61 Days Can Be A Long Time

61 days can be a long time. I thought the worst was over, I thought I was doing fine. So when a friend  asked, I said, “I’m fine.”  But I was wrong.

I pulled your picture from the drawer and  rubbed my finger across  the glossy, caressing your three year old cheek while  your innocence pulled at my heart.

 Twenty eight years can be a long time, but not long enough. For you, it was a lifetime.  So much happened. You lived it,   and being my granddaughter, you lived it your way.

 61 days is not long enough for me to get over losing  you, but I  will talk to you at night when I can not  sleep. Perhaps you will  help me understand girls like you, because twenty-eight years is not long enough for them, either.    I may never get over losing you, Jessica, but maybe through my words, another mother,  grandmother, or sister will not   have to discover that  61 days will never be long enough.

 

Please check out my latest book, which I have dedicated to my granddaughter, Jessica, and to all the girls like her, who have followed in her high heels.

ACTIVATE LION MODE,
For adults and young adults

 

 

 

 

BOOK ONE OF THE FELINE FURY SERIES

 

ACTIVATE LION MODE

BY JUDY HOWARD

BY SPORTSTER THE CAT

 

Sportster the cat had always envied the huge cats who lived the big life in the jungle until opportunity sends the motorhome in which he travels veering into a roadside ditch. When strangers whisk away not only his Winnebago, but also his chauffer, Arlene, he is alarmed. However, once the dust settles, he purrs a happy tune as he discovers he is free! I He is in the wild! And he is in the Olympic Forest!

ACTIVATE LION MODE is just what Sportster does as he spins this yarn in his own words. Living wild and free brings on encounters he never have imagined. The life he dreamed becomes an adventure full of bears, pit bulls, drugs and more. Sportster weaves this story of his incredible journey as only a coddled cat of leisure can do.

 

 FIVE STAR AMAZON REVIEWS

 

 

"My 3rd book of reading from this Author. I had gotten to know Sportster through the other books. To follow him on this journey had me happy, sad, cheering, etc. Again, I had a hard time putting this book down until it was finished.
Thank you again Judy for another good book. Give Sportster a hug for me."

 

"Wow, a story you can't put down! Follow Sportster on an unexpected journey that brings out emotions you never expected. A captivating story that is full of sorrow, fun and laughter plus comfort. It keeps your attention and you can't wait to see what happens next. A recommended read for all! I haven't read a book like this in a very long time."

 

"Enjoyed reading this book very much. It brought out many different emotions. It's an Adventurous, fun, emotional read. Couldn't put it down! I found myself crying, hoping and cheering for the characters in the book. I shared part of the story with my daughter, in hopes of educating her to the world around us! I can't wait to read what Sportsters next adventures will be!"

 

 

 

Other Books By Judy Howard 

 

 

Dare Mighty Things -Win Glorious Triumphs

“No man is an island, entire of itself………..Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”

Words to live by.

I am a writer of stories. I give lectures on the subject, “What Makes A Good Story?” I begin by informing my audience, “Story is not about the tragedy, but about how people react to the tragedy.”

We all experience tragedy in our lives, even if it was not our personal trauma.  When

John F. Kennedy was shot, I was seventeen years old.  My daughter was a month old.  Carried through the air by the technology of television, the death knell traveled 725 miles from Dallas, Texas to my hometown of Springfield, Illinois, and announced my future on a black and white TV screen. Although I had lost my innocence months before, now on that November 22^nd   day, my country, too, had lost its naiveté.

 

I did not mourn the loss of the 1950’s simplicity nor did I demonstrate for the increase of truth in the 60’s.   I have cried many tears since that November day. The sharp pain of 9-11 cut deep and I knew the impact Pearl Harbor. The needling aches of Ft Hood, Texas, Sandy Hook, Connecticut,  Colorado Springs, Colorado and now Orlando, Florida have become constant, numbing, and no longer uncommon.  When the San Bernardino Shootings occurred in my California back yard and threatened my own family, I could no longer stand by and be the philosopher. The bell tolled for me.

Solutions flood our airways like a tsunami. Guns, no guns, gay tolerance, Muslim intolerance, hate and love, religion and war. I live in a nation rich with power, invention, and freedom, yet I struggle daily not to lose my vision.  

These are sad and difficult times. I don’t want to be one of those poor spirits who Teddy Roosevelt described as "living in the grey twilight we know not victory or defeat." I want to see past the tragedies and obstacles which I know I must overcome. I want to focus on the faith that a bigger picture exists.  I want to dare mighty things and win glorious triumphs.

As a writer, I want to write the story of mighty things and glorious triumphs and know that the bell tolls for freedom.

 No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

John Donne

God Bless America

 

Judy Howard's Amazon Author Page