That’s why it was such a great idea that you had, Angela, to ask us to pray for the readers of “The Amen Sisters”. The Holy Spirit has to prepare the ground for the seed. Just as we need to pray for missionaries, we need to pray for those whom they will serve that the Holy Spirit will make their hearts ready for God’s message.

Forgive me if I’m spouting nonsense. I guess I really should get to bed.

My mind is not working well. I’m tired when I shouldn’t really be. I slept for quite a while after I got home from a doctor’s visit. I just seem so tired all the time and sometimes my mind just doesn’t want to function. It kind of scares me but I know it’s all in God’s hands: I am in God’s hands. What a beautiful thought.

Oops, just realized I have an appointment tomorrow. Almost forgot. I hope I’m a little more awake and articulate than I am now. We’ll be discussing ways that I can get my own little business going. Not that I feel up to it these days. Please pray for me if you read this. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.”

I must say I was very disappointed in her response, but nevertheless, we are all intitled to our opinions. But as my pastor states, “If we had to pay each time we gave our opinion, we would be more careful as to what we’d say.”

I just want to thank you because I am aware everyone will not like the books I will write. I am thankful for being an individual and being able to tell a story the way I see it.

May God continue to bless all he has your hands to do.

Smooches!
Vyta

I know that this book got good reviews. I’m not sure if I read this book exactly but I did read the rest of that series and this one, I think, was the first. Yes, it may not have been very realistic for the times but I’m positive that things like this actually happened: a black character who became a brother to white children and vice versa.

(Oh, yes, in case you didn’t know, they made a TV movie of this book, I think. I know that it wasn’t very true to the book but I can’t remember what they changed about it. I just looked it up on imdb.com. It’s called “Rose Hill” 1997. Hmm, guess who played the girl: Jennifer Garner. Jeffrey D. Sams (and variations) played Adam. Good-looking guy. No date of birth given.)

For me, it’s a beautiful depiction of Christian love or unconditional love that we should have for all races, all ethnic groups, all people. And especially that Adam should be the eldest and try to instruct his “siblings” in manners, etc. was a great move on Julie’s part. He was the one in this book who’d had some guidance and love from his mother.

I didn’t look at it as extraordinary at the time because we have a good Ghanaian friend who is like a brother to us. In fact, my sister just told me that she believes that her daughter who was 2 and a half years old when she first met Isaac actually thought of him as her real uncle for a long time. Two of my nephews have Indonesian blood. I’m glad we’re a mix. But I know that a very good black friend of ours told us that there were people in our church who discriminated against her. I know I mentioned that somewhere before. That’s the trouble with blogs: you can’t remember where you said what.

I could hardly believe her but have seen evidence of it since. Others discriminate against people who don’t come to church dressed to the nines (is that the right expression?!?). I guess we all do have prejudices though we might think that we don’t. It need not be racial nor ethnic or poor vs. rich. But they are there.

Actually, I might write to Julie. I’m on her newsletter list. She’s been revamping her site for the last, oh about a year or so.

I also remember reading about white (for lack of a better word; not politically correct, I know but that is constantly in flux) women buying books by African-American authors and saying, “Oh, I’m getting this for a friend of mine,” because they didn’t want to let it be known that they actually read these books. It never mattered to me.

I truly thank God for the parents and especially maternal grandmother He gave me. Although my grandmother may not ever have seen a black person personally, she taught her children to have love and respect for all people. She died when I was 5 and a half, but my mother carried on her legacy of never looking at the color of a person’s skin; bringing hitch-hikers home because she felt God was leading her to do that; sitting in a railroad compartment with her daughter and grand-daughter because a young black male was sitting in a compartment for 6 all by himself; talking to him; inviting a member of a visiting choir from the Cameroons to board with us. We went to see missionaries on a native reserve and worshipped with them at their Sunday meeting. My parents were good role models of Christ’s respect and love and that is one thing I’m more grateful for than many other things. It’s something nobody can take away from me because it’s in my heart.

Since I’m still having a lot of problems with my right arm, I’ll quit for today.

I was out on Tuesday as well and when I needed to find the bus stop to get home from the mall, an employee at Wal-Mart directed me to the complete other end of the mall. When I got there, the bus’s number was not posted anywhere. So I asked where the #14 Highbury bus left from and was told…”Around the corner from Wal-Mart’s.” I was sore and fuming by then. I had until 1400 h to take the bus free and it was 1430 when I finally got to the correct bus stop. I told the driver my tale of woe and he still let me get on without paying. Chasing around that mall for half an hour sure took its toll on my back, hips and legs. I still feel very sore.

Do you have a holiday tomorrow, Good Friday? We do and I was just reminded that it was Easter this weekend. I hope you have a blessed one with fairly good weather. Ours is finally getting quite nice. The sun has been out a lot though it’s a little cloudy right now.

BTW, do you have a new novel in the works?

I wish you and any family and friends a blessed Easter.

Hugs and blessings.