Tag: Hello Thursday Morning

Resolution With Purpose

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens2 Comments

Note to self: This is the first Thursday of 2018. Make it count.

coffee, cup, laptop, memeHello, Thursday Morning friends! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. In a way, it’s difficult to believe the season is already behind us. Did your holidays rush past like a whirlwind, or drag by, like a tired sloth?

I hope the former is true, because that means you enjoyed lots of activity. Now, on to the business at hand.

Are you a resolution person? Or do you roll with flow? (Click to Tweet)

I often resolve to do what’s right, but that resolve tends to dissolve a couple of months into the year. So, this year, I need to pay more attention to the small things. Toward the end of 2017, I became overwhelmed by all the to-do’s on my list. Too late, I realized I’d said “yes” too many times. My to-do list became a ball and chain.

I was so overwhelmed and discouraged, I even shelved my latest work-in-progress. Sound familiar? Why do we do this to ourselves?

Thankfully, all the kinks worked out. As soon as I set that WIP aside, the inspiration returned, and I was able to get back to it and finish before the end of the year–with hours to spare. 🙂

How do I avoid the traffic jam at the end of the year? It comes back to the paying attention. I need to be careful and prayerful about the things I say “yes” to. I need to think them through. I don’t want to be too hesitant, and miss out on things, but which ones are those? How do I determine what will end up on my list?

So my New Year’s resolution is to be determined. That sounds funny, as though I’m not sure what my resolution is, and I’m putting off the choice of one–TBD. That’s not the case at all. I aim to be more determined in my efforts this year. I want to accomplish the things I set out to do, whether that is taking care of my health, stretching myself intellectually, or spending more time with my loved ones. I’d love to do a bit of travel this year. Study the Bible, and share the love of Jesus more. Research a new book, and make lots of new friends.

These are the things that count in life. I hope you’ll do a bit of soul-searching, examine your heart and life and come up with something similar. Set your mind on it, and don’t give up. Keep yourself accountable. Leave me a comment, if you like. Share your resolution, or your word for 2018. Share your blessings.

Make life count.

Goodbye 2017

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens6 Comments

coffee, cup, laptop, memeHello! It’s Thursday Morning again, and guess what I forgot to do?

Yes, I forgot to schedule this post.

In my defense, the violet was blooming, and caught my attention. I love when the violet blooms in the depth of winter. It reminds me that even in the midst of trials, you can still be a blessing to others–like that beautiful violet.

In my defense, I was busy pouring a cup of coffee — my first cup of the day — when I suddenly realized I had not put away the Christmas coffee mugs. But then, I realized this particular one is not too Christmas-y, and could be dubbed a “winter” coffee mug.

It was only after contemplating all this that I woke to the fact, it was Thursday and I hadn’t scheduled a post.

Hello, Thursday Morning just wouldn’t work on a Friday. But, it is still morning, though later than usual. The temperature is 13 and feels like 2–just thought I’d throw that in there. When you get to be my age, your attention tends to bounce around a little.

So, I hope you’ll forgive me that I almost missed the last Thursday post of 2017, when I had planned to formally say goodbye to 2017. Thus the title, “Goodbye 2017.”

Most of all, I hope you know how much I appreciate you, my followers, and readers. Sorry I almost forgot, but I hope I at least provided a giggle, and maybe an ounce of inspiration about the violet.

May your 2018 start out amazing. May the blessings build as you go. May you bloom where you’re planted, like Daniel in my October post.

Stay warm, and see you in 2018 with fresh, hot coffee, and (hopefully) fresh topics for Hello, Thursday Morning!

Blessings, anyone? I hope you’ll comment with your 2017 blessings.

The Year I Said I Do

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens4 Comments

coffee, cup, laptop, memeAnother Thursday Hello! This is the time of year when the days fly past so quickly, I struggle to keep up. Know what I mean?

We are just days away from Christmas, and many of you are rushed and harried, worried you won’t finish in time. Let go of some of the little things. The unimportant things no one will even notice aren’t done. Make room for the big things, like time with family. Hugs, kisses, and “I love you’s”.

Today is important to me for another reason. It’s my mother’s birthday. She’s barely twenty years older than me, so we kind of grew up together. When I was a kid in school, everyone thought she was my sister. So, happy birthday, Mom.

Another reason today is important, and probably the biggest reason–forty three years ago today, I said, “I do”. Or, maybe it was, “I will.” It’s been so long now, I can’t remember.

We definitely grew up together. I was so excited on that (long ago) day, as I anticipated what the future held for us. Two kids in love. We had a lot of fun over the years, and troubles, too. But add it all up, and the sum is still on the positive side. It still adds up to love.

When we left the church that day, my brand new husband told me he needed to stop by home to pick up something he’d forgotten. He’d forgotten underwear. I sat in the car, wondering how you could forget to pack underwear? He came back out to the car and said it was a good thing he stopped by, he’d also forgotten to pack his spare jeans.

I frowned, wondering–what had he packed in his suitcase, if he’d left out such important items? Turns out, he’d forgotten to pack. Anything. This was the first time, but definitely not the last. I would always help him pack for a trip. He tended to forget important things, like a toothbrush, or a razor.

December 21, 1974

And how many times, over the years, would we leave the house, only to return minutes later for important things like his wallet? And, just in case you’re thinking he only forgets material things–a short time after we married, he went to introduce me to someone, and forgot my name. He introduced me as, “my wife.”

We finally made it Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and spent a few pre-Christmas days in the mountains. The pass was closed because of snow, but we drove up there anyway, and joined in a huge snowball fight with other sightseers. I’m sure most of them were also on their honeymoon.

I’ve no doubt, many of you have similar funny stories you could share, and I hope you will! Leave me a comment, and join the conversation!

Now, since I won’t see you until after, I’d love to wish you a very Merry Christmas.

I hope all the rushing around and last-minute preparations add up to a wonderful, memorable event. Don’t forget to take lots of photos!

Christmas Movie Review

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens4 Comments

coffee, cup, laptop, memeHello, it’s Thursday Morning, and for many of us, the countdown is on. Eleven more days till Christmas. Rather than discuss my lack of readiness for the holidays, I’m going to take a break. Yes, I’ve been doing a lot of that, lately. It’s called “survival mode.”

On my latest break, I watched one of the new Christmas offerings on Netflix, A Christmas Prince. With many of the Christmas romance movies, you need to turn off your brain and not think too much. Overall, this movie delivered a pleasant experience. The scenery is beautiful, taking place in the fictional country of Aldovia (kind of reminded me of The Princess Diaries’ Genovia). There’s lots of snow, a couple of beautiful horses (I love horses), beautiful horses running on snow, and a prince. Who can resist a prince?

The main actors in A Christmas Prince are talented,  likable, and believable. Some of the secondary actors are not as skilled, but they’re not on screen very much, so it doesn’t matter. I enjoyed the amazing Alice Krige as the queen. I liked Princess Emily, too, played by Honor Kneafsey.

So, what’s the movie about? A young reporter (Rose McIver) is sent to Aldovia to cover the possible coronation of the new king (Ben Lamb, aka Prince Richard), if he decides to show up. When she’s mistaken for Emily’s new American tutor, she decides to use the opportunity to infiltrate the royal house and get the scoop on the situation. She meets the prince, falls in love (no wonder why), and gets caught up in intrigue.

As in most of the Christmas movies, love happens really fast. I can’t complain about that, because it happened to me forty-three years ago (Dec. 21 by the way). Still married to my guy, so I know it’s possible. Good to know.

What appealed to me most about this movie:

  • the sweet romance
  • the location and cinematography
  • the good writing
  • and whoever did the costumes (I didn’t find that listed), paid attention to detail. The queen and Prince Richard were always dressed tastefully–right down to their shoes–yes, I noticed his shoes. They looked the part of European royals. This lent reality to the scenes for me, and made it a joy to watch.

Another appealing quality: the humor infused throughout.I’m a fan of humor, it helps me “adult.”

Cons: I’m only mentioning one, though there were several: the lack of security in the castle. Again, we are often asked to leave our thinking caps on the hook when watching Christmas movies. The breach of security didn’t bother me, but I did see some complaints in other reviews. And, by the way, I chose to enjoy the good, and not be bothered by the schmaltz. Maybe Aldovia is such a peaceful place, they don’t need security? We are watching a fairy tale, after all.

A review of A Christmas Prince, from Netflix: Tasteful humor, sweet romance, an actual story with a plot, all combine to make this movie an overall pleasant experience. Read more [Click to Tweet]

Guess what? I’ll be watching this one again. I gave it a thumb’s up on Netflix. And a double “ahhh…”, right here on Hello, Thursday Morning.

What’s your favorite all-time Christmas movie? What makes it your favorite?

What If Fantasy Adventure Beckoned?

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens
Hello! It’s Thursday Morning again!

coffee, cup, laptop, memeGood morning, friends, I hope you’ll join me with a cup of hot coffee or other warm beverage (if your part of the world is cold like mine). Speaking of cold, I’m going to take a short trip into one of my very first writings.

The plan is, during the month of December, this little tome will be a free download. It’s in need of a little maintenance at some of its other venues anyway. I know December is super busy, but you can download it while free, then read it later when winter tends to slow us down.

The Lady of the Haven is the book I’m talking about. It’s a little different from the books I’ve written lately. Think of a romantically-styled “King Arthur-esque” inspired by my ventures into the fantastical world of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Here’s where the “what if” comes in: As a student of the Bible and spiritual aspects of life, I asked myself what if the magical wasn’t really magic, but spiritual in a Godly way? What if, inspired by their Hebrew roots, these dwellers in the Mediterranean basin discovered a power that linked to nature? I created a location inspired by the Bermuda Triangle and the Biblical ability to disappear and reappear elsewhere. (Jesus did this at times, and so did Philip, the evangelist). Intrigued? I hope so.

I gave my heroine a powerful name from the book of Judges–Jael–and her grandmother’s name is Deborah. Grandmere Deborah is the one who gave the child her name. Their ancestry is steeped in ancient teachings from the original Hebrew family who came there to escape a famine and the wars in their homeland. They sing tunes adapted from the ancient Psalms.

The book opens when my young heroine returns to the haven of her birth, a place she longs for, but it is now unsafe for her. She only returns when led there by the Spirit. She’s a healer who works at the sail-making trade to earn a living, and she’s alone in the world. Family–kinship–is one of the deepest longings of her heart.

Enter, our “Arthur-esque” hero (or maybe he’s more a Lancelot, or even an Aragorn): William, Prince of Coldthwaite (pronounced cold-thrate). Jael doesn’t immediately know he’s a prince, only that he’s an important man, and possibly hunted by a dangerous enemy. She must protect him, as she works to heal his injuries. Her “special” powers, and the natural tendencies of the haven will help her.

You can read the entire first chapter and part of the second by clicking “Look Inside” HERE (Amazon Kindle). You can even send the sample to your Kindle (or phone app) to read at your leisure.

Here’s the link to a free download: The Lady of the Haven

Click to Tweet: What if #fantasy-adventure beckoned? Find out at Hello #Thursday Morning!