From author Tammy Lash, the anticipated sequel to White Wolf and the Ash Princess. Letters from the Dragon’s Son is here!
Letters is an emotionally driven story of love, loss, and forgiveness. Jonathan’s journey to his father is raw, heartbreaking, and honest. Avery’s transformation from dragon to father is beautiful and inspiring. Letters is the loyalty of family, of blood or friendship, and the One who ordained it all. Letters from the Dragon’s Son is a compelling read that offers hope and healing to the wounded soul.
Now Tammy Lash is here to share a guest post about Finding Joy in a Handicap!
What I learned while writing Eagle Eyes
I can’t remember a time without glasses.
I got my first pair when I was in fourth grade. I remember my mom and a lady in a white coat hoking out frames and asking which one I liked the best. Strangers made me nervous. I’m sure I had one of my stomach aches and was too afraid to share my opinion beyond a nod or a point. Over the years, it’s gotten easier for me to choose a pair of frames. I discovered it’s possible to use my voice and have a stomachache at the same time—and it helps that I don’t have to move beyond the beefy, plastic section. My options have shrunk with my ever-thickening lenses.
White Wolf and the Ash Princess did quite the number on my weak eyes. There’s a lot of computer work that comes with publish9ing a book. Within the past year, I have seen both my ophthalmologist and optometrist more times than I care to count. Double vision, smeared vision, tired eyes, and migraine headaches are side effects from spending hours on the laptop. That’s my diagnosis, anyway. The three different doctors I saw didn’t say much when I asked them what was going on. They just prescribed lenses, shrugged, and shoved me off to the lady in the white coat to get my bill.
What the doctors do know is that I’m not going blind. They told me that only because I asked. I’m pretty sure I asked the question at every appointment since that first visit when I was ten. That still doesn’t quench my fear. I saw what happened to Mary on Little House on the Prairie. Remember that two-part episode when Mary’s pretty blue eyes go dark? Yeah, unfortunately, I can forget about it either.
Changes. How do we deal with them? To find out, I wrote Eagle Eyes. I saw the solution wasn’t a suggestion. It was a command.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
I’ve been practicing and failing at this for months. God knows how difficult this is. That’s why He repeats this in Philippians 4:4 to encourage us to try and try again:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice.”
Finding joy in difficult circumstances is never easy to do. Jeremy discovered that it takes practice. Sometimes, it takes years. Oftentimes, it’s a lifetime struggle. Don’t five up when you fail. Keep up the fight.
Practice joy with me, dear reader. Remember we are a people with hope. Romans 10:13 reassures us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. We can rejoice in that fact alone that we will be free from our fragile bodies someday. The lame will be made to walk again, and the blind will see. Our bodies will be perfect in the way that He intended before sin.
I’m dreading my next eye appointment. I know what’s going to happen. After my exam, the lady in the white coat will lead me to the “chubby” section. I’ll be tempted to moan an internal why when I walk out of the clinic with a heavier set of glasses on my nose. I’ll have to put to practice the verses He wants me to remember. I will not despair. I will not fret. I’ll rejoice because He has a new pair of eyes waiting for me in heaven.
Tammy enjoys hiking, kayaking, beach wandering, ”hunting” for birch bark, and spotting migizis.
She is the author of White Wolf and the Ash Princess, Letters from the Dragon’s Son, and the short story Eagle Eyes from the Descendants of White Wolf series.