A memory in my mind
Fading with the sands of time
Far outside my reach
And going out with the tide
I want to grasp you and pull you back
But I know I have to let you go
So I draw back my hand
And smile
And wave goodbye
I watch as you fade off into the horizon
Until you disappear into the evening sun
For me, tomorrow will be
A journey all alone
Destination—unknown
Christ will lift my burden
He will make a new day rise
And carry my dreams
On eagle’s wings.
This is the story of how a farm girl from rural Michigan ended up attending a private Christian college, which led to a career first as a bilingual legal secretary then ultimately becoming a published author and founder of this blog.
In September 1983, I was at a college weekend retreat. I don’t remember what the cabins were like but I remember the bathrooms. There were no stalls or doors. Everything you did, and I mean everything, was out in the open in the all-girls’ bathroom. I was a very shy person and it was an uncomfortable experience.
Being shy also led to an embarrassing incident during a group session when students were sharing their testimonies. We sang songs in between the speaking. One song that touched my heart that day was “For Those Tears I Died.”
In that song, there is a line about God “Opening all the right doors.”
That was my testimony. God had opened the doors for this farm girl to attend a private Christian college, and I felt moved to share that. Only I wasn’t brave enough to speak up. I listened to everyone else talking, and the pressure I felt to talk led to tears. I’d always been sensitive and cried when I got emotional. This time, it was in the presence of strangers, students whom I’d hoped to get acquainted with and maybe impress.
Sitting there crying, I grew more embarrassed and uncomfortable. When someone shared about a family member who wasn’t a Christian, I got up and quickly said something similar to take the pressure off.
While I couldn’t share my testimony that day, I thought of it this past month as I pondered what spring break experiences to write about. I wouldn’t have been attending that Christian college if it hadn’t been for an incident that happened while I was in driver’s education class.
My story begins with a tree, an inexperienced student driver, and a stick shift training car that may or may not have had faulty brakes.
It was April 14, 1981 during spring break. I was scheduled to drive with the instructor and other students for the first time. I was nervous about it because the car was a stick shift. My dad had taken me out a couple of times in his pickup to teach me, and I couldn’t get the hang of the clutch.
I thought I was supposed to drive in the morning. So by lunchtime, when the instructor hadn’t shown up yet, I thought she wasn’t coming. I was eating macaroni and cheese when the car pulled into the driveway.
I got in the car and we left my house with another student driving. Our route took us cross-country along rough gravel roads with hills that made it difficult to shift the car.
Overcorrecting a mistake led to the car going off into the trees, and it didn’t stop.
That collision left me with a compression fracture in my lumbar spine, which healed after a few weeks in a back brace.
It was a shock when the school’s insurance company approached us a year later and offered a cash settlement as compensation for my injuries. My parents weren’t the type to sue and it hadn’t crossed our mind to do so. We wouldn’t have considered taking a settlement, but my dad was concerned that because of my back injury, I wouldn’t be able to work at a job where I had to stand on my feet all day. The settlement offer seemed providential. We all thought that with the money, I’d be able to attend college and train for a career that wouldn’t aggravate my back injury.
I checked into several colleges. I wanted to attend a private Christian school that had a program I was interested in. Several doors opened up and led the way for me to go there.
Those open doors that led to my decision to attend Spring Arbor University and live in the dorms. The settlement, along with financial aid, paid my way.
During the two years I spent there, I had many experiences like the retreat weekend that helped me grow spiritually. Over time, I did learn to speak up and share my faith.
I didn’t complete a college degree, but I had the opportunity to study in Mexico. I became fluent in Spanish, which led to working as a legal secretary for a bilingual attorney. I also learned how to write and edit for newspapers. I’ve used life experiences and the skills I learned in communications classes to put together this blog.
The driver’s ed accident was an unfortunate experience, but God used it to open doors that might not have been open for me otherwise.
Everything I am today is because of God’s hand on my life. I give Him the glory for all the blessings He has given me.
April’s theme is SPRING MIX, which means the featured books will be from a variety of genres. To start off the month, my first Friday Feature is a book written by Michigan author, Joselyn Vaughn. For the Love of Bigfoots & Butterflies is a romantic comedy with a mysterious element to it. The story takes place in a fictional town in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
I love hearing stories and watching shows about mysterious creatures and definitely got hooked on Finding Bigfoot. So when we were driving through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, my husband made a joke about looking for Bigfoot, and then I knew that my main character had to be an amateur Bigfoot researcher. And the story went from there.
Fighting for an endangered butterfly is what makes Jane Meeth tick and Tall Oaks Development is her biggest adversary. Little does she know that the CEO of the company, Marshall Linden, is none other than the handsome hiker she meets while running on the trail.
After Marshall discovers evidence of Bigfoot, he wants to establish a sanctuary to protect the creature, but he must keep it secret from the protesters of his Tall Oaks projects. He didn’t count on falling in love with Jane making his plans nearly impossible.
When an environmental disaster threatens both of their dreams, they must throw away their prejudices to make the world safe for Bigfoots and butterflies.
She expected the giant-sized man. Or a bear. Or a bobcat. Or even a less predatory animal like a doe and fawn. Or a squirrel. The smell…like rancid road kill. She slapped a hand over her nose. Sweat stung her skin as her heart rate skipped along too quickly to count. She squinted at the creature. What she saw was…Bigfoot?
When not writing, Joselyn spends all her free moments researching bearded dragons and unicorns and playing Fortnite. Oh wait, that’s her kids. Joselyn can be found either running on Frank, her affectionately-named treadmill (since he has been cobbled together from parts) or keeping her sewing machines busy. You can follow her craziness on Instagram at @joselynvaughn.
Author media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorJoselynVaughn
Instagram @joselynVaughn
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/joselynvaughn/_created/
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bigfoot+and+butterflies&ref=nb_sb_noss
Spring is here! A season where everything that has lain dormant throughout the cold dark winter springs to life again. Trees start budding, grass turns green again…A fresh start.
Fresh and green. Reminds me of tossed salads. For some reason, I don’t like to eat lettuce during the winter, but this time of year salads start looking good to me.
In the supermarket’s produce section, they sell a packaged salad called Spring Mix. Are you familiar with the term? It’s a mix of several kinds of greens including spinach, leaf lettuce, arugula, radicchio and chard.
Spring Mix: A little bit of everything. That’s what April is going to be like here on my blog. Here are some of the things you can look forward to:
The Reluctant Billionaire will be released from Anaiah Press on April 13. I’m so excited to share this contemporary Christian romance with you.
I’ve also signed a contract with Anaiah Press to publish Serena’s New Year’s Wish, a sequel to my Christmas novella.
You can order my first novella from Amazon while you’re waiting for the sequel to be released later this year.
Buy Link for Angelica’s Christmas Wish: https://www.anaiahpress.com/product/angelicas-christmas-wish/56?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=7
On Fridays, I introduce you to books by other authors. I have a terrific lineup this month. You’ll have a chance to read the inspiration behind and excerpts from a great mix of books, including a romantic comedy with a mysterious element, a YA dystopian, and two romantic suspense novels.
I have a giveaway going on right now through Sunday April 4 at noon. What is your favorite Easter or April Fool’s memory? You can answer in the comments below, then follow this link to enter your name into a random drawing for a free signed copy of my Christmas novella.
You can follow me here on this blog or on one of my other social media links so you don’t miss any news as my writing journey progresses.
https://facebook.com/authorcarolunderhill
https://twitter.com/@carolunderhill7
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57493857-the-reluctant-billionaire
I’m so excited. This is the day that I’ve been waiting for, revealing the cover for my new Christian contemporary romance, The Reluctant Billionaire.
With her husband’s ultimate betrayal, and the finalization of her divorce, Jessica Palmer’s dreams for her life go up in flames, leaving her devastated and lost. Now, she’s leaving Chicago and moving back into her parents’ house in an effort to rebuild her life. Longtime neighbor and friend, Liam Engstrom, is the only reason she hasn’t completely fallen apart, but the closer they get, the more she realizes the depth of his feelings.
Liam has loved Jessica since they were teens, but she never noticed him as more than a friend. Now that she’s single, he’s determined to show her how much he cares and that not all men are like her ex-husband–if she’ll let him.
Jessica is reluctant to trust again after what her husband did to her, and Liam refuses to be the rebound guy, but their attraction is hard to deny. So, together, with a little help from God, they decide to give love a chance. But between Liam’s recent inheritance and an unwanted public billionaire status that has people lining up with their hands out, and Jessica’s ex-husband monitoring her every move, their relationship is off to a rocky start. And when tragedy strikes, Liam pushes everyone away—including Jessica. Can they both learn to forgive and grow, or are they doomed to be alone?
Carol Underhill lives in rural Michigan a few miles from the farm where she grew up. She is mom to three adult children and a spoiled Lab. Her household also includes several rescued cats. She likes finding new authors on Kindle and binge-reading all their books. Carol rewards herself for meeting deadlines with a cup of fudge-flavored coffee. She enjoys quiet mornings and spending time with her family.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/carolunderhill
Twitter: https://@carolunderhill7
Website: https://authorcarolunderhill.com
Inspirational Author 