When you have a lot of kids (I have four amazing ones), some days are filled with squabbles and “I’m hungrys!” and running them to and from sports or piano lessons.
Today was one of those days. And then I looked up and saw a rainbow in the sky. And all of that other junk faded away.
Oh, it was still there. Voices in the background arguing with each other. But they were a little muted and my well of patience had filled up.
Those little rainbows in our lives (and other special moments—like when all the kids join in for a random, impromptu sing-a-long while we clean up after dinner) are gifts. And I try hard not to miss them.
I also love giving those unexpected moments to my characters—especially a prickly heroine like Rachel Duncan from my upcoming release Wild Heart’s Haven. Rachel has been through a lot by the time she joins the wagon train and is understandably wary… but when hero Owen and his incorrigible niece start a music/sing-a-long after supper around the campfire one night… she can’t resist joining in. And when he carries her home after a terrible ordeal… ?????? Like I said: sometimes those small moments create wonderful memories.
What about you? What’s a small moment or rainbow that you’ve experienced lately? Leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of A Trail Untamed (most recent release where we meet Rachel for the first time).
Thanks for hanging out with me today!
-Lacy
ABOUT LACY’S NEW RELEASE:
Rachel never wanted to travel into the wilderness. The westward trail has stolen everything from her. Her home. Her family. Her husband. Now a match made out of necessity has trapped her in a marriage with a man she can’t stand.
Owen likes Rachel about as much as his horse likes a burr under its saddle. She’s bossy and stubborn with an independent streak a mile wide. And a baby on the way.
He can’t help feeling responsible for the prickly mother-to-be. A marriage of convenience is the right thing to do. But that doesn’t mean he has to like it. He just has to survive it until they reach Oregon.
Wild Heart’s Haven releases February 15!
BUY LINK: http://tinyurl.com/2y6jj7rn
We were crossing the dam last weekend, extra gates were open, and the water was rushing after storms north of here. As the water cascaded down hard, the crashing spray refracted light and made a “rainbow.” It was beautiful.
Love that! What a cool moment.
I was diagnosed with osteopenia several years ago, and it turned into full-blown osteoporosis. I had a follow-up bone density test this week. (It had been five years since the last one due to COVID and not doing non-essential tests.) It has moved back to osteopenia, a big improvement and something I hadn’t expected since it’s pretty rare. It was like an added surprise blessing.
Wow! What a gift! That’s amazing.
Taking my daughter to get her permit. Time flies and she’s turning into her own person and it’s beautiful.
When will Wild Heart’s Haven come out in paperback format? I keep looking for it on Amazon
Hi Rhonda, it will be a simultaneous release (also on February 15), but the pre-order isn’t showing yet. Hoping it will be there for pre-order in another week or so!
We have gotten a ton of snow here and bitter cold temps. Nice to see and hear people helping each other during this tough period of winter.
I take enjoyment in reading a good book. So thankful for Christian authors that share their faith in the stories they tell.
LOL my daughter has 4 boys – I hit a huge meat clearance yesterday at Walmart so took the majority of it to her to use – she stated that on Tuesday morning she quadrupled her pancake recipe and they had eaten all of them by yesterday morning! They are 13, 11, 9, and 6!! I told her that is was going to get worse as they got older!! But they are great boys and always willing to help their Grammy with whatever cooking project we come up with as the oldest 2 love to bake and cook with me!
Just a simple thing but after the arctic weather front many of us have just experienced, I am so grateful to simply see 32 degrees again.
Good morning Lacy! I remember was running around with just TWO children(a year apart—-girl and boy) and was so tired. Working a full time job, church, school, sports and in between activities, will wear a mother out! I told my mother I need to be two people…maybe three! She laughed(she had 3 children(a girl and two boys) and said,”Enjoy these moments daughter! They fly by! Next thing you know, you are holding your grandchild!” I laughed. But, that is exactly what happened! You will hear this, and I’m sure you have by now,”There is nothing like grandchildren!” So, there are more precious moments coming Lacy!
My mother and I enjoy your books Lacy! And I will mention this book to her! Best wishes to you!
My daughter has two sons and she told me she wanted to raise them like she was.
My recent rainbow – finally locating a long lost family member, knowing where they are at present gives me solace and peace, knowing they are still near to my heart and I needn’t worry about their welfare. I love your writing, Lacy and always look forward to your emails each week. Keep up the good work, GOD be praised.
What a lovely moment! So happy for you!
Last week church was cancelled on Sunday and I was so thankful (pastor hardly ever cancels services). It takes us about 40 – 45 minutes to drive to church in good weather, but bad weather it takes much more. It made my day not to have to contemplate the drive on cold windy day.
I entered the town business window decorating contest at Christmas. It’s an old building and I had to run an extension cord to plug in the lights but I drew scenes from A Christmas Carol on butcher block paper and put them in the windows. The other businesses have great windows and lighting displays so i was hoping for honorable mention. Three weeks later the person in charge came in and told me I won. I was shocked! It was a great feeling though.
We had an unexpected visit from our oldest son and our daughter in law a week ago. It was wonderful to visit with them in person.
When I walk in the foothills it is uplifting to experience the beauty and scenic wonders. I am in awe.
Spending precious time with the grandchildren is so meaningful and I treasure this greatly.
Love this. ??????
When I get a notification a Kindle book by a favorite author is free. I use the free website http://www.ereaderiq.com to price track Kindle books. (US and UK versions) so I often catch Kindle book on sale or free. If you track a lot of titles, I recommend you turn off your email notifications and check your notifications on the website daily.
I and my husband are only children, my daughter is an only child and my granddaughter is an only child. I always thought it would be fun to have a large family with all the arguing, caring and sunday family dinners
Oh, I love marriage of convenience stories!! They’re my favorite trope!!! I have some really great friends who are help me deal with all of the different things life throws at me!
I am thankful for my children who are willing to help at any time. My son came and aired up my tires in this winter weather we have been experiencing.
Hi Lacy (I love your name, we almost named our daughter that 36 years ago. So glad we didnt. She is a tom boy through and through and the name just wouldnt fit. At the time we settled on Heather Joy. 1. I love Heather flowers growing wild and I had a feeling this little girl was going to be a wild one. 2. I knew I was going to need all the joy Jesus could give me with her. And boy oh boy did that turn out spot on LOL) Anyway, I love this cover especially with the filly in the background. This sounds so wonderful. I have written it down so I can get it. I do love your writing style. Thanks.
This may sound corny, but my rainbow moments usually happen when I immerse myself in the scriptures or pray with real intent. I feel light and refreshed after that! I love knowing that God loves me, and I love that I can go there whenever I need a lift!
It may sound weird, but a rainbow moment for me was last week. My Mom had a doctor’s appointment I was going to take her to Friday morning, and a snowstorm was supposed to start that day. Well, the doctor’s office called the day before and moved it to a Zoom appointment instead and it worked out perfectly because when we got up that Friday morning we already had a good four or so inches of snow on the ground. So I was very happy God had worked it out that way for us ahead of time.
I love this! Such a great moment of relief.
My family and I went to visit a dear friend on New Year’s Day. She lives about 2 hours away from me, but with my busy schedule, I don’t make it down to see her as often as I like. We had texted about our visit (she’s deaf so we can’t have a phone call) and I was planning to bring the ingredients to make taco bake, but out of the blue she asked if we liked fish. I told her we did, and she said that we should do a fish fry. I said that would be fine with us. When we got there, somehow we had got our signals crossed, and she thought I was bringing the fish, while I thought she was! LOL We had a good laugh, and my boyfriend ended up making us all omelets. She has a LOT of chickens so she always has fresh eggs, and she sent us home with a dozen. I always love visiting her because she’s my biggest cheerleader. I’ve known her since I was a kid, her daughters and I rode the school bus together, but she had moved when I was in my teens, so I hadn’t seen her in years, until God brought her back into my life during a tough time. I’m so very thankful for her love and support.
Lacy, a huge welcome back! We love you here. And what a lovely post. Small blessings are food for my soul. A little bird singing outside my window. Boy, he really gets into it and for such a small bird he has a very big sound. That’s only one. The beautiful sunsets here in West Texas are so spectacular. A parking place that suddenly opens up when I’m running late. My great grandson’s smile that lights up his face. So many blessings. Love your book cover. So very pretty.
Any chance it’s a wren? I love watching the birds in my backyard and that little brown wren is the loudest one out there. Thanks for having me. 🙂
Good morning and welcome Lacy! Well just yesterday I went for an eye examination which was overdue. Went from station to station there having all sorts of tests done on my eyes. After the tests as I was waiting for the Dr. to come in my mind was just thinking all sorts of things that could be wrong with my eyes, especially after going with my mom about 10 years ago to get her eyes examined and finding out that she had Macular Degeneration. Well the Dr. came in so I asked him about it and he then showed me on one of the photos that they had gotten and showed me where I did not have it at all, so Thanks be to God, I sure was dreading that after experiencing and going with my mom to have shots given right in her eyes for it. Thank God I only need to get bifocals which is really fine with me. I ordered them and should be getting them in a week. God is Very Good and sends us rainbows to remind us that He has got our backs. Enjoy your children , they grow up too fast on us. I have a daughter and a son with little families of their own , and now our oldest grandchild – our grandaughter is a HS Senior and will be graduating this year. God Bless you and your family. Have a great weekend.
My rainbow moment came this week when I had a clear mammogram. Three years cancer free! Praise God for His goodness to me.
Love and hugs! What a great rainbow gift to receive. 🙂
My sister had her final surgery after a yearlong cancer battle and now has the all clear… it is wonderful to see her back to her usual self.
getting flowers from friend
We had some young kids come by the house the other day and offered to shovel the snow out of our driveway for ten dollars and it was the rainbow moment for me because I am not really able to do it now. They really done a great job. Kids don’t usually do stuff like that these days.
My 17-year-old daughter insisted on cooking dinner yesterday to give me a break. I was touched by her thoughtfulness and enjoyed the break. I enjoy cooking and baking for my family but it is nice to get an occasional break.
My rainbow moments are when I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed and one of the preschoolers I teach, or one of my grandchildren or one of my pets does something so funny makes me laugh hard. Laughter really is good medicine.
A lot of little blessings that really are BIG blessings… a healing touch after a long bout of sickness, better sleep at night after the exhaustion that had been dogging me, strength to accomplish things that I’d not had for a long time, snow days with my hubby at home (playing games & enjoying quiet evenings), time spent with our son & daughter-in-law… & many more!
Reconnecting with an old friend that I hadn’t seen in a long time.
To be honest, we’ve all been really sick and spending a lot of time in our beds sleeping because we can’t stay awake too long. However I’ll say that our last snow storm was just snow and no rain because our state really needs to recover from all the flooding.
Beautiful views
Thank you everyone for all the lovely comments! I’ve been traveling all day today and tried to pop in when possible. I love chatting at Petticoats and Pistols. I’ll try to come back later this weekend and catch up even more.
I saw a double rainbow after my mother died, it was like that’s she was was saying she’s okay and not to worry. It’s a reminder how beautiful something so simple can make a difference when you need it the most.
My moment happened when responding to local disasters with the Red Cross. The call was for the roof blown off a house. It turns out it belonged to a friend I had lost touch with. Her husband died years ago when we were away on vacation. We were both Girl Scout leaders and lost touch when our daughters graduated. She had remarried, so I didn’t recognize the name when we got the call. Her family and friends desperately worked to get everything out of the house before the rain moved back in. They had two little dogs that were in danger of getting stepped on, so we took them home with us and delayed doing the case paperwork until that evening when they finished and came over to get the dogs. It was nice seeing her again and hopefully we won’t loose touch again. It is nice to be able to help people, even a little, but even nicer when it reunites you with a friend.
My brother was diagnosed with cancer in May, they discovered a tumor on his left hip. He had already lost his right leg to cancer thirteen years ago. I was asking God how much more this family could take. M.D. Anderson in Houston was able to remove the tumor and give him a new 3-D hip. He has been in rehab since Oct. and they finally sent him home in Jan. Praise the Lord!
When one of our dear friends has been very helpful to us and caring during my husband’s illness lately.
Spending time with my grandchildren who have been loving being out of school for snow days watching them slide down the hills on their sleigh That blesses my heart and makes me smile even more Have a Blessed Day
I work as a school substitute and find rainbow moments when I see students help each other or offer a kind word (versus the unwanted, negative behaviors that are so ubiquitous). Sometimes the “usual suspects” surprise me!