Tag Archives: A Rocky Start

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Living in Bluesky

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“The Bluesky Chamber of Commerce brochure boasts 273 sunny days each year. Nestled in the central mountains of Arizona, Bluesky has the ideal climate. Residents enjoy temperatures ten to twenty degrees cooler than the desert cities and four picture-perfect seasons. Even on rainy days, the clouds are not able to hold on for long but are soon pushed out of sight by the bluest blue sky imaginable. Yes, there are snowy days in the winter, but by three in the afternoon, the snow seems to have vaporized into thin air, without even a trace of mud to indicate the ground had once been covered with a powdery blanket of white.” (From Seven is a Perfect Number)

It may seem that Bluesky is too good to be true, but actually that is a fairly accurate description of the climate here in Chino Valley, Arizona.  When people who have never been here think of Arizona, they often picture a vast desert with saguaro cactus and rattle snakes. In fact our state has much more than that to offer. Here in the central mountains, we have tall ponderosa pines, grasslands, and chaparral.

Bluesky is actually based on Prescott Valley, Arizona of the 1980s. When we moved there in 1983, it was a very small town with just a few thousand residents. Nearly everyone lived on a dirt road and our mail was general delivery.  My son, who was twelve at the time, was in heaven. He roamed far and wide, discovering Lynx Creek and an old house that he called “the castle.”

Most travelers hurried through Prescott Valley on their way to Prescott. One landmark they would have seen was a boat house, a strange sight on the prairie.  A popular place was the Jack Ass Bar. Prescott Valley was originally named “Jack Ass Acres,” because of the wild burros that roamed there at one time. When we moved to Prescott Valley, pronghorn antelope shared the grasses in the middle of town with the Fain’s cattle.

Bluesky is a more developed version of Prescott Valley. The streets are paved and there are sidewalks. The pond that was at the end of our street became Holiday Lake in the Handy Helper books. Michael, my son, spent much of his time at that pond, collecting specimens and bringing them home. His sister’s splash pool was filled with dirty water and held his collection.

While the Handy Helpers could live in any town in America, I’m glad they live in Bluesky. The people there look out for one another. The Handy Helpers are welcomed and encouraged to pitch in and do their part.

I named the town Bluesky in honor of the splendid backdrop God paints for us every day here in the central highlands. But there is more. I like to think of blue sky as a metaphor for second chances. It reminds me of a slate being wiped clean so that we can start over. In A Rocky Start, Amber tells Spike, “. . . forgiveness is a gift that is freely given, not because we deserve it. But to accept forgiveness,  we have to forgive ourselves first.” That’s what blue sky means to me. We all make mistakes and come up short, but we have to forgive ourselves and start over.

The Handy Helper series is available on   amazon.

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Meet the Snyders

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Handy Helpers Books are available at amazon

Amber

 

Amber Nicole Snyder is the main character in the first Handy Helper book, A Rocky Start. In fact the entire story is told from her point of view.

Amber is a fourth-grader at Bluesky Elementary School. She just turned ten on March 22.  For her birthday, she received art supplies because she likes to draw. She loves hamburgers and hates spinach–or so she thinks.

There are four members of the Snyder family–John and Mary, the parents; Kyle, the big brother; and of course Amber. John and Mary met when they were in college. Both of them were working at a summer camp for kids with disabilities in Pinetop, Arizona. After college, John moved to Phoenix and they were married. Mary loved living in Phoenix, but John hated it. He missed the cool weather and being outdoors. After Kyle was born, the family moved to Flagstaff, but Mary hated the harsh winters. When John had a chance to become the manager of the Discount Mart in Bluesky, he moved his family there. Like the story of the three bears, Bluesky was just right.

Amber was a bald-headed baby and her father said she looked like Uncle Fred. Amber is now a lovely young lady with thick bronze-colored hair and big brown eyes, but her dad continues to call her Fred.

Kyle is the perfect big brother, which in Amber’s opinion is not a good thing. He’s great at everything–school work, baseball, and playing the guitar. Amber struggles because she has attention deficit disorder, or ADHD. Kyle says it stands for “Amber’s dramas happen daily.” From forgetting to take out the garbage to losing her homework, Amber seems to have lots of dramas. Although she has a very loving and supportive family, they can be somewhat overbearing. For example, Kyle checks Amber’s homework even when she doesn’t need him to.

Judging from the Snyder backyard, Amber isn’t the only one with attention problems. All the members of the Snyder family seem to start projects that they don’t finish. But they do spend time on activities that are important. There are game nights on Fridays, football games in the park, and family bike rides. John and Mary are a very loving couple who hold hands as they walk to church and watch romantic movies together.

The Snyders have a  black Lab puppy named Domino. He manages to cause his share of trouble as well. Amber wanted a Lab because she read they can be hyperactive. She thought their new dog would have something in common with her.

There is a strong mother-daughter bond between Mary and Amber. They enjoy being together, cooking, shopping and going on walks. But Mary does hold Amber accountable for her own behavior. There are consequences when she does something wrong. Mary calls it “Paying your dues for your don’ts.” Amber’s relationship with her father is more laid back. He tells her, “You worry too much.” But when Amber’s impulsiveness lands her in trouble, it is her father who helps her find the answer. He is a steady supportive force in her life.

Sometimes I think of the Snyders as my neighbors. I have enjoyed getting to know them. I hope you will too.

 

 

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The miracle of the lost diamond

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Scan_20140903Jesus told several parables about the extent someone would go to in order to find something of great value. In each case, once the lost item was recovered, the owner called together friends and family to celebrate. I can relate to this in a very real way.

It was 1981 and my husband Craig and I were at the Jaycee National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. We had attended the week-long convention which culminated in a parade through the streets of downtown Cleveland. We would be driving our new Audi in the parade. Since it had a sunroof, it was decided that the Arizona Jaycee president and his wife would sit on the roof of our car with their feet in the opening of the sun roof. This arrangement upset me greatly and I made it obvious that as the president of the Arizona Jaycee Women I thought I should be riding on the top of the car instead of inside.

I continued to pout and otherwise act like a spoiled child as I got into the car to start the parade. As I sat down in the passenger seat, my husband gasped, “Oh my gosh, your ring!” I looked down at my left hand to see a gaping hole where my diamond should have been. Now instead of being upset about my position in the parade, I could think of nothing else but the missing diamond.

To make matters worse, we had left our children with Craig’s grandparents in Kent. While we were visiting there, his grandmother showed me a diamond she had found and told me how important it was to have your set checked regularly. I had shrugged this off as something I didn’t have time for. Now I was faced with returning to Kent and admitting I had lost my diamond. Shame piled upon shame filled my heart and mind.

As the parade came to an end, I vowed to search every inch of downtown Cleveland until I found the diamond. Obviously this was an impossible task as I had no idea when or where I had lost it. Finding a needle in a haystack would have been an easier task. At least the search would be limited to the haystack.

Craig and I returned to the spot on the street where we had lined up for the parade. Both sides of the street were cluttered with trash. I looked at Craig and said, “It’s hopeless. Even if it’s here I’ll never find it.” Just as I was ready to give up, we looked across the street to where I had stood visiting some friends before the parade began. Craig and I noticed a tiny glint in the pavement under some litter. Certain it couldn’t possibly be the diamond, we raced across the street anyway. I’m not sure how much light a half-carat diamond can reflect, but it was enough. I bent down and brushed away the trash. There in the dirt-filled street lay my diamond.

Just as in the parable, I spent the rest of my time in Cleveland telling everyone I saw about my miracle experience. In the Handy Helpers book, A Rocky Start, Amber’s dad tells her that God’s mercy is what we need most when we deserve it the least. Certainly, there was nothing in my behavior that day that warranted any mercy but I received it anyway–proof that God responds to our needs even when we’re too self-absorbed to ask.