As I age, I find I have less to say. I’ve been waiting to write this newsletter, hoping I could tell you when my next novel River of Mercy will be published, but I still don’t know. It’s been a year of rewriting and lots of walks in these dunes. We still live on our farm in the Sacramento Valley but escape to Ten Mile Beach above Fort Bragg, CA. whenever we can to enjoy the solitude. I love writing by the seashore.

I just read that the greatest quality to instill in your children to ensure their success in life is perseverance. I believe this to be true, so I’ve begun teaching my grandchildren to never give up. Few things in life bring me as much joy as these little ones: Kara turned five this summer, Cameron hit five last week. Abby is three now. Lily is also three, and JJ is eight months.

Scott and I so enjoy time with our grandkids. I wanted to share this adorable photo of JJ with his daddy, Jake. They look so much alike, and JJ also has Jake’s sunny disposition. Thank you for all your prayers last year. We are still over the moon that the Good Lord gave us this precious little boy JJ after Benjamin went to heaven in 2021.

We had a wonderful stone fruit harvest this year, but the trees are now losing their leaves with fall, and Scott and I are concentrating on new endeavors. When I chose “restore” for my word for 2022, I never imagined this would include Scott returning to flying. But through a series of unexpected turns, Scott was offered the opportunity to fly helicopters for Sac Metro Fire. Both of us are still a little stunned this happened, but you can see by Scott’s smile that he is thrilled to be an aviator again.

About twenty years ago, Scott and I laid our dreams aside to focus on our family. We’d come to a crossroads where we knew our own personal ambitions were destroying our marriage. Scott was an Army pilot often away on missions. I was a reporter for a daily newspaper and worked on my novels at night. Something had to give. So Scott gave up flying, and I quit my newspaper job and stopped writing for years. Scott became a schoolteacher, and I got pregnant with baby number four, embracing being a stay-at-home mom to our children. I grew our first garden. And learned thrift stores had just about everything our family needed to survive.

We began going to church and committed ourselves to Jesus and each other. We had more babies, ended up with seven kids, and ultimately returned to my farming roots. Our marriage flourished. So did our children. We brought other kids who needed a family into our home. Never once did we think Scott would fly again or I would ever have a writing career. But a series of miracles have returned our dreams to us. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice what you want for what you really need to accomplish.

We are still accomplishing raising kids. We have three sons left at home, and often, several of their friends stay with us too. I feel like I live in a frat house without all the drinking but lots of stinky socks and dirty dishes. I love having a houseful of boys. Scott has remained a freshman football coach, and our son Garry is a freshman player this year. It’s been so much fun watching these two together on the field.

Our son Joey is a senior. He plays linebacker, and thus far, his team is undefeated. So that has been a blast as well. There is nothing quite like Friday Night Lights. This is one reason my latest novel, River of Mercy, features a high school football coach and a small town that lives for its football team. My literary agent is now trying to place this novel with a publishing house. If that falls through, River of Mercy will hit Amazon in 2023, God-willing.

I hope all of you are well and the past several years of covid darkness is giving way to more light in your life. One thing I can say is the pandemic changed the way I do things. I’m striving less and being still more. I don’t go to town unless I must. I enjoy my home far more now. I’ve planted extra flowers in the yard and take the time to smell them. I’ve cut way back on the news. I’m happier without it. I can’t solve the world’s problems, but I can rest in the sovereignty of God. He took Benjamin but gave us JJ. Waiting and trusting when your heart is broken is hard, but God is good. Life is full of adversity, but God is faithful.

Our youngest son Christian broke his arm during football practice at the end of July, just as the season began. It was a really bad break. An ambulance took Christian to the hospital, and it’s been a long haul of healing. He is still wearing an arm brace and won’t return to sports until well into 2023. The lessons of waiting and trusting just keep on coming.

And yet I find joy these days easier to come by. Little things satisfy me. Sunrises and sunsets make me happy. I take the time to watch dragonflies swoop across our lawn on quiet evenings. The stars look brighter when it’s dark. Finding unbroken sand dollars on the beach delights me. I’m more grateful and less afraid these days. I hope you are too.

Christmas is around the corner, and we’ll be writing Christmas letters before we know it.

Until then, peace and love, Paula