Thinking of the Farm

My grandma passed in 2012 and my grandpa in 2015. Life has definitely not been the same for our family since they have passed away. The farm is in the family still, but it's hard to go back there. The memories of all of the good times flood me, but the atmosphere there isn't the same without them. My grandma once said, it's family who makes the home, not the walls. That statement is very true.

In June, we went back and my son took his senior pictures there. That will probably be the last time I go back to the farm. I took a few pictures for memories. I was looking at those pictures tonight thinking of how I grew up riding on the tractor with grandpa in the fields, the many hay wagons I rode on, and hopping hay bales with cousins.

I think about the family dinners, the Christmas dinners where grandpa would get excited like a child for presents, the laughter, the card games, and good food. The holidays are the hardest without them.

As we go through this holiday season, think of your family and friends, include them if you can, and make memories that will make you smile. May you all be blessed.

This field was always fun. I love looking across it.

This barn held many calves over the years. My brother and I had one calf named Sparky. He never liked being in the barn. Grandpa ended up tying him to a tree. Every morning Sparky would get off the rope and he was on the front porch waiting for us when my parents dropped us off.

This was the old chicken coop. My grandparents stopped using it before I was born. In this area was the original farm house that was torn down years ago. The only thing that remains is the cement slab.

Are Life Circimstances Our Choice

Do you believe that things happen to us because of choices we make? Do you believe that outside forces have an affect on our lives?

I believe both of the statements above. We can't control what others do, but sometimes the choices of others do affect us. What we can control is how we react to what life throws at us. Your choice is your reaction.

There are times, that with the help of others, our outlook could change. How? It only takes one person, looking in from the outside to see the whole picture. That person may change your whole perception by painting the picture for you.

In my book, Diamond Murders, things happened to Daisy that were out of her control. When her accountant mismanaged her money, she lost her business, and she chose to become homeless. She didn't research if all of assets were lost. She panicked and left to live in the tent city on the river.

Gavin, the police officer working a murder on the river, remembered Daisy. He gave her the motivation to start over with a few kind words of how he bought his wife's engagement ring from her. She was somewhat apprehensive, but she did set out to start over and attempted to overcome the odds that were out of her control and against her.

How do you handle things thrown at you in life? How do you deal with obstacles that are out of your control? Do you allow them to take the best of you or do you meet the obstacle head on and fight for what you want?

I believe in stepping back and analyzing the situation. I believe that answers come to us when we are open to receiving them and look for them.

https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Murders-LR-Hatfield-ebook/dp/B00M8CAN1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511834661&sr=8-1&keywords=Diamond+murders%2Flr+hatfield

Starting Over

Starting over is never easy. I don't know about you, but I do it a lot as a writer. I'll start writing and get a few thousand words in, then decide to delete it all. Many of those stories remain deleted. I don't know if it's fear, laziness, or lack of motivation to finish it. Could be all of the above.

What I do know is, that I have started many books over the past couple of years, and stopped writing  them. I think I probably have a dozen or more. I'd get excited, talk about them, then just stop working on them. I haven't written a full novella or novel in probably two years. I'm finally breaking that cycle. (I hope) I am now over 20,000 words into my next novella, Answers From the Past.

It hasn't been easy to start over. I have wanted to delete what I have written several times, but I stop myself. In my novella, Diamond Murders, Daisy struggles with starting over. Gavin, a police officer, working a crime scene outside of her tent along the river encourages her to.

Daisy has the means to start over because of a few diamonds she saved in a sock when her business went under. She takes the advice of Gavin, and finds a spot for her shop. People quickly learn she is starting over, and those close to her get murdered. Not just murdered though, Daisy's diamonds are burned into the bodies.

How are they getting to her diamonds? Why do they want to hurt Daisy? She questions all of it, and even begins to look at those around her to determine if they are committing the murders. She can't trust anyone she encounters.

What have you tried to start over? There are many things in life that we can start over. Business, relationships, goals. Tell me your stories.

Diamond Murders
https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Murders-LR-Hatfield-ebook/dp/B00M8CAN1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511751500&sr=8-1&keywords=diamond+murders%2F+lr+hatfield

Excitement and Danger

What are two things that can get some people excited? Diamonds and money.

Diamonds bring excitement. How? An engagement, anniversary present, and they are beautiful.

Money brings excitement. How? It gives us the things we need in life and some wants.

 Money and diamonds can cause those we trust the most to turn against us. Jealousy can take over. If you came into a large sum of money today, who in your life do you think you could trust?

In my book, Diamond Murders, Daisy placed all of her trust in her accountant. She found herself homeless and broke. In her life she went from rags to riches to rags to rich and scared.

Homeless, living on the river bank, she met a police officer, Gavin. He was investigating a murder in front of her tent. As he approached her, she hid in a sock, the few diamonds she had left from her business, Daisy's Unique Diamond Designs. She was known far and wide for her diamond jewelry designs.

Gavin recognized her, and encouraged Daisy to start her business over. She took his advice, stayed with him while rebuilding her life, and a relationship blossomed. All of this sounds good, right? I wish it would have been that easy for Daisy.

As she tried to start over, the people she loved and who were close to her, either became injured or were murdered. Not only were they injured or murdered, the person or persons doing this burned one of her diamonds into their skin. Someone didn't want Daisy to start her business over. Someone wanted her stopped, but why?

As Daisy reconnects with those from her past, who can she trust? Who can she turn to?

If you would like to get the answers to the answers to the questions above, you can read Diamond Murders on Kindle for just 99 cents.

https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Murders-LR-Hatfield-ebook/dp/B00M8CAN1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507859590&sr=8-1&keywords=Diamond+murders%2F+lr+hatfield

Questions About the Past

I'm writing this blog not just because of a new release I have coming out soon called 'Answers From the Past', but also because I'm type of the person who's curious about my ancestor's decisions and how they affect my family and myself today.

I'm always full of questions. Just Saturday, I was asking about my great grandfather. I love to hear stories about him. One of the reasons I asked more on Saturday was because I had heard that he wasn't a man who was real hard working. I also heard that he moved the family around a lot. A comment was made that, when it was time to load the wagon to move, the chickens crossed their legs so they could be tied up for traveling to their next home. I have to admit, I chuckled, but I wonder why. Why did they move so much?

I always thought what was called the home place, was the only place my grandpa and his siblings knew. I was wrong. I did learn the home place was given to my great grandparents. I find that interesting. We sure don't hear about those things in today's time!

I for one, have unanswered questions about my family and my ancestors. Sometimes the answers are known, other times they aren't. When I can't get the answers, I get more curious. How about you? Do you seek to find out more? Do you find ways to learn the answers? Is it maybe a secret that the family wants forgotten, so it's no longer talked about?

I know some people believe, leave the past in the past. I agree with this for the most part. What I don't think we should do, is forget it, or leave questions unanswered. It's our history and history tends to repeat itself. (So the saying goes.)

In my most recent book I'm working on, Raven is assigned to write a paper about an ancestor who is deceased and has affected her current situation. She chose her mother because her family has kept secrets from her about. No one talked about her mother. The research paper, is bringing to life a past for Raven that is painful and dangerous. Her grandparents tried to warn her.

Do you think that some things are better left a secret? Do you feel that it's a good to keep things from some family members about their ancestors?