Posts By: Christy Hoss

Diaversary and a New Attitude

What does “diaversary” mean?

Last month I passed a milestone. It was the thirty-fourth anniversary of my diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Those of us living with diabetes call it our “diaversary.”

Diabetes is a way of life for me. I’ve had it more than half of my life and feel like I’ve known no other way to live.

I’ll never forget the circumstances of my diagnosis. When I close my eyes, I can still see the office where I was told my life would never be the same. There were many years after that of doctors hounding me to get my sugars under control, and it felt like I was on a rollercoaster, going from high to low blood sugars.

I didn’t listen because I really didn’t care and spent many years in mismanagement. Diabetes is a silent disability.

When I wasn’t sticking my finger for a blood sample and taking shots, I didn’t think about being diabetic.

When my treatment plan changed to using an insulin pump, control became better for 25 years. It was also easier to cheat and just push buttons to compensate for all the sugar I’d consumed.

Then when an extreme low was noticed by my doctor, I enrolled in the Dogs for Diabetics program and got a new lease on life. My numbers greatly improved, pleasing the doctors.

Living with a service dog makes me want to take care of myself. I love having Aiden by my side 24/7 and everywhere I go.

I credit my change in attitude to the wonderful organization and my furry companion. I used to think of DIE-abetes as sounding like a death sentence. But now with a change of attitude, I think of living with diabetes as LIVE-abetes.

I still don’t love it, but with my new Tandem insulin pump and the technology it has, I only have to prick my finger to calibrate or if the pump malfunctions and I have to be without it.

My blood sugar is under the best control yet with this pump and a dog! If you are looking for a better way to control your diabetes, visit tandemdiabetes.com for more information.

On Being a Writer

I find it hard to believe we have already been residing in Tennessee for two years. Time seems irrelevant when one is retired. Although, I’m not really retired. My husband is. I always dreamed of this time when he could kick back and support my writing endeavors and I could write us off into the sunset on my success.

Well, as the saying goes, “the best laid plans” is true as I’ve found life does not always go the way we want it to. Even though I am writing novels, articles and stories for anthologies, I still don’t feel I am pulling my weight. In fact, to be honest, even though I am pursuing my second-grade dream, in the eyes of the world, I am not a success. I’m spending more than I have made.

As I press on, many would call what I do a hobby. But most people don’t realize how much work goes into being a writer.

Here’s a little insight:

Words don’t always come easy to a novelist. If I were to write 2,000 words a day, every day of a month, like I did during the November NaNoWriMo challenge, I could finish a novella. A regular novel is 85,000 to 100,000 or more words.

Every story takes time – a lot more time to write than it does to read. If the writer has a publisher, the finished manuscript goes to them next, and a whole process of editing takes place. The editing process often includes three steps: general edit, concept edit, and line edit.

There is also cover art to consider, but most of the time the writer has no say in this decision. Needless to say, it all takes time – a lot of time.

Before and after the book is published, there is marketing to do. Most marketing is the responsibility of the author. Here is where the readers can help the writer by leaving reviews on every website that sells books.

Marketing is a whole other blog topic, but necessary for the success of the author. And again, marketing takes time – time away from writing more, not to mention the cost of promoting your writing.

I’m sure most writers enjoy creating their stories for their awaiting fans. But for those of you who have other occupations, being an author is not a cushy position to be taken lightly. Writing is hard work and is a financial investment. But those of us who do it, love it and will keep writing until we go to Heaven.

But in the meantime, I hope to make a profit one day.

For the Love of Charlie Brown

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the Peanuts comic strip? Is it Snoopy or perhaps the Peanuts’ Christmas Special? For me, it will forever be Charlie Brown.

My daddy loved Peanuts.

I remember him laughing out loud as he read it every Sunday. Charles Schultz was a genius cartoonist, especially with the lead character. My daddy related to Charlie Brown in ways I will probably never know. He was a real-life Charlie Brown.

Dad always had a goofy grin on his face, like Charlie Brown, especially if he was pleased with something.

In the winter he wore the same kind of hat and took the same stance with his hands shoved in his pockets.

The funniest comparison, however, is of my parents. While shopping for a Father’s Day present, I found a figurine of Lucy preparing to pull the football out from Charlie Brown as he contemplates whether he should try to kick it again.

My mother behaved much like Lucy. It’s almost comedic thinking about it now, but also sad.

Even though Charlie Brown and my dad were often overlooked and given the short straw, both of them stayed strong and overcame.

Thanks to my sister, Cindy Thomas, for sharing this photo.

 
They both had good friends and family that loved them. They both tried their best to make a difference in a difficult world that sometimes worked against them. They persevered with great faith.

There are many more comparisons to be made; these few only scratch the surface. I will cherish that round-headed kid with the goofy grin because my daddy lives through him.

A Lesson in Obedience

My sister gave me a hilarious Christmas present this year. It sits on my desk and reminds me of a traumatic childhood experience I could have avoided.

It’s a Locket Doll made by Mattel in the early 1970s.

Once upon a time when I was in first grade, I got a Lucky Lois Locket Doll.

She was encased in a locket that hung on a chain around my neck. I could conveniently take her out and play with her. When I was finished, I’d tuck her safely away inside the locket.

I absolutely loved her and wanted to wear her everywhere I went, even to school. But that morning my mother told me to leave her at home. Like any kid who wants their way, I sneaked my Lucky Lois Locket Doll in my jacket pocket and put her on the minute I got to school.

When break for recess came, we were taken to the bathroom before going outside. In my little stall, I turned to push the flusher and found out my Lucky Lois wasn’t so lucky after all. She fell out of the locket and to my horror, got sucked down the toilet before I could reach in and rescue her.

In shock, I dashed out to find my teacher and tell her my woeful story. Her silly solution – I still laugh about to this day – was to contact the water treatment plant and see if the doll would come up in one of their filters. It was a possibility since I lived in a small town.

I don’t remember what my mother said when I told her. All I know is I felt sick because all I had to wear now was an empty locket.

The Bible says in Samuel 15:22:

“…to obey is better than sacrifice.”

I disobeyed my mother and ended up sacrificing (un)Lucky Lois to the sewer.

The next time my mother told me not to do something and I really wanted to do it, I thought of poor Lucky Lois and chose obedience.

What in the World is Lefse? (lef-suh)

An entire week into the new year and I am still enjoying the fruits of my holiday labors. I am feasting on a Scandinavian delicacy called lefse. It looks like a tortilla but is made from potatoes.

My Minnesotan grandmother used to make it all the time and I loved it. But when I moved to California, I could only dream of enjoying it.

Whenever I visited Minnesota or drove through Kingsburg (in the middle of Central California and known for its Scandinavian population), I’d stock up on the delicacy and keep it frozen.

I would have to explain what lefse is to my friends and family. We tried to make it once but didn’t have the proper tools.

A couple of years ago I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas: all the tools necessary to make lefse. You can’t just roll it out and fry it. One needs a special rolling pin covered in cloth, a flat surface covered in cloth, a turning tool, and an extremely hot griddle.

I was thrilled to open exactly what I’d asked for that year but since we were in the middle of a move to Tennessee, I didn’t use it until the following Christmas.

By that time, I made a friend who loves lefse as much as I do, and this year was our second year of making it together.

It’s a tedious project, but worth every minute, especially if you’re Swedish or Norwegian.

Traditionally, you spread butter and sprinkle sugar, then roll it up and enjoy it like a pastry. Some folks use cream cheese and jelly, but I’m a traditionalist.

If you visit me around the holidays, I’ll share some lefse with you!

Highlights of 2023

Whenever a new year rolls around, I reflect on what the last year brought and try my best to make plans for the upcoming months.

I used to make resolutions, but most of the time they were impossible to keep. I gave up making resolutions ago. Listing good things and events that happened reminds me to look forward to even better times ahead.

Here are a few of my good things from 2023:

My family grew. I gained a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law and a puppy!

I enjoyed visiting my writing friends I love and miss.

I also spent time with new writing friends.

I got to see my only sister and spend a week with her in Northern California.

We traveled across the upper United States with an extended stay in Utah (yes, it made the highlight reel).

Mom and Dad Hoss moved close by, only ten minutes away.

Those are just a few of the highlights. I’m looking forward to exciting new things for the coming year, including my daughter and husband moving to Tennessee! SQUEAL!

May you be blessed in 2024 with new beginnings.

The Cheer of Free Art

Life hasn’t exactly been what we hoped for the past couple of months. When we were stranded in Ogden, Utah, for two weeks in September while my father-in-law was in the hospital, I felt like I was traveling through a long dark tunnel where the light at the end was always out of my reach.

But once we were able to hit the road, things started to look up. We desperately wanted to get home, so, traveling in our gently used RV, we hit the road as the sun set and drove through the night over the mountain pass just to get out of Utah, finally, and into another state, Wyoming.

It really is true that travelers park at Walmart to sleep. At three in the morning, we pulled into the parking lot between another RV and a big rig for what was left of the night.

The entire experience drained me of energy, joy and hope. Even though I still trusted God, my emotions were harsh and unpredictable with the dark hole of depression threatening to swallow me. But God brought some cheer to my drear when we rolled into an RV park in Kearney, Nebraska.

I was drawn to the park’s little lending library. Maybe I could get lost in choosing a new book to read and if I took one, I’d send them one when I returned home. Instead of picking out a book, what I found was someone’s artwork, neatly packaged in a Ziplock baggie.

I thought it odd to have art mixed in with books until I turned it over to read the backside.

I’d never heard of such a thing as “free art,” but I like the thought behind it. Under normal circumstances, I would not take the art but leave it for someone else more needy. But I truly needed it. It brought me some joy in my darkness. A brighter light in my tunnel. When I look at the art, I am reminded that a stranger was thoughtful enough to bring me kindness when I needed it most.

By the way, there’s a public Facebook Community called Abandoned Art, if you’d like to see examples of free art that people create and find.

To finish the story and get some closure for me, I mailed copies of all my books to the RV hosts with a thank you. I may never meet the person who left the happy little hand-painted picture of birdhouses, but I will never forget how their kindness brought me hope. For that, I am forever grateful.

Book Review: ‘When Stone Wings Fly,’ by Karen Barnett

When Stone Wings Fly: A Smoky Mountains Novel 

Kieran Lucas’s grandmother is slipping into dementia, and when her memory is gone, Kieran’s last tie to the family she barely knows will be lost forever. Worse, flashbacks of her mother’s death torment Granny Mac and there’s precious little Kieran can do to help.

In 1931, the creation of the new Great Smoky Mountains National Park threatens Rosie McCauley’s home. Rosie vows the only way the commission will get her land is if they haul her off in a pine box.

When a compromise offers her and her disabled sister the opportunity to stay for Rosie’s lifetime, her acceptance sets her apart from the other mountain folk. And the bond she’s forming with ornithologist and outsider Benton Fuller only broadens the rift.

Eighty-five years later, Kieran heads back to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to find answers to her great-grandmother’s mysterious death and bring peace to Granny Mac before it’s too late. Park Historian Zach Jensen may be the key to locating both the answers.

But what Kieran needs clashes with the government regulations Zach is sworn to uphold. Can she trust God for a solution to heal this generations-old wound?

My Thoughts

As a former park ranger, author Karen Barnett has found her writing niche. Using national parks as her novel settings comes naturally.

Having moved a short drive from the Smoky Mountains, the setting of her latest novel, Barnett’s carefully crafted words make me feel like I am hiking through the forest with her characters.

From the beginning, the main character’s conflict drew me into the story. She has a disabled sister whom she loves but can cause unwanted troubles adding to financial issues, making for real-life struggles, all wrapped up in a beautiful setting.

The mystery of the past, intertwined with the troubles of the future and a little romance added into the storyline, makes this a recipe for a book that once you start reading, you don’t want to put down until you have reached the last page.

Aiden loves Karen’s mascot, Ranger Bear. Check out Aiden’s blog post, “Ranger Bear Gets a Ride.”

About the Author

Karen Barnett, the award-winning author of eight novels, writes historical romance that sweeps readers into the beauty and adventure of our national parks. A former park ranger and naturalist, she worked at Mount Rainier National Park, Oregon’s Silver Falls State Park, and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, two kids, and three mischievous dachshunds. When not writing, Karen enjoys photography, hiking, public speaking, and decorating crazy birthday cakes.

In 2016, she was named Writer of the Year by the prestigious Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. Oregon Christian Writers (OCW) honored her with the Writer of Promise Award in 2013 and a 2014 Cascade Award for her debut novel, Mistaken.

Learn more about Karen at KarenBarnettBooks.com

The Author Reads – Book Review of ‘The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out to God When Pain Overwhelms,’ by Dr. Michelle Bengtson

Hope for When the Pain Won’t Quit

Everyone experiences pain at times. It can manifest physically, emotionally, relationally, or spiritually. It can follow tragic accidents, great loss, sudden betrayal, or unexpected and unwanted change.

Often it is temporary. But what do you do when it isn’t? When the pain just won’t go away, when healing does not come, when the grief and hurt settle in?

Drawing on her own experience of chronic pain and her years as a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, Dr. Michelle Bengtson provides a countercultural perspective on pain.

Offering hope without any false promises or empty platitudes, Dr. Bengtson unwraps the complex emotional aspects of dealing with pain. She gives you permission to question God, helps you identify the lies you’ve believed about your pain, and reorients your perception based on the truth of God’s Word.

Each chapter ends with a recommended playlist, reflection questions, and a prayer. Your pain may not change, but your experience of it can.

My Thoughts

Dr. Michelle Bengtson has a heart to help people, especially those who are hurting, both physically, mentally and emotionally.

This is clearly the message found in her previous books, and she has done it yet again in The Hem of His Garment.

Bengtson has written this book despite her own physical pain. She offers to link arms with those in pain, bringing hope. The choice is to hang on to it and Bengtson offers objective ways to put hope into action so one is not just reading about a solution but taking action upon one.

Chapter topics include how to focus, lamenting, relating to God and dealing with His silence.

Anyone looking for relief from any type of pain can find something to bring them hope through reading this book. Bengtson shares her heart with her readers so not one of them should feel alone in their pain.

About the Author

Dr. Michelle Bengtson entertained several dreams in her life: becoming a doctor, having children and writing a book.

She studied neuroscience, becoming a board-certified neuropsychologist almost 30 years ago. A few years later, the birth of her first son brought her second dream into reality.

God planted the third dream in her heart as a young girl. A few years ago, she published her first book, multi-award winning Hope Prevails: Insights From a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression.

Since then, she authored three more books including the award-winning Hope Prevails Bible Study and award-winning Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises. Today Is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises From God to Start Your Day Off Right, released through Revell in May, 2022.

She expanded her vision and became an international speaker, podcast host, and coach with a mission to restore hope, renew minds and empower others to live in their God-given identity.

Learn more at drmichellebengtson.com

Writers Need Writers

There are Facebook groups for every cause, or, if you are old-school like me, there are in-person groups, also known as support groups.

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I quickly learned I need other diabetics and started a support and education group that met twice a month.

When I first expressed my desire to write, a friend invited me to a writing critique group, where I met my good friend, Michelle Ule.

The group inspired me to attend writing conferences where I learned the craft and met hundreds of writers and others in the business.

The same friend who invited me to the writer group, a few years later started another writing group.

When we moved to Tennessee, I wished I could have taken my writing friends with me.

They helped me make decisions concerning my middle-grade novel series, The Rubber Band, and were very encouraging, inspiring me to keep writing on a regular basis. I missed them terribly and felt I would never find another group.

But God has answered the desire of my heart. I am pleased to have hosted a writing critique group with my friends Sharon Schuller Kiser and Laurie Herlich. We spent nearly four hours talking shop and going over our red-lined submissions.

Sharon Schuller Kiser, Christy Hoss and Laurie Herlich

Every writing group is unique and I count all of my writing experiences as useful and educational, but mostly, I value the relationships that have come from them.

I need my writing friends to keep me going and am thankful for each and every one of them.