by Chris Manion | Jan 12, 2022 | Blog
photo by Tobias Tullius We’re all afraid of something — spiders, failure, isolation. Rather than face one of my fears, I’ll procrastinate by doing housework, laundry, gardening, etc. Last week, I polished a silver pitcher, for crying out loud. I heard a...
by Chris Manion | Dec 19, 2021 | Blog, Spiritual Fitness
Thought for the Day: I will trust and obey my Lord and my God. The year felt hard. My work as an author overwhelmed me. My shoulders and spirit sagged under the burden of what I felt called to do. Long sighs forced air into my lungs after my thoughts pressed it out of...
by Chris Manion | Sep 25, 2021 | Blog, Writing
Writers and gardeners have much in common. I know because I am both. I love growing things from seeds, both as a writer and as a gardener. My husband and I experimented with a patch of mostly green weeds that pretended to be grass in 2020. I decided to plant a...
by Chris Manion | Sep 8, 2021 | Blog, Spiritual Fitness
I grew up as a cradle Catholic yet have not memorized the birthday of Mary, the Mother of God. I can’t explain it. Mary is even my middle name. You’d think I’d do better. The Holy Spirit calls me to continue to learn about her. In this blog post, I...
by Chris Manion | Aug 31, 2021 | Blog
If you are competitive like me, you may hear an inner dialogue when someone says they’ve done something admirable: I wonder if I could do that? or, I could do that better (a thought that started my 26-year-career in direct sales). Even though competition often...
by Chris Manion | Jul 24, 2021 | Blog, Writing
Writers need a book launch team because quite frankly, we’d rather hide. In the middle ages, trumpeters would precede a King’s entrance. Kings hate to be unnoticed, although a few shy kings have graced our world over the centuries. Writers are like medieval...
by Chris Manion | Jun 28, 2021 | Blog, Social Justice, Writing
When we testify, our voice—what we write, draw, create, and say—carries power. This essay reflects on the power of that voice and my decisions to convey love. For almost a decade, I’ve followed the trend of choosing a focus word for the year. In 2013, when I...
by Chris Manion | May 20, 2021 | Blog, Social Justice, Writing
It happened the summer Howard Cooper turned fifteen. The year was 1885. Sweat beaded on foreheads and the high-pitched hum of cicadas buzzed in trees. Southern belle Katie Gray walked home from the railroad station and said something to Howard as she passed him....
by Chris Manion | Mar 28, 2021 | Blog
Pruning is something I have to make myself do. I like things to look natural. At some point, whether it’s a beard or a bush, most things can use trimming up. So I snipped. I snipped too fast. I do quite a few things too fast. The roses in my garden looked leggy,...
by Chris Manion | Feb 28, 2021 | Blog, Writing
You never know when you’ll need to surrender to love. Chances are, it’ll be a test. Genesis 22 involves a test of surrender for Abraham and Isaac. An image of my grandson setting a tea party got me thinking about God the Father as well as Abraham in that...
