No, this post isn't about the song by The Temptations, although I do love the song.
Nope. This post is about imagination.
As a kid, I had a huge imagination. I had imaginary friends (two, in fact) and I spent most of my time in my room, making up stories and fantasy worlds. My imaginary friends (Trevavay and I can't remember the other one) were as real to me as any living, breathing person. We were the best of friends. I even got mad at my dad once when he (unknowingly) sat on Trevavay. And though I loved reading, I loved making up stories even more. My siblings and I didn't always have the latest toy or game, so we made up things to play. I remember one time, we pretended to be angels in the land of Blue Crystal. Don't ask me where the name "Blue Crystal" came from. If I remember correctly, that's what our kingdom was made up of. We flew around our kingdom (i.e. the house) doing our angel duties, saving the people from peril. We even had a pet named Buttercup (a pink stuffed kitten). I think I spent most (ok, maybe all) of my childhood in my room, making up stories. The lands I made up, the characters that came to mind, they were real to me. I think that's the reason why Bridge to Terabithia was - and still is - one of my favorite kids books.
Even now, as an adult, I still have an imagination. I LOVE writing. Coming up with the stories; choosing characters; building the world. I love it all. If truth be told, the characters choose me. It's like I can hear them talking to me, telling me what they like and don't like; what they would do in certain situations. No, I'm not crazy (ok, maybe just a little, but let's not get into that). I'm a writer. Only writers would know what I'm talking about.
I love my imagination. I thank God that adulthood didn't take it away. I'm hanging on to my imagination, even when I'm old and wrinkly. It keeps me from turning into a sourpuss adult. It helps me enjoy life. It's cos of this God-given gift that I decided to become an author for children and teens. I think, if I really sat down and put my mind to it, I could write an awesome fantasy book, I have just that kind of imagination. But, for now, I'm happy with writing contemporary, realistic novels. But one day...one day, that fantasy book (or books) will come bursting forth.
I'm not published now but, make no mistake, I will be published one day. I truly believe that God has allowed me to keep my child-like imagination for a reason. I don't think He gave me this gift just to let it simmer in the recesses of my mind. He gave it to me so I can share it with children and teens. I can give them the same kind of enjoyment and satisfaction that authors of my childhood gave to me. So, you all might as well remember my name: Raenice "Rae" Weakly. Your children, students, nieces, nephews, siblings...they just may be reading my books in the future!
J is for...Just My Imagination
I is for...In Seconds (Book Review)
Genre: Fiction, Romantic Suspense
Release: August, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4/5
Description: In the whole state of Montana, there's nowhere to hide. . .
Review: In Seconds is Ms. Novak's second book in her Bulletproof series (Inside, being #1). Where Inside focuses on Virgil, In Seconds focuses on his sister, Laurel, who now goes by Vivian. She's running from the gang called The Crew, set on revenge. She's left witness protection with her two kids and now live in a small town, Pineview, Montana. Her next door neighbor happens to be the town's sexy sheriff, Myles King. Laurel develops feelings for Myles, but she fights them, believing she can't trust anyone in law enforcement. Myles develops feelings for Laurel, but is still hurting from his wife's death three years ago. Will these two lovebirds be able to get past their hurts and mistrust? And if they do, will The Crew get to Laurel before they can get something started? You'll have to read to find out!
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
- The fact that I couldn't put the book down. This is only cos it meant I stayed up til all hours of the night trying to finish the book.
WHAT I LIKED
- The fact that I couldn't put the book down. You know the book's good when you absolutely must keep reading to find out what happens next.
- Ms. Novak paints pictures with her words. I can see in my head the scenes in the book.
- I didn't have to read Inside to understand this book. Though I probably would've understood more had I read Inside, In Seconds can be a standalone book.
- I liked the relationship between Myles and Laurel. They both feel something for each other, but they don't rush and jump right into bed with each other. They took their time. They both had children and they put their children first.
- The characters were realistic...not perfect; not terribly flawed that I couldn't stand them. They were just right.
H is for...Happy Anniversary!
I know I'm a day behind with the posts. No worries, I'll be all caught up by Sunday.
Today is my parents' wedding anniversary. Thirty-five years and still going strong. They're high school sweethearts, which means they've actually been together longer than 35 years. From what they tell me, their relationship started out as friendship and progressed into something more.
Thirty-five years is a LONG time. Not all couples make it that long. According to statistics, only 50% (or some high percentage like that) of married couples stay together. I am so glad my parents are a part of the group that has stayed together. Although their mushiness is something kids - even grown kids - would rather not witness from their parents, I'm glad to see they're still in love. I must admit, their mushiness is kinda cute. But don't you DARE tell them I said that.
They've made mistakes in their marriage; some I know...some I don't know. BUT I still consider them to be models for what a strong, godly marriage is supposed to look like. Watching my parents, I learned how important it is for couples to put God first in their relationship. I learned how a real man treats his wife and how a wife can be submissive without being a doormat. My father treats my mother like a queen. He's very protective of her...of all his girls (Mama, my sister, and I). My future hubby has some big shoes to fill. My mother knows when she needs to step back, but at the same time, she'll let Daddy know when he's wrong. She knows when to submit, even when she doesn't want to. We joke and say Mama is really the one who runs the house, but make no mistake. My dad is the head of the household as God intended him to be.
I pray that, when my time comes to be married and have a family, my marriage is as strong as my parents. No, each generation is supposed to be better than the previous, right? So, I pray my marriage is even stronger than my parents'...and that's pretty strong.
I absolutely adore my parents and am so blessed God chose me to be their child. My parents are all kinds of awesome and they deserve every good thing that comes their way.
G is for...Good Music
I like listening to all kinds of music. Pop, R & B, Hip Hop, Spanish, Classical, Gospel, Contemporary Christian, Neosoul, old school, new school...the list goes on. My iPod has a mixture of music; from Jay Z to Taylor Swift...From Celia Cruz to Daughtry. If the song has a cool beat and gets my body moving, chances are I'll like it. This becomes hard sometimes when I listen to the lyrics. The beat is tight, the rhythm gets me moving, but the lyrics are all wrong. The lyrics may be too profane or just plain cheesy (like most of the Disney songs). Most of the time, I can ignore the lyrics and just feel the beat. Sometimes, I can not. I've been known to get the edited version instead of the explicit one.
Looking for good music? Music with both tight beats AND awesome lyrics? I have a close friend of the family, Lee-Lonn, who's starting his journey in the music business. I remember when Lee was a youth, he used to always sing. We always knew his voice was amazing. I'm so glad he's using the gift God has given him. When his cd comes out (not sure when, but it WILL happen), I'll definitely be one of the first in line. Here's a video of one of his singles, my favorite song of his so far. It's all him...background & lead vocals. VERY talented artist whom I'm very proud of. LOVE this song!
F is for...Fragrances
F is for...Fragrances!
I love fragrances! I'm not quite sure at what point did I become obsessed with so into fragrances (perfume/cologne). I DO know how addicted to in love with fragrances I am. I can honestly go broke in a perfume store. And I don't have any one kind of scent that I like. Floral, sweet, fruity, soft...I love them all. I'm like a chameleon when it comes to wearing perfume. It all depends on my mood. I may or may not wear the same fragrance in a row. Bath and Body Works fragrances, Arabic fragrances, Baby Phat, Mariah Carey...my vanity is full of different kinds of fragrances.
I actually had way more than this, but I'd gotten rid of most of them when I moved to Abu Dhabi, eight months ago. And within that eight months, my collection of tantalizing scents grew. Again.
Don't even get me started on fragrances for men. I LOVE a good-smelling man! Seriously. I remember when I first moved here to Abu Dhabi, and an Emirati man passed me. I got a whiff of his enticing cologne; I had to do a double take. My nose said, "Follow that smell!" Of course I ignored it. That would've been creepy. And weird. And a bit stalkerish, perhaps?
You do not know the depth of my love for fragrances!
E is for...Easter
E is for Easter
Tomorrow will be one of the most important days in the life of the Christian. EASTER! I can't assume that everyone who reads my blog are Christians or know about the Christian faith. With that being said, for those who don't know what Easter is about, it's the day we celebrate the resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ.
Here's the short story...
It the beginning, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, which introduced sin into the world and caused a rift between God and man - God's most cherished creation. God needed someone or something unblemished and sin-free to be sacrificed to atone for the sins of man. Regular humans couldn't do it. Only God's son, Jesus, fit the bill. So, God sent His son to Earth to live as an unblemished, sin-free human (while being still maintaining His deity).
The Bible doesn't say much about Jesus's life from 2 - 30. We catch a glimpse of Him as a 12 year old, but that's about it. His ministry began when He turned 30. For three years, Jesus went around preaching, teaching, and performing miracles. Of course, this ruffled the feathers of the religious community (the Pharisees/Sadducees). They disliked Jesus so much, that they plotted ways to make Him look like a liar. Eventually, they found a way to have Him persecuted.
Basically, Jesus, an innocent man, was crucified on trumped up charges, thanks to the betrayal of one of his disciples (Judas). Sounds horrible, and it was. They treated Him horribly...beat Him til He was practically unrecognizable, then killed Him in an inhumane way. BUT, this was all a part of God's plan. Though Jesus didn't want to go through the pain and humiliation (read about His Garden of Gethsemane prayer in Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, and Luke 22:39-46), He went through it because He knew without it, the rift between God and believers would remain.
Jesus was tortured, humiliated, and crucified on Friday (which is where we get Good Friday, which, really wouldn't sound so good), then three days later, He was resurrected...He came back from the dead. We celebrate Easter cos a dead Christ wouldn't have brought God and man back together again. A dead Christ wouldn't have provided victory for God's people. Satan would've won. Through Jesus's resurrection, believers can experience a close and personal relationship with God. Before Jesus, God's people needed a priest to go to God on their behalf. We no longer need that mediator; we can go to God ourselves. We celebrate Easter cos it reminds us of God's grace and mercy. We don't deserve His grace and mercy. Humans will always continue to sin. Sometimes we knowingly rebel against God. But He still shows grace and mercy toward us.
The Bible tells us, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). This means ANYONE who believes that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected three days later, will spend eternity in heaven with God. We will die here on earth, but our souls will remain alive in paradise. This is all because Jesus chose to die on the cross. He didn't have to. Just like us, he had a choice. He could've said no. But he loved us so much - before we were even born - that he sacrificed his life. Now, we can not only look forward to life in paradise after our earthly lives are over, but we can also experience freedom and live abundant, victorious lives here on Earth.
Jesus is NOT dead...He has RISEN! THAT is why we celebrate!
D is for...Dreams
D is for Dreams
Do you remember the dreams you had as a kid, for your future? I remember mine.
According to the young me, I was going to be married by 25. By 35, I'd be a mother of 4. As far as careers go, I'd either be a dancer, singer, actress, teacher, writer, pediatrician, pediatric nurse, entrepreneur or a combination of any of the above. I'd be living in a massive mansion, have the world's best behaved and smartest kids, own a vacation home on the beach, and my life would be all kinds of awesome.
Did my life turn out the way I'd dreamed? That would be a very big, HA! At 35, I'm still single with no kids. I do not live in a mansion nor do I own a beach house. Out of all the careers I wanted, only 3 of them have already or will come true: teacher, writer, and entrepreneur. I'm currently a teacher with dreams of owning my own business (enrichment centers for youth) and becoming a published (best-selling, ahem) author of novels for preteens and teens.
Does that mean my life isn't all kinds of awesome? Nope. I still believe I have a wonderful life. I'm still looking to get married and have kids, but I'm in no rush. That will happen when God says it'll happen. And the huge mansion? I still want a big house, but the massiveness, not so much. I don't have a beach house, but I do live in a high-rise apartment only a 20 minute drive from the beach. As a matter of fact, I can see beaches from my window.
So, yeah. All my kiddie dreams may not have come true, but I still consider myself blessed. And at 35, almost 36, I still have dreams that I'm working on to see come true. Hey, you're never too young to dream!
