LESSONS LEARNED? #giveaways

By Caroline Clemmons

Our theme at Romance Gems for this month is Life Lessons. Most of us have so many life lessons we’ve learned in our lifetime that choosing one is difficult. Here are several I’ve learned:

While there are a few villains lurking, most of those we meet are good, dependable people. My husband (Hero) and I were driving through a depressed area (bad part of town) when we had a flat. Hero pulled over and got out to change the tire. We don’t think of ourselves as old, but we are not spring chickens. A young man pulled up and got out to help us. He was a bit scary in his wife-beater shirt and the appearance of a gang member. I’m embarrassed to admit that at first I wondered if he was going to rob us. Instead, he insisted on changing the tire. My husband was relieved (he has Parkinson’s and his strength is not what it used to be). Hero offered the young man cash for his help but the Good Samaritan wouldn’t accept. He said his mother would never forgive him if he had not stopped to help us.

Never say never to your children. When our eldest daughter was preparing to go to grad school a couple of hundred miles away, she went there to look for an apartment. Her sister accompanied her. I had assured our eldest that she would not be able to find an apartment with a dishwasher and a second bedroom for her office for the amount of rent she could afford to pay. When she returned smiling, she had found a two-bedroom duplex with nice size rooms, on a cul de sac, fenced back yard, and a kitchen that included a dishwasher and nice refrigerator. It turned out to be a perfect place for her. Her sister confided that the other places they checked were dumps and this was the last stop on their list. Our eldest is not a fan of shopping for anything. Her sister said she was afraid whatever the last place looked like, her sister would take it because she was tired of looking. Thank goodness the search worked out well.

Under the same life lesson, I’m reminded of when my parents and I moved back to Texas when I was a few months shy of eight-years-old. I was obsessed with Roy Rogers and cowboys—actually, I still am. I was disappointed when we settled in a cotton farming community. When we took a trip through ranching country to visit my grandmother, I was certain we’d finally see cowboys riding the range. My dad told me that was only in movies and never in real life. About halfway to Grandmother’s we passed a group of cowboys on horses rounding up cattle. I was beyond excited. Poor Dad was stuck having an exuberant kid chattering in the back seat for the rest of the trip.  

A difficult lesson for me (and I'm still struggling with this one) was learning not to compare myself to other writers. Of course we write because we want to, but in addition most of us are consumed with making good royalties. When I hear that so and so is making a million or more a year, I sigh. Of course I would love to make that amount! Who wouldn't? But, that writer’s path is not the same as mine (obviously). I am supposed to be in competition with myself but not with other writers. This is something about which I must remind myself frequently.

As years have passed, I’ve learned that material things are not as important as I’d once thought. When we downsized six years ago, we had to part with many possessions I hated to lose. Still, I have more than I need. Having a fancy car or a large house is nice, true, but family and friends are the things in life that are really important.

Priorities have changed as I’ve grown older. Recently I realized that I don’t have to impress anyone. Of course I want my family to be proud of me but they take me as I am. You could say I’ve mellowed. If people see me without makeup and in sweats, that's all right. I'm the same person no matter what I'm wearing.  

Life Lessons 101

I'm always amazed at those who say if they had it all to do over they wouldn’t change a thing. What? Didn’t they learn anything? I’ve made a lot of mistakes and have learned too many life lessons to list. I hope I’ve learned from each mistake, even though I can’t change anything about the past. Learning from our mistakes helps us now and in the future.


I'm offering one of my e-books, winner's choice from my list on Amazon at my Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/ 

As I mentioned above, our theme for November is Life Lessons. Comment below to share one of your life lessons with others.

Don’t forget to enter our Rafflecopter drawing to win an Amazon gift card!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/21df08a231 

Tell your friends about our blog and our great prizes!

My last words are to remind you of my two new releases. MELODY, Angel Creek Christmas Brides book 7 at the universal Amazon link http://mybook.to/Melody  Each of the books in this series is stand-alone but why wouldn't you want to read each one? I'm honored to be included with this great line-up of authors. There were five brides last year and six this year. Mine is a bit differnt than I usually write. Fans have told me they love this book! MELODY is also in KU.

The box set CHRISTMAS WISHES, Where Wishes Do Come True, is set in Hopeful, Colorado. Available at your e-book vendor for only 99 cents, the tiny price is for all new stories by 15 authors! My story in this group is WINTER WISH and it's the first one in the set. The Amazon link is https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Wishes-Where-wishes-come-ebook/dp/B07XXJPMW9/