Today would be the world’s worst day to have a book launch! Thankfully, I’m only putting a blog post into the world and not years of creative sweat, blood, and tears. Book launches or not, it’s safe to say that whatever else is going on today, it will certainly be eclipsed by the eclipse!
Have you ever had a much anticipated event get swept aside for something else that took precedent? Maybe your long anticipated date night with your spouse gets canceled because one of the kids is sick. Or it could be as simple as leaving the house on time (check!), with the diaper bag packed (check!), and a pot roast tossed into the crockpot so dinner is READY when you get home (check! Also—a mental high five to yourself for being UBER organized today)…only to stagger into the kitchen at the end of the day and realize you forgot to turn ON the crockpot. Ugh! Not only is dinner ruined, you don’t have a plan B.
What’s a human to do when they find themselves face to face with, well, their humanity? A humanity riddled with messiness, interruptions, and, occasionally, tragedies? Sometimes it isn’t even negative things that overwhelm our agenda—after all, an eclipse is a pretty amazing phenomenon. Still, one thing that never changes is the fact that things are always going to change.
As a mother of four, one with autism, I have learned and relearned the lesson of being flexible. Just when I think I’m “killing it”, something more challenging comes my way and slays my confidence. Gritting my teeth, I get up and bemoan how life is often a series of one step forward and two steps back.
At some point I ran across a quote from my favorite author C.S. Lewis. Lewis is particularly gifted at explaining lofty and profound ideas in an “accessible to everyone” way. In The Collected Works of C.S. Lewis he said, “The great thing if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life—the life God is sending one day by day.” [Emphasis mine]
Do I hear a collective “ouch” out there? Yes, as always, Lewis nails the issue. I think we’ve all read, or watched—or written!—too many stories that fictionally portray an idealistic life that will inevitably have a happy ending. A quick flick through the story or own life will tell us this is patently fairytale fodder—not to mention the repeated theme of scripture: we are fallen people in a fallen world who have a spiritual target on our back as followers of Christ.
It’s not a matter of if we will have trouble, but when.
This blog post isn’t meant to be a deep dive on spiritual warfare or even God’s promises. We’ve all read those devotionals and blog posts and have benefited from them. These important nuggets of encouragement will continue to be published because we’re all creatures with short term memory issues that need such timely reminders of God’s grace for our unique situation.
Mostly, I hope to stir in you an acceptance of the inevitable certainty of uncertainty. I know for myself that learning to not just accept, but to also EXPECT, that my agenda will be interrupted (and often) makes it easier to take it in stride. It also makes me a more pleasant person to be around as I change tactics with a smile—and maybe even laughter—instead of grumbling, complaining, and punishing everyone else with my bad attitude so they can be as miserable as me (or realize what a martyr I am for my family).
No, no…I do NOT have this down. But I do pray that I can be this type of wife, mother, daughter, and friend. Of course, such a prayer gets answered with many opportunities to put my request into practice, ha! The fact is, ready or not, such opportunities are coming my way…it just helps to look at them as such (an opportunity) rather than an obstacle.
Today’s interruption—that is, eclipse—is brought to you by the God of the Universe! He is in control of the sun and moon and can certainly be trusted with our daily unexpected events, big and small alike. Let’s try to set our mind, will, and emotions on Him each day, rather than our schedules.
Hi, I’m Heather L. L. FitzGerald! Truth seeker, Narnia dreamer, coffee consumer. Though some may call me peculiar, there are four someones who call me Mom, six (so far!) who call me Mimi, and one special someone who calls me his wife. I currently reside in the great state of Texas, but I grew up in Vancouver, Washington—home base for The Tethered World Chronicles. From homeschooling, to autism, to Bigfoot…its been a fun challenge to weave the unique things in my world into novels that will brighten yours!
You can mostly find me on Instagram these days, wearing tinfoil hats and talking about things that intrigue me most…giants, Nephilim, megaliths, and more!
I also have a Facebook group that you can join here and newsletter to jump on board here.
My award winning, family friendly series The Tethered World Chronicles includes The Tethered World, The Flaming Sword, The Genesis Tree and The Secret of Stardust. They’re available at your favorite online retailer, and the first three are also available on Audible.
Can a Nephilim prince outrun his past and manage to escape from a future he dreads? Prince Alexander is willing to try.
Prince Alexander may be heir to the Nephilim throne, but he’d rather blend into the crowd than stand out in his father’s court. When the king of Calamus dies, an alarming edict reveals a future for Alex that he refuses to accept. As the funeral dust settles, Alex and his ragtag group of friends flee to the hinterlands, gambling on unknown dangers over palace politics. For better or worse, Alex is determined to do things his way, for once.
Left behind and in the dark about Alex’s plans, his sister Ellynn prepares to receive an entourage from a distant Nephilim kingdom. She welcomes the distraction from her grandfather’s death and her brother’s disappearance. But their arrival awakens old hostilities and new suspicions. Soon, Ellynn’s compulsion to eavesdrop lands her in a web of threats and betrayal she might be too entangled to escape.
As Alex is pursued by monsters from without and within, Ellynn treads the line between secrecy and safety. Every revelation determines someone’s destiny. Kingdoms clash as Alex and Ellynn confront long-buried terrors in this latest adventure from the Tethered World.
