People Who Inspire Me - Meet Laurel Pickens!

The Pickens' first trip to Montana

It's Inspiration Wednesday! This new feature on my blog will highlight people who inspire me. Meet Laurel Pickens. I met her several years ago as a homeschool mom and adult piano student of mine. We enjoyed our lessons, but had a hard time not talking away the half hour. I hated that she moved away, but she is thriving in her new digs.

Laurel, tell us a little about yourself.

I'm originally from Marble Falls, TX, and I've been married to the ever patient Todd Pickens for twenty-one years. I'm mother to two teenage boys, and I've never wanted to be anything but a wife and mother in a small town. God has blessed me with the important parts of that and I've found that location is not the important part. We currently live in Midland, TX.

I love that Laurel, you knew what you wanted and live it out beautifully. What is your passion, business or hobby? 

I like to crochet and do whatever Todd and the boys are doing. Todd makes coin jewelry at https://www.etsy.com/shop/OldManCoinCrafter. He's the artist on of this duo.


I just took at Todd's site. That is some beautiful stuff! I see some shopping in my future. We have the love of crochet in common. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Drummond, MT, gardening, milking cows, raising chickens, and playing in the snow with the Pickens men and possibly the younger one's families.

What an awesome dream! I can see you doing just that. I can see some grandbabies in the picture. What are you currently reading?

The Bible. Lots of stuff going through my head right now, and thought I'd get back to basics.

Can't go wrong there. If you could have the world stage for five minutes, what would your message be to the whole world?

Truly work to be molded into what Jesus would want you to be. This world is not about what you or I think.

See why this woman inspires me so much? Such good advice. Thank you, Laurel, for coming by today. If you're ever back this way, please give me a holler. Y'all seriously check out her husbands jewelry link. Stunning stuff.

Click to Tweet: Truly work to be molded into what Jesus would want you to be. This world is not about what you or I think.

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Obsessed With Autumn

I welcome this season every year like a long lost best friend. She doesn't stay long in West Texas, but while she's here we party! I'm trying to restrain myself from putting up the decorations because it's only September, but since we have unusually cool temperatures this weekend, I may not be able to resist. 

I wonder what's at the end of the road? (Goodgle Free Images)

I have a dear friend who totally gets my passion for autumn. She sends me a box of Fall presents every year! Decorations, candles, themed dishtowels. This year she included a beautiful framed print with a note about hoping the image "takes me somewhere else." It does, dear Janice, thanks so much. 

Fall is also the beginning of what we southerners call "eatin' season". I'm determined to enjoy my Autumn with healthy choices so I don't sabotage all the good I've done so far this year. I tried this "candy corn" fruit cup and it really was nice. 

Google Free Images

 So what is your favorite season? What do you like best about it?

I'd love for you to share anything Fall related. Did I mention that I love Fall? 

Nerdy Inspiration

Here's a little poem I wrote for myself several years ago. It keeps me on track with my goals (not in the order of importance). I was inspired by the Narnia, Prince Caspian movie. I'll be sharing in weeks to come what each of these phrases mean, and why they help keep me on track. I know, I'm weird:)

Drink only diamonds
Eat from the earth
Dance in the moonlight
Sing every verse

Spin pretty yarns
With pen and with hook
Soften the faces
Upon whom you look

The Word of the Lion
Hide in your heart
In all your connections
Do more than your part.

©Jody Bailey Day

What do YOU think some of these phrases mean?

I usually listen to sermons, music, or audio Bible while I workout at the gym. Sometimes I listen to inspiring commencement speeches. I ran across one Dolly Parton did that was fun, and I love the song she sang at the end. Enjoy this sweet inspiration.

Music

I'm really surprised that The Roar of Love by The Second Chapter of Acts didn't make a rousing comeback when the Narnia movies came out. One of my favorite albums from the 70s is the musical background inspiration for my upcoming novel, Washout Express. It's not the Narnia story, or the correct time period, but the spirit and message that drives my story. "He brings healing, He brings love.." Hope you enjoy this  clip. I need to figure out how to post audio clips here.

The Roar of Love

What music inspires you?

Inspiration. It's a beautiful word, I like saying it. 

A theological definition:

a. a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.

b.the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.

 

I posted on Facebook a few weeks ago about Jonathan and Charlotte. I found their story beautifully inspiring.  Go for it, reach for the stars, heart-warming influence warmed my spirit as I listened to their initial audition, and then cheered them on as they progressed. I really don't know anything else about these two young people, but these few moments that I brought them into my life, via my Son-in-love's suggestion, touched me. Hope it brings you an inspirational moment.

 

 

 

My daughter bought their CD for me as an early Christmas present. It's absolutely wonderul!

 

Jonathan and Charlotte Together 

The Highest

The Fort Stockton Critique Cafe was born last night.  We had our first meeting with an awesome guest speaker.  Lisa Hannon, who writes for our Pioneer and is the former 1st Vice President of the DFW Writer's group, gave us excellent tips and advice for running our group.  If you are 18 years of age or older and are interested in our critique group, leave me a message here.

We discussed the reasons we wanted to be a part of our group.  Accountability and improvement were some of the motives expressed.  The discussion reminded me of one of the reasons that I write and so I thought I would post a devotional I wrote about  it here:

The Highest


Matthew 5:14a (NIV) You are the light of the world.

The word ‘inspiration’ always makes me take a slow, deep breath. My eyes close and a smile warms my face. The word always reminds me of the reason I became a writer.

I am a great fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. The third novel, Anne of the Island, finds Anne and her young adult friends facing life’s challenges. Ruby Gillis is a chum who had never given any thought but to her day to day pleasures. Unhappily, Ruby is now dying of consumption. Anne pays her a visit and finds Ruby terrified of death. Ruby’s “soul clung, in blind helplessness, to the only things she knew and loved”. Anne left that meeting a different young woman. I was changed as I read Montgomery’s prose of Anne’s thoughts: “The little things of life, sweet and excellent in their place, must not be the things lived for; the highest must be sought and followed; the life of heaven must be begun here on earth.”

That sentence first inspired me to “the highest” and reinforced my faith. Second, I was consumed with the desire to write in a way that would make people aspire the way I did at that moment. The notion began as a desire and has blossomed over the years into a full blown passion and calling. I will never forget it. Over time I have reread and highlighted many such inspirations in Montgomery’s work as well as many of the Masters and Christian authors.

Keeping that goal in my heart and mind has gotten me over many a writer’s block. I just close my eyes and remember that moment and then ask the Father to help me take my readers to that place of inspiration; the highest.