Redeeming Grace with a Sense of Place

LoRee Peery 

One of the things I listed as a to-do with my first book contract was come up with an identifying tagline to go with my name. Some might say it’s a brand of sorts, because I cannot write without giving credit to the Lord for what He does for me. I also determined forever ago that I would write about my Nebraska home. “Redeeming grace with a sense of place” is what I came up with as an email signature. I tossed the phrase around with members of a writing group, prayed about it, and used it for my first website and Facebook page. Nothing ever grabbed my attention as a replacement.

In the early days of my writing, I didn’t know what genre to choose. My first publications were nonfiction set in Nebraska because Nebraska is what I know. The people in my home state are down to earth, hard workers with a rhythm of life I can’t imagine finding in the city. The souls who grew up and live in my state jump at the chance to help others in need.

Just for fun, I researched. According to Wikipedia, “The term sense of place has been used in many different ways. It is a multidimensional, complex construct used to characterize the relationship between people and spatial settings.” Several definitions are then mentioned.

As a Christian who believes in the grace God extends, for reasons known only to the Father, He sent Jesus to pay the ransom for my sin and saved me from an eternity in hell.

Jesus is the only way. Since I’m a reader of fiction, I chose story as a way for characters to come to that same realization. Though imperfect and impacted by situations of the world, readers can identify with the people in my stories and find encouragement as those fictional spirits turn to the Lord for answers and guidance.

The year 2020 will be a memorable one worldwide. For me, it wasn’t so much the covid-19 virus as what I went through physically, mentally, and spiritually. Pain struck on Mother’s Day when I applied eye makeup for the first time since the lockdown began in March. I lowered my arm and gasped in shock. I’m used to something always hurting due to fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, but I have a high pain tolerance. I was sick to my stomach all day. If I’m nauseated, I know the pain is high, and that sudden stabbing down my arm was eight on the pain chart.

A few days later, an X-ray revealed a broken acromion bone, the thin one at the top of the shoulder that curves on the end. A CT scan told the surgeon his earlier rotator cuff repair hadn’t worked. I needed a reverse shoulder replacement.

The next morning, I awoke at 4 a.m. recalling that sometime during the last half of February I had picked up Valentine decorations off the floor that had fallen from the shadow box. Backing up in my journal I found nothing about my shoulder, but my lower back had screamed with pain for a couple weeks. Then I remembered.

My husband had left his shoes on the floor. I tripped over them, and with my right shoulder, hit the narrow edge of an open door. Then I bounced into the wall with my upper left side, knocking off the shadow box and its contents.

I had a reverse shoulder replacement on June 3rd. At the same time, the surgeon used what he called putty from that earlier repair and two screws to hold the acromion in place. In July we saw that the bone hadn’t healed. I needed a second surgery to remove hardware, along with a bone graft. Long, painful, and weak months ensued.

During those months of pain, I was up in the wee hours of many sleepless nights reading my Bible. I found myself pouring out my frustration and praise through what I called LoRee’s psalms. Or lamentations and songs, all with adoration for the Lord God who calls me His daughter. Ever trusting, though my frailty drifted to the surface, my Lord had control and all would be well.

I ended up writing three volumes with working titles, “Shelter in the Night,” “Looking Beyond Self,” and “Gratitude.” I set aside the 500 poems earlier this year to write a Christmas novella.

God’s grace abounds, and here’s a sample of how I view His redeeming grace:

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.



God’s Grace Granted



God’s grace is among us

God’s grace is offered to all



God’s grace sets us apart

God’s grace teaches us



God’s grace enables me

God’s grace is patient



God’s grace frees me

God’s grace purifies me



God’s grace encourages

God’s grace corrects



God’s grace saved me

God’s grace grants peace



God’s grace is present

God’s grace is eternal.

Nebraska country girl LoRee Peery writes fiction that hopefully appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian perspective, focusing on the romance. These include novels and novellas for women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Historical, Time Travel, and Mystery/Suspense categories. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. Her Frivolities Series and the book based on her father’s unsolved homicide, Touches of Time, are available on Amazon. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother and great-, sister, friend, and author. Connect with LoRee: www.loreepeery.com

https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery

Find her publications at Pelican http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk

And Amazon https://www.amazon.com/LoRee-Peery/e/B004UAGL2W/ref