My Favorite Quote by Lynn Lovegreen

 Note: This month, many of us are re-posting our favorite blog posts. This originally ran in Romancing the Genres in 2022.

There are so many great quotes out there. You can find inspiring quotes about love, life, books, writing, you name it! It was hard to pick my all-time favorite, but one kept coming up for me:

 

 

I saw it first in a “cryptoquote” puzzle in the newspaper years ago, and it hit a nerve with me. I cut it out and stuck it on a window frame where I could see it often. A couple moves later, it’s on a shelf in my current guest room/study.

 

It’s one of those quotes that has different interpretations depending how you look at it. At first, I was thinking of sweet, simple things like wildflowers and sunsets. Later, I included acts like reading a good book and sipping a cup of tea. As I get older, those sweet, simple things also include time with loved ones.

 

Especially after the last few years, I value everyday moments with my husband. A cup of tea with a friend is special. Sharing a meal with my daughter and her family are precious. No huge expense or effort is needed. Laura was right. It really is the “sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones….”

 

What are the real things in your life?

 

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

 

The Power of Unity by Sarah McDermed

My favorite quote is on the Great Seal of the United States, adopted in 1782:  "E pluribus unum", Latin for "Out of many, one". The founding fathers understood the power of Unity. They knew unity is essential for a democracy to survive.

I believe that, at this stage in humanity's development, world unity is needed for humanity to survive. Existential threats like pollution, pandemics and climate change (to name but a few) require shared ideas and shared resources to resolve, as well as worldwide cooperation for implementation. Creating a safe, peaceful, abundant life for all is within our grasp if we harness the power of unity.

I believe this is the next step we are working toward in our social evolution. 

We, the human race, must value our differences and embrace our commonalities to solve problems. When we realize how much we are alike, we can love one another and work together. As the great psychologist Carl Jung put it, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." 

One country can't solve world hunger. All countries, working together toward a common goal, can.

Words to live by....

 This month's topic - our favorite quote(s) is perfect for me!! I have one I use and think about almost daily - no kidding.

The amazeballs Maya Angelou once said: 

How true are these words?

I know they are for me - and because of that I always try to treat others with respect and kindness, even if it isn't being shown to me. You never know why someone is acting the way they are: maybe they are having a bad day, or someone they love is in the hospital and they're worried. Maybe someone died recently and they are grieving. Maybe they can't pay their rent and are looking at eviction.

You simply don't know what is happening to the people you come in contact with every day, so that's why it's so important to make people- strangers and everyone else - FEEL comfortable, special, and loved.

My mother always told me to put myself in someone else's shoes. If someone was rude to me, how did that make me feel? If someone made me feel less than, how would that affect me? When you can consider the other person's feelings as your own, you treat people the way you want to be treated.

Words to live by, every single day.

My favorite quote by Lynn Lovegreen

 There are so many great quotes out there. You can find inspiring quotes about love, life, books, writing, you name it! It was hard to pick my all-time favorite, but one kept coming back to me:

I saw it first in a “cryptoquote” puzzle in the newspaper years ago, and it hit a nerve with me. I cut it out and stuck it on a window frame where I could see it often. A couple moves later, it’s on a shelf in my current guest room/study.

 

It’s one of those quotes that has different interpretations depending how you look at it. At first, I was thinking of sweet, simple things like wildflowers and sunsets. Later, I included acts like reading a good book and sipping a cup of tea. As I get older, those sweet, simple things also include time with loved ones.

 

Especially after the last few years, I value everyday moments with my husband. A cup of tea with a friend is special. Sharing a meal with my daughter and her family are precious. No huge expense or effort is needed. Laura was right. It really is the “sweet, simple things in life which are the real ones….”

 

What are the real things in your life?

 

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

 

Words I Aspire To by Paty Jager

This month is about quotes. I only have a few that have inspired me and that I try to live up to. 

"If your dreams don't scare you, they're too small."  Richard Branson

I write stories about Indigenous characters and try to show their culture and values to my readers. I have admired Native Americans for many years and want to share the injustices they have suffered and how they have strived to fit in while also keeping their heritage and in many cases, proving they own this land and it will not be taken from it. 

In writing these stories, because I am not indigenous, I don't always understand everything I need to, but I reach out and try to find people who can instruct me. 

"If you don't risk anything, you risk even more." Erica Jong

Years ago, while taking an adult ed class from COCC (Central Oregon Community College) on writing, the instructor said, "If you don't believe in your writing, no one else will." I took her quote and lived by it. When other writers were talking about using a pen name, and why, I decided what I wrote should have my name on it. And so, I go by my real name. I also knew when I had a good story and when one needed more work. I strive to make sure the stories/books I put out are the best I can write. I also believed that if I didn't share the stories with agents and editors, I would never get published and if I didn't share with other writers, I would never learn how to write better. 

My own personal quote-

"You can't change the past. But you can change the future-- work toward that goal."

Everyone has things in their past that they wish hadn't happened. But you can't change them. You can only use those bad things to make sure you don't make the same mistakes, or you aren't put in the same situation. Every day I am thankful to be the age I am. We lost my mother at the young age of 54 to cancer. Each year that goes by and I am older than 54, I know I am blessed. There are other darker things that have happened to me that I don't dwell on. I just write stories about injustice and give my characters closure and justice. I move forward, thankful for my family, my friends, and my fans who keep me motivated to keep writing and staying sane. 

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 50+ novels, 8 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

Blog / Website /  Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest   / Bookbub

/ Instagram / TikTok / Findaway Voices