JanineThrossel.com

Last year about this time, we were releasing Stacking Stones and I was looking ahead to a year of book signings. Things at work were going well and I was really happy. I didn't know what was coming.  As I shared recently in Planted Firm , the next months were full of the unexpected. My husband tore his meniscus and ACL, which led to surgery in another city. My younger son was in a car accident and incurred a serious concussion that affected his health and schooling for weeks. My grandmother, who lives with us, broke a vertebrae and had a series of suspected TIAs, leading to round-the-clock attention. In those first few weeks, she was in and out of consciousness and, with my aunt and sister, I helped care for her in my home. A cousin came to help with her longer-term recovery, enabling me to attend and celebrate the high school graduation of one of my sons and the college graduation of another. It also allowed me to spend a little more time with an uncle before he pass...

Just after I began reading For The Record , a family member had a medical emergency. So, I tucked the book into my bag on the way to the hospital and brought it with me. Sixteen hours later, I was so glad that it was an enjoyable read! In fact, it was one that I actually would be willing to read again. Jennings' story centers on the relationship between an aspiring local writer and a deputy stranger with a hidden past. There were several things I liked about this tale. First, there were layers of mysteries going on at the same time, but it didn't feel muddy or confusing to the main plot. Since a journalist and a lawman are both the types of people expected to encounter and help mend unusual situations, it was fitting that they were in the middle of several things at once. The story moved along well and was actually quite funny in places. I also enjoyed the way Jennings' use of language seemed true to the historical era. Among her characters, one "smelled like a vat...

Kinnereth--Panorama By Zachi Evenor and User:MathKnight - Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachievenor/12325753455/, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31001863 Wow. Take a look at this fascinating section of the Bible, which follows right after Jesus' miracle of calming the stormy sea.  It stopped me in my tracks this morning. Matthew 8:27-34 The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”   When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were  demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs.  They were  so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.     And they cried out, saying, “ [ a ] What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before  [ b ] the time?”   Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them.   The demo...

I ain't gonna' lie. . . the last few months have been HARD at times for me and my family. Don't get me wrong--there have been a lot of good, wonderful, AWESOME moments, too. Amazing, irreplaceable moments. However, almost immediately after our book was released, we started facing serious challenges in several areas of our lives--too many to list here. Yesterday was a doozy of a day, where it seemed like the sum of so many issues came at me all at once. Ever had a season like that? A day like that? Not fun. I have been so grateful for friends and family and coworkers who have helped me to keep my eyes heavenward these past few months. I have had my ugly moments of whining and crying. I admit that. In this past week, however, as things got harder to bear, and frankly I was just so TIRED, my roots began to grow and stretch again, digging deeper into the fertile soil below me. Forgive the mix of metaphors, but when all around me seemed depleted and dry, my heart went in searc...

A few years ago ( in this post ), I wrote about choosing a word for the New Year. I don't often make big January resolutions, but sometimes I do choose a word to think about over the coming year--one that represents a theme or subject I want to ponder.  This year, I was surprised to find that my mom, sister and I all picked the same word! That word is HOPE. What am I hoping for in 2017? Well, of course, there are things I would like to see happen. However, it wasn't so much about that for me. When I thought of the word "HOPE," I wasn't hoping for a new car, job or house. I wasn't hoping the country would change or my circumstances would change. . . or even that the weather would change. I wanted us to change. People to change. I want the ones I care about to breathe HOPE during this new year. A darkness seems to hang over many people these days. Do you feel that? A pessimism. A sense of doom and defeat. Hopelessness. In 2017, I want more HOPE. H...

Whew. What a week (month, year. . . ) this has been! As I have listened to people I love express their opinions, I have run through a spectrum of emotions. . . anger, annoyance, fear, frustration, happiness, relief, sadness . . . You, too? Whether your side won or lost, I think a lot of Americans are still facing the same questions. Where do we go from here? What lies ahead of us? Will America ever be what it once was or what we want it to be?  How do we move forward after Election 2016? Well, if you voted for Trump, this is for you. If you voted for Hillary, this is for you. If you voted third party, or didn't vote at all, this is for you, too. It's for my children, who have amazing passion to see justice and compassion in their world. It's for my friends, who are split along party lines and all so very dear to me. And it's for me. Because I need to remind myself not to get stuck in this week or this year, but to move forward--for my own well-being and tha...

You know those evenings as a child that were full of excitement and anticipation because you knew tomorrow was full of good things? The day before a big vacation trip was to begin. . . or the day before your grandparents were coming to visit. . . or the day before your birthday? Then, you get a little older and it's the day before the prom, or graduation, or the first day of college? Maybe the first day of work at the job you've dreamed of for a long time. . . We kind of feel like that tonight because copies of our book Stacking Stones: Stories of God's Faithfulness in Far-Off Places is en route and scheduled to arrive to us tomorrow! Then, we get to have our first book signing this weekend! If you're local and want to attend, drop us a note. After that, Monday, from 5-7PM California time (8-10 on the East Coast), we will be having an online launch party via facebook. Join us for fun, giveaways, conversation and surprises. . . but no food, because, well, it's a...