One Step Closer to Publishing

Way back at Christmas, I submitted a manuscript called, A Pumpkin Named Jack, to ABC Picture Book Competition (www.bookcompetition.org). When I returned from holiday, I had an email message that said that I was one of the finalists! There were 125 entries from around the country, and they picked 12 finalists.

The next phase of the competition is online voting by any and all people I know. An illustrator (which I hope they’ll let me do) will produce a piece of art to compliment the story, and then for two weeks in September, the voting happens. The winner gets a publishing contract and 1000 books to sell at school visits, etc… It's a small competition yet, as it's only in it's third year, which means I have a much better chance of getting published than just sending the manuscript to publishing companies hoping they'll take a look at it.

I shared this story with Brendan’s schoolmates during Book Week last fall. I would love for them to see it in print.

So, stay tuned. I’ll be asking you to ask all of your family, friends and acquaintances and anyone I meet on the street to vote online soon.

UK Top Ten

I've been looking back over my journal entries from when we first moved to England three years ago. Here's an entry I particularly like. It still holds true today.

Top Ten Things We Like About England

1. Brendan’s new best mate named Ben
2. My silver Mini
3. The exchange rate when we visit America
4. Brendan’s school
5. Business trips to South Africa
6. Lots of school breaks
7. Paris, Rome, London trips
8. Cadbury chocolate
9. New friends, both American and English
10. Tuesday night church bell-ringing practice

Top Ten Things We Don’t Like About England

1. Roundabouts
2. Dark, wet winter days
3. National Health Care
4. English food
5. Small parking spaces
6. No good Mexican food
7. Missing friends and family back home
8. English football and rugby fanatics
9. Getting new movies six months after America
10. Cars stopped/parked in the road because there isn’t enough parking

My Laughing Place

Our Vicar's wife, Charlotte, is an amazing on-fire witness for Christ. She has boundless energy that she pours into children's ministry. One of the ways she keeps her energy level up is to run every morning. During her run, she meditates and sometimes she shares some of the insights that she's come away with with the rest of us -like the time a young kestral (falcon) landed in her path and she was reminded of the Psalm about mounting up on eagles wings or enjoying the quiet of the morning and remembering to "be still and know that I am God."

I'm not a runner. I walk. But I also like to meditate. Sometimes I repeat a praise song in my head. Sometimes I just enjoy the beauty of nature. My insights are not always as lofty.

Today, I was walking along the footpath frightening little bunnies. I could just see their white cottontails as they scurried into the bramble (wild blackberry bushes). And I thought, it's true, they do live in briar patches.

I doubt anyone reads Uncle Remus stories to their children anymore. It's not PC. At one time, Golden Books published a series of the stories, we had a few, but I bet they're hard to find now. I was introduced to Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox at the Town Twin Drive In Theater where my family went to see the double feature of Song of the South and the Aristocats. Anyone who's been to DisneyWorld and has been on Splash Mountain, and most Brits have, knows the song. Sing it with me. "Everybody's got a laughing place, a laughing place to go-o-o. Take your frown turn it upside down, and you'll find your's I know."

For those who don't know the story, Brer Bear and Brer Fox are always trying to catch Brer Rabbit who is much more crafty and cunning than them. They fashion a person out of tar and put clothes on him calling him a "tar baby." Brer Rabbit comes across the tar baby, tries to strike up a conversation, gets angry because it won't answer and punches and kicks at it until he is completely stuck. While Brer Bear and Brer Fox contemplate the best way to do him in, Brer Rabbit pleads, "Please don't throw me in the briar patch!" And in the end, that's exactly what they do, and as I've seen, rabbits are very happy there. It's their very favourite place; the place that they live and find safety - their laughing place. Brer Rabbit yells from a distance, "I was born and raised in the briar patch."

In the movie, the person telling these stories is an ex-slave named Uncle Remus. I just did a little google research and found out it was Disney's first forray into live-action, mixed with animation, created back in 1947, before civil rights. This man lived in a shack with very few creature comforts in the midst of racism, segregation and oppression, and yet, he was able to sing, "Zippety-do-da, zippety-a; my, oh my, what a wonderful day," which is how I ended my walk. And I realized that's why I enjoy walking so much; communing with God in nature is my laughing place.

"Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." Just like Uncle Remus.