Lee Roddy’s Blog

You can search the Internet for many articles about the first Thanksgiving, and the subsequent evolution into the holiday we Americans now celebrate  annually, but there is very little in today’s newspapers or newscasts about the reason for this special day.

This year is a hard one for many families whose savings have dissolved, or who have lost jobs, homes, etc. Yet it is nothing compared to what the first-ever Thanksgiving was like.

Reflect a moment as your family and friends sit down this day in 2008 and be gratful for what we have , but do not complain about what is missing.

Consider the first Thanksgiving when half of all the passengers who arrived on our eastern shore had died that first winter. Yet those present at the first celebration were grateful for what they had. They had survived a vicious winter, built houses in the wilderness and learned through friendly Indians how to plant corn and other crops. In other words, those first settlers learned to survive.

But they didn’t believe they had done that all all by themselves. Rather, they wanted to thank God for what they had — and which they were about to receive. There would not have been enough food for everyone if it had not been for the bountiful gifts their Indian guests brought. So there was not only enough for everyone, but there was harmony among strangers in a new land and friendly neighbors.

In an imperfect world, human perfection is hard to find, but the spirit of Thanksgiving is as abundant and available today as it was when the first settlers gathered to give thanks to their Creator.

So, in spite of the economic news of the day, the same God who saw the first settlers through their harsh landing on these shores is still able to provide for us today. As we gather for this year’s Thanksging meal, regardless of our individual religious beliefs, it would be prudent to at least say a silent prayer of thanks for all we have — especially our friends, family, and other loved ones.

May your Thanksgiving be memorable for what has been provided, and may your tomorrows be in the same expectant spirt as the original Pilgrims who carved out a nation under God and made it possible for what you and do have this Thanksgiving Day.

As an author, I appreciate various serendipitous aspects of writing books that go beyond what’s called in the trade, “a body of work” stretching across the top shelf in my office bookcase. Among those unanticipated aspects is hearing that hundreds of aspiring people took my writing seminars and went on to sell their first and sometimes many books, like Susan K. Marlow and Joyce K. Ellis.

Susan took my classes at Mount Hermon in California where I taught for about 15 years. Then unpublished, Susan now has five novels out for young readers. Her series, The Circle C Adventures, is about a girl, her horse and  the exciting experience they have. I wrote an endorsement for Susan’s just-released San Fraancisco Smugglers.

On her website (www.susankmarlow.com) she describves her books as “wholesome.”  They are. Like my books, parents, teachers and librarians can give one of Susan’s stories to a child without having to read it first to be sure it’s suitable.

Some years ago, Joyce took my classes at Billy Graham’s Decision School of Christian Writing in Minnapolis, Minnetosa. According to her website (www.joycekellis.com) she has now written or co-authored a dozen books and hundreds of articles. She recently sent a copy of her co-authored new book, “Writing so Heaven Will be Different, 35 years of encouraging strories from the Write-to-Publish Conference.” Joyce and Tammie Edington Shaw are the editors.

The book’s preface explains that the title is based on something I often tell my students, “Write so heaven will be different.” Lin Johnson frequently quotes this at Write-to-Publish Conferences where I taught when it was held at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. It’s now held at Wheaton College. Lin Johnson has directed this conference for 14 years.

Another serendipitous discovery is the thousands of “hits” my website gets from people looking for quality reading material for children, or instruction for adults in how to write for publication. These lessons work because I’m an author who makes a living by using what I teach. So thanks for logging on to this website.

Blog 3: 10-26-08

FOREIGN VISITORS:

I am astounded that the website my wife, Cicely, and I maintain has recently brought visitors from at least 24 foreign counties. Many visitors repeatedly returned to see what we have about books or writing that may benefit them.

They visited frinm Canada, Mexico, various Europen Countries, South America, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Fiji,  Australia and different Asian countries. I’m delighted, but wish I knew if I’m meeting their needs. I urge everyone who logs on to www.leeroddybooks.com to leave a sentence about why he/she visited, and whether we had what was sought.

PERSONAL APPEARANCES

Writing is the hardest taskmaster I have ever known, requiring far more time than any job I’ve had. I don’t mind because I love what I do. However, I also make personal appearance when I can. My spirits are always lifted by such inter-active encounters, and I try to do something worthwhile for them. Space limitations only permit mentioning a few recent appearances, as:

Charlie Welch, outdoor education director, Wolf Mountain Camps, Grass Valley, CA. I had a wonderful home school group of caring parents and eager young students.

Andrew Pudewa, founder, Institute for Excellence in Writing, had me as a presenter over a 3-day period at the Writing Educators Symosium in Murietta, Southern Califoria. Excited and caring teachers of writing came from many states and overseas.

Administrator Sally Dyke and 6th grade teacher Kathy Fletcher hosted my annual appearance at Forest Lake Christian School, Auburn, C. This was my 16th year that I’ve been invited back.

Capital Christian School, Sacramento, CA, where Mrs. Elizabeth (Beth) Thompson arranged for my first visit there after her son, Nathaniel (a fan of my books) heard his teacher, Mrs. Betty Murakami, read some of my stories aloud to her 4th grade class.

Inspire Christian Writers Group, Sacramento: Beth Thompson invited me to share some of my witing knowledge with these students. I like encouraging aspiring writers to achieve their goals.

My heartfelt thanks to all, plus those whose names cannot be included because of space limitations.

Two questions: How many couples do you know who have been married 60 years or more? And are you familiar with the quote, “A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”

I’ve known a few couples who have reached the 60-year milestone, and today I can not only say my wife and I are also there, but she is what Proverbs calls “a noble wife.”

On Oct. 17, 1947, sixty-one years ago, Cicely Price and I pledged to live our lives together. I hope you’ll indulge me while I share some thoughts about this very special woman and how we came to have a long and happy marriage.

We met the first day of college, Sept. 13, 1943. Over the next three-plus years, we became friends who shared each other’s ambitions. Cicely wanted to become an actress, which she did. She also chose to eventually give that up to be a wife, mother and grandmother which she is today.

I dreamed of authoring books. Cicely became my cheer leader; my ‘pom-pom’ girl, enthusiastically supporting my writing aspirations through many dry years before my books sold. She worked when times were financially tight, but mostly she stayed home and reared our family. We are blessed with a son, a daughter, and their families.

Cicely never complained, but was always positive, expecting to achieve goals we set for ourselves. We still have unmet goals, so even after 61 years, while I write, Cicely checks on our children, works full time in our business, plus keeping the house, cooking, answering phones, writing a newspaper column, editing my chapters, answering a multitude of bells, chimes and beeps from various appliances. Yet we always take time to daily say to each other, “I love you.”

Without Cicely, I may never have been a novelist, but I am mostly blessed by being married 61 years to a noble women whose price is indeed beyond rubies.

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Lee Roddy’s Blog

Blog: an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page or Weblog, often reflecting the author’s personality

My thoughts primarily concern readers, writers and authors. Young readers are the first “leg” in such a tripod of words. I want them to love reading. Helping aspiring writers is the middle leg because I know what it’s like to want to write for years, yet only get rejections. Authors are the third leg, so a blog is a network for those of us who string words together for a living.

I think about how I’d be out of work without parents, teachers and kids buying millions of copies of my books. Without giving writing tips to aspiring writers of all ages, I might deprive someone of ways to become an author and write uplifting novels for now and generations yet unborn.

Without contact among fellow authors of published works who speak the “inside” language of our craft, my writing spirit could languish. However, supported by readers, writers and authors, my life is richer, which is what we professional writers seek to make true of others.

For this blog to thrive, it needs to be fed by interactive readers, writers and authors. Technology allows us to know that in addition to the USA and Canada, our website receives visitors from Europe, South Africa, Australia and Asia. This astounds me, as does the fact we know which features were lingered over or quickly passed. But unless a comment is left, it’s like tracks in the sand. Someone or something passed, yet left only prints.

So I hope readers and writers of all ages will leave some sign of your visit. I need your thoughts. I may use excerpts here or on the website, such as in the question and answer section. Tell me which of my books you’ve read, and your reaction. Tell me your thoughts on what you’d like to see here or on the website.  So reader, writer or author, my thoughts are of you and how to make your day a little brighter by sometime I say or write.

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