After a week of visiting one another’s blogs, the blog hop of John 3:16 networked authors has ended. Thanks to all of you who stopped by to say hi. What a fun experience I had visiting other authors’ Web sites and blogs. The winner of a free copy of BlessBack….is Anatasia Watson. Anatasia, congratulations and I hope you enjoy the book!
Read MoreI am a member of a network of published authors. This week, from May 7 to May 14, this network of authors have come together and created a blog hop. What is a blog hop? This particular blog hop is designed to showcase the books written by our network of published authors. It is also designed to give you, our readers, a chance to win some great prizes as you “hop” (i.e., visit) from blog to blog. A Chance to Win a Free Kindle. A different prize is offered at each blog site (no purchase necessary). To register for a…
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“There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.” — Celia Thaxter, Notes from a traveler afar Recently a recruiter gave a friend of mine a battery of tests to assess, using just one word, both the essence of her personality and her career. The recruiter defined her as “sparkplug.” The recruiter could not have assessed her better. My self-starter is great at contract work and helping companies find out what they are good at. She ignites passion in people and “sparks” them to start – and complete -their projects. She’s made a lot of companies a lot of money. As…
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Gratitude can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. ― Melody Beattie BlessBack Dinner, part 2: Hosting a Gratitude Meal On April 10, I shared ideas for you to thank your life influencers by taking them out to dinner. For this post, let’s talk about ways to host a BlessBack dinner in your home. Hosting a BlessBack dinner might sound fun and it is. I know some of you will want to unleash your creativity as you plan. For those of you on Pinterest, I have created…
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So, you’d like to host a BlessBack Dinner. While some of you have shared your BlessBack stories with me, others have expressed an interest in wanting to thank your life influencers over a meal. This is a wonderful idea and your life influencer will be forever grateful. Here are three possible options for you to consider: 1. Take your honoree out to a restaurant for dinner. 2. Invite your honoree to your home for dinner. 3. Find two or three of your friends and plan a BlessBack meal with each of you inviting your BlessBack honorees to the meal. For…
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Spring has come early to Minnesota this year. This week’s temperatures reached 80 degrees for the First. Time. Ever. We even beat Phoenix’s high of 50. “Ice out” on Lake Minnetonka happened mid-week, beating all records as far back as anyone can remember. As for spring break, there is no need to go south. We already have a good start on our tans and D, the sunshine vitamin, is well on its way to replenishing our souls. Plants I overwintered are now on my deck. My cleaned windows squeak with joy. And my porch ― always a sign that spring has…
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My nephew, Mike Trewartha, has created a downloadable phone app for BlessBack. More than 125 quotes, one for each day, to help you live the BlessBack Life. It’s free and yours for the taking. Each day, you can check into Daily BlessBack for your inspirational quote — or revisit past quotes. This app is a supplement to the book BlessBack®: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life, written by me, Julie Saffrin. It provides inspirational quotes on a daily basis, so check back every day for the new day’s quote! Download this free phone app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.viraltek.blessback
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Booksigning Event Come join us Saturday, March 31, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Bloomington Drug & Gift! Bloomington Drug & Gift is hosting a booksigning event for former Kennedy graduate, Julie Saffrin, author of BlessBack: Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life. Bloomington Drug & Gift is conveniently located on the southeast corner of 98th and Lyndale Ave. S. at 509 W. 98th Street, next to Festival Foods. For more information about this event, please call the store’s manager, Lynn Johnson, (952) 884-7538. Hope to see you there! BlessBack makes a perfect gift and is a great discussion book for…
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Have you ever wondered why fish school and quickly shift all together in another direction? The last week of February 2012 found me experiencing this year’s Leap Day in the Florida Keys. Yes, it was splendid. Our base was a rented home in Marathon. For four days we rented a Boston Whaler-looking boat and proceeded nine miles into the Gulf of Mexico and anchored around a sunken boat where fish were known to school. To lure the fish, my husband Rick put out what is called “chum.” We waited and soon little fish called pinfish came for the chum. They…
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Not long ago, I had a doctor’s appointment. Turns out it was in the building where I had my first real job. As I climbed the stairs to the office and turned the corner, memory’s eyes tricked me. Where was Brenda the receptionist, talking to clients and directing phone calls? I continued down the hall. The claims department, which housed so many of the claim examiners whose letters I transcribed, had been replaced with doors to medical offices. When I reached the end of the hallway and opened the door to where I had an appointment, I realized I was…
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