A Priceless Gift

Merry Christmas to all and may the wonder-filled season linger in your hearts and homes all through the new year. Rather than a blog this week, I decided to include a link to a very touching, family video I think you will enjoy at Christmas.  Blessings, Rita Kroon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sUGOjNsE4aY

Soldier at the Door

Merry Christmas to all and may the wonder-filled season linger in your hearts and homes all through the new year. Rather than a blog this week, I decided to include a link to a very touching, family video I think you will enjoy at Christmas.  Blessings, Rita Kroon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sUGOjNsE4aY

Fighting for Delphine

I met author Lee Burtman at a Minnesota Christian Writers' Guild author event held at Bethlehem Baptist Church on December 8.  We shared a table together as we signed books and visited with one another. 

Lee is a delightful woman with a passion to share the recollections of our American military veterans.  "Ordinary men who did extraordinary things in anything but ordinary circumstances," she says.

I'm featuring her book, "Fighting for Delphine,"  which is a soldier's true story of triumph and tears.

The war in Europe had been won.  Minnesota soldier, Ken Krueger, was elated it was over.  Yet after having arrived home safely, he found himself facing another enemy - one that would take a lifetime to defeat.  War would continue to be waged, not on land, but in his heart and soul.

In Part One of this true story, Ken tenderly recalls meeting his first love, Delphine, in war-ravaged France.  Along with his faith, she became a source of hope in the midst of horror.  He also details his harrowing experiences serving as a teenage Signal Corps Messenger in General Patton's Third Army.  Ken delivered correspondence that had the power to alter the course of untold lives during World War II.  Regrettably, he was unable to deliver the one message that would have forever changed the course of his own life.

Is it ever too late to say you are sorry...and to fulfill a sacred promise?  This question tormented the American Army veteran for decades.  It also compelled him to travel across the ocean, at the age of eighty-six, on a quest for the answer.

In Part Two, "Return to Fenetrange," Ken, now in his ninth decade of life, is given an unforeseen gift - an opportunity to return to France.  His mission would be to deliver one final message.  Its words possess the power to give Ken victory over the battle he has fought for nearly seventy years.

Travel with Ken Krueger as he seeks triumph over the bitter tears of regret in this unforgettable true story, "Fighting for Delphine."  Experience his journey of loss and love, of fear and  faith, of horror and hope, of triumph and tears, and most of all, of God's grace.


Lee recently retired from teaching after thirty four years, and she puts her experience to work in her new position as Disability Ministry Coordinator at her church helping families with children and adults with special needs.  She is currently working on her father's memoir and hopes to complete "Waiting in the Wings"  next summer.  Her father served in the Air Force during the Korean War.

Lee will work on editing a fascinating book, "Red Run the River" written by a young veteran post World War II.

Lee and her husband, Greg, live in Lino Lakes, Minnesota.  They have two sons at home and two grown daughters, one son-in-law, their five-year-old grandson, twin toddlers, and a new grandbaby due in March.  "Grammy" loves to spend time with family.

"Fighting for Delphine" is available at www.MoongladeMedia.com, or you may order copies at 651-271-5941, and also via email at burtmanlee@gmail.com
Lee Burtman can be reached at burtmanlee@gmail.com.

My Most Memorable Christmas

My most memorable Christmas occurred several years ago.  My husband and I, two of our married daughters and their families spent Christmas at our cabin on the Kettle River.  The snow was deep that year, but we were able to get through on the long, gravel driveway.  The woods hushed themselves in the beauty and serenity of a gently falling snow.  Every branch of the pine trees  were laden with snow and stood in stark contrast to the dark gray skies of late afternoon.

We unpacked, put a fire in the wood-burning stove, and settled in for the night.

The next morning, Christmas Eve day, we bundled up and plodded through the snowy woods looking for the right tree.  Somehow in the woods, all the trees looked perfect, but when we got the tree the grand-kids picked out back to the cabin and stood it in its stand on the deck, we all agreed, “Yup!  It’s a Charlie Brown tree.”  Perfect.

We eagerly set to work popping popcorn, stringing cranberries, and frosting cookie cutouts to hang on the tree while the guys hung the lights.  We knew the myriad of birds would have a feast that Christmas.

Christmas Eve was magical.  We turned off the inside lights and watched the twinkling lights chase each other around the tree until the grand-kids clamored to open their gifts.

After breakfast on Christmas Day, we heard sleigh bells.  We scanned through the woods, looking.  Just then our neighbor, with his two Belgian horses hitched to an old-fashion sleigh made their way down our driveway. Glen sat so proper in his long black coat and Russian hat as the horses stepped through the snow – jangling their bells. 

We scurried to put on boots and jackets, scarves and mittens, and dashed out the door.  We piled onto the sleigh snuggling together and went for a real sleigh ride on the path through the woods.

That Christmas, simplistic and family-filled, stands out from all the glitzy Christmases past.  No crowds.  No hustle and bustle.  No glitz.  Just a simple Christmas where love lights gleam.

It reminds me of another very simplistic Christmas when a young couple spent a rather different night in an over-crowded, obscure, village town.  Bethlehem.  O, there was hustle and bustle, all right, but Mary and Joseph were not a part of it.   In fact, there was no place in town for them to stay.  No room in the inn.   Just a simple stable with sweet-smelling hay and animals crowding together for warmth.

To Mary and Joseph, it was a quiet night, but what happened that night was most extraordinaire.   Mary gave birth to her first-born Son – the King of kings, God in the flesh!  No fanfare.  No commotion.   Yet, His birth was so miraculous that it is still celebrated more than two thousand years later.  

One night soon after their Son was born, a silvery light splashed down over the stable.  Joseph stepped outside to see.  There above the stable, a star shown brighter that the brightest moon.  “Mary! Come and see,” he called.

But, before Mary could join Joseph, several men riding camels arrived. “We have come to worship the King,” they said. 

“Come inside,” Joseph invited.

The men from the east brought gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  There was no fanfare.  No glitz.  Just a quiet celebration of love. 

It’s the quiet, simple Christmases that make the best memories!  Mary must’ve thought so too – she pondered these things in her heart for years to come.

Rita Kroon

Are You Balanced in an Unbalanced World?

 Life needs balance.  Without balance, life can become chaotic.  We have to learn what to hold  onto and what to let go of.

 What are the areas of life we should consider when trying to establish an even keel?  The major components are: physical; vocational; spiritual and emotional; relational; social; recreational; financial;  and family and inner circle.  Life purpose and vision should be at the center.  

The more multifaceted our balance wheel is, the less time we have to devote to each area of life.  When that happens, we let those areas spill into the time available.  "If we just had more time, we could get everything done.  Right?"  Not necessarily.  Most people have a backlog of things they want to get done.  But when we try to accomplish it all, we create a huge problem.  We rob time from another slice on the balance wheel until all areas are jammed together.  Pressure builds.  We get stressed out.  It's like trying to stuff five pounds of hamburger into a three-pound bag.

Balance means to allot our time and energy in such a way that will benefit life's most important areas.  We cannot be all toil and no skittles.  We must consider: Do the things that matter on earth have any real significance in eternity?

Balance.  This is, by far, my biggest challenge and struggle.  I am notorious for being task-oriented.  I stay on task until I get the job done - at times, to the exclusion of my loved ones which is something I loathe doing.  I have to be intentional and self-disciplined in order to balance my physical with my spiritual and emotional.  It's not easy for me, but I know setting certain limits is absolutely crucial if I want balance in my existence, which in turn, brings quality in life, which helps me focus on the hub of my wheel - my purpose and my vision. 

Balance is not something we stumble upon.  It is something we create.  We must be proactive.         

Here are a few guidelines to bring balance into your life which I find to be most beneficial - especially for us overachievers.

• Determine what is important.  What are the top priorities that will contribute to the quality of your life?  Rate them on a scale of one to ten - the higher the priority, the more time should be spent in that area.
• Be creative.  Look for ways to be more efficient with time and energy you give to the tasks at hand.
• Stay relational.  Spend quality time with other people.  Focus on them - not on the tasks you could or should be doing instead.
• Keep healthy.  Eat well and exercise regularly.
• Relax.  Give yourself a time-out to enjoy life.

I am the first in line who needs to be reminded: "You can't do everything!"  Therefore, you do what ya gotta do to keep balanced in an unbalanced world.

Balance comes when you  discover, decide, and discern what you truly want - what you consider to be important.  And, voila!  Balance.

Rita Kroon

a 

T  

      

The Joy of Writing

The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of the moment.  

The joy of writing will probably lack any luster unless there is a message that charges our emotional batteries with a passion and causes us to explore the art of writing ourselves. 

What are your jumper cables connected to?  What intrigues you?  What do you feel passionate about?  Dig deep when answering that question, and you’ll have the seed of a plot that will grow into something beautiful.

Do you know the number one factor that defeats more fiction authors than any other?  FEAR.  It shows up in ‘what ifs.’  What if I can’t convey my thoughts into words?  What if my story idea is dumb?  What if I don’t finish it?  Tuck those fears in your pocket—take a deep breath—tell yourself, “Today I start writing.  I will unleash my imagination.  Today I will discover the joy of writing!

In his book, Write Your Novel in a Month, Jeff Gerke says, “There is only one commandment for fiction—only one law that, if broken, will kill your novel.  It is this: You must engage your reader from beginning to end!”  He goes on to say, “The core idea is what makes you want to sit down and write.  The premise (a short synopsis of what the book is about) is what makes a reader want to read it.”

Ask yourself: What is my message?  What’s my point?  Who are my readers?  How do I want to impact them?  What response do I want to evoke?  How can my writing benefit others?  Do I write to make a change?  If so, how do I connect with my reader on an emotional level?  How do I tap into emotions through my characters? This matters even if you write for your eyes only.

Three basic questions I MUST ask all my main characters:

·       *   What does he/she care about?

·       *   What does he/she fear?

·        *  What motivates him/her?

Know your characters personally.  Spend time with your characters.  Take them to lunch and watch how they interact with other people.  Put them in difficult situations to see if it brings out the best or the worst in them.  Where do they get their strength?  What are their weaknesses?  How do they act when no one is watching?

“Remember,” Gerke says, “Your character(s) must change or the plot has no tension—something in your story must impact your character that will bring about change or your plot will fall flat.  What is the conflict that keeps your protagonist from accomplishing his goal?  Create you antagonist to propel the tension with your main character.”

Write with emotion—show, don’t tell.  Example:  She was surprised.  Better – her eyebrows shot up, and she made an O with her mouth.

Don’t necessarily reveal the complete ending, but give the reader a hint how it will end.  Example:  It was then that Mike realized the outer puzzle pieces—the framework—of a family picture were coming together.  (Excerpt from “Kiss Your Mommy Goodbye by Rita Kroon).

When you’re done writing, bring luster to your story.  Polish it.  That means to edit it.  Discover how the joy of writing need not be tarnished at this point—only enhanced.

Then comes publishing!