Author Archive: sharpejody76@gmail.com

Tuesdays With The Angels- The Heart Knows Right From Wrong

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February is Valentine’s month where loved ones share cards and gifts. Cupid arrows are in the air and many hearts are filled with love. The angels send me words and thoughts to share.

Like our hearts are filled with other things like the sense of right and wrong. Today I would imagine that all of us adults know right from wrong. We may not express it but intrinsictly we know even as we are saying or doing things we shouldn’t. We know cruelty is wrong and harsh words and bullying and name calling are wrong. Today in the news of politics we are seeing adults engage in these petty, cruel schoolyard acts. Perhaps We all should consider Love in words and deeds for kindness is the first ingredient of love. Teach children Love.

Tuesdays With The Angels-Our Children Should Be Our #1 Priority To End Bullying

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Hello all, I ask the angels throughout the day what to say in my blogs and words and sentences come to me. So the messages today are about our children and grandchildren. They deserve to learn about respect and kindness. Many children have been the victims of bullying whether they’ve been picked on for their special needs, or differences in race, color or shy and vulnerable ways. In any situation bullying is destructive to their well being.

Here we are witnessing leaders of our country bullying folks in the news while defending their actions. How sad it is. Don’t they know their children and other people’s children are watching, listening and learning its the norm to bully?

When I was young, there was civility mostly in our society. I pray to bring us back to a more respectful world for the sake of our children, grandchildren and all around the world.

Compassion is as much a part of love as kindness is. We need to teach our children to be kind, respectful of others and kind and respectful to themselves. Teaching them every life is precious is primary for them to grow up to be productive, caring adults.

The angels messages give me hope. Angels are near us I’m sure of it. I met one once in human form. He changed my life for the better with kind and hopeful words. In all my novels, childrens book and my memoir, the themes are there for all my readers to see. The messages are from the angels I believe. The angel’s  words come to me to believe in hope for our children.  Hope is a prayer away. 

 

Tuesdays With The Angels- Replacing Fear with Gratitude Will Find Joy

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A new year comes and unfortunately our world still reels from a tumultuous 2024. There is a thought by many though that the world will improve, that hate can dissipate, that love can  find a way to unite us here on our beautiful earth. It’s just a speck in the vast universe and yet we are made from all the components, the fabric of life but still so many are blind to that thought. Hate is powerful but Love is the most powerful force of all.

When I ask for inspirations from the angels they  come in words and phrases. Lately. the phrase has been, let  gratefulness replace fearfulness. Would it really be that strange to think that attitude and hope could be the catalyst for ending wars and hate?

I’ve written many times that after my daughter passed away I  met a man who I’m sure was an angel.  I feared my life had no meaning and gratefulness and joy were seemingly gone. Hope was a thing of the past. Yet meeting the angel with his comforting presence started to change my way of thinking. I could be happy again, I could find courage to go on and love those left to care for including my fellow man. Bitterness, I vowed,  would never show its face, I had work to do as a teacher, a parent, a wife and a friend.

Now and forever, I look for hope  for our world  as I ask for inspiration from the angels. Compelled to write books with angels themes I go on. I want my children and grandchildren to know that many of us look up at night in wonder at the planets and stars so far away to comprehend. We  wonder what we are here for? Is the answer always  to love each other? It is for me. For we are here to love and help each other with grateful hearts.  Look up tonight and see what I see. I see endless possibilities the vast universe has waiting for us if we choose to find them. Joy is not an impossible dream.My life changed in an instant and yet years later I found surely love never dies and joy is possible when gratefulness replaces fearfulness and love is always  triumphant.

Tuesdays With The Angels- Clarence, the Angel & It’s a Wonderful Life

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I don’t remember the first time I saw the iconic 1946 film, It’s A Wonderful Life  but the film has been one of the inspirations for my writing the Mystic Bay Series. 

Many remember theChristmas story where George Bailey is contemplating suicide by jumping off the town bridge into the river. His family business has been ruined, he thinks, by the antagonist, the wealthy and ruthless Mr. Potter. But all is about to change when George is about to jump into the water and unbeknownst to him, Clarence, his guardian angel is sent from heaven to help. Clarence  jumps in first crying for George to save him. George jumps in and saves Clarence.  Clarence tells George he is his angel and shows him what life would have been like had George never been born. All the goodness George showed his family and neighbors would never have happened and Mr. Potter would run the town into the ground.

This classic in humanity helped inspire me to write my nine books. I believe in angels and I believe they are here for us all, sometimes seen and most times unseen. In this time of war in parts of the world and sorrow plaguing so many, I continue writing about love, forgiveness, redemption with angels at the helm. I’ve been through sorrow but somehow I’ve always known there’s a Clarence in all our lives. Think about angels. I do all day long.I honor the film It’s A wonderful Life in all my books because good always wins and the bully never does. Goodness and kindness are actions of love.

Tuesdays With The Angels- Kindness Is Not A Weakness

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Now when the world seems tumultuous and hate hurts so many, it’s time to think of those who have passed on, all our loved ones gone to heaven’s realm. Would they tell us how short this time on earth is? I feel strongly they would tell us love is all that matters.

If I had to choose two sentences to say to my husband, children, grandchildren and loved ones, one would be, I love you more than words can say. The other would be this- Kindness is not weakness but a strength.

To be kind now in the face of hateful speech that reverberates around the world, gives me hope. Kindness by itself is power from heaven above and can make hate leave many hearts.  As the beloved character, Madam Norma in my Mystic Bay Series always said,”Kindness is the first ingredient of love. Ask the angels for help. They are always listening.

Tuesdays With The Angels-Bullying Legal Immigrants is the Opposite of Kindness

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In the news, the political bullies are spreading falsehoods about legal immigrants. All of us unless we are of Native American descent come from people who made many sacrifices to get to our democracy in the United States of America.

Bullying everywhere across the world should stop. I remember when my late daughter, Kate, as a six- year- old brought home a friend from school. I spoke to the mother on the phone and Kate never mentioned the girl had a different skin color  or was from a different country. Children are born with  goodness in their hearts. However, many adults in our beautiful world are teaching bullying by their words and actions. How unfortunate to lie to our children about people from other ethnicities or countries.  Does the bully know that Bullying is synonymous with the word hatred? Three truths: Bullying with lies hurts our children’s future. Harmony, Kindness, Forgiveness bring us all a life of love. The Bully Never Wins.

Tuesdays With The Angels-Bullying and Our Children With Special Needs

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Bullying is always a theme in my novels and was  part of my memoir, Special Needs Children The Angels On My Shoulder. Recently, a seventeen- year- old boy, whose father is running for our vice president, was bullied by a person in the media.  For me and many others, this cruel commentary was unacceptable in our supposedly civil society.

For twenty-five rewarding years I spent the school days with children with disabilities and special needs. Many now are considered neurodivergent. As I wrote in my memoir, my encounters with these children filled my soul. They were my own teachers giving unconditional love to all with many having no agenda except to be accepted into family and friendships.

These children and adults with special needs don’t choose their life’s path, this is their life experience and they should be respected. How do we handle such bullying in the media where some have become like the typical school yard bully? We need to  teach our children and all children self respect and respect for others while protecting and caring for them. How sad this media bully must be who didn’t apologize as of this writing.

When the loss of my daughter overshadowed my life, I remember how my classroom of children with special needs cheered me onward with warmth and gratitude. They changed my life,  they were my own teachers. They showed me respect, sympathy as caring attitudes came natural to them. The Bully Never Wins because most of us thankfully don’t have bullying inside our hearts. I pray that this bully and others  someday realize what most of us know, that truly children with special needs are our angels unaware.

Tuesdays With The Angels- Angel Inspirations Children & Animals

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In 1995, this very day, I lost my daughter, Kate. At nineteen she was beautiful, bright, in love with her boyfriend, and glowing going to college. She loved her family, her dogs and cat and her friends. Her promise of a bright future was there for the making but her future was to be with God.

I have learned so many things these years gone by. So many lessons learned that I can’t put them all down on paper.  I do know for sure that love is the answer to everything. My twins, Mike and Elizabeth, who are adults now, have shown me with grace and fortitude their ongoing love for life and others. As teens when Kate died, they had a wisdom way mature for their age. They are kind human beings, my daughter, an incredible  mother and my son a loving uncle.They help others in need and of course love animals as our whole family does.

Years ago my journey through grief was helped by my children’s love. My dear friend Nancy,  took me on a girl’s trip years ago to help my sorrow. There we met a man I’m sure was an angel.  One day he was  at a store in Houston politely talking to us and the next day there he was again in a town we had never been to an hour away in another store. His presence astounded us and he told us he would see us at the airport. Then we turned away for a moment and when we looked back he was gone from the store. We went outside but he was nowhere. I know he was an angel there to comfort, letting me know Kate was safe in God’s hands.

Because of him, and in memory of my Kate, I have written ten books. There is only love in the books I write, all with angel themes.  My novella’s, my memoir about teaching children with special needs, and my children’s book, all were inspired by the angel and my love for Kate, my family and my own gift of life. 

My angel inspirations today, this day of remembrance and love, is to keep on loving, forgiving, hoping, praying for all to find places in their hearts for others, to know their blessings,  to help those who need us the most, the children and animals, the innocent ones of our world. Is there another book about angels in my ever-growing imagination? Always. Here is my latest.

 

Tuesdays With The Angels-Animal Rescuing, Teaching Kindness To All

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One of my life’s greatest blessings has been my steadfast love for animals.  As a mother, grandmother, and retired teacher of children with special needs, I have  found joy in loving my children, grandchildren, my students and  all the animals I’ve rescued over the years. Showing our children and grandchildren how to treat animals should be primary by example always. My soon to be published novella, The Dog Who Came For Christmas An Angel’s Tale is just that, a love letter to all the animals my husband, Dave and I have rescued over many years and the animals our own children and friends have rescued.

Those who treat our children poorly are clearly those who could also be animal abusers. The bully never wins in all my fantasy Mystic Bay Series and how I wish it could be true in our own towns across the world. Love and Kindness Wins!

Bullying is at the helm of hurting our children, our animals and ourselves. It must stop and it can if every adult could find it in his or her heart to gather their families together and discuss  earth’s most precious, the children and animals of the world. My new book will be out soon and I pray it touches someone’s heart, touching as many more as possible.

Tuesdays With The Angels- Life Lessons &Two Special Ladies

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Recently, I lost two dear friends. One was my cousin, Marcy, and the other, Maggie, who was like a sister to me. Both were the same age and vivacious, kind women who were truly my confidents. Grief stricken, I wondered yet knew I would have to go on without talking to them and sharing our lives together.

I will forever miss them but learned so much from them in our years together. From Marcy, I learned how to laugh and live a positive life. Though she had lost a daughter, like I had, she went on living her best life, knowing the treasure life holds. I wrote a part of what I learned from her in my newest book, The Dog Who Came For Christmas, An Angel’s Tale. When someone would bully Marcy giving her an insult of some kind, she would say, “thank you” and then walk away smiling. What a great way of thwarting a bully.

And Maggie? Well, Maggie could see angels and the spirits of past loved ones and others since childhood. Her stories about her spiritual experiences with her dogs are written into my new novella too. She was a soft spoken person and kind to everyone. She too, had lost a young granddaughter, and yet she went on knowing loving the rest of her family was her primary goal in life. They needed her care . These two women were so close to me and though I will miss them all my life, I know their influence will keep me evolving spiritually and writing about the new lessons I’ve learned.

Once long ago, when I lost my own daughter, Kate, a woman I met briefly said to me, “Don’t worry, one day you will meet Kate in the center of a rose.” I’ve always loved that image. Roses mean love and having memories of loved ones that are forever with us are part of the gift of love from above. Someday, with hope in my heart, we will meet all our loved ones again  in the center of a rose.