A Time to Give Thanks

                                            "I thank God for every remembrance of you."
                                                                              Philippians 1:3

​God used Shawn Morrison​ to cause our paths to cross in 2013 when she organized The Apostolic Poets Society’s, TAPS - The Apostolic Poets' Society​ event in Boston. You had a book signing, I taught a writers workshop, and together we mentored young poets for Christ that were in attendance.
 
But before we even met, I went online and purchased your first book, first book, My God, My Song, My Praise, and was in awe of your testimony, your gift, and your work as an author. You agreed to be a guest on my Christian poetry radio show for a live interview and reading from your three books, plus the fourth one that you were working on at the time.
 
To say that you were a real life hero in my book would be an understatement. Woman of God, mother, grandmother, retired teacher, poet, and Christian author. I soaked up everything you shared, both during the interview and at the event in Boston. You encouraged me during that session and afterwards. I shared with you that I had several not yet published manuscripts of poetry that I had yet to publish. You told me how God had blessed you to publish one book per year since your retirement, and that if you could do it, so could I.
 
I left the conference energized to get back on the wheel and continue my assignment from the Lord. That was 2013. Once home, I tried to follow the advice you gave me on how to do it, but at the time I couldn’t understand the program you used. I was so embarrassed and disappointed I let defeat win and promptly gave up. ‘I can’t’ became my inner motto, each time I tried to go back to the program to figure things out.
 
Almost three years later, my daughter Angella Middleton​, published her first, Life Lessons I Learned in Law School​ through the same operating system and also told me ‘Mom you can do it’. When she did, it was like everything you told me came back to mind, and something inside me just clicked and said ‘You can do it’.
 
So I sat down and got to work. That was January of this year. I had a goal in mind, and praise God this weekend I will am attending an author’s expo featuring my first book, plus FOUR additional titles. On top of that, three of my other yet unpublished manuscripts of poetry are scheduled to be released in November. TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE THINGS HE HAS DONE!
 
JoAnn, I want to thank you for the seeds you planted. Angella,I want to thank you for the watering you did. And most of all, God, I want to thank You for giving the increase!
 
“I CAN do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13