Getting Closer -- Really!

I'm way overdue in posting an update on my progress, but I AM making progress, although one baby step at a time. Again, LIFE has taken on a life of its own and has made demands on my time which I hadn't envisioned. My mother-in-law returned from her home in Alabama to stay with us over a long weekend, and due to her condition, I took a day off from work to care for her. Of course, I planned to get some writing done on that day, but it was a rather cool, pleasant day, and Mom wanted to sit outside on the deck, so she did, and I worked in my flower gardens that surrounded her. One thing led to another, and I pretty much spent the entire day working outside and then spent the entire evening, after dinner, sorting through mail, filing paid invoices, and paying bills. On Tuesday, Mom went to her daughter's home to stay with her as the search continues for a place where she can get the assisted living she needs which will be covered by her insurance. And one of my step-daughters is graduating tomorrow - Saturday - with a Master's Degree, and we are hosting a dinner for the extended family in honor of her, so preparations for that have been on-going during the evenings this week. As I said, LIFE has a life of its own!
But the writing has continued during my lunch hours when I sit in my car and type away. I've made progress and am at a point in the story that I find uplifting, full of life and hope for the future. It's Christmas time in my story, and Amanda's time is winding down. I'm hopeful that my writing will progress more quickly next week as things will not be as busy, so as I work my way past Christmas toward the end of this story (does a story ever have an ending?), I pray for perseverance to endure, set aside the time needed to complete the task, and pray for God's blessings on the result.
There is a couple at my church which has been reading the chapters as I write them, and Martha tells me that she can't wait for the next chapters because when she gets new ones, she can hardly put them down. That encourages me to continue, and it's not that I need encouragement because I love to write, but it encourages me to be persistent in getting the task accomplished in a timely manner.
In case you didn't know, I'm a gardener, and I feel as if I've had the privilege of watching a tightly-packed rose bud slowly open in the sun, freeing the petals to dance and releasing its fragrance on the wind, which is sweetly intoxicating, wondrous to the sense of smell -- a gift from God. I'm constantly amazed at the way God leads me in my writing, so even I sometimes don't know what I'll write when I pull out my laptop. Amanda doesn't know something either, but she's trusting that God will lead her each step of the way as . . . . Well, I don't want to give the story away! May God bless your week!