I have a right to be angry, upset, hurt, sad, depressed, etc. In essence I can throw myself a little pity party and I want everyone to notice and try to make me feel better.

But that is not right. Even if a lot of other people do the same thing, and there is a time and place to mourn and cry and be sad. At the end of the day, it’s not about me, what I want, what I don’t have, my feelings, or anything related to me. It’s really all about God. His plan for my life is what matters, not my own. And I know if I let go of my self pity, and focus instead on what God is doing, I will have joy. It’s more of a choice than I realized at first. And it’s a hard one to make. There’s something in me, probably in my selfish will that wants attention, wants other’s love, wants to be noticed, but even when I finally do get that attention I crave, it doesn’t make anything better. I’m still stuck feeling sorry for myself. It’s only when I stop looking at me, that joy, life, and peace shine through.

Well it’s a lesson I’ve had to learn again and again, and I’m not done learning it. Each day I have to choose not to focus on me, and instead focus on Jesus. But I know it’s better. And I’d like to ask you to do the same thing with me today.

Christian Life

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Sep 23

Hunger

by lydiamhill

So, I came across this video the other day, and it really got to me. I started wondering how I would act if I was forced to feed myself and my family like these little kids. I would probably be complaining, crying, and feeling sorry for myself. Here’s a link to the video so you can see it for yourself:

Now I don’t want to make people feel guilty, but I do wonder if something stirred in you when you saw these kids picking up crumbs. I know it did for me. The world is hungry, and when we see that hunger, something in us feels compelled to help. Or at least that’s what happens to me. But this feeling isn’t restricted to just physical hunger.

When I see someone who feels lost, like their life has no meaning or purpose and they’re hungry for something, that also compels me to help. People try to fill this other hunger with all sorts of things, even actual food. I usually try to fill it with entertainment, comedy shows, and You Tube videos. But I know, it won’t go away. I can’t watch enough funny things to make me happy or satisfied. It’s like trying to pick up crumbs to satisfy a deep hunger, it will never make that hunger go away.

But there is someone who can fill it, and that’s Jesus. He says “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.” John 6:47-48. He is the only one that will fill this other hunger; this spiritual hunger. Maybe you already believe that, but there’s someone you know who is still hungry. I’d encourage you to point that person to the One who can satisfy.

Or maybe you feel compelled to help children who don’t have anything to eat, like the ones in the video. Here’s an organization I use to help people in other countries. Feel free to check it out. The link will take you to a page where they are asking for donations to help with the crisis in Iraq.

http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?et_rid=312723561&go=item&funnel=dn&lpos=fea_btn&evar50=97894333&et_cid=50532935&ppi=97894333&section=10339&item=2733782&xxwvCampaign=12071470

But whatever you do, don’t ignore the hunger in the world. Whether it’s your own, or someone else’s, it does matter. Hunger points us to where there is a real need. So be a part of the solution.

Christian Life

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Sep 15

Hinds’ Feet on High Places

by lydiamhill

Image Source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BZQ461C/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

I’ve been doing more reading recently, and one book that I finally got around to reading that I really enjoyed is Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. I’ve heard that it was a really good book, but reading it now has made it more significant to me.

The book is an allegory, it follows the tale of Much-Afraid as she journeys to the High Places and tells of all the sacrifices and suffering she must go through to finally get what she desires and become the person she longs to be. But it also reflects what many people go through in life, including the author. I read the autobiography at the end of this book about how Hannah had her own journey to the High Places. It really resonated with me.

In my own life, times have been hard recently. There have been deaths in the family, funerals, memorials, and a lot of emotions swirling around. But as I’ve seen in my own past, and also clearly in this book, God doesn’t leave us alone in the hard times. And He ends up using them to shape us and make us more like Himself. It is still hard to go through those valleys, those lonely places, the storms, deserts, and wastelands of life. But I have a hope and I know that God is still good, still in control and still at work, even in my own heart.

So I don’t know what’s going on in your life today, if everything is running smoothly, or if it’s just been one of those days. But I want to encourage you that whatever you face, put your hope in Jesus. And if you’ve never read Hinds’ Feet on High Places, check it out.

Well that’s it for now.

Books Christian Life

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Sep 9

Classics from Childhood

by lydiamhill

So a lot of people from my generation grew up with the classic Disney movies like Pocahontas and The Lion King. But one movie I also loved growing up is not a Disney movie at all, it’s a Dreamworks movie. I hadn’t realized how much this movie really stuck with me, because until a few days ago, I had never owned it. But through renting it multiple times, I learned its plot line by heart, not to mention several awesome quotes that I still use today.

Here are a few of them:

“Well don’t blame me!”
“I blame you!”

“You’re not a god? You lied to me!”

“Both?”
“Both.”
“Both is good.”

“What trail?”
“The trail we blaze… That trail we blaze!”

“You fight like my sister.”
“Ah, I’ve fought your sister, that is a compliment.”

Can you guess which movie it is?

Well here’s a few pictures to help you out:

miguel the road to el dorado tulio rted

Image Source: http://giphy.com/gifs/miguel-the-road-to-el-dorado-tulio-2UWyCjNXy5fig

miguel the road to el dorado el dorado tulio tulio miguel

Image Source: http://giphy.com/gifs/miguel-the-road-to-el-dorado-tulio-ICMe1I6fiGX6M

 

cartoon miguel road to el dorado tulio

Image Source: http://giphy.com/gifs/cartoon-miguel-road-to-el-dorado-m9VKulbFCXkBi

 

If this stirs up some memories for you too, let me know. And maybe if you’re feeling nostalgic go re-watch the movie.

And if you’ve never seen it, it’s called The Road to El Dorado. And it’s one of my favorites. There are unforgettable characters, an awesome storyline, great music from Elton John, and it makes me laugh every time I watch it.

Life Movies

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Aug 27

Poem for Grandpa

by lydiamhill

So my past week has been a flurry of emotions, stress, ups and downs. My 94 year old Grandpa passed away on Saturday and I just got back from the funeral yesterday. Everything’s been so busy that it’s been hard to stop and reflect on the relationship I had with him.

He wasn’t my real grandpa, that grandpa died when I was 6. Grandpa Eddie came into my life 12 years ago when he married my grandma. It was strange at first to have this new person be part of my family but over the years I got to know him very well and I want to write a poem in his honor.

Eddie

What can I say about a man who’s seen so much?

Who lived through times of war and peace,

and saw so much of history.

 

His life revolved around the farm.

Feeding cows, bailing hay,

watching the sky for signs of rain.

 

I cannot recount all you’ve seen,

the people you’ve loved,

the things you’ve grieved.

All I can say is thank you from me.

 

You always had a Coke to share,

a smile to offer, a laugh to give.

You took care of my grandma,

welcomed us with each visit,

sold us your old Mercury,

and paid for college tuition.

 

When I tried my hand at writing,

you read my book,

and told everyone around,

that it was really good.

 

There is so much more,

that I could say,

about your love, faith, and generosity.

But I’ll end by saying this;

Though not by blood,

you will forever be

my Grandpa Eddie.

Life Poetry Uncategorized Writing

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Jul 29

The history of my love for history

by lydiamhill

I know I haven’t posted in awhile, and I finally have a bit of free time, so I decided to dedicate a post to something I care a lot about, but haven’t ever written about on this blog. By looking at the title, I’m sure you have a pretty good guess as to what I’m writing about.

Well here it goes, I love Civil War History. It all started with my older brother and my dad. They both love exploring old battle sites, quizzing each other on odd facts, and just reading about times long gone. They love most of American History, but what got me hooked was the Civil War.

You see this PBS special came on when I was little, you’ve probably heard of it, the Ken Burns one. Well some of it really caught my attention, and the music was very memorable to me. It wasn’t something I got excited about watching, but once I started, I found it was hard to stop.

Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Civil_War_(TV_series)

Well, when I got a bit older, I was introduced to Gettysburg, the three-hour-long spectacle made in the 90s. At first I didn’t see the appeal, but as my brother and father watched and rewatched the movie, I started to get it. The characters were hilarious, all their banter and wit drew my affection and I found myself cheering for my favorites as they went into battle.

Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_(1993_film)

Then the final straw happened; my family went on vacation and while we were exploring, we came across the battle site of Gettysburg. Before we left the on site gift shop, I purchased a book that would change my reading life forever: Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels. It was the book that spurred the Gettysburg movie. I was thrilled to find all my favorite characters from the movie, along with new dialogue and inner thoughts that the movie had no time to include.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/682804.The_Killer_Angels

And once I finished that book, I found that Jeff Shaara had continued the legacy by writing a prequel and sequel to the Killer Angels. From that time on I couldn’t stop reading about generals and foot soldiers. Every book Jeff Shaara wrote, was soon in my hands. And I was thrilled when in the past couple of years he decided to return to the Civil War age and write another series about the major battles in the West.

So if there’s anyone out there who needs a good book to read, I would happily suggest any Shaara book. I myself will be starting his newest book “The Smoke at Dawn” shortly.

Image Source: http://wutc.org/post/shaara-s-smoke-dawn-novel-civil-war-dramatizes-chattanooga-battles#stream/0

Books Life Movies Stories

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Jul 8

A week without the Internet

by lydiamhill

No Internet

So, not that many of you would notice, because I fairly regularly go a week or more without posting, but I have had no working internet at my home for the past week and a half. Today it was finally fixed, and I think it’s an appropriate topic for a blog post.

I have a feeling that most people who lose their internet feel like they lose their life. How can you manage without e-mail, Facebook, Youtube, and Google to answer all your questions? And in one sense I have to agree, it’s a hard thing to get used to. I’ve been on trips where I wasn’t able to use my phone, or the internet but I always had something to do. This time, I was at home, and trying to go through my daily routine without the internet to help me.

I found that I could go to a local wifi hotspot to check e-mails, and luckily I have 3G on my phone so I can still use Google Maps when driving. But a large part of my life was changed. I couldn’t watch Netflix, or Youtube, I couldn’t print papers or update my Facebook status. Life changed… but actually I’m quite thankful for it.

During this time of year, I don’t have a lot going on, so I wasn’t stressed. Instead, not being online forced me to find other ways to fill my time. I can hardly believe how much reading I got done in this past week, just because I couldn’t watch silly videos on Youtube. I even started working on my second novel today. I hadn’t done that in months. Not having the internet, freed me to do other things.

Also during the Holiday weekend when I got to spend time with my family, we had to do so without the internet. We didn’t sit on our phones, each engaged in our devices and ignoring each other. Instead we talked, really talked. And let me tell you, that’s a lot more meaningful than a two minute video of a cat playing with a laser pointer.

In fact, I enjoyed this time enough, that I think I will make it a weekly habit, and not use the internet for one day out of the week. I can take the time to keep reading one of the many books I’ve started, or catch up with an old friend. And I would encourage you to give it a try too.

Life Writing

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Aug 12

A Whole New World

by lydiamhill

haiti mountainThanks to my good friend who has an amazing camera, here is a shot from the top of a mountain in Haiti. Although the country is very poor, it is rich in beauty.

Even the language I found very beautiful. I went to a church service where I heard American worship songs, but sung in Creole, and I kind of liked the Creole versions better. They just sounded so… I don’t even know how to describe it. I guess the words seem to rhyme more easily in Creole so it was more pleasant to the ear, plus the people singing were so expressive. They sang loudly and with emotion, it was a powerful experience and one I won’t forget.

One more thing I want to mention from my adventure. I always hear of “the language barrier” and it is a real thing. There were definitely times I wanted to communicate something and just couldn’t. But there’s also such thing as “the universal language.” A smile is a smile wherever you go, a laugh is a sound of joy in every country. There are things you can communicate without words, and friendships that can be formed despite a meager barrier of language.

I know this post is a bit scattered, but I just got back from my trip and I’m still adjusting to having internet again, and screens, and phones, and all those distractions that were so blessedly absent during my trip. It takes some getting used to, being interrupted constantly.

I’ll try to post again soon.

Haiti Life

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