Thank You To the Kind Soul Working at the Dead Letter Post Office!

Thanks to Cathy Strote for sending this to me. GET OUT A HANKY before you read on!

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could, so she dictated these words:



Dear God,


Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.


I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.


Love,
Meredith


We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.


Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:


Dear Meredith,


Abbey arrived safely in heaven.


Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.


Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.


Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.


I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.


By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.


Love,
God

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I'm still in tears and I've read this three times! Forward it on to those you love who love little children, critters and God. They'll thank you for it!

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And remember: God DOES answer knee-mail! So kneel and talk to Him. You'll feel love and will usually be able to discern either "Yes," "No," or "Not right now" when you ask Him for something, if you ask in the right spirit... "not my will, but thine, be done..."

G'Day!

I'm still out in the sticks (halfway between Tacoma and Eatonville, WA -- closer to Eatonville than Tacoma) critter and house-sitting for friends.  They have two horses and six dogs (three large, three small), but one of the dogs (a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog) is in the doggie hospital and has been for two days, so I haven't seen her yet this time. I may be able to pick her up today if she's feeling better. She may also get a bad diagnosis and have to be put to sleep, so we're praying for the best outcome for her. She got sick fast, so hopefully she "just" has an infection of some kind; if not, she may have pancreatic cancer.  And she's eight -- old for such a large breed  -- so the owners probably won't put her through heroic efforts if the diagnosis is dire...  She's a delightful critter and her best buddy (same breed, about the same age) would miss her terribly (in fact, I can tell he misses her right now) so we're all hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

My $2K project is on-hold for right now... so I'm actually getting a bit of a vacation this week, which is a good thing because I don't think I've taken a single day off in months. (When you work from home, it's hard to stay away, especially when you love what you do!)  I'm de-pressurizing a bit, which feels nice.

Just because I'm out in the sticks doesn't mean I'm living rustically. This is a beautiful home and spread.  I love vaulted ceilings and skylights --  I have neither at home -- so coming out here feels almost like visiting a resort. It's very nice here.

Oddly enough, I lived just a mile from here (as the crow flies) from 1978 - 1981 and again from 1985 to 1989. I've been meaning to drive by the old place while out here, but since it's farther up the road, I haven't done it yet. And it's also 800 feet off a main road, so I would have to actually access the long driveway for no earthly legitimate reason, so that's MOSTLY why I haven't driven by.  I think the new owners tore down the chalet and built something else, so it would probably make me sad to see it now. I prefer my memories to reality in this case. Same with De and Carolyn's house. I doubt I would ever drive by to see the monstrosity that replaced it, because I loved their home so much. It was as unpretentious as could be. You can still see it, inside and out, from one of my older blogs, if you want to hunt for it.  It was within the first year of my starting this blog, I'm pretty sure...

And speaking of De and Carolyn...

I've heard back from Amie Flanagan. She sent me some of the feedback from last week's KSU Radio interview. She received over 800 comments on the show and wants to do it again sometime.  Here are two of them:

Wayne from TX writes:

Just got done listening to your interview with Kristine M. Smith! I love that show! She gave great insight into the Man behind the Hypo.


I loved her readings, especally the one about being invited to have  sit down drinks with them. That comment about finding the balance between [treating De like the Pope and coming across like] Odie. LMAO!


When Molly and I went to that convention in 2007 , if you look at all the pics of me, I have an Odie-like grin on. LOL. I was unabashedly drooling. lol


And that second reading was very , very touching about [De]speaking to her mother who was undergoing cancer treatment and about how he put on his best McCoy authority-type face and voice and told her she was going to be just fine, all the while knowing that he was terminal with cancer himself .

I have always enjoyed Mr. Kelley as an actor in TOS and the films later because he made each line he spoke feel so incredibly genuiwine and real , that even if he was working on a pointed -eared alien such as Spock , you could feel his compassion and bed side manner shine through even if with the next breath he was calling him a pointed eared hobgoblin. lol


Thank you for endevouring to get this wonderful woman on your show! i thoroughly enjoyed it! *hugs*


And PAULA from MASS writes:


Thanks for sharing. I have her first book. Besides JDL, De Forest Kelley was one of the most amazing of the Trek heroes I also had a chance to meet. I've met quite a few of the actors who played roles in Trek and I have to say that these two are the ones who stand out as the most 'real' in how they treat their fans. As important as they seem to us, they leave the impression that 'you' are as important to them, if only just a fan, but more than that they treated me like I was a person who mattered. Great interview. I need to listen again, when I'm more awake. What a lucky lady to have known him so well.


From Amie (to me) : I have about 800 of them from CA, NM, TX, TN, ME, FL, MI, KS, AK and even South Africa!

Pretty cool! I can live for a week on comments like these...

What else? Hmm...

The weather here is stellar again. We just haven't had a winter this year except for a really-cold snap early on that broke a record number of water pipes across the region. The sun is out, the sky is blue and birds and squirrels are active -- even the daffodils in our front yard are springing up. (Just the stems -- they haven't opened yet.)  We're supposed to get drenched in the next day or so, but then it's supposed to clear up again to spring-like weather.  I'm a little concerned about our forests this year, if this is all the precipitation we're going to be getting over the winter...

Guess that's about it for this time. Take care and stay tuned. 

I miss my puppies!  WAAAHHHHH!!!

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Update: Star (the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog) is going to be fine!  I get to pick her up this afternoon and bring her home!
WOO HOO!

Jesus and Me Up in the Clouds! Last Night's Dream

I had an amazing dream last night. In it, I was suddenly floating upward into the sky lying on a Kris-sized pillow -- one that was warm and supporting me from head to toe (and a little bit more on all sides) with its pristine white softness.

From the time I left the ground 'til I got about 20 feet up I was rightly concerned, thinking, "Gadzooks! Gravity has forsaken me alone and when it comes back, I am a dead duck!"

I quickly figured out that this particular "star trek" had to be a God thing, especially since I began to feel such emotional warmth and peace surrounding me. 

Still...

Being a Terran (translation: earth-dweller) I became a little concerned again as the pillow and I began to drift toward a veritable "city in the sky" of high-voltage electrical wires.  My first inclination was to "scootch down" as I approached them to be sure I didn't come into contact, but the Holy Spirit reminded me, "I brought you up here -- surely you don't believe I'm going to fry you, do you?"  

I smiled at that... and relaxed completely. Yeah. I got that. 

Not long after, what looked like a drone or a probe (I figured from NORAD) came over and buzzed around, apparently trying to figure out the strange apparition, so I got a little concerned again (since I don't look much like Santa Claus or an airliner...)

Apparently, NORAD decided I was a benign apparition and the probe went away. 

I floated around like that for the longest time, just looking down on God's green earth in its many manifestations -- oceans, lakes, mountains, streams -- before I was finally lowered lovingly to the original starting point.

Still dreaming, I was hesitant to tell anyone about my "trip," of course, figuring no one would believe it for an instant, but then Jackie came to me and said she had just had the same experience except that while she was airborne she had been "given"  (spiritually) a song. She sang it to me, sounding eerily like like Whitney Houston.  I told her, "You have to go to church with me and sing this song!  It's fantastic!" (How I wish I could remember its lyrics and melody now that I'm awake!) She looked at me dubiously, like "You and who's army is going to drag me anywhere to admit to this experience?" but I countered her frown with and furrowed brow with, "Jackie, you've been involved in a miracle. You have to share your experience!"

Of course, I knew what she was thinking: "Other people will think I'm nuts if I tell them I was floating around on a giant pillow gathering song lyrics and a melody!" because I, too, was afraid of sharing my own, equally-miraculous (but alas, less creative) "flight."

I'm guessing this dream was a message from my Lord: "I have shared so many miracles with you all your life, and you're keeping most of them to yourself. What are you afraid of?  Nothing can defeat you as long as I have your back."

So today I'm pondering ways in which I have kept miracles, blessings and spiritual visitations to myself in order not to be regarded as "looney tunes."  The list is substantial and it's pathetic.

I'm sharing the first with you now: last night's dream. How do you interpret it?  Do you have other interpretations for it that I may be missing? I sure would love to hear them, if so.

God sure has a way of getting my attention at times. It's why I became a born-again Christian eleven years ago. (No, not because of a dream -- because of an ongoing interaction with the Holy Spirit while I was 100% awake... for several days running.)

How many visitations and experiences have you had that you're keeping under wraps?  Am I the only one?  I'm thinking we ought to write an e-book and "let it all hang out."

After all, that's the primary reason we writers were selected from on high to be passionate about stringing words together:

TO PRAISE HIM!

I Haven't Been Lazy -- I've Been Swamped!

When it rains at Elance, it pours!  I'm not complaining, but it makes it hard to keep my blogs updated, that's for sure!


I just landed a $2K project copy-enhancing a website and writing a couple of email letters. I've developed two more "regulars" who use me more or less every few days and I'm writing blogs for both of them (or will be shortly). I've also done about a half dozen quick projects -- an hour or so in length -- for about $65/each. 


It looks like 2010 is the year I finally make some serious money since leaving Warner Bros. seven years ago.  It has been a helluva long haul but has been worth every last minute of the uphill battle. I'm no longer wondering if I have what it takes as a copywriter, editor, ghostwriter, tag line/slogan writer, article writer.  The feedback has all been fantastic. It is an exhilarating time for me.


This week I'll be critter-sitting again most of the week, working from someone else's computer. I'm trying to remember what I need to take. Most of the work files are resident at Elance, so I can access those, but I have a couple other clients who are independent of Elance and their stuff resides on my PC and on theirs. I have to be sure they get the latest version of whatever it is we're working on so we can continue during the week while I'm off-site...


I will miss the puppies!!!!  They have brought such joy and smiles into my life. I wasn't expecting quite the kick I get out of them, for some reason.


Oh!  The other morning (1-19-10) I awoke to the most amazing sunrise in my back yard that I have ever witnessed. I raced outside with my camera and captured almost 30 photos as the sky changed colors, as clouds moved and as silhouetted trees morphed.  They turned out so great that I contacted a professional video/print image fellow I know (a client) and sent them to him. He's going to offer some of them for sale. I don't know which ones yet, so I'm not going to give you a preview of any of them here YET -- but when he has them up, I will give you his website URL and you can go take a look. I know you're going to want one.  I mean... I was undone by the beauty of that sunrise.  I look at my slideshow of it at least once a day and remember, "I was there, witnessing it as it happened..."


They're truly one-of-a-kind photos. Wait'll you see them...

Link to Yesterday's Radio Interview on DeForest Kelley's 90th Birthday

Thanks to Amie Flanagan for providing this link to yesterday's radio interview with me.

http://ksuradio.com/2010/01/21/my-interview-with-kristine-m-smith-12010/

I'll write more later. I'm working on an Elance project that is time-sensitive right now!

In the meantime, ENJOY!

Hugs!

From Mary Doman on What Would Have Been De's 90th Birthday

In 1976, Kelley said "Isn't [it] the dream of an actor's life--of anyone's life--to do something that moves people profoundly, something that makes a difference? Star Trek made a difference. And it will again."

[Prophetic words -- Ed. Note]


Thank you, De, for giving us Doctor McCoy and his example of humanity. Thank you for your own humanity. You made a difference, both as an actor and as a human being. And we are all the better for it.

Mary


And thanks to Jackie Smithers for the link her her lovely tribute to De:

http://community.livejournal.com/dekelleyfans/30173.html

Rainy Days.. Soggy Doggy Wet Pets

It's raining. Yeah, I know: rain should come as no surprise here in the Great Pacific North-Wet.

BUT! 

It hasn't been raining much at all and, when it has, it has usually been at night, when the pups don't have to go outside to do their thing.

Now it's daytime, and it's raining, and they do.  They don't like it much. Neither does their "Mom-Dog" (that's me right now, with Jackie still hobbling around).

I built a little pen out my front door, then covered half of it. They'll ask to go out there to pee, but they won't poo in it -- not enough room to pad around and get comfortable before they let loose.

So we all have to brave the wet at least twice a day until all three do their thing.  The good thing about this is, letting them into the pen area primes the pump and gets them thinking about what they're out there to do, so if I do that first, and then let them out into the back yard, they quickly poo so I don't have to stand there for an eon while they think about what it is they're out there for. That's a perk.

I know... too much information... but hey, if you have a dog, the idea might work for you, too!

Gads, what a topic!

What a Mom! VP Joe Biden's Mother Passes AWay at 92

Read it all the way to the bottom.  You'll get a kick out of it, no matter what your political persuasion.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34752988/ns/politics-white_house/?GT1=43001

My heart and prayers go out to the Biden family.

Update

Sorry.

I've been neglecting my blogs but have a good reason: I've been very, very busy with Elance and other writing clients.  One project turned into three (so far - there will be more) and another was a biggy, plus other things have come in that needed handling (more writing, but not via Elance).

I'm not complaining.  I am thriving: ecstatic, jazzed, juiced, crazy happy!  But that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking of you and feeling at least a little bit guilty. When ya have a blog, you're supposed to keep it up!  And I will, as I can.

I'm adding to the writing blog as I find time, too (http://kristinemsmith.wordpress.com). That one has to be more professional-sounding (as does my business and book site at http://kristinemsmith.biz), so it takes longer to create an entry. Y'all are my friends, so I can kind of hang loose here...

I'm now Skype-ified, but haven't used it yet.  My first Skype interaction will be soon, though, with Amie Flanagan. I promised her the first call. We need to connect before the interview she'll be having with me about De on Jan 20th, because we're both greenhorns with Skype and have to find out how to use it and see how well we can hear each other before we go live on the air that morning. Don't forget to tune in.  It'll be from 7 AM to 8 AM on www.ksuradio.com.

I'm also going to re-record my first De book onto MP3 format real soon. The first time I tried it, it worked OK -- but there was some white noise in the background. I didn't have a good set-up.  With this new noise-canceling headset, I should be able to create a truly professional-sounding audiobook.  For those of you who bought the first audiotaped book, I'll issue you a new one (free of charge) with my compliments.  (I know who you are; you don't need to remind me.)

I know, I know.  I'm being anal. I was told by everyone who bought the audiobook that they LOVED it, that the white noise was barely discernable and that after about a minute, they forgot it was there because they got so caught up in the story.  All well and good, but... I'm a "perfeshional," dagnab it, and I want what I offer to look and/or sound good.  So you're getting a better one as soon as I've got them to give, with my thanks...

Jackie is getting around better but still is not allowed to walk on her foot, so I've been shadowing her whenever she had had serious shopping to do so I can push her cart, park the vehicle, carry the packages,etc. 

When we can find one, she gets a motorized cart at the places we go, but in most cases, they are either out of power or in use, so she has to use her "knee-high skateboard" (for lack of a better description) to get herself around. That's a drag and wears her out. But she is getting a lot stronger -- yesterday I couldn't even keep up with her at Winco, she was scooting hither and yon so fast.  (If you've ever been in a car with her.. it's like that. She scares me sometimes!) 

The puppies are doing fine. They're so freakin' cute I can hardly stand it.  I have to take a beak every hour or so just to pick 'em up and moosh their little bodies... That's probably a good thing for my health; otherwise, I'd be glued to this chair -- NOT a good thing, and I can tell it's not when I don't get up and about enough.

What else?

I'm ghostwriting for a Tony Robbins affiliate -- lots and lots. I'll be writing a blog for another client soon, and writing a PR for him, and some other stuff, too.

Tomorrow I'm going to see THE BLIND SIDE with Mary Jo, unless she's booked to do something else.  I had to cancel last week's viewing.  We'll get 'er done this weekend.

Next weekend is another session of WRITER'S EDGE at CFAN. It has been two months since the last session because of the holidays. In April I'll be teaching on self-publishing, the pros and the cons. There are more pros than cons, in my opinion, though, chief among them is you keep all rights to your stuff and if you're a first time or unknown writer you'll get peanuts from a publisher and no help publicizing. All the work except binding and perhaps editing is on you, so why get a 5% return when you can get a lot more than that by doing it yourself and keeping all rights, instead of having to give away so many of them with a traditional publisher for so little reward?  If you're good, the big publishers will find you after you've self-publsihed, and then they'll have to give you a better deal if they come to you instead of you going to them, hat in hand, as a newbie.

I say Seize the Day and hold onto what you create unless someone offers you a pretty substantial percentage of what they'll be making on the deal!

That's my sermon for the day and it belongs on the other blog... but what the hey.

Sigh! I Love Receiving Client Feedback!

A few weeks ago (did I tell you this already?) I got an email from an Elance client that rocked my world.  It was from a school teacher. I had sent him the first draft of the copy for his website.

His email read, " Kris, sorry for the delay in getting back to you; it has been a very busy day... but if I may curse for one second and say HOLY SH*T!  Wow, this stuff is great!!!"

Now, I'm accustomed to getting positive feedback from clients at Elance. You can read a lot of it on my feedback page there (http://kristinemsmith.elance.com/).

But once in a while someone pulls out all the stops -- as this gentleman did -- and rocks my world.  I placed his comment near my monitor so I can see it. It makes me smile.

Today I got another one after submitting a first draft of four pages I wrote for another client.  Even better?  You decide.  No swearing in this one... but it means the world to me!

It reads, "You are a one of a kind genius. I love it, I love it, I love it.  These writing pieces are equivalent to paintings by Da Vinci. I had an instinct about you that you've very well confirmed 100%. Excellent job." 

I can live for a month on emails like these.  I've started a little file of them. I should add some of the best ones from my feedback page at Elance, too... but it would take an hour or so and they're already documented, so I'll leave them where they are.

I love my clients. One of them is about to announce the publication and debut of her new non-fiction book. She's a Christian counselor. She'll be sending me two copies this week.  As soon as I have them in hand and get her go-ahead, I'll announce her book here and provide a link to it and to her website.  I was her Editor-in-Chief on the book and serve the same function on her forthcoming books, too.

It's an exciting time!

Radio Interview on De's Birthday (Jan 20th) with Amie Flanagan in Georgia!

On what would have been DeForest Kelley's 90th birthday -- January 20, 2010 -- I'll be a guest of Amie Flanagan on KSU Radio  (www.ksuradio.com) in Georgia. Let all your De friends know.

The radio podcast will be live from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Pacific Time (10-11:00 east coast time). It'll be available afterward, too, since it's a podcast.

Amie wrote me about three years ago to thank me for writing the first book about De (HARVEST). She lives very near where he grew up and when he passed away, she said she felt very lost until she came across my book and was finally able to "meet" the man she had so admired. She wrote me a beautiful letter about what De and my book meant to her.

Now she's a communications major and radio personality. Her program is called "Story with Amie" at her alma mater, Kennesaw State University. She has interviewed a lot of intriguing folks; read all about them at the KSU website. She also has a "Story with Amie" Facebook page, if you want to look that up and join in. Let her know you're a De fan! 

I'll be reading an excerpt or two from my first book. If you have any questions about De, writing, animals, or my books that you want her to ask me, let her or me know. There's no call-in number and no chat room, so you need to ask us soon in order to have your question answered or your comments heard during the program.

I think that's everything you need to know about the upcoming program. If not, shoot me a "comment" and let me know what I left out.  Thanks!