Day #525 Hope Reins

I have a dear friend who volunteers at an amazing equine therapy place in the Raleigh NC area called Hope Reins.

She feeds and cleans the horses, freshens their stalls, and does all sorts of very necessary work, simply because her heart goes out to these gentle horses, all of whom have been rescued from ghastly conditions, brought back to health, and given a chance to interact with children who need the kind of love and intuitive care that a horse can give.

I’d just like to acknowledge the folks at Hope Reins, and all the fine organizations that find a need and do their best to meet it.

BEEattitude for Day #525:

       Blessed are those who reach out to help, for they shall walk taller, stand prouder, breathe deeper.

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The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart 

Day #486 Volunteers

Sometimes I think this country runs on volunteers. Yesterday evening I sat through a meeting of the Gwinnett Choral Guild Board of Directors, and I was struck with the level of dedication of those people. All of us believe in the work of the Choral Guild. We come together to sing for the sheer joy of it, and we all love the way our director gives us challenging music to sing.

But, a lot of people in that room last night have been on the Board, in various positions, for years and years. I’m one of them. I happen to believe that I have a responsibility to put in some effort for the groups I want to see succeed. 

There are quite a few members of the Guild, though, who see the Guild running quite well day to day, week to week, and probably think that their input isn’t necessary.  But volunteering is like voting. If you don’t do it, you don’t have the right to complain!

Well, maybe we’ll get them this go-round. It’s that time of year when the nominating committee gears up to select a slate of officers for next year. 

How about you? Have you looked for ways to volunteer? I’m not talking about running yourself ragged trying to be on every committee ever invented. No. Choose what’s important to you -- and then why don’t you do something to help? Believe me, you’ll be appreciated! 

BEEattitude for Day #486:

       Blessed are those who nurture the baby bees, for they shall ensure the continuous of the hive.

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The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart 

Day #156 Two weeks to go till B-Day

B-Day (Bee Day) in two weeks! or maybe three . . .

And there's still so much to do. We’ve had so much rain lately that I haven’t finished staining the deck yet. Don’t want to be slapping stain around while my brand new bees are getting used to their brand new location on my back deck. So far I have half the deck stained with one coat, and I need two coats over everything.

Then, all those seeds my grandchildren and I started inside are outgrowing their pots, but it’s still a bit too early to transplant them outside.

As far as my wonderful work goes, my 6^th Biscuit McKee mystery is still in one of its numerous drafts, and I have five amazingly productive doctoral candidates whose dissertations I’m editing, as well as two novels. I’ll be leading some classes and doing some book signings and speaking to some book clubs.

On top of all this, Monday night I agreed to serve as the treasurer for the Gwinnett Choral Guild for a two-year term starting in June. Egads! It’s a community choir, and I know I really should do my part—which is why I volunteered. But I’m so busy . . .

Can it, Frannie. You’re in control of your own calendar. If you’re busy, it’s your own responsibility, so that’s not an acceptable reason to whine.

Okay, okay! But I draw the line HERE. From now on, I’m not volunteering for ANYTHING else.

I’ll edit and write. I’ll do what’s necessary around the house. I’ll donate blood every other month. I’ll knit and sing. I’ll connect with my family and friends. I’ll walk and garden and read. I’ll uphold my volunteer commitments. I’ll play at beekeeping.

Hmm . . . That sounds like a pretty good life, doesn’t it?

BEEattitude for Day # 156:

       Blessed are they who appreciate their lives, for they shall glow with well-being.

What Fran is grateful for right now:

       My editing clients    

http://www.franstewart.com