New Beginnings

Much has changed since I last posted on my blog. Since then, I have published a book and have my new website up and running. Please check it out:

my website


My book, WILLIWAW WINDS, will be available by September 20, but you may order it now on my website, which tells all about the book.

Later this month I'll be attending the Green Lake (Wis.) Christian Writers Workshop. This will be my first attempt at presenting my book. I feel like a mother who has just birthed a baby--wow! In September, my attendance at two writers' conferences will offer even more opportunities to present my book.

I'm learning that book marketing requires lots of time and energy. But it's fun--and a great learning experience. With some help from my niece, Ann, we're researching public libraries and bookstores as possible venues for book signings/readings/talks/seminars.

Besides choosing venues in my immediate vicinity, I hope to touch two birds with one stone by scheduling venues in the Upper Peninsula so I can visit my sister who lives north of Calumet.

I've received some dynamite testimonials about WILLIWAW WINDS, which I'm using on my website and brochure.

God is good. His blessings are abundant.

My weekly devotional column follows:

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES -- by Sally Bair

Dragged Under
Last week I talked about the book I wrote, Williwaw Winds, which is based on the true story of how my son and four others were rescued by the Coast Guard when their fishing boat went down in the violent (williwaw) winds of the Bering Sea.
When they finally made it into their life raft, it quickly became tangled in the deck rigging that kept blowing around. Still tethered to its 100-foot lifeline, the raft moved steadily closer to the boat because of the tangles. At one point, the wind whipped the boat around so the raft came right up to the stern. The men knew if they couldn’t free the raft’s lifeline soon, it would become their death line. They’d go down with the boat. Once, in fact, the wind sent the boom right onto them, submerging the raft momentarily. Only when one of the men finally found his jackknife could they cut themselves free before the boat sank.
In a hugely insignificant way, I recently felt like I was being dragged under. My “To Do” list, growing longer and longer, overwhelmed me. Would I ever again feel like my head would stay above water? You must know the feeling. Yours may not involve a To Do list, but we all face overwhelming feelings of hopelessness.
Sometimes our situations are beyond our control. Oftentimes, however, we cause our own burdens. Either way, we wonder: where is the hope when we’re being dragged under by our burdens? Sometimes it’s in God’s wisdom, learning how to pace ourselves and prioritize our projects. It’s definitely in the time we spend with Him in prayer and Bible meditation, which helps us keep our focus on what’s most important. And it’s in the strength of our faith in His promises.
When Joshua took over the leadership of the Israelites after Moses died, he must have felt overwhelmed. That’s when God gave him a promise. “I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage ….” (Joshua 1:5-6)
Whether we have some control over our situations, or no control as did the fishermen who were literally at the end of their life rope, we can be assured of God’s presence and help. All we have to do is ask. And trust. That’s what the fishermen did. That’s what saved them.
Lord, we ask for Your peace that passes all understanding and that comes even when we feel like we’re being dragged under. Thank You for the promise of Your abiding presence and help. In Jesus’ name, amen.