Tough Times: I’ve been a rotten blogger lately, and I apologize. Personally, it’s been a rough few months. Our one-year-old granddaughter, Harper, has been in the hospital, fighting infant leukemia since October, with intense chemotherapy 28 days a month. Meanwhile, our special needs, delightful daughter Katy, who will always live with us, is waiting on a kidney transplant. Not sure how people get through these things without God, who is our only hope and peace.

Books: I’m so grateful I get to write them. I can disappear into a world without hospitals, office visits, worries, or bills–and write. These are my three new books that release tomorrow, and they have rescued me all year as I dug deeper into the Psalms, keeping each rhyming, fun, kid-friendly version as close as I could to the actual lines and heart of the real Psalms.

PSALMS FOR LITTLE HEARTS contains 25 psalms. The first one is Psalm 4, and my favorite line has always been: “Let your face smile on us, LORD.” So, here’s a bit of “God Smiles at Me”: There’s a kid who calls me names,/Leaves me out of fun and games./ I’m the one that big kid blames./ Lord, are you smiling at me?  Then later: But I’ll come to you in prayer./ Nice to know you’re always there./ Great to feel your loving care/ And know you are smiling at me.  It ends: Feel that laughter in the rain?/ See my moon-striped windowpane?/ In the distance . . . hear that train?/ And you’re still smiling at me.

I don’t usually do this, but this hasn’t been a usual season of life. Will you please pray for sweet little Harper, and for Katy too? Thanks so much! Dandi