My husband and I recently returned from a trip to Indiana, where we saw the Half-Stitched musical, based on my novel, The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club. We attended the play five times, and during each performance I noticed something different that I hadn’t seen before. Sometimes, in our busyness we forget to notice the things going on around us. When we get so busy “doing” it’s easy to miss something special right in front of us.

The other night I stepped outside to get something when it was just getting dusk. Had I not taken the time to look up, I would have missed a gorgeous sunset. Today, as I was sitting at my computer, I glanced out my office window and caught sight of a bird taking a bath in the upper level of our small pond. It was fun and relaxing to take a few minutes out and watch the bird splash around in the water. And because I did, I felt renewed when I returned to work.

Today I’m reminded of a verse in Ecclesiastes 3:11: “God hath made every thing beautiful in his time.” I just need to remember to take time out to see it.

When I was a little girl, attending Sunday school and Bible school, I was eager to memorize Scripture verses. Of course, my teacher usually offered a new Bible, or some other prize to encourage me to memorize. Now, as an adult, I am thankful for the Bible verses I’ve committed to memory, as they often pop into my head at just the right time.

Why is it so important to memorize God’s word? First of all, it helps us to be armed when temptation comes. Second, if we meditate on His word, it helps us know Him better. Finally, when we have His word hidden in our hearts, we’re able to hear His voice as He instructs and guides us to do His will.

One of my favorite verses of Scripture is Proverbs 17:22: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

What’s your favorite verse?

In my novel, The Struggle, when a terrible tragedy occurred, Hannah blamed her husband and was unwilling to forgive. In Hannah’s grief and anger, she and pulled away from Timothy, emotionally, as well as physically.

Often when a person has been hurt by someone or feels responsible for something they, themselves, have done, they will put the blame on someone else’s shoulders. That seems to be easier than carrying the blame themselves.

Blaming others for things they have done to us, or blaming them for things we have done ourselves, but won’t acknowledge, isn’t pleasing to God, and it only makes things worse in a relationship. What are some ways we can deal with a tragedy or some upsetting event and not put the blame on someone else?