Rebekah Lyn – Page 3 – Rebekah Lyn Books

A Day of Remembrance

I was in sixth grade at Apollo Elementary when the Challenger exploded. I don’t need a photograph to remember what it looked like that morning. We were in the school parking lot, watching with excitement, and we all knew something had gone terribly wrong. We raced to a teacher’s car and huddled around it, listening to the radio report for several minutes before we were ushered back inside.

One of our classrooms had a large screen we used for lessons, but that day it was tuned to the news as we all searched for answers. It felt like we watched the news for hours, replaying the horrific scene over and over before our teachers tried to return us to a sense of normalcy. How do you study english or history with the memory of such tragic loss looping across your mind’s eye? Most of us had parents who worked at the space center, some had connections with the astronauts onboard.

The following year, my junior high band played at a small memorial service held at Sandpoint Park. I don’t remember much aside from trying not to cry as I played my clarinet.

Since then, the news has marked the day, but we have moved on. It wasn’t until after the Columbia was lost in 2004 that NASA created an official Day of Remembrance for the astronauts who have been lost in the pursuit of space exploration. Most of us know about the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia, but there are several other astronauts who were also lost during training flights or other accidents. Each of these brave men and women are now honored each January 26.

This year, I was fortunate enough to be off work and took the opportunity to be a part of the ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s Complex. It seems fitting that this is year marks the 50^th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, an event that has marked me as deeply as Challenger and Columbia, even though it happened more than five years before I was born.

A wreath was laid by Apollo 1 family members.

Paying my respects to my heroes.

Astronaut Michael Collins

For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt a connection to Virgil “Gus” Grissom. Maybe it was the alliteration of Gus Grissom that drew me as a child, maybe it’s the way his eyes seem to be looking right into my soul in most photographs I’ve seen. Whatever it is, I found myself focusing on him a great deal during my research for Jessie and everything I learned made me admire him even more. He became such a strong influence on me, that he naturally had a strong influence on young Jessie Cole, the main character in my book.

As I sat in a large room at the Science Education center at KSC among hundreds of other people there to pay tribute to our lost heroes and show support for their families, I held back tears. Not only are the astronauts brave, but so are their families who supported their dreams and watched as they conquered the world. I’ve tried to imagine the life of an astronaut spouse, it’s been the focus of my writing for the past year as I continue Jessie’s story.

owell Grisson brother of Gus Grissom, Carly Sparks Grandaughter of Gus Grissom, Bonnie White Baer daughter of Astronaut Ed White, Sheryl Chaffee daughter of Astronaut Roger Chaffee — Lowell Grissom, brother of Gus Grissom, Carly Sparks, Grandaughter of Gus Grissom, Bonnie White Baer, daughter of Astronaut Ed White, Sheryl Chaffee, daughter of Astronaut Roger Chaffee

After the ceremony, I was determined to speak with Lowell Grissom, Gus’ younger brother. Approaching strangers is way outside my comfort zone, but it was important for me to let someone in the Grissom family know how much I admired Gus and how, generations later, he continues to be an inspiration. Despite knees that threatened to buckle and a heart that pounded so hard I’m surprised those around me weren’t concerned, I made my way to Mr. Grissom, hovering at his elbow while others spoke with him. I shuffled aside when a NASA representative collected him for media interviews, never letting him completely out of my sight. I knew if I left without saying something I would regret it for the rest of my life. Finally, interviews completed he was alone for a moment and I stepped in. Telling him how much I admire his brother and the inspiration I continue to draw from him will always be a moment I hold dear.

Please take a moment to remember those who have sacrificed everything so we can know more and go further. Let us not give up on space exploration and stretching the boundaries of our world. Let us look to the future with the lessons of the past to guide us on our next galactic adventure.

It is Easy-Peasy to Gift an eBook

It is easy-peasy to gift an ebook, unless it is free. That shoots down my fabulous idea of an excellent and free last minute Christmas gift for the an unexpected guest.

I am not giving up on the ebook idea, though. There is an abundance of bargain priced ebooks on Amazon and Nook and it is incredibly simple.

Step by Step instructions for Amazon:

Navigate to Amazon.com and search for Kindle Book Deals or click HERE
Choose a book.
On the right side of the screen, scroll down to Give as Gift and click it.

You will then be able to choose:

Email the gift directly to my recipient (you will need their email address) or Email the gift to me

You can forward the gift email or print and personally deliver it to the recipient. This nice for the unexpected guest. You can also personalize the gift with a message.

If you feel overwhelmed with all the books on Amazon, visit my favorite site for Flinch Free Reads, Clean Indie Reads. They have a short Q&A with the author and links to their books.

Instructions for Nook are basically the same. Just sign in to Barnes and Noble.

Of course, we would be honored if you chose to gift a book from one of our authors!

Our books

Florida Fall, Does it Exist?

As a native Floridian I’ve always felt I’ve missed out on the autumn season. The fabulous colors of the trees before they go dormant for the winter, the drop in temperatures that make Fall festivals cozy and inviting, the ritual of putting away summer clothes and airing out the winter wardrobe, are not things we experience in Florida. I admit there are some trees that change color, but they don’t offer the vibrancy that I adore when I have a chance to spend time in North Carolina during the fall.

In Florida, the months of October and November are completely unpredictable when it comes to weather. We’re still in hurricane season and more often than not the temperatures are still in the upper 80s. Shortly after Hurricane Matthew blew through, battering coastal areas, we experienced our first night of cool weather. I came home from work and the instant I stepped out of the car the fragrance of a nearby fireplace tinged the air. I couldn’t help but smile as I entered my own fireplace-less home, knowing that the holidays would soon arrive.

Surprisingly, there are more homes with fireplaces in Florida than one might imagine and the first hint of a chill always elicits at least one being ignited. I remember a childhood Christmas with the air conditioner blasting so we could enjoy the flickering magic as we opened our gifts.

Despite not being able to experience all the wonders of fall, it’s still my favorite season. This year I decided to see fall through new eyes and not dwell on what I don’t have. Instead I am finding joy in the sparse trees on my commute that are slowly changing color, taking heart in the slight drop in temperatures and throwing open the windows, enjoying the local pumpkin patch, and finding new recipes to test in anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sometimes taking a moment to stop and adjust our perspective allows us to see how wonderfully blessed we are.

Contrast of Florida Fall versus North Carolina Fall.

Florida beauty

Methodist church pumpkin patch

Anyone for pumpkin pie?

Stream decorated by nature.

North Carolina

What is your favorite part of the season and what are you thankful for?

If you have browsed our books tab, you may have noticed that my Seasons of Faith series, which is set in Orlando, Florida does not include a Fall novel. The season is simply too short to set a novel, so I skipped forward to Christmas. Regardless of the weather, Christmas is alway a vibrant season in Florida. Christmas Vows is currently on sale for 99 cents. Check back soon for an exciting chance to win a free digital copy.

Footnote: Western North Carolina is being ravaged by forest fires. Please pray for them to end soon and especially for the safety of the firefighter heroes.

A Hurricane Tale

It’s been a week since Hurricane Matthew battered the Florida coast. Piles of broken branches and fallen trees still line the streets and mangled roofs can still be seen in many neighborhoods. As a Florida native, I’ve dealt with many hurricanes in my life. My memories of that first storm couldn’t be corroborated by parents so I may have them confused with an exceptionally bad thunderstorm. I was pretty young at the time. However, the first hurricane I faced out on my own, was in 1999, Hurricane Floyd.

Floyd was historic because it was the first time Walt Disney World ever closed. At the time I lived with two roommates in an apartment with a solarium. We didn’t know what to do about all those windows should they be shattered by flying debris so we took the mattresses off our beds and used them to cover the windows. We stayed up all night watching the news and chuckling about the poor reporters forced to stay out in the storm to bring us the coverage. Floyd came in during the night, but turned out to be a lot less impressive than predicted.

By noon, the skies were clear and Universal Studios opened. We had the day off because of the storm, so we whipped out our annual passes and headed to the park. It was like a ghost town. There might have been 1,000 people there. Being able to walk down the middle of the street without scores of people trying to push past, racing to the next attraction was surreal and a once in a lifetime experience.

Central Florida was lucky to avoid more storms until the summer of 2004. That was the year meteorologist Tom Terry made his mark on Orlando and the phrase “hunker down” was coined as three storms ravaged the area within six weeks. Not every business can shut down during bad weather so I was working the ride-out crew for my company and I earned lots of overtime.

Hurricane Charley was the worst; ripping its way from Punta Gorda in southwest Florida, through Orlando and northeast Florida. Every time I was able to take a break from work I went into the break room to watch the news or onto the patio to watch the wind and rain.

When I was able to return home 48-hours later, I was astounded by the devastation. Large oak trees were ripped out of the ground less than a mile from where I had been working. As I approached my neighborhood, I noticed a helicopter hovering overhead. As I turned into the neighborhood I realized it was a news chopper filming the destruction. The street was large, normally three cars could easily pass, but as I approached, there were trees so large my little Honda Civic could just squeeze through. The trees had been completely uprooted.

I found out my roommate had spent most of the storm in her walk-in closet in fear that a tree would come down any minute. Not an unfounded fear considering we had a huge magnolia in the front yard. Later, we walked around the neighborhood taking photos of the damage. Considering how many trees had been taken down, it was amazing to see they had only fallen on a couple of houses and cars. While the power had gone out during the storm, it was returned during the evening after I came home. All power lines in Florida should be put underground.

Blue tarps appeared on roofs throughout the city, and before roofers could even get started, Hurricane Frances headed our way. Frances was a milder storm, but she just wouldn’t move. I spent 72-hours at work without sleep. The morning of the third day we were all going crazy, desperate for the storm to pass and the rain to end.

The same week Frances came through, I was booked to go on a cruise Port Canaveral was closed and we were bused down to Ft. Lauderdale. Aside from not being able to stop at the cruise line’s private island we had a lovely cruise. While onboard I received a call from work that I may need to return to the office as soon as I finished the cruise as Hurricane Ivan was developing in the Gulf of Mexico. Fortunately, that storm missed us and I had a break until Hurricane Jeanne two weeks later.

By now I was immune to the warnings. While there was wind and plenty of rain, Jeanne seemed to be the mildest of the storms. With each storm, though, there was more damage to Central Florida. Many of those who had suffered roof damage during Charley were still wearing tarps after Jeanne. There weren’t enough roofers in the area to handle the demand. Marsh areas that had been drained to create housing developments flooded. Chapters, my favorite restaurant/bookstore, in Winter Park had to close due to all of the damage sustained at the shop as well as a storage facility where they held excess stock. I don’t imagine those who lived here in 2004 will ever forget the devastation we experienced.

Central Florida was fortunate, again, to avoid any direct hits until Hurricane Matthew. While the eye of Matthew didn’t actually come ashore, Cape Canaveral experienced its first brush with a hurricane. The space program was housed on Cape Canaveral because of its history of not being plagued with tropical storms. The slight eastern wobble the storm took that kept it from coming on shore right in the Cape area was a miracle and prevented much more serious damage from occurring.

Matthew was my first storm in my own home. I struggled with the decision to evacuate or stay home. I worried the winds would rip off my roof and maybe even part of my second story. I spent Thursday night downstairs, listening to the howling winds, the windows whistling and the door creaking. Rain was thrown so hard against my front window and door, both covered by a porch, that is sounded like pebbles being thrown. Mom and dad were visiting from North Carolina and were supposed to leave Thursday. They rode out the storm with me, but both managed to sleep through most of the night, apparently deaf to the weather. Tropical storm force winds continued into the afternoon of Friday and I marveled at the flexibility of some pine trees behind my house. I watched them bend and sway, sometimes in circles, as if dancing with the wind.

Canvas covering large windows

Boarded up!

Hurricane munchies

River Road

Three boats washed ashore

While the power flickered a number of times, I was fortunate to never lose power. I feel a little guilty about that as I know many who didn’t fare so well, some even at the end of my street and in the surrounding neighborhoods. I was prepared with lanterns, candles and even a battery operated fan. I feel blessed that my house didn’t sustain any damage. When a coworker mocked all of the Facebook posts about prayers being answered when the storm stayed off the coast, I told him of my own prayers and how they had been answered. He countered with a question about those in Haiti who were hit so hard, had they not prayed ? Obviously I can’t speak for those I have never met, but I do know that preyers were being said for Haiti before the storm hit. I believe they were answered. There was loss of life, but it could have been much worse. I continue to pray for the people of Haiti as they once again begin to rebuild.

As much as we would like to believe God answers every prayer in the way we want, that simply isn’t the case. God’s plan is greater than any plan we can conceive. Would I have been disappointed if my house had been damaged? Yes. Would I have felt like my prayer had gone unanswered? Probably for a few minutes, but at the same time I am thankful I have been able to achieve a sound financial footing. I am prepared if an unexpected need arises, such as a new roof. This did not come easily and required a lot of self discipline.

I have heard some murmuring of a potential new storm in the Gulf of Mexico. I hope it will fizzle out, but if not, I’ll be ready to hunker down. It’s a Florida thing.

The 2004 Hurricane season was such a crazy, yet exciting time that I decided to write a series around it. The Seasons of Faith explores the lives of five friends as they face not only the hurricane’s fury but some storms of the heart as well.