Disclaimer. I do not recommend anyone go out Black Friday shopping. Seriously, it's dangerous. Sorry to be the party crasher, but I heard of too many people dying over it. It ain't worth it. :) This has been your Black Friday PSA.

BUT WAIT!

Shopping on Black Friday at home is totally permissible! In fact, I advocate for it. And this sale, of literally dozens of books lasts through MONDAY!

While I cannot endorse all of these books/authors (Because I haven't read them :) I'm sure everyone can find some books they'd like to have on their shelf/kindle! And Coffee Shop Christmas is on sale for $5.00! This will be your last opportunity to get her for this price, because soon, the 2 for $10.00 bundle will be disappearing!

AND...everyone that orders between now and Dec. 20th (while supplies lasts) gets a free Coffee Cup bookmark/gift tag with their purchase! My sister Faith made them and they are soooooooooo cute! So be quick and order, because I have a limited supply!

Hop over to http://perrykirkpatrick.com/sale/ for a full list of books available and enter a giveaway! Coffee Shop Christmas and The Land of Cotton are part of a 2nd Place ebook giveaway prize! So be sure and enter! Have fun and God Bless!

Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! You may remember that I did an article like this last November. I enjoyed it so much, I decided to do it again this year! This year, I will name 10 different things I’m thankful for! Enjoy!

1. God’s protection during Hurricane Florence and Michael. These two threatened our home church and radio station, and yet we are still broadcasting! Everyone is safe and we had an amazing share-a-thon! In addition to operating costs, we were able to raise $25,000 for storm victims! God is good!

2. My new nephew. June 26th was very special for our family. It was the first time us still at home had been at the hospital while a new member of the family was coming into the world!

3. The King James Bible. God’s preserved Word for English speaking people has been such a blessing to me my whole life, but I’ve looked at it with a new appreciation this year. His Word shall stand!

4. More Radiance Blog. Oh, ladies, if you have not read this blog before, I recommend that you do! Rebekah Joy does an amazing job encouraging women of all ages (especially young ladies) in purity, waiting for the right one, modesty and Bible study. She is such a blessing. Can’t recommend her enough. www.moreradiance.com

5. My Local Library. Rediscovered the wonders of the library this year 😊 Love it!

6. My Piano Teacher. She is amazing, y’all! If you went to Gera’s wedding, she was the pianist!

7. Clean Water. We should never take this for granted. So many people go without it!

8. My Laptop. Without it, I couldn’t get post on my blog or publish my books!

9. The United States of America. Can we pause a moment to thank God that we live in the greatest nation on earth?

10. You! If it weren’t for each of my readers, I would have no reason to write!

Have a very happy Thanksgiving! Why not make a list of things you are thankful for this year? If you have a blog, share them with your readers. If not, share them with your family!

God Bless!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Hello everyone! So glad to get to spend another Friday with you! Our 10TRF series is back and I'm so excited to share with you some facts about this sometimes over looked Battle, Chickamauga! Enjoy!

1. What does it mean? The name Chickamauga is an Indian word, we all agree on that, but is it Cherokee for "Bloody River" or "River of Death" or is it Creek for "Dwelling Place of the Chiefs?" No one really knows, but the one I hear the most is Bloody River. Which leads us to...

2. Bloody Pond. According to the men who fought in this battle, the fighting was so fierce and men were so desperate for water, they dragged themselves over the Chickamauga Creek for relief. There, their blood mingled with the water and supposedly turned the creek red. Pretty scary!

3. Mother Vs. Officer. During the fighting, Confederate soldiers became so hungry, some of them raided a potato patch at a nearby farm. An officer quickly ordered them to stop, reprimanding them for stealing. Mrs. Deborah Thedford, the lady of the house intervened, saying, "Hold on, Mr. Officer. They are my potatoes and they are my boys. Let 'em take 'em." Among the raiders were her sons. Mrs. Thedford opened her home to the many wounded during the battle, among them two of her boys. She became known as the Mother of Chickamauga.

4. Costly. This was a Confederate victory, badly needed after a crushing defeat like Gettysburg, but it wasn't won without a high price. 16,170 Union soldiers were reported dead, wounded or missing/captured, 18,454 for the Confederacy. It is ranked as the second costliest battle of the Civil War second only to Gettysburg.

5. The Traitor. Gen. George "Pap" Thomas, nicknamed "The Rock of Chickamauga" following the battle, was actually from Virginia and left his home state high and dry to join the Union.

6. Old Pete to the Rescue. Chickamauga is considered a Western battle, so many may be surprised to find Gen. Longstreet, a famous Eastern theater fighter, listed among the Southern commanders of this battle. Following the Battle of Gettysburg, "Gloomy Pete" loaded his men on trains and came to the aide of Gen. Braxton Bragg in Georgia.

7. A Nod to a Hero. While Braxton Bragg is not know for being the best fighting General of the Confederacy, he was indeed a fighter and Southern hero, worthy of respect. He is one of 10 Confederates who have U.S. Army forts named after them, his namesake being Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C. What better way to honor men who served their country than with a fort?

8. Welcome to the Peach State. This was the first battle fought in Georgia. But it would not be the last.

9. On the closing day of fighting (the battle lasted from September 19th to September 20th, 1863) confusion occurred when the Confederacy attempted to encircle three Union units. A fourth federal outfit opened fire to aid their comrades in escaping (A few did, but most were captured). When Southern units turned to fire on the federals, they accidentally opened fire on a Confederate Unit coming to help them. Thankfully, things were straightened out before things got too bad.

10. Where did this happen again? If you look up the Chickamauga National Battlefield, you may be confused as to why part of the park is in Tennessee. Since the battle was fought in the Northern most corner of Georgia, fighting spilled over into Tennessee. Most of the fighting took place in Georgia though.

This battle and much more are covered in my newest book, "The Rivers of Sorrow."

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:13
King James Bible

Until Next Week,
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

Happy Veterans Day! November 11th is the day we set aside each year to remember and thank our servicemen for their service to our country, but do you know why the date is so important?

November 11th this year is the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War One. The horrors of trench warfare were over, but not soon to be forgotten. Originally known as Armistice Day, it was a date set aside to work towards World Peace (like one day was gonna do that?) since WWI was called “The War to End All Wars”. Unfortunately, this failed to stop WWII, The Cold War (which includes Korea and Vietnam), The Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Over the years, since it was quite obvious world peace was impossible, Armistice Day morphed into Veterans Day. This is something we can accomplish, thanking our Veterans and making sure they know we love and appreciate their service and sacrifice.

A few fun facts about the blog graphic: The flower is a poppy, the international flower of World War One Remembrance :_ And the Phrase "Lafayette, We are Here!" is what many American soldiers said when they arrived in France. They were referring to Gen. Marquis de Lafayette of France, who came to the Colonies to aide us in our American Revolution. Our troops were announcing when they arrived that they were here to return the favor, over a hundred years later!

If you are a Veteran, thank you for your Service!
Have a blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, the Marine Corps has been there, ever ready to defend America from any foe who dares to mess with us. Having lived near a Marine base and being a member of a church were nearly every man on the membership role has been or is a Marine, I've had quite a bit of exposure to Marine Corps culture. It's unique, like every other Military branch. For example, don't call them an ex-Marine or a former Marine, because "Once a Marine, always a Marine!"

They like to say that there are two kinds of people in the world: Marines and those who wish they were Marines. They found out this wasn't true anymore when they met me, lol! You could not pay me to go to Parris Island (MC Boot Camp in South Carolina)!

Well, instead of loading you down with tons of facts about the Corps, I decided to share a bit of flash fiction I wrote last year for a writing contest. The main character is a Marine and it showcases his relationship with his siblings...oh that I could tell you more about that! Anyway, here we go!

They say you learn from your mistakes. Not always.

Salem Springfield well knew that Becca, his sister, was a jumpy person. Very jumpy. And when startled, Becca often over reacts. Like the time when they were younger and he threw a rubber snake at her while they were working in the garden. She had screamed and thrown her hoe…barely missing Salem’s head. There were many other such incidents…far too many to list now.

Well today, they had been conveniently forgotten. He had returned earlier than expected from deployment and was finally going to get to do a surprise homecoming to his parents and siblings. After doing a little reconnaissance, he found out from a neighbor that everyone was home, except Becca and their younger brother Jason. They had run to the store for some ice cream and should be just about home.

It was getting late when Salem ducked behind their family’s small outbuilding. He saw headlights and watched at Becca pulled her dark green Volkswagen Bug into the driveway. He grinned. It was time.

He snuck around behind her car as Jason stepped out, holding the cartons of ice cream. “I hope we got the right kind of Butter Pecan,” Jason said. “You know how particular Tim is about his ice cream.”

Becca, who was still sitting in the driver’s seat, putting her keys away and impromptu cleaning out her purse in the process, laughed and continued rifling through the pockets. “I think I got the right kind…Jason, where’s my cell phone?”

“In the cup holder where you put it earlier,” Jason called, closing his door and heading for the house.

“Thanks,” Becca laughed, unplugging the device and putting it in its proper place. Salem noticed she was carrying the purse he had gotten her for her twentieth birthday. It was a patchwork style purse, featuring four different kinds of military camo, since they had family in each of those branches.

Finally, Becca stood and closed the car door, dug through her purse to get her keys back out, locked the door and replaced the keys. She was so predictable. She placed her purse on her right shoulder and headed for the house.

Salem made his move. He silently came up behind her and touched her arm, saying, “Hey, Becca!”

It all happened so fast, Salem was completely caught off guard. Becca screamed at the top of her lungs, whirled around and sprayed Salem in the face with her infamous can of Pepper spray…the one thing Salem had forgotten about her routine. She always carried it with her.

“Oh, my eyes!” Salem gasped, tripping backwards to the ground as Becca continued to scream. Jason came barreling out of the house with Tim, Randy and Dad on his heels. Every house light in the base housing neighborhood came on, or so it seemed.

“You just stay right there!” Randy, the oldest of the Springfield boys, ordered.

“Randy, it’s me!” Salem choked, fighting the urge to rub his eyes. That would only make the situation worse.

“Salem?” Tim shouted. “What are you trying to do? Get yourself killed?” he added, shoving his pistol back into his pocket.

Becca turned as reality sunk in. “Oh, Salem! I’m so sorry!”

Mom joined her family and when she saw, aided by Jason’s flashlight, Randy helping Salem up, she immediately took control of the situation. “Get him to the kitchen sink!”

“Is everything alright?”

Dad turned and saw their neighbor MSGT. Williams shouting from his porch. With a smirk, Dad called back, “It’s all good. Just a surprise homecoming.”

Williams laughed. “Sounded more like a cat fight!”

“When pepper spray’s involved, that’s about right,” Dad replied.

“Oh no! You’ve got to tell me about this tomorrow, Doc!”

“Will do.”

Meanwhile inside, Salem was holding his head over the sink while his mother sprayed cold water in his eyes from the sink hose.

Rachel and Mary hurried down the stairs. “What happened?” Mary asked in alarm, observing what looked like a drowning in process.

“Salem’s home,” was all Jason could manage. Mary stared at her older brothers gathered around the sink. She looked at Rachel, then Becca, who explained what had happened.

“That was real bright,” Rachel snickered, patting her younger brother on the shoulder.  

Salem wrinkled his nose at her. “Who’s bright idea was it to give Becca Pepper spray?” Salem defended, drying his eyes.

Randy grinned. “Yours, remember, Jarhead? You better be glad she wasn’t carrying her Navy SEAL knife Dad bought last week!”

“You beat all, Salem,” Tim said, laughing at his brother’s red eyes, still watering from the ordeal.

“Salem, I am so sorry,” Becca lamented, her voice quite pitiful. “You really startled me! I shouldn’t be on such a hair-trigger.”

Salem shook his head and gave his younger sister a side hug. “You did exactly what you should have done in that situation. You had no reason to think it was me and not some lunatic.”

“Uh, that’s debatable,” Dad said with a chuckle. “Seems like she was dealing with a lunatic!” Everyone laughed.

“The mighty Marine taken down by a civilian girl!” Randy teased.

Mom smiled and hugged Salem tightly. “Welcome home, son! It’s so good to have you back!”

“Thanks! I was wondering if that part of my presence had been forgotten!” Salem said, hugging her back.

Welcomes and hugs were exchanged by the family, their ice cream snack turning into a welcome home celebration. Salem smiled. It was so good to be home with his family.

Dear Lord, he prayed silently, thank You for our family. Thank You for letting us get back together, all safe and sound. Please protect us in the days ahead and guide us through whatever You may choose to bring our way…and help me learn from my mistakes!...

Copyright© 2017 Ryana Lynn Miller

Ahh, the Springfield family...one of dozens of story ideas that I have :) A few things have changed in my planning for this story, but the gist is the same. And the relationship between Salem and Becca is just so adorable...I so have to write this story so someday y'all can see just how close these two are!

Anyways, happy Marine Corps Day! Hope you enjoyed this somewhat random post, lol!
Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22