Never Forget

No matter how old you were, or what your current view on politics is, it is important to never forget what happened on this day fourteen years ago. Only twice has America been attacked on her home soil, at Pearl Harbor and on 9/11. The  images of smoke billowing from the twin towers, from the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania have become engraved in our Nation's history, images that we have been determined to never allow to take place again.

Yet, these images can teach us something on a personal level. It can teach us to live out each day as our last, because we can truly never know when our last day will come. So I encourage you today to do a few things:

1. Pray for wisdom for our Nation's leaders-this is something we should be doing now more than ever.
2. Pray for the families of the victims of 9/11, who are still dealing with their loss fourteen years later. Also pray for victims suffering from various illnesses from the attacks.
3. Pray and ask God if there is something he wants you to do right now, today, that you have been putting off for too long.

Lastly, here is a song by Alan Jackson, titled Where Were you When the World Stopped Turning, to commemorate this day:

A Courageous Love Part Two

***Hope you guys like part two of this Civil War tale. Remember to leave a comment :)***

Sometime later I wake up lying in a ditch next to the trail. Jester is surprisingly still standing over me like a guard. Why he did not bolt as soon as the shots rang out is beyond my guess.

He nudges my leg, almost as if he was telling me that we need to get up and get a move on before those dang yankees find us again. Yet, as soon as I attempt to sit up, a sharp, stabbing pain shoots through my right arm. I glance over, cursing myself for getting shot in the first place.

The bullet appears to have entered my shoulder from the rear I cannot see an exit point, so obviously the bullet is lodged somewhere. One thing is for sure, the army is going to discover my true identity when the doctors have to go digging for the bullet.

I slowly and weakly sit up, rejoicing in the fact that I can move my arm ever so slightly, despite the excruciating pain. I then tear a piece of cloth from my shirt, and fashion a sling of sorts for my arm. Once this is accomplished, I force myself to stand, leaning against Jester as a wave of dizziness almost sends me crashing back down to the ground.

The horse nudges me again, encouraging me to get in the saddle. After several most unladylike words, and a huge struggle to not be overcome with the pain, I do manage to get on, stopping to rest for the briefest of moments once I am in the saddle.

The sun is hot and blazing overhead, telling me that it is midday. I was supposed to make Lee's headquarters hours ago. I am surprised he has not sent out people to look for me. I then proceed to urge Jester forward. If I am going to be kicked out of the army for being a women, I want to maintain my own dignity by going to Lee and resigning my commission first.

Jester absolutely refuses to walk on, choosing instead to veer off into the woods entirely of his own accord.

"You stupid horse," I mutter, gritting my teeth in effort to block out the pain. After several failed attempts to get him back on the right track, I give up. Too weak to force him to go my way, I let him have his head. Jester then proceeds to make his own way through the woods with me to helpless to do anything about it.

A short while later, Jester's shrill whinny snapped me out of my pain-induced stupor that I have slipped into. I look up and notice a man in a battered grey uniform sitting on the ground by a tree almost directly in front of us, a bloody bandage tied to his right calf.

Painstakingly, I dismount Jester and make my way over to the man, wanting to try and help him despite my own injured state. As I walk over and kneel next to him, I gasp in recognition.

This man is none other than my missing husband, Jim. His eyes open, wild with terror, only to relax when he realizes that I am wearing grey.

"Dang it all, calvaryman," he gasps, his voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you were one of those yankees coming to drag me back to that heck of a camp..."

"Jim," I whisper, cutting him off. "It's me, Jim!"

Jim's eyes open wide at the revelation I have thrust upon him. I had always worried about what his reaction might be if I found him alive and he realized I had enlisted. I guess now is the moment of truth.

Jim manages to crack a smile despite his weakened state. "Well, I'll be," he drawls softly. "You have never been one to sit around at home and host dinner parties".

I smile back at him. "No honey, I have not." After a moment's pause, I glance around for any sign of the enemy. "Honey, we have got to get out of here before any of those yankees do show up."
He nods at me, and together, we work on hauling our worthless carcasses up onto Jester, who stands still like a statue through the whole ordeal. We then make our way to Lee's camp, hoping to make it there before we pass out.

*The photo below was found at this website*

On the Shelf

My dear friend Emily McConnel over at The Imaginary world of Emily McConnell did a Bookshelf Tag post a while back, so I decided it would be fun for my readers to see what is on my bookshelf. Here goes! 


Describe your bookshelf and any special way you have of organizing your books:

Both of my bookshelves sit right outside the door to my room. The white one is mostly full of casual reads, while the brown one (except for the very top) is full of history books.

What is the thickest (most amount of pages) book on your shelf?

That would be my archaeological study Bible at over 2300 pages.

What is the smallest (least amount of pages) book on your shelf?

A children's baseball book by the title of Kaboone is sitting on my shelf at around 32 pages.

Is there a book you received for your birthday?

I received these three books above (The Tamarack Murders, Gone to Ground, and Free) as birthday gifts for my 18th and 20th birthdays.

What is the smallest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?

My itty-bitty little pocket dictionary.

What is the biggest (height and width wise) book on your shelf?

This one is sad but it's a book of photos from 9/11. It helps to remind me to never forget, something I think our country has been trying to do these days.

Is there a book from a friend on your shelf?

A manuscript copy of Free from and by Emily McConnel :) 

Most expensive book?

It is actually a pocket sized leather-bound book series of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. This set was so pretty and I love these books so I got the set as a birthday present for myself :)

The last book you read on the shelf?

The Fellowship of the Ring :)

Of all these books on the shelf, which is the first that you read?

Probably At Home in Mitford.

Do you have the complete series of any book series?

I have almost the complete Mitford series by Jan Karon (at least it was complete until I found out there were two new books in the series AFTER I took the picture). I have both the Hunger Games and Divergent trilogy. I also have the Hobbit+Lord of the Rings series.

What is the newest addition to your shelf?

Now I work at a library and get the chance to take any discards home for free. Due to this I usually have a lot of new additions, but one I am particularly excited to read is a historical cowboy book titled The Willow Field.

What book has been on your shelf forever?

 I have had The Good Luck Colt since I was about seven :)

What is the most recently published book on your shelf?

Rescuing Hope, a fictional story illustrating a personal experience with human trafficking, is my newest book published just last year. 

The oldest book on your shelf (As in, the actual copy is old?)

I don't know when this was published but The Good Luck Colt is the oldest looking book I have on my shelf.

A book you won?

Soul's Gate and A Home for My Heart are two books that I have won at writing conferences.

A book you would never let out of your sight?

This may seem a bit selfish but there are six books I would not let go of, the Divergent Series, Rescuing Hope, my engraved bible, and the Tamarack Murders. All six of these books are my favorites and I want to keep them really nice. The Tamarack Murders is one of the more important ones I want to keep tabs on  because it is personally signed by my favorite author :)

Most beat-up book?

If the South Won Gettysburg is the most beat up book I have. It may look fine on the outside but open it up....

...and it is coming apart on the inside.

Most pristine book?

Rescuing Hope, since its my newest book in terms of publication year, also is my most pristine.

A book from your childhood?

A baseball book titles Kaboone!

A book that is not actually your book?

This book, The Five Love Languages, is my mom's but I borrowed it for a bible study.

A book that is your favorite color?

I just love the brown hues on the cover of this historical romance titled, A Promise For Breanna. 

A book that has been on your shelf the longest time that you still have not read?

Lewis and Clark in the Bitterroot is a book I have has since middle school but still have yet to read. I will get around to it eventually :)

Any signed books?

Several in fact! Here they are pictured in a stack above.

The Star Wars Trilogy, which was a Christmas gift from my brother!

Gone to Ground by Brandylyn Collins, a birthday gift.

Soul's Gate by James Rubart.

Circles in the Snow by Patrick McManus.

Also the Tamarack Murders by Patrick McManus.

Then a signed manuscript copy of Free by my good friend Emily McConnel.

There you have it! A little taste of some of the books I have on my shelf. Have you guys read any of the books pictured above? Thanks for stopping by and leave a comment below!