Here we go...

This week has marked the beginning of my life as a publicly known author. It has only taken me six years to get my first book Shira: The Name History Forgot ready for publishing. I have learned so much about grammar, graphic design, and ebook formatting that I feel like my head could explode. Add that to my life in this mega city, and no wonder my family have been keeping their merry distance this week.

To give you a taste, let me share this little incident with you. One morning this week, I took the skinny backroads option in getting  to the missionary kids' school, where I teach language arts. I sped over the speed humps and wove my way closer to my destination, when suddenly a couple of cyclist decided they would prefer to ride in the middle of the road right in front of me. After following their rather leisurely pace for all of ninety seconds, I found myself honking at the jovial hippies and pointing for them to get out of my way. The girl nearly fell off her bike in fright, but she did move enough for me to zoom on past-only to come smack up behind a garbage truck. Moments later, the bearded hippy threw his body against the passenger door, bending the mirror backward, and yelled something I won't repeat. He then cycled on past ringing his little bike bell.

"Lord, I know you say I shouldn't curse anyone, but you saw that, right?" I said through clenched teeth.

Life in the city can have its stressors to say the least.

Shira's story has been a world away from this one, both a retreat and a stress release. This week I am delighted to share it with you.