All of my covers seem to have knees involved. What am I to learn from this?
No Resolutions. Just Some Goals
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| Take time out to consider the world around you. |
I’m not big on RESOLUTIONS, but I do like to have a few GOALS. So here are mine for 2015:
- Practice patience.
- Try for kindness when harshness comes to mind first.
- Take more time to “see” and “hear” what’s around me.
- Accept that I’ll have set backs.
- Forget the failed attempts and focus on the new endeavors.
- Listen to more music and sing along.
- Grow my garden.
- Love myself and others abundantly.
- Finish that novel that’s moldering in the computer.
So I’m Slip-Sliding through January and thinking about the season we’ve just experienced–the Season of Giving. How wonderful it would be if this was a season that never ended.
It’s interesting that just as I had that thought, I clicked on a news article and found some kids who are keeping the spirit of December alive all year long. Here are two.
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| Give a Hand All Year Long |
Trajan Tushkan is a high school sophomore who mentors elementary school kids at the Mission Hope for Kids in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Connor Morgan volunteers at Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. He does things like help vets get to their appointments. What’s wonderful about his story is that he plans to be a doctor and he’s a military history buff. What a kid. He’s combined his interests, and he serves his community.
If you’d like to know about their stories, HERE’s the link to the article.
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My Quote for the Day
Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.
Albert Schweitzer
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What do you think about my “knee” covers? Any goals for 2015? Or do you like to make resolutions? Do you volunteer anywhere or are you thinking of it?
There are a hundred covers with a woman in a red dress. So I say rock your knees covers!
Wonderful goals and cute pic.
I look forward to reading my copy of Sudden Secrets.
What beautiful goals. It we all stop and look and listen more, treat other more kindly and are more forgiving of ourselves the world would certainly be a better place. I like that you are making goals that will be positive for you and those around you. 🙂 Best of luck with these lovely goals.
~Jess
Giving year round. I hope this concept catches on! Happy New Year. I hope to share your book on my blog next Monday. Best of luck!
Love myself – gardening – singing – all lovely goals 🙂 But the one that resonates with me is the seeing and hearing. I teach childcare to future teachers, and I emphasis the importance of listening to everything, looking beyond what you think you see and hear 🙂 xx
That's a lovely list of goals. I don't make resolutions, since life seems to run off on it's out detours anyway. I've been hoping to volunteer somewhere this year, but haven't found a fitting group yet. Maybe it's time to do a little more scouting. . .
Her legs are crossed at the ankle, which indicates high anxiety. Not sure if his legs are crossed at the ankles or not. Which may mean he's more angry than anxious. Either way the covers imply a conflict of some kind. If you continued to use this pose for every book, your books would certainly be recognizable at a distance.
I think you're KNEE deep in this writing thing 🙂
Also, I so love your goals that I printed them and am pasting them next to the goals I set for myself. I thieved them for a good cause ♥
I like the idea of having goals- I don't really have set resolutions either, but there are things that I want to focus on and do more of in the new year like being more creative.
Those are wonderful goals! (I don't do resolutions, either.) It's nice to see the spirit of human kindness still alive and well. It's something we need to be reminded of with all that's going on in the world. It's there, just gotta look for it! Happy New Year, Lee!
Thanks, Gwen. Here's to keeping those qualities alive all year.
I'm like you – I set goals, not resolutions. I would like to revise two manuscripts, and write two new ones.
Good luck with those revisions and those new stories.
Well, let's see… "Knee" rhymes with "Lee," and "C," and "MacKenzie" — so that's all three, I see. So maybe it's a phonetic thing?
Wonderful goals — I hope you're pleasantly surprised in 2015 by how well everything has gone in achieving and sustaining them!
And great stories about the kids. Those are so awesome to hear about!
Love it when there's good news to read.
Great goal, and cute pics to go with them
Hi Brandi,
Hope 2015 is good to you.
Knees are under apprciated so I think it's a wonderful thing that you've given the "face time." I think I'm going to steal your goals!
Your covers are the bees knees! Ha — isn't that some type of expression?
Happy New Year.
Knees are the bomb and don't get anywhere near the recognition they deserve. Good for you for rectifying that!
I love your goals. The world needs more patience, kindness and love, and frankly, I could stand to make those my goals too. Maybe my klepto fingers will borrow them and plunk them down on my own list. 🙂
Happy New Year, Lee. Good luck with de-mouldering that novel and with the rest of your goals!
What's not to like about young, healthy knees? Another great cover, Lee! Is that cute little girl you? We can really learn a lot from those extremely giving young volunteers. Best of luck with your blog tour, Lee!
Julie
How crazy inspiring kids are!!! Also I loved the goals. Simply by closing our eyes we can hear more of the world around us. Love it!! ((Hugs))
Great goals. Mine are to create more cards and to organize!! I feel very unorganized!! As for the knees? Not sure but they are an amazing joint. We need them to walk, they have many bones, We can kneel on them and place our heads down on top of them. I can make little Chinese faces out of my knees (not trying to be politically incorrect here) but my knees look like little buddhas:)
Hm,… a knee fetish??? 😛
Love the cover.
I'm not a resolution maker either – but I do like to have some goals in mind too – good luck with all of yours!
I admit, I did notice that about your covers. They're still pretty covers though. =D
Good luck with your goals for the year.
The Thunderclap popped up on my FB page today – yay!! That was a great idea, especially since I'm under the weather and am too sick to remember anything. Congrats on your new book and your resolutions! My resolution this year is simple – I'm going to rule the world. But don't tell anyone. I want it to be a surprise.
We're going to volunteer one or two Sundays a week to help feed the homeless. We have some friends who spearhead this every Sunday and thought this will be a great family project to do together.
Great idea. Doing something like this together as a family is so rewarding.
Sounds like you have some wonderful goals for 2015. I am doing the same thing. One thing that tops the list is more self discipline when it comes to writing. 🙂
Your resolutions sounds like the stuff we should all be striving to emulate. I simply want to be a better me this year.
Your cover models capture all the angst of the teenage years.
Love your goals and some of them are mine too. I definitely want to help those in need in my community more this year. And slow down and be more patient and kind.
That's funny about the knee covers. They work, though, because they're great covers. Maybe that's just your thing?
I tend to set more goals than resolutions every January, too.
Some great kids indeed. And those goals should be attained hopefully. Patience can go a long way. Hmm maybe you have a thing for knees? lol
In my heart, I think of volunteering all the time. I'm very involved with my church, which is all volunteer work, but I feel like I need to do more. My family is large and needy and now I'm watching my first grandchild, so volunteering at a local hospital or nursing home or outreach program will again have to wait. Right now my church and family are my calling. I love both of your covers, C.Lee, knees and all!!!
Hi Lee – I'm not good at resolutions … but I need to get on and goals would be good to start with. Angela expressed how right your Knees are for your books … and the why .. I'd have never thought about it .. if she hadn't pointed it out …
A goal is to read, let alone more … read books a week – just read .. must do …
"Need Less Give More" .. seems a good idea … enjoy your journey along the months ahead .. cheers Hilary
We're of a like mind with goals rather than resolutions. With a goal, even one step forward is progress. I think if you have a trend with covers, stick with it. It is a brand! 🙂
Kindness is an under-rated and under-used quality these days mostly.
Best of success with SUDDEN SECRETS! 🙂
Your goals are beautiful, C. Lee! And I love your knee covers. 😉 They hold a lot of emotion. I don't really make resolutions either but goals like you do. Most of my goals for this year are about having fun and doing things I've been wanting to do. Even simple things.
Good luck with your blog tour and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I love your goals for 2015. I think you can probably use them again every year. And I like human knees, too. I wish dog knees (yes, we have them!) were situated better, so we could sit in chairs. Which brings to mind something I've been wondering: If your knees bent the other way, what would a chair look like?
Some interesting questions to speculate on, Buddy! What fun today to have your family out there supporting Sudden Secrets. What's your favorite chewy toy?
I like things you can pull the stuffing out of and strew it all over the place. But M says in the future I need to stick with Kong Teddy Bears, because they're already unstuffed. What a buzz-kill. (sigh)
We had a blast with your book launch. I hope it's a best-seller!
I love your knee covers. They bring an emotional weight to your books which is something to look forward to when reading.
I, too, set goals rather than resolutions. I feel like resolutions are daily choices we make to have better lifestyles… like health, love, money. Or more like changes we have no other choice to make in order to lead a more fulfilling life.
Goals seem more attainable especially when we aren't making promises to ourselves we can't keep.
Good luck with your tour! I will be looking forward to having you on my blog later this month.
More of us should make resolutions like yours! Instead of trying to shed pounds or get a book deal, just focusing on love, patience, and kindness – and enjoying the little things – would be a great way to kick off 2015. I wish you the best with your wonderful goals!
I'm not sure if my comment went through. So I'm posting another one.
A lovely new year to you!, cleemckenzie Good goals. After you grow your garden and fill it with lovely and sweet-smelling flowers and plants, don't forget to share a photo of it so we could all we how beautiful it is.
I'm sure your knee covers capture the tale you've written. Don't worry about it. You could actually use it as your brand. 🙂
Love your quote for the day! Keeping it in mind.
I'll be sure to post some pictures and i guess I'll find out about that branding over time. Take care and thanks for taking the time to comment.
My first goal is to set goals! I love your goals.
I'll love them, too if I reach them. I'll report back. Thanks for the visit and happy new year.
Happy new year! Those are excellent goals. I also like the idea of giving all year round. 🙂
So far, the covers have worked two ways: they provide a brand for you as an author and they show a certain "concealment" factor. I like them.
The idea of continuing the season of giving all year round almost seems like it should be a given. What better way to make our world a better place than by being better people to each other?
You have some very good goals and I think I may have to borrow a few 🙂
The cover does give us a hint about the characters. It's great. Congratulations. Wonderful goals. Having patience isn't always easy. Love the stories about the young people. It's nice to hear about the good they're doing. Good luck with your tour.
Always love your covers. 🙂
Those are some excellent goals. I think I will just steal your list!
we do prefer hairy knees to these covered ones :PPP
My goal is to keep growing as a writer and read 75 books this year. So far so good are the early results.Thanks for the inspiring post.
Keep the spirit of giving all throughout the year.
I've been listening to more music. And singing. Not when anyone is listening though.
Those are some great kids.
Already seen you several places this morning.
And I volunteer for a lot of community projects through my church.