ANGI MORGAN-ANNIVERSARIES ~ MAKE ‘EM SPECIAL

Stories of the Heart- July 17, 2019

In a time when it seems the world is nothing but name-calling, finger-pointing and bad vibes, its refreshing to hear the GOOD that still exists. For that, and these stories shared by some very dear and talented people, I am truly grateful and blessed!

A special reminder by a very special lady! Angi is a spitfire woman with a heart of gold. I am proud to call her friend. Enjoy!

#doesaheartgood

Amanda McIntyre

ANNIVERSARIES ~ MAKE ‘EM SPECIAL

by Angi Morgan

 

Today Tim and I are celebrating our 30^th Anniversary. I’ll say ‘thank you’ now to anyone who congratulates us. Why? We’re on a train. It’s something that we’ve both wanted to do for a while.  I have to admit that most years we’re not together on our anniversary. Some years there weren’t any gifts or even cards exchanged.

THIS milestone event though…we’ve given ourselves a trip, a new travel trailer, and new wedding bands… they’re all lovely, but not necessary. Gifts are nice and are something to look back on to identify the year. But one of my favorite celebrations was a picnic in the back of a minivan in a parking lot because it was raining outside. I don’t remember what we had to eat. No wine was involved because we couldn’t afford it. But we were alone (free of children) and happy.

On the day we got married, my dad told me something I’ve been passing on to other couples on their wedding day. It was something I wish he’d told me before I married the wrong guy when I was younger. After telling me he thought Tim was a good man and the right one for me he said, “Love isn’t something you fall into. It takes a lot of hard work to keep a marriage together.”

And then there was my own discovery. Love isn’t a 50/50 split. When you split everything 50/50 that actually means you give ONLY 50% and you keep 50% to yourself. But that leaves 50% of you "unfilled". Nope, a relationship works if you each always give 100%. It might seem like giving 100% leaves you with nothing. But remember...that your partner gives 100% to fill you up.

Anniversaries come by being ALL IN.

About Angi-
Where honor and danger collide with love" is more than a tag line. When the house is quiet, she plots ways to engage her readers with complex story lines, throwing her hero and heroine into conflicting situations requiring sacrifice. Alone their situations seem impossible...but then the one person they can love fights for that 'happily ever after' to share with them. ANGI MORGAN is a USA Today and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author. Her work has finaled in the Romantic Times First Series Book, the Booksellers' Best First Book, the Booksellers' Best Series Romantic Suspense, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the Carolyn Readers Choice Award and the Daphne du Maurier. An 11th generation Texan, Angi utilizes her strong heritage to create passionate characters in actual Texas locations who are willing to risk everything.

Amanda hosts #storiesoftheheart- Linda Broday

The Power of Believing 

by Linda Broday

Strength and Faith

We’re all tested from time to time because that’s God’s way of helping us grow and learn. Life is about overcoming and finding strength that we don’t know we have. Last year, my oldest granddaughter became pregnant and about four months into it, her obstetrician referred her to a high-risk doctor because she wasn’t gaining weight. The problem arose from her crohn’s disease. We became concerned but knew the doctors were on top of it.

At six months she’d only gained three pounds and our worry grew for the baby boy that my granddaughter had already named Asher James. The specialist checked him very often and he wasn’t gaining much either. We prayed and clung together as a family, putting our faith in God. We knew He had the power to make this turn out all right and we had to leave it in His hands.

By December 2018, my granddaughter, eight months along, had gained three more pounds for a total of six and finally had a small baby bump. My heart was heavy when the doctor delivered the news that the baby only weighed four pounds and was failing to thrive. He scheduled to induce the week after Christmas and Asher James was born on December 30 at five pounds. Though we breathed a sigh of relief, we knew he wasn’t out of the woods. In the days following, he lost down to 4 lbs 5 oz but stubbornly clung to life.

I’m happy to say that Asher is now three months old and steadily gaining weight, although still behind, not quite fifteen pounds. He has blessed our family in countless ways. Never doubt the strength God gives us and keep your faith strong for those trials yet to come. 

Linda Broday finds strength and hope in walking beside her granddaughter.