Open Spaces
Vol. 21.12 December
24, 2021
By John W. Vander Velden
I have been writing these letters for nearly two years.
Perhaps I should remind you where the title Open Spaces originated. It
comes from two places actually. One: I love the open lands. Raised on a farm in
northern Indiana. Becoming a farmer at the age of twenty. You might say I am a
man of the land. When we travel Jackie and I find ourselves most at home, in areas
of vast landscapes, whether that be the deserts of the Southwest, the trails in
the Appalachian Mountains, or the out of the way coastal beaches of the
Atlantic Ocean. We are most at ease spending time in Open Spaces. Two:
The title is tied to the stories I have written. Or most of them anyway.
Stories set in non-urban settings. Those are the places my stories take place.
And those settings become an extra character within those stories, ie
Elizabeth, Matthew, and the prairie grasslands etc.
Should it be surprising that I would call a newsletter about
my writing...Open Spaces?
I think not.
“Shifting gears” or “back to tack”, I am the keyboard. I
spend too many hours in front of the CPU screen it seems, but today, Christmas
Eve, I have begun this month’s newsletter. For some it might be the first time
you have found Open Spaces in your inbox. I welcome you and hope you
find these words worth your time.
But it is Christmas Eve, and everyone is busy today.
Yours truly included. But as we rush about attempting to finish all the last
minute things we are certain need to be done, let us not forget that
it’s Christmas. Christmas means a great deal to me.
Christmas is about Family. About my family...your family.
This will be the first Christmas that Nick, our son, will be unable to join us,
even for the few brief hours as he had these last years. But though our son is
1100 plus miles away, he is still family. He still has a piece of our hearts.
The phone is a poor substitute, even a face on the screen is insufficient, but
family’s bond is not diminished by distance, is it. Yes, Christmas is about
family.
Christmas is about joy. Laughter at games we will play
around the dining room table with others. Movies and music and all the rest
that make for happy experiences. Yes, Christmas is about joy.
Christmas is about light. Lights on the tree, lights we see
as we drive around at night, candles that burn around the Advent Wreath and
sometimes light our home in the evening. God sent his Son to be a light in a
dark world, a light for us all. Christmas is about light.
Christmas is about love. Love is the glue that holds the
universe together. Love for family, for friends, for neighbors, for those we
meet on the street. Love for our God. For Christmas is the ultimate sign of God’s
love for you and me. Christmas is about love.
Christmas is about connections. About reconnecting to those
we have allowed to drift away. About remembering connections that time and life
has given. Those connections might appear to be severed by distance, or perhaps
something that seems much more than measurable space. Deep connections are
never limited by material boundaries. Even death’s chasm does not stop love’s
reach...love’s binding...a connection unbreakable. Christmas is about all good
connections.
What does Christmas mean to you?
Now for just a bit of writing news.
The third book of the Misty Creek Series has a name.
I have finished the editorial revisions of With the Sun’s Rising in
late-October. The BETA copies have been printed and distributed. One has come
back to me, and I await their return of the others. I will carefully consider
the answers to the questions I have asked my readers and study their comments.
The book is scheduled to go back to my editor in mid-January. I will have a better
handle on how much more work this book requires when Kristina, my editor, sends
it back to me.
“Shuck to the cob”, John.
What this means is, I have reached an important milestone in
the process of shaping this particular book. But it is a long work...646 pages,
roughly the equivalent to two volumes, and I expect that I will need to pour
many, many, more hours into the book before its completion. You will have to be
patient, friends. I would expect a publishing date of summer 2023. I know that
seems like forever, but imagine how it feels to this writer.
That’s where things stand from today’s viewpoint.
So I close this newsletter simply, for I wish you a
Merry Christmas and a healthy 2022.
Blessings,
John
Looking for the links to purchase your own copy
https://johnvandervelden.com/purchase-a-copy/
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