Part 3 of “God-winks”

Hello Gentle Readers,

This evening sees the release of part 3 of “God-winks”.

To begin, let’s go back together just a few hours before I wrote the very first draft of The Tiniest Angel’s Gift. It was Christmas time. Wigilia was complete. Midnight Mass had been attended and Santa had come. As things happen, I was at my eldest sister’s house for a celebratory visit. My nieces and nephews were chattering and busying themselves with their new toys from Santa. Family was visiting and talking. The television played Christmas movies and the house smelled of my sister’s delicious yuletide baked goodies. All was well with the world. Amidst the bustle of that visit her lovely Christmas tree sat aglow in her living room as it did every year. Beneath that beautiful tree full of treasured ornaments and twinkling lights my sister had displayed her manger scene. On a sort of snowy platform above the manger sat two porcelain angels created by O'Well Novelty Co. for their Grandeur Noel line of decorative items. One of those angels caught my eye. She was kneeling with one arm aloft and a hand opened in a gesture of, what might be considered, greeting. What stood out to me was that one of the glowing twinkle tree lights had dropped from its branch and was resting in the angel’s upturned palm. It happened by accident. It was not purposeful in any way, but it created an image of the angel holding a star in the sky above the manger. The inspiration for The Tiniest Angel’s Gift” took root at that moment. When I returned home that evening, I sat down at the old desk in my bedroom and booted up the monstrosity of a desk top computer that I was privileged to call my own. I opened WordPerfect and began to type. I remember feeling odd about it, like the story was writing itself. The words came out with very little effort on my part. Perhaps a pause or two here and there for reflection, but nothing more. For years after that I sat on it, not knowing what to do with it. Whenever my mother would mention to me that I am “always writing” and maybe I should “publish a book”, my mind would tick back to that story. But I held on to it, thinking…maybe one day.

Stay tuned for part 4 of this trail of “God-winks” when all of these threads will begin to converge.