Fabulous Friday Feature-Ruth Logan Herne

Today I welcome one of the funniest, sweetest 
and generous people I know: Ruth Logan Herne. 

Enter to win an autographed copy of Ruth Logan Herne's book: 
A Family to Cherish

I didn't know what I was getting in to when I met Ruth Logan Herne at ACFW. From the first moment I said hi, she cracked a joke. She is a person who can make you smile and yet see how rich one can be with Christ. Need proof? Read her answer to my weekly question: How has God led you on your writing journey:

Take it away Ruthy-

Mary Vee, thank you so much for inviting me over today! I brought coffee… and an old-fashioned “Angel Pie” from a garden club cookbook I found at an antique co-op… 

Let me just quietly take full and substantiated credit for the lemon filling aspect of the pie, although the rest of it was stolen (according to Mrs. Robert Grosjean of Katonah, NY, now deceased) from a Norwegian cook. (Just picture this rich lady cornering the cook and demanding the recipe… was the cook a man? A woman? Did she threaten him/her????? Inquiring minds want to know!)

It seems even high society matrons nip a recipe now and again!

I was so excited to be coming by until I saw you invited a whole host of other people FIRST, including but not limited to Mary Connealy and Julie Lessman and I thought “Pshaw…. “ but I do like them, MOSTLY, so I’m okay with being like 134^th on your list of fun folks.

(sighs….sips coffee….)

(Not so, Ruthy:)  the coffee is delicious, BTW)

God's Timing

When I asked Ruthy to
send a fun photo, she
sent this pic with this note:
"Derek's about as fun as it gets"
Way to go Ruthie:)

I love talking “journeys”, but the first thing I would say is that God gives us the power to create our own path no matter where our journey begins. 

My little urchins (I watch a small herd of diaper-clad local monsters with chronically runny noses)  love Candyland, but you never know when the turn of a card might send you back to the rainbow bridge or the peanut brittle swamp!!! And that’s life, isn’t it, the whole fly on the wheel, sometimes up… often down…

My life began in poverty, but I refuse to dwell there or revisit often. When God handed out opportunities, I clung to them. When he put gentle folk in my path, I accepted their wisdom. When he sent me six amazing children, I realized my first job was to them…. And I put my writing on hold until they were raised. 

I tried writing a few times, but first there were those children…Who knew they’d be so stinkin’ demanding???

And then we fell on tough financial times that meant I needed a second job (and sometimes a third) to make ends meet. But always in the back of my head was the knowledge of what God planned for me: to be a writer, an author. 

And with each new hairnet –nametag-job, I gained insight into businesses, restaurants, the wedding industry, private schools, industrial and commercial baking, sales, special education, raising youngsters to reach for the stars. Every one of those jobs was the baseline for research I use in my stories today.

My mother was a brilliant woman, a shining light of intelligence, but she also bore the strain of depression and addiction. I never knew her sober until I was in my thirties. She attempted suicide several times, and spent months locked in a small, dark upstairs room during my adolescence.

I didn’t get to know the pure light within her until I had a houseful of children of my own, but I see that later time with her as a blessing. She was funny, bright, and delightful (with no small bit of drama) and her writing talent made mine look minimal by comparison, but… and this is a huge BUT… she allowed the darkness to enter and then take over her life.

God lays out choices. 

He offers us paths. We might choose the one less taken or the one well-trod, and that’s not the point. It’s what we do on that path, the hands we touch, the faces we wash, the hugs we give and receive that make the difference.

I won’t argue with folks who say “works” aren’t important. In my life, those “works” were crucial, path-bending, Heart-forging. 

I’m a believer in letting Christ’s light shine through smiling eyes and a good handshake. Some might call my faith simple, but that’s the highest praise. Like someone saying your book made them CRY. Simple faith. The faith of a child, freely given, unexplained. That’s my kind of club!

At one point (after receiving WAY MORE REJECTIONS THAN JULIE LESSMAN EVER THOUGHT OF RECEIVING!!!!) one of my sons asked why I didn’t talk about my writing anymore. I said, “I can see that my rejections make you guys sad, and I don’t want to disappoint you.”

To which he said, “The only thing that would disappoint me is if you quit.”

That made me smile, because he’d thrown my own words back at me. And now with nine books out, five more contracted, eleven grandchildren, and  a husband who still puts up with me after decades of marriage, I see God’s work coming to fruition. 

Way back when Sr. Mariel and Mrs. Bagley told me I had what it takes to be an author, I knew they were seeding a pot that might not grow for years and years, but that given God’s time and my effort, the seed would flourish.

And I couldn’t be happier! (Well, except when I’m making fun of folks. Nicely, of course!)

To enter the contest for an autographed copy of Ruth Logan Herne's book, leave a comment and become a follower of this site if you aren't already. Include email address in your comment. U.S. residents only. Winner announced next week.

Thank you, Ruth Logan Herne for Joining us This Weekend!

Reader, I am touched by Ruth's testimony, as you probably are. She mentioned some ways to let Christ's light shine, handshake, smiling eyes, etc.? What other ways can you let Christ's light shine?

You can find Ruthy hanging out at these sites: Ruthy's Place, Seekerville, Yankee-Belle Cafe, Facebook, Twitter