Gigi

I will be participating in a book signing day Saturday, December 12, 2009 at The Salt Shaker Book Store in Enumclaw, WA.  There will be several of us sharing about our books.  My book is currently available as an e-book so I will be reading one of my devotionals and sharing how to get the book online at www.edmbookstore.com
Come join us from 11-3 as we celebrate the season of giving with some great ideas for book gifts.

http://www.thesaltshaker.com/

The Salt Shaker Christian Bookstore
1456 Cole Street
Enumclaw, WA 98022

Phone  360.825.7258  360.825.7258 (SALT) | Fax 360.825.7269

Open 9:30am – 5:30pm Monday to Saturday

Still Closed on Sundays

It is often difficult to decide on the perfect name for your manuscript. One that will make the reader understand what the book is about and want to buy it just because of the title. Rarely is this possible.
So I’m praying today about what to call the young adult book I’m writing with my son Gabe. This book will tell of his triumphant life as he has learned to overcome the challenges of living wth short arms and crooked legs and a 45% hearing loss.
Many of the questions have been asked over the years.  We also have some “never been asked” questions that came in from a survey I sent out. We got some really good responses.  I will definitely include them in our list of questions.
I’m contemplating changing the title to “Just Ask Me” with a subtitle that will give the reader an idea that these are questions about Gabe but they related to all of us. This fits well with the YouTube video our son Zane did as a school project.  Here is what I’ve come up with so far.

Just Ask Me!

1 About my body and how it works
2 About my activities – school – band- sports
3 About my attitude or philosophy of life
4 About my hopes and dreams
Hey Mommy, is that boy a T-Rex?
Did you ever wear a prosthetic arm?
What is that thing on your head?
Do you have any pain?
How do you go to the bathroom?
Do you ever get embarrassed because of your body?
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Do your parents and siblings have disabilities too?
Did your parents treat you different than your brother?
Did you ever fight with your parents or brother?
Do you hate your parents because you have a disability?
Are you mad at God?
Do you ever feel guilty because of the challenges for your family because of your disability?
What do you do if someone stares at you?
How fast is your wheelchair?
Why do you drive your wheelchair with your feet? 
Do you sleep in your wheelchair? 
Have you ever been teased? 
Do you have friends? 
Do you have a girlfriend? 
Have you ever had a “crush” on someone? 
Do you hate your parents because you have a disability? 
Can you tell me what to do because I’ve never taught someone like you before? 
Why don’t you wear shoes in church? 
How do you play basketball? 
How do you play baseball? 
How did you learn how to drum? 
How did you get on The Oprah Winfrey Show? 
Was Oprah nice? 
How did you get to throw out the first pitch at the Mariner game? 
Was Cal Ripken nice? 
What can your service dog Ruth do for you? 
Are you happy? 
How do you stay positive? 
What are you afraid of? 
What are you studying in college? 
Can you drive?
How do you get in the car? 
How do you get in your house? 
What are some of the insights you’ve gained about people from dealing with your disability? 
What are some of the insights you’ve gained about yourself from dealing with your disability? 
What are some strengths you have developed as a result of your disability? 
As you have grown have there been certain ages of your peers where they have been especially helpful and kind or, less patient and considerate? 
Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 20? 
How have your feelings for, and questions about, God changed through the years?  
What are some of the humorous stories you could share about life with your particular disability? 
Do you have relationships with other people your age with the same disability – a support group? 
What would you like others to know / understand about you? 
Do you have some words of wisdom for others?
How is it shopping for clothing?
 Is it hard to find things that fit? 
Do you get things tailor made? 
Do you get cold in the winter wearing no shoes? 
How do you reach for things way up high? 
What is your biggest struggle, the hardest thing you have to face?
 Are you driving? How do you do that? 
What’s the one thing you would like to tell the world about you? 
Do you remember the moment when you realized that your body was different than that of others?  How old were  you?  How did you feel? (scared? helpless? angry? never thought about it until someone pointed it out?
Did you ever feel angry with God or your parents?  If so, how did that angry transform into love and forgiveness?
What are some of the things people have said to you, your parents or your friends?
Comments and ideas are needed! Please leave a comment if you have an idea for a title!  This is turning out to be a really fun project!
Thanks.

I have the most precious friends.  I only wish I could spend more time with them.  Last weekend we celebrated my son Zane’s wedding and the best part was having my friends there to celebrate.  It would have been great if  I could have invited more of them but our guest list was limited.  Those who were not invited to the wedding understand.  They know my heart was to include each one but the reception hall only holds so many people.  Our extended families took up most of the list limit!
So I am going to make sure my friends get invited to my Girlfriend Guild Gatherings.  My Girlfriend Guild is a group of women in my life I’ve invited to share an evening or afternoon with me once a month.  This time is a chance to share wisdom and love with the important women in my life.  In a world of Internet friendships, I’m making face-to-face time a priority.  So join me by creating your own girlfriend guild.
I was inspired by the idea from the Diva Celebration website ( www.DivaCelebration.ning.com ) created by my publisher Extreme Diva Media.  ( www.ExtremeDivaMedia.com )  Our goal is to enhance the lives of women and a Girlfriend Guild is a fun way to gather together and celebrate friends.  The other inspiration for these gathering came from the time I’ve spent with my Starbucks friends.  I recently wrote an article about these three women.  I plan to invite them into my guild.  They have been best friends for over 75 years!  I think we can glean much wisdom from these precious gals who love and care for one another every day.
Just today they told me they were going to a wedding potluck to celebrate the 69th wedding anniversary of a couple in their circle of friends.  They calculated that collectively this group of friends have celebrated 317 years of marriage.  Celebrating my 24th wedding anniversary today, I’m inspired by this lofty number.  I hope to be celebrating my 69th anniversary with a group of life long friends surrounding me and Steve.  Amazing!
Come back to my blog to learn more about my girlfriend guild.  I’ll post information as we begin to meet and share encouragement with others.  I hope it inspires you to start a guild of your own.   I think it will be worth your while.

St. Augustine said “The Holy Scriptures are our letters from home.”
As I study the Bible and carefully select the Scriptures to include in my devotional book, I could not agree more. Letters from home.
I have a box of letters I saved from thirty years ago when I was attending college in Maryland my junior year. They meant so much to me.
Carefully printed notes from my nieces and nephews on elementary school wide-lined paper were the favorites. These notes cured my homesick heart with each carefully written word.
Isn’t that just like the Bible? Carefully written with the intention to send some love from home. God’s Home.  Heaven.  The place where He’s got a room waiting just for me. I know I will feel like a princess there too. Like I do while staying with my sister.
Love letters from home. Who needs a love letter from you today?
God Bless Your Heart
Gigi