Are you tired of the constant rat race that the holiday season brings? Is the grinch spirit closing in on you? Rekindle your holiday passion with Journey To Bethlehem. This daily devotional and journal will guide you to a simpler, more meaningful Christmas.
Excerpt:
The swish of the automatic doors and the sound of footsteps hurrying across the lobby alerted April. With practiced moves she capped the silver pen and whisked away the stationery. By the time the snow-covered man arrived at the front desk she was on her feet and wearing her best helpful, friendly expression.
“Good evening, sir. Welcome to the Hyatt Regency Columbus. How may I help you?”
“I’m Harlan Kennedy. I have a reservation,” the man said with a frown, brushing the snow from his tan raincoat. His fair skin was reddened from the cold, and his light brown hair, ruffled by the wind, still had a few delicate snowflakes caught in it. “It was made by Adelante Communications in Los Angeles last week. My secretary confirmed it yesterday.”
April keyed his name into her terminal and quickly scanned the information. “We were expecting you by six, Mr. Kennedy.”
The man shook his head in exasperation. He looked young, almost boyish; April felt certain he could not be more than thirty. “Lady, this trip has been pure chaos! All my connections were delayed or re-routed. Your little old airport almost didn’t let us land and then it shut down completely right after we got in. The rental car company was already closed. Getting a taxi in this weather is impossible! I’m still freezing!”
As the snowflakes melted into tiny damp spots in his soft hair, his hazel eyes suddenly narrowed with suspicion and irritation. “Hey– you’re not going to tell me that you’ve canceled my reservation, are you? I called from Dallas and told somebody here that I was running late–”
“Mr. Kennedy, your reservation is in good order,” April said, smoothly breaking into his tirade to reassure him.
It was not the first time she had been the target of a tired traveler and she was long used to handling such things. Yet for some reason, she began to feel this man’s annoyance personally. It was as if she was embarrassed at her city for having a snowstorm at this particular moment and inconveniencing Mr. Kennedy, leaving him cold and tired and annoyed.
She did not understand why she should feel that way. He was just another guest to be taken care of… just another businessman passing through town.
Only a single snowflake was left in his ruffled light brown hair.
No tears today, she had asked. And up until this moment they had all managed to allow only positive thoughts. But the longer the night went on, the clearer it became to Lauren that everything they wanted to say needed to be said right now.
Excerpt:
The bonfire in front of the house was blazing high into the night sky. It was late, yet still too early to end the evening. This was an evening that no one wanted to end . . . The children had pulled the last of the marshmallows from their sticks, and their mouths were glistening with gooey sugar. Happy and with a full belly, four-year-old Alyssa was snuggled into her mother’s arms, her tired eyes closed. Her blonde curls framed a tender face, and Lauren felt as if she had never before witnessed anything so peaceful. Even thirteen-year-old Mia was tired. Lauren knew only too well that she had not been able to catch much sleep these past few nights. And she wasn’t the only one. When Lauren glanced around, she looked into many tired faces. Familiar faces – beloved faces. Her family and best friends had gathered here tonight to be happy and together one last time. To celebrate life and the gift of time that they had been given. But they had also gathered to say goodbye. A goodbye that none of them wanted – but one that was, after all, of her own choosing. A goodbye that felt right and reassuring but that was painful nonetheless.
‘You have no idea how much it means to me to be spending this night here at the lake house with all of you. It’s my favorite place in the entire world – the place I have chosen, and it makes me happy to have all of you around me one last time. You are the lifeblood of this house – my lifeblood.’
Lauren couldn’t help but smirk at her choice of words. Ordinarily, she wasn’t one for waxing poetic, but in this moment even the simplest of facts seemed to somehow exit her mouth wrapped in only weighty phrases.
‘Truth be told you are the best thing about me!’ she laughed and made a point of looking into every single face. They all returned her gaze, smiling – the way she had wanted. Somewhere between her best friend Rachel and her husband Tim she closed her eyes to fight down the tears she had expressively denied herself from having.
No tears today, she had asked. And up until this moment they had all managed to allow only positive thoughts. But the longer the night went on, the clearer it became to Lauren that everything they wanted to say needed to be said right now. Tim must have noticed the change in her mood from her voice, because he got up from his spot by the fire and walked over to her. Sitting down behind her on the bench, he wrapped his arms around her and Alyssa.
‘I love you,’ he whispered – but this was no secret. Lauren leaned against him. What a lovely moment this was!
‘There are moments in life that change everything all at once. Moments that pull the ground from under you and destroy everything you hold important,’ she mused, and her eyes rested on the twitching flames of the bonfire. ‘But there are also moments that seem completely inconspicuous at first glance, and yet they turn out to be the most important moments of your life.’ She gave Tim a smile. ‘We had such moments, Tim and I. Good, bad – a little bit of everything. And even if I always thought we would treasure them for the little treasures that they are, they’re now slipping away.’
She sounded defeated and grasped Tim’s hands, looking for comfort.
‘And yet . . . There is so much left that we cling to, because letting go would mean we have reached the end of the line. Do you remember how Tim and my story started? Fourteen years ago . . .?’ she looked around and pressed a gentle kiss on her husband’s chin. ‘Because that was that kind of moment.’
Quote from – Tina Folsom, International Bestselling Author – : A captivating new voice in paranormal and historical romance! Emily Bold weaves a fine web of engaging characters and exciting action.
This book’s system gives coaches answers for every kind of defense. It covers playing against a man-to-man defense in the three most popular pick-and-roll spacings, clear-side pick, side pick, and top pick. Depending on the pick-and-roll defense being employed, there are numerous possibilities for each spacing.
The changes that must be made when playing against a zone defense or a full-court press are also covered in the book. No matter the defense, there is a counter-move for every possible circumstance.
The book also discusses a variety of alternative entries and instructs coaches on how to be innovative, put their own ideas into practice, and integrate them into the system.
The best part is that everything is described in a straightforward, logical order, progressing step-by-step from fundamental 3v0 drills to the overall picture.