#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes @KarenMalley Karen Malley!

Good Morning and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I pray your TG week has been going well. I'm making potato salad and banana pudding to go with Gumbo for family meals this week. Yeah, I know, Gumbo is not traditional Thanksgiving meals but it's what everyone wants. Except me. I'll eat it but Gumbo is not my favorite food. No worries though, just being with family makes any meal wonderful.

Speaking of wonderful, it's such a pleasure to introduces today's guest. Karen visited in April so please welcome her back.

Psalm 118:1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

 

 

Last year I wrote a devotional about how Thanksgiving was different in 2020. No big family gatherings, no mismatched tables strewn end to end across the dining room with aunts and uncles and cousins. A year later, we’re in a different place. Still not back to where we were in 2019, but not where we were last year, either. We all have nostalgia from Thanksgivings past. Many of those we’ve celebrated with in past years are no longer with us. Our reasons to be grateful are still present, however. God is faithful, and is in control, and deserves our gratitude for the blessings we still enjoy.

 

Gratitude has been scientifically proven to make us happier, increase our self-esteem, improve our relationships – with family, friends, and even make us more effective at work. In addition, gratitude improves our health – reducing depressive symptoms, reducing blood pressure, and improving our sleep! With all these benefits, God certainly knew what he was talking about when he said:

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

No matter what your Thanksgiving looks like this year, take the time to be grateful.

 

 As the apostle Paul said in 1 Colossians 3:15-17, help us to remember the following:

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

Praying you have a blessed Thanksgiving, no matter what it looks like!

 

Here’s a short Thanksgiving excerpt from my latest novel, Sunflowers and Suspicions:

Thanksgiving morning, Julie packed up the pies she baked the previous evening and made the thirty-minute drive to her parent’s house. Yes, Matt’s family invited her, as Mia foretold, but today represented a turning point in her family, and she couldn’t miss it. When was the last holiday Amy was home? It was hard to remember.

When she opened the front door, the smell of roasted turkey greeted her. Her father rose from his recliner and squeezed her tight. “It’s so good to have all my girls here.” Julie hugged him back and peered over his shoulder into the kitchen beyond.

“Amy’s already here?”

“She came last night. Said she wanted to help out.” Harold nodded at the ladies in the kitchen. “She and your mother worked together all morning.”

A twinge of guilt flitted through Julie’s stomach. “I’m sorry. I should’ve come earlier.”

“Nonsense,” Harold said. “This is good for them.”

He was right. Amy never spent time in the kitchen with their mother. Julie carried the bag with the pies into the kitchen and hugged her mother and sister. “It smells great, you two. What can I do to help?”

Soon Julie was peeling potatoes and the small family started reminiscing about Thanksgivings when the girls were growing up. Even Harold left his recliner to help, despite the close quarters of the kitchen.

When the meal preparations were over, the Wagners carried the food to the dining room table and Harold asked the blessing.

“Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this bounty of food, and thank you for surrounding me with these three lovely ladies. Thank you for bringing our girls home. Amen.”

 

Blurb for Sunflowers and Suspicions

A Deception Revealed ...

When Julie Wagner's identical twin Jade goes missing, Julie travels to New York pretending to be her sister so she can discover the truth. There, she meets the only person who has ever been able to tell them apart. Together, can she and her sister's neighbor unravel a shady restaurant owner's mysteries and find Jade?

A Fractured Family Healed ...
Matt Callahan has lived across the hall from Jade Wagner for a year, but never understood the pain behind her eyes. When her sister appears in his apartment building, he is amazed at the differences he sees in the twins. As he helps Julie find her twin, he discovers she just might be the answer to helping his own fractured family.

Sunflowers and Suspicions is the third book of the Pine Springs Series, but all the books can be read as standalone novels. Get your copy at Pelican Book Group or Amazon.

Karen lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons. She works full time as a scientist, but enjoys writing in her spare time whenever she can find some! When not writing (with her left hand), she enjoys baking, volunteering at her church, camping, hiking, playing board games, and reading. She loves reading faith-based stories, because we can all use a happy ending.

Find out more about Karen by visiting her Website and connecting with her on Twitter, FaceBook, GoodReads and BookBub.

Thank you for the lovely post and excerpt Karen. We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings in all things.

And, Thank You, Friends for stopping by. Oh, btw, Keri's Christmas Wish is available in audio! I have free codes for anyone who will review the book. Comment here or email me.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT