Leigh Bale Reflects on Kids & Blessings

I had a different blog all prepared for posting today, but then got a call from my son last night and had to change it. He’s a U.S. Marine and called to tell us he was just promoted to sergeant. Believe me, I am one proud mama.

In reflecting back on my son’s life, I realize he was born a Marine. His favorite hymn has always been Onward Christian Soldiers. He’s a wonderful husband and father. I’m so grateful I get to be his mom.

Most of you already know my daughter is getting married next month. I can hardly believe I get to witness that day. When she was just seven years old, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. She is now less than 1% survivorship in the WORLD for her type of brain tumor. Truly the Lord has been good to us.


AND…I have a new book out this month titled The Forest Ranger’s Promise. You can also look for my next book titled The Forest Ranger’s Husband to be released November 2011.

Talk about blessings from Heaven. My heart is very full right now. There is a hymn titled Count Your Blessings, written in the 1800’s. The lyrics begin: “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed. When you are discouraged thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

Do you ever get discouraged and count your blessings to remind you how good the Lord is to you? What blessings are you grateful for this month? I wish each of you all the happiness this world can offer and hope you have too many blessings for you to count. :)

Leigh Bale Muses About Service

I’m delighted to say that my new book will be available next week: The Forest Ranger’s Promise. This book is dedicated to my father, who is my first greatest hero. Check for it in Wal Mart, K-Mart, grocery stores or your local bookstore after the 19th. It’s officially a May release, but Wal Mart always gets them in earlier. This is the first book in a new series and the second book titled The Forest Ranger’s Husband will be available the end of October. Both books have page-turning scenes I think you’ll enjoy. To get more info, visit my website at: www.LeighBale.com

This month, I have learned a lesson in service. Following one of the rain storms we’ve had, my husband rushed out the door early one morning to go to work, slipped on the black ice, and fell. Hard. He broke his ankle in three places and tore up the ligaments and muscles. It swelled to double the normal size and the bruising looked like someone had taken a baseball bat to his entire foot and calf.

Over the past few weeks since this accident, it has been my pleasure to serve my sweet husband. Suddenly just getting up to retrieve something as simple as a tissue became a gargantuan task for him. Going to the restroom, taking a shower and driving a car seemed impossible tasks. As I took care of my husband’s chores (like taking the garbage can to the curb) as well as my own, I became more fatigued, but it was a labor of love. I caught a glimpse of our old age and realized how fragile our lives are. But as I served my dear husband, I realized that the fragile body God has gifted us with cannot keep us from transcending the deep and eternal love we have for one another. Truly it was no burden for me to serve him. The extra work and inconvenience seemed so light in comparison to my love for him.



And secondly, we have finally been able to take the time and financial resources to finish The Hill in our back yard. You know those useless hills your home builder sticks in your back yard and then includes it into the overall acreage? What can you do with them? Nothing! So we have waited until we could afford to do something constructive with our hill. Take a look at the picture and let me know what you think? We’re going to plant a variety of lilac bushes, honeysuckle and Lydia broom plants. Our daughter is getting married soon and we’re planning to hold her reception in our back yard. I think it’s going to be beautiful. Now I better get back to work writing my next book, right? :)

Leigh Bale Talks About Keeping Promises

Have you ever made a promise to someone and then had trouble keeping your word because the situation was out of your control? The hero of my May 2011 release deals with this exact problem in my book titled The Forest Ranger’s Promise. This is the first book in a new series about forest rangers and starts out with a bang. Literally! You’ll have to read the first chapter when the book comes out to see what I mean. :)

I learned about the importance of keeping promises from my good parents. My father is a retired forest ranger and has served as my consultant on this series of books. Because Dad retired sixteen years ago and things have changed quite a bit since then, the research has kept me busy. It’s been so much fun and also a great challenge to research the many intricate facets of a forest ranger’s job. In the process, my love and respect has grown for my father as I have come to realize what a remarkable, educated man he is. (When you’re young, you tend to take your parents for granted, but no more!) Both of my parents are amazing people!

The second book in the series will be released in November 2011. Titled The Forest Ranger’s Husband, the hero is a hotshot wildland fire fighter. He is struggling with repentance after betraying an important promise. The third book has been tentatively titled The Forest Ranger’s Baby. The heroine in this story struggles with committing herself to a promise she doesn't dare make for fear she won't be able to keep it. You can expect some very action-packed scenes in each book as the main characters deal with grizzly bears, wildfires, floods, and also their own aching hearts as they search for their faith in God.

Many scenes in each book are based on actual events in my father’s life. I’ve tried my best to write faith based stories that are both very realistic and romantic. Let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you! To contact me, visit my website at: www.LeighBale.com
Enjoy! Leigh