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| Here's Cec with his friend Dr. Michael Smith, a professor at Lee University in Cleveland, TN. Michael invited Cec to speak for several homecoming events in early November.
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| Cec is with the president of Lee University, Paul Conn. Paul was a ghostwriter before getting into academics. He wrote books for Johnny Cash, Barbara Mandrell, Terry Bradshaw, AMWAY, and many others.
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| Do you need a Christmas gift for a writer in your life? How about giving the opportunity to attend the Blue Lake Christian Writers Retreat at Blue Lake Camp in Andalusia, Alabama? The retreat is March 22-25, and you can take advantage of a special early-bird 10% discount if registered by January 1. Cec will be there to keynote, take one-on-one appointments, and teach three workshops.
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| Endings and Beginnings
Everything ends. Like this month and this year. They’re occasions for us to look at ourselves in retrospect. As Kierkegaard said, “Life can only be understood backward; but it must be lived forward.”
Only “afterward” can we grasp the meaning with joyful amazement or sad disappointment. Many who make those resolutions at the end of the year do so because of not liking things they view in that backward glance.
Endings force us to examine our lives. We relish the results of the things we did right. We smile and affirm the goodness of life.
We also moan about what we didn’t do—the regrets and failures. And we need to do some of that. Looking backward often results in guilt. Part of making it an ending is to forgive ourselves for not being perfect. If we don’t forgive ourselves, it’s not an ending, is it?
That’s also an excellent time for me to remind myself of God’s promises, such as, “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help” (Psalm 86:5 NLT). Then I can begin the new.
In looking forward, I realize I’m still alive, healthy, and embracing the new. My only commitment for the new year is, God’s enabling, to live the most joyful and fulfilled life possible.
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| Personal News - Emotionally, this has been a difficult time for me. Two of my three older sisters died this fall. The third recently went into hospice care.
- My book, Ghostwriting: The Murphey Method, is scheduled for a February 2017 release.
- For the past 18 months, I’ve been writing a monthly column for Book Fun Magazine.
- The Christian Communicator, a magazine for writers, plans to use some of my blog entries in future issues.
- I have no travel plans during December, January, and February. March 22–25 will be my first (and probably my last) conference in Andalusia, AL.
- As I move closer to full retirement, it’s sometimes a struggle, but I’m learning to enjoy the process.
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| The Twila Zone--
Words from My Assistant, Twila Belk Prolific author and storyteller Steven James has invited Cec to give an inspirational message for his upcoming conference for novelists in Atlanta on January 28. His reason? "Because YOU were a huge encouragement to me early in my career and I want to share you with the next generation of writers!" What a great way for Cec to celebrate his 84th birthday! I have the privilege of being a regular contributor to Positive Note Magazine. My article for the current issue is "A Grateful Heart." On November 4, I had a bilateral mastectomy. Pathology showed that the tumor had responded to my neo-adjuvant chemo, but there was residual cancer. The good news is that surgery removed the tumor and there was no lymph node involvement. However, it's possible I could still have a stray cancer cell floating around in my body, and my oncologist has offered me the option of doing more chemo, this time with a pill. My decision right now is to pass on that fabulous (insert sarcastic tone here) opportunity. I'll meet with a plastic surgeon on December 21 to discuss reconstruction. If you'd like to receive periodic updates about my breast cancer journey, you're welcome to visit my Care Pages site. (You'll need to create an account to log in.) Here's my latest update.
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| Here are more pictures from the Lee University homecoming events in November.
(#1) Speaking for the Communication Arts alumni breakfast, (#2) With a group of students, (#3) With the Cleveland Media Association, (#4) Doing a book signing, (#5) At the Bradley County Library, (#6) Recording an interview with Ignite TV
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