Author Archives: Peggy Jaeger
#mondaymusings 11.25.24
This past Saturday, I attended the TINY TUMMIES HOLIDAY BIZAAR in my hometown and offered all my Christmas book titles for sale.
I did remarkably well, but that isn’t what this post is about.
With the holiday season approaching ( rapidly!) you are seeing more and more requests for donations to food banks, community kitchens, the Salvation Army, and any number of charity organizations that help feed people with food disparity issues.
FEEDING TINY TUMMIES is such an organization in my town.
“Feeding Tiny Tummies, A 501c3 Non-Profit program to fight against childhood hunger that works with local schools in Cheshire and Sullivan County, NH, to provide meals to children weekly, during school breaks, and summers away from school. We also have open hours to our community 2 days a week for 2 hours each. 3 towns also pick up from us to distribute within the town to those in need. Community Volunteers fill bags that are being delivered to schools in 14 locations and 2 elderly complexes. Each Volunteer donates 2-4 hours on average each week.
We’re feeding their tummies, but the difference between this program and any other program along with food that goes home with children, we always include an academic item, whether it’s activity pages and crayons, a book to read, or a family engagement activity,” Because we feed their tummies and the minds of our next generation!”
We need to remember it’s just not food that families who are struggling with, financially, need. The fact TT gives educational items to families as well as food is just heartwarming to me. Feed their minds and feed their bodies!
I’ve made mention several times on this blog over the years that when I was growing up there were times we had zero money and my mother – who was so proud she wouldn’t take public relief – wondered where our next meal was coming from. It wasn’t only pride on her part, but she always said there were families who needed “it” more than we did, referring to welfare. She didn’t want to deprive someone with three or four kids from having something, never mind that we were hungry, too.
One year, my grandmother took me to the St. Vincent de Paul Society at our church so that I could have a winter coat that fit and actually clasped shut (!) and boots. I have always had a special place in my heart for the society ever since then and donate regularly to my local chapter during their food drives and during the year.
I feel this holiday season is going to be extremely difficult for families who are struggling to pay bills, and put food don’t he table, never mind buy gifts for their kids. So, I want to remind those of you who are a little more fortunate, something my mother said many times during my childhood when we would see someone struggling more than we were: “There, for the Grace of God, go I.”
You never know when adversity will come through your door and you may be the person who needs help. So, if you can, do what you can, where you can. Donate food, decent clothing you no longer need ( especially warm winter clothes and coats), even your time to volunteer at a food bank.
I am honored to help organizations like FEEDING TiNY TUMMIES, and since I can, I do what I can.
Something to think about during this holiday season.
~Peg
Filed under #mondayMusings
Price Change…
I just want to step in on a Sunday and remind everyone who still hasn’t purchased their Kindle copy of A CHEF’S KISS CHRISTMAS that the 99 cents price goes away at midnight tonight, and the regular price of 2.99 goes into effect. So…..save a few bucks and buy it before the price change.
Tomorrow, Bonnie Edwards 2024 addition, SECOND CHANCE DANCE is released for 99cents!
Filed under Dickens Holiday Romance
#TBT
From 2018…
SO, about 6 weeks ago I started using my Instagram account to post daily pictures and quotes about 3 concepts I strive for on a daily basis: self-motivation, believing in myself, and personal growth. Since I started that, my account has doubled in people who follow me. I didn’t start doing this, though, to garner new followers–although that’s a wonderful side benefit–but to keep me focused on those three concepts. Posting my daily motivational quote is the first thing I do in the morning, social media-wise, and it sets the tone for my day.
First, I find a motivational quote. Pinterest is great for this.
I swear Pinterest was invented by a writer! Self-motivation has never been one of my strong points. Since I’ve been such a people pleaser throughout my life, I’ve tended to put myself second, or even third, when it came to encouraging myself and pushing myself toward a goal. I’m a great cheerleader – ask any of my friends – and I will push anyone towards the finish line of their choice. Myself? Not so much. Recognizing that, I started the daily motivations to help me focus on myself and what I want, for once. Some may see this as selfish, perhaps, but it really isn’t.
What did we ever do before the thought to use a hashtag for promotional reasons became a thing? After the motivational quote is uploaded to my account, I then promote it in an attempt to help others. The hashtag #PersonalGrowth is a great one for this.
I truly try to grow every single day: as a writer, as a wife and mother, as a human being trying to navigate through the quagmire our society has become. Uplifting my thoughts is a good way for me to start my day and do this.
You can’t expect to accomplish anything if you don’t accept and aspire to my third daily tenant, #BelieveInYourSelf.
No one is going to magically make you a success in life. You have to work for it and you have to believe that you can succeed. And you really need to believe it. Just saying the words mean nothing. Deep down in your very soul, you must feel as if you can do anything you set your mind to. Anything. Believing you can do something is the most important tool you have for achieving personal success.
Having a positive outlook in and on life can go a great way in making your days better. There’s a mindset that believes what you speak out into the universe is what you’ll get sent back to you. Negative thoughts, morose mindsets, and critical thinking, if put out there, will become a major factor in what is given back to you from other people and the world in general. Having a positive outlook, not believing everything you do is going to wind up bad or not to your liking, goes a great way in making your days happy and productive ones.
Everyone knows my favorite book of all time is The Little Engine who Could. I truly believe this is the best book about self-motivation and self-actualization ever written, and it’s a children’s book! But, adults can get the takeaway message — he thought he could, so he did — as a mantra for their lives. That little engine let nothing stand in his way to prevent him from getting up and over that hill. Again, this book was written for children to help them accept, see, and know that they can do anything they set their minds to. Why, as adults, do we forget that?
SO, that’s how I start my day. Every morning of every day. Thinking positively, believing in myself, and recognizing I must grow to survive. It all begins with #MorningMotivation.
Filed under #throwbackthursday
#Worldkindnessday
I talk a great deal about kindness on my blog.
That’s because I feel kindness to one another is a basic human right, emotion, and need.
I’ve been bullied.
I’ve been abused.
I’ve been hated.
I’ve experienced kindness when I never thought to find it.
I’ve experienced kindness when I never thought to feel it.
I’ve shown kindness when I didn’t think I had it in me.
Be kind, peeps. To everyone. No matter what.
Jesus implored us to love one another.
Love begins with kindness.
Filed under Uncategorized
This may lose me some people, but…
Something I feel I need to say. Block, delete and unfollow me if you can’t agree.
I am NEVER going to stop fighting.
NEVER.
I am going to fight until the death for my daughter, my granddaughter, my nieces and my sisters-in law.
And yours, too.
I am going to fight for all my LGBTQ+ friends – and yes, I have many!
I am going to fight for the right to say and write what I want.
I am going to fight against racism, hatred of women, bigotry, isolationism, corporate greed, and fascism.
I am going to stop supporting businesses and people who don’t support basic human rights, reproductive rights, workers rights and just common decency when it comes to how we treat one another.
I am no better than the person standing next to me. We are all equals in God’s eyes.
I will not listen to, nor support, hate speech of any kind. On my platforms or in my life. You come at me with the reasons and justifications for why you feel the bigoted, hateful way you do and you’re gonna get shut down, deleted, and forgotten.
I was raised with the edict that you treat everyone equally, be it the richest man in the world or the person who shines your shoes. And that treatment is with kindness, love, and support.
And I do.
If you do, too, then stay my friend.
If you don’t? Bye, Felicia.
Rant over. Go ahead and do the block, delete, unfollow thing if you can’t bring yourself to be my friend after knowing that about me. We will both be better off.
Filed under Uncategorized
#tuesdayteaser about…motivation
So, by now, you know A CHEF’S KISS CHRISTMAS finally released yesterday! I’ve been pretty obnoxious about it, posting continually, but that’s because I just love the story so much.
I’d like to share the motivation behind writing this story because it wasn’t the normal “let me just get two people together” mindset I usually have when I pen a new story.
For some time, I’ve wanted to write a post-Covid story.
There were so many losses during those horrible two years, losses of loved ones, careers, lifestyles, everyday freedoms, that I felt now we’ve had enough time since lockdown ended, and we could go on with our lives again, that a story about losing someone to the horrible disease wouldn’t be so raw.
I may have been wrong about that, because when I was writing this, I had to stop several times to cry and grieve along with the characters.
Suffice it to say, I was afraid I’d written a real downer of a holiday tale.
But the saying great stories are made in the editing process is true for a reason. To balance the sadness, I added humor and happy events. Humor that you’ve all come to expect from Amy Charles, her family, and the people of Dorrit’s Diner and Dickens.
And so, because trigger warnings are something many readers want put forth first and foremost now, here are the ones for this tale:
~ loss of a spouse/grief
~depression
~isolation
~aimlessness.
And here are the happy triggers:
~new babies
~new love affairs
~finding your center
~learning to love again
~friendship
And the happiest trigger of all: The residents of Dickens and Dorrit’s Diner.
Enjoy, my dear friends. And wherever you find yourself this holiday season, remember: Love is always in season in Dickens.
Filed under #tuesdaytease, Dickens Holiday Romance
Peggy Jaeger, Author 