This is your golden hour--

What amazing joy you will know when you choose to seek hearts!

After a 55 year career in nursing, I am familiar with what is called the “Golden Hour.” It is that first hour of response to a patient with a severe health condition and critical to the person’s recovery.

-Excerpt from my newly released book,

Joy in theHeartland.

I remember the days when my family would pack and pack until everyone was completely worn out, and then we would collapse into our car just to drive through the night. Even though we needed rest, the word “vacation” was to take care of that. Not being very good at making plans, my dad often found himself in difficult situations. During these brief vacations, we searched madly for this thing called rest. With just a few hours in each day, there simply was not enough time for my dad to plan and organize a so-called perfect vacation. His idea was to drive all day, wander impulsively from place to place checking out whatever sights we happened to stumble across, until suddenly realizing it was time to find a bed.

For the next hour or two, we madly chased down neon signs, looking for the one, and only one, that offered a vacancy. One night in particular I remember my mom, dad, and us two little girls sitting on a hard wooden bench until the wee hours of the morning staring down the desk clerk until she finally gave in and returned our room charge. It seems my sister had spotted a cockroach. You probably could define this uneasy moment for my family as a Golden Hour when my dad held his ground and we moved on.

I believe we all have these Golden Hour moments, some life-threatening while others are simply choices we are given, but the outcome of all is dependent upon our actions and response. As your thoughts turn to less snow and cold—today is your Golden Hour! Now is your moment to begin preparing for something new, come and explore southeastern South Dakota like never before. Joy in the Heartland will be your guide on this joy-filled hunt for photos and hearts throughout all 51 communities. With the recent announcement from the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department that all state libraries will receive two state park passes for patrons to check out for three days, this will allow plenty of time for readers to visit all the parks included in my book. What a great opportunity, you do not want to miss out, grab a copy of Joy in the Heartland and reserve your park passes today—this is your Golden Hour!

Follow your heart--joy is everywhere--you just need to find it!

Lonnette Kelley