Amazing!
Awesome!
SAMPLES!

B2B/B2C (& More!) Copywriting Samples

Peak Golden Oil

Alkalizing Greens from Peak Pure and Natural

N-O Blood Boost Cover Art mailing August NO Blood Boost Cover Test

Profile of my target customer: Jerry, age 47, Manager of a mid-sized hotel restaurant. Jerry is white, middle-class, and has a bachelor’s degree in the travel and tourism industry. The hotel is in the downtown district of a mid-sized city and has 400 rooms. The restaurant serves mainly businesspeople – breakfast, lunch, and dinner for its hotel and surrounding neighborhood patrons. The restaurant has an experienced chef and kitchen staff. This restaurant averages 200 breakfasts each day.

COLD Email:

Subject Line: Using a Recommendation: To Hotel Restaurant Manager, Jerry:

“We Know You Care About Your Restaurant and Making Happy Customers!”

Hello Jerry,

I know you’re very busy, and this will only take a minute…

Have you noticed how much bread is ending up in the trash can next to your toaster?

My name is Jane, the VP of marketing at Advantage Kitchenware Products.

Your fussy, bleary-eyed customers wander in wanting breakfast. They don’t care about you or your business. But I know you care. No one wants to lose customers – or money – with burned toast.

Our easy button selections make sure your toast is perfect.

Do you lose customers because their breakfast isn’t done right the first time? I would like to talk to you about correcting that problem.

To schedule your LIVE demonstration.

Thanks,

Jane Atkinson                                                                              VP Marketing & Sales

Company buyer of heavy equipment for a medium sized construction firm. Jill has previously purchased equipment from this company. This retention email reinforces the good product service she has had in the past and encourages her to consider a new purchase from this company. 
 
Hello Jill,

Forklifts aren’t cheap.

When your business needs a Forklift, we’re here to help.

Insurance rates keep going up.

Our new COB Technology Forklifts are safe, making negotiating lower insurance rates easy. Saving you money.

Ecommerce is forcing distribution leaders to make cuts.

Your business needs the best pricing options available.

We’re Ready.

Schedule your private demo using our Calendly link.

Safe, affordable, lower insurance rates, and a scheduled demo when you’re available.

Click this link today to schedule your business demo.
 
Thanks,
Cynthia

Business Card & Flyer (Example Redacted for Privacy)

Sample of a Product Elevator Pitch:

Advantage Kitchenware has developed a countertop toaster

(Emotional Appeal)

that can make toast the way your customers desire –

Light, Medium, and Dark. We’ve taken the guesswork out of the right

toasted levels with our unique buttons. No dials to mess with…

(Overall Benefit)

So, You won’t have toast slices ending up in the trash – costing you money!

Restaurants are in business to make money, not throw it away, and Advantage Kitchenware Toasters make Breakfast the way Your Customers want it.

.

Website Re-Do’s – Branding

Before and After ReBranding

COPYWRITING: The art of writing compelling advertising copy

that moves someone to purchase your product or service.

B2B Content

You’ve Got SEO? – Is it Contagious?

By Cynthia Saarie

Silly, it’s not a disease. SEO is Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the abbreviation used by millions to optimize their websites for better traffic and search engines to find their website. Using Keywords and code, meta tags, and HTML to bring the searching public to them.

Millions of times a day people will go to Google or Bing to search for something. Worldwide there is so much data, and yet, these search engines have whittled down an algorithm to find data. That data is stored in different locations around the world and retrieved in a microsecond. So how do companies get their businesses to show up on these search engines?

The average top position given to any field on a Google, Bing or other popular search engines, are calculated by an algorithm. An algorithm is “a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer.” There are several factors that go into ranking high in the search results, such as how often you write on your pages, and how often you share those pages with sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

If you want your website to be looked at by others, you must produce content, and often. The content must be dense with interesting and important information, not a lot of fluff. Google has strong policies regarding using high-quality content and may penalize your website if you don’t.

As time has evolved and different practices have come and gone, the thing that really works is using engaging content as a way to draw people to your business. It’s less of a pitch and more about being helpful and educating people. We’re educating people enough to do business with us.

— Brian Clark, founder of Copy-blogger

Here’s an example. You wrote a terrific sermon. You delivered that sermon last Sunday, and it went over big time with your congregation. That’s great! Now blog that Sermon! Blogging is writing about what you are doing. It covers all activities, interests, dreams, desires, and gets people interested in what you are doing, what you are going to do, and how they can do it too! Share that blog on Facebook and other social media. Include your church’s website and the URL. Adding fresh content to your website will help your website to rank higher in the search results and drive traffic to your website.

One sure way to keep your audience’s attention is by providing a video, or a slideshow video presentation on your website. HubSpot reported Video Marketing would play a key role in the optimal placement of pages. By the year 2020, 80% of all business websites will have some sort of video on their front page. That is an important part of today’s advertising dollars well spent. Videos increase click-through sales rates by up to 300%, and most marketers use video content strategy to increase those sales dollars. Marketers that currently use videos plan to increase their video budgets by 65%. That’s a lot of viewers and a lot of expected revenue coming back into that business. Your church is a business.

Another point of interest, pictures. People are visual creatures; God designed eyes to look at interesting things. Add interest to your pages, including videos, and a lot of pictures. Change those pictures often or add new ones. Search engines look at this as keeping content fresh and the website alive. It’s also important to alt tag your images. For any image on your site, the alt tag should describe what’s on it. Screen readers for the blind and visually impaired will read out this text and thus make your image accessible.

Your website’s home page is where you make your first impression. If you don’t have a great page, some may not stick around long enough to read about your church. God is Great, and I know He is… but if you have a so-so, lukewarm first page, many will just move on. It’s important to build out pages that offer different information. Putting all of your information on just your homepage will confuse search engines when they are looking for keyword related content to show a user. These pages can include things like church activities, different ministries available, or Bible studies that are going on.  It’s a best practice to have your website set up for conversions. To help convert that traffic into leads, ask for an email address on your website and if they would like to receive your next e-newsletter or to download a free E-book on “Are You Planning a Wedding?” or “How Do I Join Your Church?”  (They could buy the book for an upcoming Bible study that’s been planned for Advent.) If you are offering something that requires a financial transaction, PayPal is an excellent resource.      

Keywords are an integral part of the content. Great content marketing requires the use of keywords that are relative to the search query of the end user. Google indexes pages that are relative to what people are searching for to show up in the search results. For example, you are hosting a dinner for the community next month that is free. Keywords you could use are free dinner, free-will dinner, dinner for free at church. You get the message. Every possible way of stating that you are having a dinner, at your city and state, and that there is no cost. When a person goes online to see where there is a free dinner, they may put something like, “Where is a Free dinner in Seattle?” into the search engine. These multiple word phrases are called long tail keywords. You may need to include the phrases that someone may search along with short one-word keywords.

48% of 1,200 global digital marketers said on-page SEO is still considered to be the most effective tactic and the most sought-after commodity for getting their websites visited. These case studies have had a few decades to figure all of this out. It’s a trial and error process of what works best for you. What is the most important item to have on the website: keywords, content, videos, pictures, coding, blogging and sharing? The answer is all of them. They all share important SEO information about your webpage to the search engines, which gets people to your website.

How do you start to make an SEO friendly website?

  • Who on your staff will be responsible for maintaining the website, updating information, changing pictures and videos, etc.?
  • Organize your ideas on individual pages, one idea for one Page.
  • Make a budget of how much you can and are willing to spend on your website.
  • Do you have merchandise to sell or offer for free? Is there a person who can create merchandise, like e-booklets?
  • Make sure there is an email sign up button on each or most of the pages.
  • Are you connected to PayPal for accepting payments? Or another form of payment?
  • Add pictures. If you need extra pictures, use the copyright free pictures. (pexels.com, freeimages.com, or for a small fee istock.com)  
  • Pictures that are copyright free can be shared on Pinterest or Facebook. (pinterest.com, facebook.com) You want your readers to share your information.
  • Use engaging information that isn’t just filling space. Keep them coming back to see what’s new.
  • Try YouTube for information on videos and slideshow videos for your website. People will stick around to watch if you have a great video on your pages. (youtube.com, vimeo.com)
  • Put keywords and long tail keywords and phrases in the body of text on your pages. A rule of thumb is to have the keyword used 2-3x for every 300 words.

Many work hard to perfect the pages they post. It’s a trial and error kind of thing. What works for one may not work for another. Title your pages and keep updating your information. Entertain and educate.

Now you have SEO. It’s not a disease; it’s the cure! The cure to getting your business noticed by search engines and the world’s public. God Bless your efforts.

Cobalt and Marijuana

The Blockchains are moving,

this time with Blue and Green Cash.

 

Are You Looking for an Investment for the Future?

 

The Motley Fool has TWO right Here.

By Cynthia Saarie

 

The US Dollar currency is dying, and people are scrambling for a place to put their hard-earned dollars. The blockchains of indestructible data are being threatened into extinction. The stock market is moving funds into the cryptocurrencies and bitcoins that are readily available worldwide. Apple knows it, and so does the NY Stock Exchange.

 

What does this all mean, and how will it affect the everyday stockholders and would be investors?

 

Hello,

 

My name is Cynthia Saarie. I’m a stock evaluator on staff, under the Founders of the Motley Fool Stock Advisor, Tom and David Gardner. I want to tell you about Blue and Green Cash. You will be amazed that very few people know about this, But the ones that DO, don’t want You or anyone else to know. That’s why Tom and David let information like this out only to those that subscribe to The Motley Fool Stock Advisor. We won’t keep news like this concealed.

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor has the Answers.

Warren Buffett is buying more Apple Stock. (NASDAQ: AAPL trading at $186.) Warren’s Berkshire Hathaway, the money giant, is eating more than 5% of the available Apple stock. What does he suspect the trend will be that is changing and leading him to buy more Apple stock? The answer is Blue. A blue rock that can make you more green cash!

Besides Gold, Cobalt is the Metal that is King.

Berkshire Hathaway is purchasing more Apple stock.

Gray-Blue is the color of Cobalt. Warren knows that computers need cobalt for their computer batteries. Apple is in quiet dealings; purchasing companies that mine cobalt. This metal is in very limited quantities and is found in very few areas worldwide. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest supply. Because this country is in an ongoing civil war, mining cobalt there is dangerous. When work stoppages halt production, cobalt prices bolt skyward and could spiral out of control soon. The United States has only 14% of the world’s supply of cobalt, leaving companies like Apple scrambling to secure their supply for the future. Glencore, a Canadian Company, (GLCNF: OTC US) is the largest mining company of our US supply. I believe they will be joining the US NASDAQ soon. Recently, the US steel and aluminum companies have brought in lower trading valuations, making it a great time to buy this stock. The Motley Fool will keep you in touch with this trending metal and the impact it will have on the computer and battery industry markets.

Our Founders, Tom and David Gardner, ensure the data distribution by The Motley Fool is reliable and current. They pride themselves on surpassing the industry standards of information supplied to consumers. The Motley Fool Stock Advisor makes sure the stocks they recommend to You and their subscribers, more than meets expectations. They inspect and dissect companies to explain their reasoning on the recommendations they put forward for investment opportunities. You can be certain the information is accurate and precise.

The Motley Fool recommends buying Glencore and Canopy Growth.

Village Proposal for Cannabis Growing and Dispensaries.

Long File, Click Here!

What’s Up? Why Are You Still Awake?

by Cynthia Saarie

It’s three in the morning and you are still awake. What’s up with your mind that you can’t relax and get some much-needed shuteye?

Identify the Problem.

This is the easiest to start, you are awake and know you should be sleeping. The obvious answer may be the hardest to get past. To make matters worse, you have something pressing to accomplish in the morning and need to be at your best. But here you lay awake in bed.

There are Steps You Should Take Before You Attempt to Sleep.

Three days ago, your boss gave you the assignment to be ready to give a presentation on Friday. You had the materials done months ago; your only assignment was to write down what you would say during your part in the presentation. You sat for hours staring at your computer screen. The words you wrote were fine, you didn’t think it would be a horrible presentation, yet you check and re-check the speech.

Problem: Your self-doubt and anxiety.

You are the correct person for this job. You were hired because you had the knowledge and experience to complete tasks set before you on time, and efficiently. You know you are more than capable to do the work, and that it is not beyond you to accomplish, and complete this job. Stop self-doubting your abilities. Easier said than done? Fine. Then let’s review…

  • You were the one hired for this job.
  • Your boss knows the work you can complete.
  • You have the knowledge and the experience in completing this task.
  • Your boss knows you will do a good job presenting, or you would not have been asked.

Do not allow yourself to continue to criticize yourself and your abilities. Not everyone can deliver a presentation. If they all were able to do so, someone else could have been asked. Your boss asked you. This boss believes in your ability, you should, too.

Problem: You had a cocktail after dinner.

When you are preparing to give a presentation or any event where you must be at the top of your game, you shouldn’t drink alcohol or caffeine. The American Sleep Association has determined to have one drink before sleeping results in Alpha Brainwave activity. The Alpha brain waves happen when a person is awake. These brain waves are in metabolic break mode, awake, but in the resting phase. They are keeping your mind active. There should only be Delta waves during sleep, the regeneration and restorative phase. Caffeine is a stimulant and should also be avoided. The same could be said for nicotine and sugary sodas.

Solution: You Exercised Today.

You went to the Gym today. That is a great activity any day, but especially on days when getting a good night’s sleep is essential. Exercise uses your excess energy stores and makes your body look forward to resting. People who exert energy during strenuous exercise tend to sleep soundly and for more restorative healing powers. It results in better alertness and feeling like you are on top of your circumstances.

Solution: You had Sex.

As with exercise, sex, where orgasm is achieved, is relaxing at night, but energizing in the morning. The exertion and release of endorphins will bring a sense of calmness and lull you into a deep sleep.

Solution: You Prayed.

Studies have shown that people who have a faith in an almighty power greater than themselves when in meditative prayer or while practicing yoga, will relax and release the tight hold they have on their consciousness and sleep. Having a faith to lean on when there are matters that trouble the mind will find solace and comfort that they are not handling the troubles alone.

The Best Scenario Could Be…

You went to the gym today. You went to your job and ate a good dinner. You had satisfying sex and didn’t drink after dinner. You fell into a deep relaxing sleep and awoke ready to meet that presentation head-on. You delivered a terrific speech and impressed your boss. Very good! Now is the time to celebrate.

B2C Content

How Basketball and Yoga Can Loosen Up Stiff Joints at Any Age!

 

Hi there, Friend,

I’m too young to be put into a nursing home:

I’m 75, how dare my daughter say she’s putting me into a nursing home. I keep current on what is on the news. I have a computer and chat regularly online. Just because I’m a widow and live alone in my apartment – doesn’t mean it’s time to cash in my chips. But then I thought about what she was really saying. Without movement my joints were stiffening and it’s getting harder to get around.

I’ve become a piece of furniture. That same day, I saw an ad in my email feed. I knew it was selling me something, but it piqued my curiosity. I recognized the face of Robin Roberts from ABC!

A New Program Online – Their Specialty is Loosening Up Joints that Won’t Work:

I’ve looked at similar programs, DDPYoga, Metabody Yoga, and a few others. But this one caught my eye. A specially designed Senior’s program called Basketball Yoga Blast. Hmm. This sounded like it might be fun, and just what I needed to show my daughter I’m not going to the boneyard yet! I’m not overweight, but it says it helps lose weight. I’m not tall, but basketball goal heights can be adjusted.

I have use of a free gym at this apartment complex, maybe this program will lead me to using it with others in my building. I dug in deeper into what this program holds…

  • Six online videos with different workouts ranging from beginner to advance. Well, I’m definitely a beginner.
  • A wearable fitness tracker that has motivational messages that pop up. Not sure I care about that, but it may be handy information to learn.
  • Instruction guides on how to use the videos and tracker. Ok, that’s good to have and to help me figure out what I’m doing.
  • Basketball drills and healthy yoga tips. Especially since I don’t know a thing about basketball or yoga.
  • An NBA-quality basketball. Oh, that’s nice. (I wouldn’t want a minor league ball! 😊)
  • And a high-quality yoga mat and carrying case. This way I can keep them all together.

This Program was Developed by Robin Roberts, ABC host on Good Morning America:

ABC’s Good Morning America’s host, Robin Roberts, helped develop this program. I watch her almost every weekday morning. She was the Lady Lion’s basketball high scoring leader and moved from college ball into sports broadcasting before moving to ABC. She certainly has access to knowledgeable people to help develop a great program. It says the videos are all with Robin leading the exercises. Robin promises these unique and proven basketball drills and yoga moves will be a great workout and a lot of fun.

Here’s the Catch – it’s not free:

Not many things are free anymore, but it wasn’t a huge chunk of change, either. I looked at all the items the program came with and realized the price is fair. I started to think of all the ways this program will help me.  I want to be flexible and be able to move without shouting that it hurts. I can spare 30-minutes a day to make my body stronger again. A great workout is just what this body needs.

I went online and ordered the full program. YOU can order Basketball Yoga Blast here – click this link!

I received my program in four days:

I booted up my computer and smart tv. (Yes, I know how to cast to my tv!) The instruction guide gave me the link to put into my computer. No problem and it was up and ready for me.

Then Robin appeared on the screen and began working out with me after showing how we would be using each piece in my program kit. I laid out the yoga mat and managed to plop down on the floor without breaking something.

Slowly, we started stretching. Oh, that feels good. Slow and steady movements to start limbering up joints that haven’t been used in a while. After a warmup we started stretching using the basketball. I realized I should have done this a lot sooner.

I Contacted other apartment tenants:

I sent out a flyer I printed off my computer and posted it on the bulletin board by the gym – asking if there were  other seniors that wanted to play basketball or start a yoga class? I was not expecting so many to reply! We now have two teams that regularly play games and a new yoga stretching class that I lead using the exercises I learned in Basketball Yoga Blast!

You can loosen up your joints, lose weight, gain flexibility, in less than 30-minutes a day. Guaranteed.

Dr. Jen Ashton, on Good Morning America, stood by Robin and evaluated each of the exercises that were going to be promoted in this program. Her professional certifications led Robin Roberts into producing a complete and easy to follow program. Dr. Jen said, “Basketball Yoga Blast exercises are geared toward homebodies that need to move more and stretching exercises that will unlock stiff joints to make moving happen. I highly recommend this program for anyone that wants more flexibility.”

Here’s What You’ll Receive:

You’ll receive access to your six videos leading you one-on-one with Robin Roberts, how to easily utilize each exercise. Your Fitness tracker, which I found helped me daily! The instruction guide, an NBA basketball and a high-quality yoga mat and carrying case.

All for: $179 or five payments of $40 and No Shipping Charges. But Wait! There’s More!

As a special gift, you’ll receive one-on-one consultations with a certified yoga master and a monthly Facebook meet-up with other Basketball Yoga Blast online members. But for Today… You will get the Basketball Yoga Blast program and equipment, and the special one-on-one calls and online meet-ups for a one-time price of $149 or five payments of $30 and Free Shipping. Saving you 17%!

Respectfully yours, 

Mary Beth Upton

PS: Robin Roberts will sign your basketball if you order now. She wants you to have fun while you work out, limber up, and get out there and live! Order Basketball Yoga Blast now for $149 and Free Shipping.

I got my daughter off my back! You, too, can Loosen Up Your Joints!

Order today. Click and go to www.basketballyogablast.com         $149 Limited Offer                                               Free Shipping and your 100% Money-Back – Guarantee.

 

Creating New Ideas and New Opportunities for New York State

by Cynthia Saarie  

The Cannabis industry is making waves in NY State. Unfortunately, NYS isn’t known for a long year-round growing season. Therefore, alternative ideas must be tossed about where and how to grow, manufacture, and cultivate the cannabis industry, whether for medical or recreational use. AND, how to set up the correct laws and programs to govern this new industry.

This industry requires robust personnel infrastructure, employment security, and job paycheck reliability for everyone’s future. Jobs that will pay a lot more than minimum wages with the incentives to stay in NY and to keep working for 20 to 30 years with the ability to retire with a nice pension and a strong sense of accomplishment.

Maybe this will stop the solid exodus for the southern states for warmer climates and lower utility bills to compensate for lower wages and higher crime rates down south. New York needs to have something better to offer to keep people here. Most of the high-paying industrial jobs Upstate NY had to provide employees with are gone. This new industry can achieve a planned ground-up approach by looking at what we want the end results to be and working backward. We need visionaries. And we need to keep lawmaker’s minds open to these new ideas and plans so each community doesn’t miss out on their opportunity to grow.

NY State has two natural resources to build upon – water and wind energy. We can utilize our waterways and our rooftops with the wind to create energy to run the operations we will need to grow the cannabis to cultivate – whether it is for medical or recreational use. In addition, we could create more jobs by creating wind turbines.

We have the perfect place to use that wind turbine for our future endeavors in this cannabis industry. We can use vacant strips and regular shopping malls. For example, ‘Destiny USA Mall’ in Syracuse is worth $250 million but owes over $750 million in taxes; most of the anchor stores are gone. Likewise, ‘The Great Northern Mall’ just 15 miles north of Syracuse, is almost vacant and owes millions in back taxes.

Why use malls? Security. Both retailers and dispensaries need secure structures. Malls have very few entrances, sound sprinkler systems, and good lighting—the ideal security situation. Wind turbines attached to these flat roof structures produce the electricity used to light the grow-rooms. They are turning these structures that are eating up unpaid tax dollars into a growing factory.

What am I looking for? I need information from companies that make vertical wind turbines. I need strong wind turbines that will hold up to harsh NY winters and strong winds. They can’t weigh too much. We will need a lot of them on a rooftop. We have 3 to 5 mph winds every day and generally higher. We have a lot of snow. What do you know that can help us? We need to know to make informed decisions on creating a working model for the rest of the State to follow. I need sizes, prices, and delivery times. If you can help me, we need to chat!

Sales Email Letter by Cynthia Saarie for AWAI

“Go Green and Make You Lean”

Green? Or is it Orange?

Hello Friend,

Whatever flavors Pump You Up

JC Juicer Delivers!

Whether citrus or veggies –

JC Juicer brings massive flavors in Seconds!

Two speeds will Squeeze out –

Every drop of taste!

Stainless-steel construction –

Up to 18,000 RPMs of Power

Easy clean-up and Good to Go!

Energize Your Body…

Absorbing nutrients with every heartbeat!

JC Juicer is your Nutritional Bomb!

You need it – Green and LEAN!

Click Here for Info.

[Fake Button]

“Right in the Heart of Lake George”   published in TripAdvisor 2019 by Cynthia Saarie

The Vistas of Lake George in the morning are stunning. The fresh air brushes by you while you sip your coffee and listen to the waves lap the shoreline. The images will last in your mind forever. Voted the cleanest lake in the Country, Lake George is Pristine!

The Lake Motel is right on the Lake. It offers free canoe and kayak use and a large heated in-the-ground pool.  The rooms are small but contain everything you need. It’s clean and well maintained.

When we go, we park the car and never move it until we go home. Everything you need to see are steps away from the Motel. After a day of sightseeing, we retire to a comfortable room and spend some time at our outside table chatting or playing cards.

We go in July during the Community Band Festival. Arriving from all parts of NY State and Canada, the talented bands fill the air with wonderful music on Friday and Saturday. We come to Lake George on Thursday and ride on the huge passenger boat, The Lac du St. Sacrament, to a scrumptious meal and Fireworks over the Lake!

The Lake Motel is our perfect spot to be in the action, and all within walking distance. We reserve our rooms before we leave to make sure we’ll be all set before next Summer. The rooms average about $260 a night, including complementary coffee, donuts and fruit for an on-the-go breakfast, as you make your way out for a day of fun.

Just inside the Adirondack Mountain range, Lake George is Definitely a place to experience.

Stayed July 2019 –  COVID-19 happened in 2020.

 

Article Contributing to HARO  ‘Help a Reporter Out’

Lake George’s Community Band Festival July 2017

   One of the finest music festivals held in NY State each year is the Community Band Festival at Lake George. It’s always held the third weekend of July. Music fills the air in the pristine foothills of the Adirondack Mountains overlooking the clear waters of Lake George.


   This year will mark the 14th annual weekend in Shepard Beach Park Amphitheater. At 5 pm on Friday, July 20th, music will reign over the park which overlooks Lake George. This is the largest Community Band Festival in the Eastern US. Concert bands from all over the Northeast and Canada join in celebrating some of the world’s finest music pieces. Broadway show tunes, Patriotic melodies, and music to make you get up and dance. It pours throughout the hamlet of Lake George on that Friday evening and all-day Saturday.


   Bring a lounge chair or blanket and park yourself overlooking Lake George while your mind wanders through the wonderful music that has brought people here for fourteen summers. Many of the hotels are within walking distance of the park, and many are just outside of the town on Canada Street. Book early, rooms fill fast for this wonder-filled musical weekend.


   One place that I go to year after year is the Lake Motel, right on Canada Street, two blocks from Shepard Beach Park. Rooms run about $260 a night for the Community Band Festival. They have a site right on Lake George. There’s a heated pool and canoes to use on the Lake.


The Lake Motel
380 Canada St
Lake George NY 12845

Phone: 518-668-2810 

Email: [email protected]  

Reference: https://www.lakegeorge.com/event/lake-george-community-band-festival-63015 

The Lake Motel also has a Live Webcam overlooking the beautiful Lake George:  take a peek here:  https://www.lakegeorgelakemotel.com/live-camera/ 

 https://www.lakegeorgelakemotel.com/live-camera/

Scrumptious. Juicy.  Vine-ripened.

Fresh Veggies Year-Round!

Fresh lettuce and tomatoes each night…

Come and Get ‘em!

Grow your own veggies indoors with

CounterGrow 12 Hydroponic Gardening System.

‘Look Mom, I picked these for dinner today!’

When kids grow and pick their veggies –

They’re more likely to EAT Them!

12 pods will produce Your choice of Veggies.

Fill the water tanks, set the light and timers, and

Watch ‘em grow!

CounterGrow 12

Gardening made Healthy!

Email Subject Line:

CRAP! One Hour from NOW – Your Boss is Coming to Your House!

 75 word – Quick email body…

What can you serve to impress Your Boss?

In your freezer – chicken parts, brussel sprouts, and French-fries.

You’re making fried chicken, cheesy brussel sprouts, and French-fries.

:45 minutes – Sitting on the counter is my Tastebud Bliss Air Fryer 450 degrees – Max Crisp setting.

Chicken parts drenched and into the basket. 15 minutes.

:25 – Brussel sprouts – olive oil and cheese. Spray fries with oil.

4 and 6 minutes. 

:05 – The doorbell rings…

Sales Letter by Cynthia Saarie for AWAI

“You Need ONE Unique Way to Make at Least $2500 Every Month – Nick Usborne wants to Share His Secret with You”

     Dear Readers,

     Hi there, Rebecca Matter here. Do You Want to Earn More Money?

Of Course, You Do! We All Do!

“Making Dollars Moves Us All Out of Our Flypaper Stuckness!”

     “Stuckness?” LOL… I know there’s no such word, it just felt right. And that’s what I’m talking to you about today. What FEELS right. Sometimes, we Have to look outside our Box and Move or we become Stuck in our Complacency!

     I’m going to relay a story that was told to me recently by one of Your fellow AWAI students. She’s not a young girl, in fact, she’s 61 years young. She retired after finishing a 30-year career, and found that her pension wasn’t going to bring her the retirement she had always dreamed. She wanted her Dollars to Do More.

 Nick taught her One Unique Way to do more, and now he’s sharing it with YOU!

Cynthia didn’t have enough between her pension and her savings to be able to do anything she had envisioned. I’m going to let her spell it out for you, and the

ONE ingenious way Nick helped Her Turn it all Around.

     She has graciously allowed AWAI to use her insights for all of the students who found retirement wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I’m sure you’ll agree…

this is an extremely unique idea whose time has come!

     “Hello, my name is Cynthia. I retired two years ago to a very disappointing retirement. After working most of my adult life in the same job, in the same town, I found retirement meant half the income with the same full-time bills.

      Something had to change.

     That something was me!

     I had maxed out my 401K. I bought CD’s and saved something out of every paycheck. I went from just under $5000 a month take home, to less than $2500 a month. I wanted to be able to travel, to re-do my old outdated kitchen. I can’t do either without jeopardizing my savings account. If I live to be 85 years old,

  • I’ll be broke.
  • What if I need a new car?
  • Or a roof repair?
  • Or my furnace dies?

     I had to come up with something soon,

 

or I was going to be in some serious doo-doo.”

 

 

     Does any of this sound familiar to you? If it does, I’ve got some great news for you! Cynthia’s story isn’t much different from millions of citizens around the world. Maybe even your story… You –

Work, work, work,

and then retire and end up – b r o k e.  ☹

It’s an unfortunate scenario that happens every day. Cynthia continued her story.

I had taken AWAI’s     

‘Accelerated Program for Six-Figured Copywriting’ a few years ago. I loved that course!  I knew I had the talent to write, dabbled in short stories and a few blog articles over the years for neighborhood newspapers.

     I finished the course and took the verification test and passed! But life got in the way and I never did anything more with it.

     One day, while going through my emails, I came across a letter from AWAI’s Rebecca Matter. She told me about a course that Nick Usborne had put together and I signed up to take it. That one course changed everything!

      Ideas I had years ago on a back burner sprang back into my mind. I began jotting down ideas that would bring the money to me!

      I was terrified of putting out resumes, or cold calling, or emailing strangers. My writing skills and the training I had from Nick Usborne-

 

brought those clients to me.       

 

               I never imagined it could be so easy!

     I realized that this is the answer to my prayers, and will be the answer for a lot of other AWAI students that haven’t found their way into the mainstream marketplace!  I decided right then and there, I would share my experience.”

 

     Cynthia was right. Her insights were revolutionary,

and Nick Usborne’s course filled in all the details.

     When you think about it, sometimes having a template to work with is all you ever needed to start the process. The key is beginning!

     Sometimes a single idea   –  ‘Sparks a Fire’

     A Flood of Ideas coming at You from Every Direction.

     Best of all, most of the best ideas are not hers, they will come from You!

                                         

This is how Great Ideas are Born!

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

     You see, most people are stumped when it comes to great ideas. They’ll see something out there in the marketplace and think,

“Gee, Why didn’t I think of that?

It’s so simple, and yet, so necessary.

How come I can’t come up with those great ideas?”

 

It isn’t the ideas that aren’t coming to you… it’s the practice of throwing around thoughts in a group of other people. Thoughts that form those great insights come from working in teams of like-minded people in the same boat as you.

These brainstorming sessions trigger ideas and insights.

That’s why there is no ‘I’ in Team!

 

     This is a premise of Nick Usborne’s Copywriting Course. Teaching You how to work with the client, and working with others on the team to come up with the best solution, idea, or insight for a copy project, the “One Big Idea.”

    Together, the work gets done and the copySpectacular!

     How do you get to the realm of idea growth?

     How do you get to work with others and the client on a team?

This is where Cynthia’s unique insight comes in…Where Everyone who takes Nick’s Usborne’s Course Learns How to Make $2500, or MORE!

As soon as Next Month! EVERY MONTH!

     “I saw where Nick Usborne’s course was taking me. I became so excited! Like the name of my town of Phoenix, I was rising out of the ashes. To think that this course was giving me all the background work right there in reference materials that I could go back to time and time again. I could pick out the next item to draw into my plan! I was so ecstatic.

I felt like I had struck Gold!”

 

 

     “Not only did Nick teach me all about writing Homepages, placing Keywords and using SEO, but he made sure I understood why.  I knew exactly how to say something in the right way to gain the most momentum. He taught me about Auto-Responders and using Funnels, List Building, and I began blogging again.

    One of the most essential things Nick said, is how to value your time and to charge an appropriate dollar amount to bring me the income I was seeking. I learned that most copywriters don’t assess the right fees.”

     Cynthia is right, again.

     Many copywriters under-charge their clients.

     Nick works with You and helps get You up to speed on the prices You should be charging. Information found in the reference materials Nick gives You.

Some Prices You Will Be Paid:

ü Homepages (Standard fee range: $450-$4,500)

ü Subscription pages ($450-$4,500)

ü Information pages ($150-$750)

ü Landing pages ($450-$1,000)

ü Page sequences ($750-$5,000)

ü Promotional emails ($250-$3,500)

ü E-newsletters ($250-$2,000)

ü Blogs ($50-$500 per post)

ü Websites ($1,500-$3,500)

ü This is a Small Portion of Writing Pricing. There’s a LOT More!

Who is Nick Usborne?           

     Nick is a dedicated veteran copywriter. Almost Forty years in Full-time service, and Twenty of these years explicitly devoted to Online Copywriting.

NASDAQ and NYSE: the Stellar Companies that contact Nick to write copy for them know Nick writes to Convert and Sell.

Companies like:

Microsoft – The NY Times – Yahoo – Disney – MSN – The Getty Trust – Wells Fargo Bank – The U.S. Navy – Encyclopedia Britannica – Intuit

Many companies wait Months to book time with him!

     Nick is a Direct-Response Copywriter. He wrote copy for the Franklin Mint, TV Guide, Apple, Chrysler, Citibank, and many others. Nick won 15 awards for his direct-response work, both in Europe and North America. All the awards are based on the performance and results of his copywriting prowess.

     Nick is a sought-after Speaker, Trainer, and Columnist, with articles published by ClickZ, iMedia Connection, A List Apart, Business 2.0, Marketing Profs, and many more.

     He is also the Author of a book on writing for the web, Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy,” published by McGraw-Hill.

     AWAI is very fortunate to have Nick step in with his incredible teaching abilities and ingenuity. His grit and determination

make his AWAI students, Including YOU, Succeed in Web Copywriting.

     Companies seek our finely tuned students at AWAI because of this poinenant educator. He’s a real pleasure to work and learn from, one of the very best copywriters in our business.

Look what other AWAI Students have to say about Nick Usborne’s Course:

     “I have to tell you, if it weren’t for Nick Usborne, whom I consider the best website copywriter there is, his skill and advice – I would not be writing this today. His words, “Do your best, and execute it perfectly,” along with fear get me up in the morning. In addition, I’m proud to say, I now get paid for it.

 

Thanks, Nick, for my new life!

 

Doug Denny        

Copywriter

AWAI Student, Jane Sanford says:

     “I snap out of my panic and answer confidently, “I’ve noticed all of your company pages have more than one column. To be truly effective, we’re going to need to keep this page to one column only…” And I was off to the races. 

 

The Real Business People were listening. They were nodding their heads. They were thinking, “Yes! This woman is smart. She knows what she’s doing. She’s solving our problems. We need to pay her a lot of money and keep her around.” 

 

     Once I opened Nick’s guide, I felt immediate relief. It’s all laid out for you: getting to know your audience, writing for the search engines

 

(spoiler alert: You write for the search engines

by not writing for the search engines.),

 

writing a home page, writing a landing page, writing great e-newsletters, writing blogs, writing promotional emails … and much, much more.

 

     Now, every time I take on a new web copywriting assignment, my most fundamental step in the process is to consult Nick’s guide. 

 

     You should do the same. 

 

     Nick removes the mystique from web copywriting. He writes with love and respect. And answers every question you might have asked, as well as those you never thought to ask. It’s absolutely the most comprehensive web copywriting guide on the market you’re likely to find.” 

 

 Lou Wasser – AWAI Web Copywriting 2.0 Graduate

     “Nick’s message from the beginning has been, “Writing for the Web is different.” I’ll admit I had no idea how different it was until I bought his program, Copywriting 2.0. But it’s a totally different audience that speaks a totally different language.

     The language gap is not something you notice while you’re reading it. But think of how many times you’ve opened a web page hoping to find what you were looking for and said, “No way! I’m not even going to read that!” You could tell within five seconds, and you jumped on the back button.

     Crappy writing on the Web is an epidemic because most of the people writing it don’t know what the Web audience needs in order to keep them reading and eventually take action.

     If you’re going to write for clients who need online copy (and chances are you will), Copywriting 2.0 covers the entire foundation of fundamentals. It is the best investment I’ve made in my copywriting career.

     Being the serial Post-It-Noter that I am, I wanted to create a checklist of all the core concepts and essential procedures to save myself from thumbing through nearly 500 pages of instructions and insights and several hours of video tutorials (did I mention how thorough this program is?)

     Several Post-It pads later, I managed to whittle it down to one bulletin board of organized chaos, and I refer to it every time I write something for a website. I can’t stress enough how crucial it is for a copywriter to have the information in Copywriting 2.0.”

Chase Canyon  –  Online Copywriter           

    “Web Copywriting 2.0 brought it all together for me. I told Nick about my idea and he told me to ‘RUN’ with it! And I did!

 

     I approached my local mayor and the idea committee for my town. I booked the high school auditorium and made it happen. I had clients and sponsors calling me all day long. I had applications piled up on my desk to go through. I had to pick and choose those that I thought my audience would like to hear the most. It was exhilarating! I was on top of the world. Cynthia, this is ME? Doing all of this? YES!

 

     Not only did I make up the $2500 monthly shortfall, but my idea has now found its way out into the world, and people are following my example and making Big Money. Copywriters Unite!

 

Taking Web Copywriting 2.0 Changed My Life! Thank YOU, AWAI and Nick Usborne!”

 

 

 

 

AWAI Students,

Nick will Show YOU how

You Can make BIG money!

 

 

     You can earn money as soon as next month. You will have all the tools you’ll need. Nick’s course will give you that boost to make it happen. Cynthia will provide you with her insights, or you can run with one of your own ideas. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to brainstorm together with your group and then with your new-found clients!

     One of our dedicated instructors at AWAI had this to say about Nick:

   “Nick’s AWAI Web 2.0 Copywriting Program as if it were the ‘Bible’ of website copywriting … which it is.”

— Bob Bly          

What’s in the Web Copywriting 2.0 Course?

 

Four Separate and Focused Sections:

  • Section 1: What it means to be a great Online Copywriter
  • Section 2: Writing Web pages that Sell
  • Section 3: Supplement Your Skills: Writing Emails, E-Newsletters, & Blogs
  • Section 4: Million Dollar Copywriting Tips

Additional Materials You’ll Receive in Your Program:

PLUS, NICK HAS BONUS MATERIALS FOR YOU!

You’ll Also Get Up and Running as an Online Copywriter FAST with these Bonus Materials:

  • Live Spec Assignments that include Feedback
  • Help Choosing a Profitable Web Writing Niche
  • Help Putting up a Website that Sells You to Clients in that Niche
  • Help Landing Your First Client Within a Few Weeks
  • Nick’s Step-by-Step Guide to Working with Clients

 

 

Recorded Webinars and Teleconferences:

  • Website Critiques
  • Group Coaching
  • Nick’s 4-Part Webinar Workshop
  • Four Strategies for Increasing the Money You Make from Every Project
  • How to Promote Yourself as an Online Copywriter
  • How to Discover a Profitable Copywriting Niche That’s Right for You

Plus, Many More Bonus Webinars and Teleconferences …

How Much Do You REALLY Want to Earn Big Money from Writing?

Do Dollars Move You out of Your ‘Stuckness?’ 

 

     If you have always dreamed of writing for a living, working on different writing projects that will earn you a lot of money, you are in the right place at the right time.

 Cynthia told me,

     “I now write full-time where ever I want. I joined The Writer’s Life and read my subscription e-newsletter as soon as it hits my inbox!  If I’m not traveling to a new city to explain my idea to the mayor and city councils, or the local colleges and high schools, then I’m off to a distant land on another vacation.”

     “I’ll relax and enjoy what I envisioned my retirement to be all along.  I used to wonder why I didn’t start earlier in my life? But hindsight is 20/20, and I’m only looking forward.  Plus, I can now let others know about living the ‘Writer’s Life.’  This way they won’t have to wait until they are in their 60’s! It’s never too late!”

 

 

     Don’t You think it is time to stop thinking about a better life?

Why waste any more time?      If you’re ready,     

Join the Web Copywriting 2.0 course and March into Your New Career. Be a Leader – Copywriters are Needed Daily to Produce a Lot of Copy for the Web.

 

Web Copywriting 2.0: Your Complete Guide to Writing Web Copy that Converts. Web Copywriting 2.0 is organized into a well-paced,        step-by-step methodical way:

Designed so everyone can understand and follow these simple directions.

AWAI is launching You into Your career with all the knowledge You’ll need.

 

Web Copywriting 2.0 is divided into four easy to follow sections:

 

Section 1 – will focus on what it takes to be a successful online copywriter, the “How to’s” of great web copywriting. This section will ground you into a solid foundation. Basics you will need to begin comfortably branching out into writing for companies on the web.

Section 2is where you learn Nick’s proven strategies. Creating web pages that sell, mastering web copy, You’ll be ready to command fees of $1,500, $2,000, even $3,000…writing a single 500-750 word web page!

Section 3learn how to earn more money writing materials your clients

are going to need, month after month, a constant stream of copy that they can test. Suggesting emails, e-newsletters, and blogs, helping them understand the need to stay in touch with their subscribers and prospects. A branch of assignments bringing YOU to a six-figures income.

Section 4Nick’s “million-dollar” tips, techniques, insights for writing

web copy. They will keep coming back to you for MORE. Bringing You Fortune 500 companies that are starving for your copywriting skills.

And what’s more? Videos!

Yes, Nick has Recently Updated this Course!

He has Added 16 Video Training Modules

 to Help You Even More!

HOW TO Videos on:

 

  • Learn the different kinds of web pages.
  • How YOU will create these pages (watch videos #1, 10, & 13)
  • Learn how to make sure search engines like Google will see your client’s website by using the Latest SEO information (watch videos #3, 4, & 7)
  • Learn the best ways and times to send emails (watch video #15)
  • Learn what format to send emails (watch video #14)
  • Use the FREE TOOLS. Help speed up your research (watch videos #5 & 6)
  • TWO Modules devoted to Ramping up Your Content to WOW your Clients.
  • AND So Much More!

 

“Paid Me $15,000”

 

“Nick’s Web Copywriting 2.0 program helped me have the confidence to get an excellent client who

paid me $15,000…”— Leslie Ehrin       

There are Bonus Items from Nick!

 

Nick wants to make entirely sure you are a

 Success in your Copywriting Career.  $

 

And to make sure you are, Nick has included some terrific bonuses!

 

 

Bonus #1 – Writing Rituals.

In this Guide: Nick gives you a Blueprint Template to follow. Making sure you meet deadlines, getting More Writing Done in less time, Idea Starters to Kick Your Writing into High Gear. Nick breaks it all down into simple, easy to follow steps.

Bonus #2 – Words of Wisdom.

A collection of Nick’s best articles, Nick’s Words of Wisdom.  Nick is sharing his trade secrets in the articles he’s written during his 20+-year career as an online copywriter.

These Bonus Items will guide you into the years to come with added insights and a useful collection of reference materials you’ll turn to time and again.

(Almost like having Nick peeking over your shoulder helping you!)

 

Yours Free for signing up for Web Copywriting 2.0

 “Excellent Teaching Skills”

     “Nick knows how to write a website that will do what you want it to do. Thanks to his excellent teaching skills, now I can write one too.”

 

— Mike Minicucci

Nick has Produced an ‘All in One’

Course to Get You Moving.

Helping YOU Find those Golden Nuggets and the Trade Secrets He’s Sharing with You.

     “Not only have I been writing emails, sales letters, and promotional postcard mailers, I have started to turn their PowerPoint presentations into webinars, which can be viewed on the Web, and, of course, promoted through various social media and email campaigns that I will be writing for them. Recently I wrote an email for one of their service consultants. He could not get an appointment with a large account he was trying land. The email got him the appointment. Along with the supporting sales documents I created, he did close the sale, one of the largest accounts in his territory.”

 

— Matthew Troncone    

 

 

“Taught Me Everything I Needed”

“…I took Nick Usborne’s Web Copywriting 2.0 program last year. At the

time, I knew nothing about Internet marketing or conducting business on the Web. Nick’s Web 2.0 program taught me everything I needed to

establish my business online…”

— Holly Genser                   

Nick Shares Every Secret He Knows

With YOU!

 

Secrets that put Nick at the top of the online copywriting world.

These secrets he taught to marketing executives at Microsoft, Yahoo, and Disney, where he charged $1500 per person to learn from Him!

AWAI will not let Nick Charge You $1500!

YOU will not pay $1500, but You Will get the Two Bonus Guides,

 

Writing Rituals,” and Words of Wisdom” from Nick.

Two of the most important books on your shelf of

Copywriting Hacks, Trade Secrets, and Expert Knowledge!

 

 

You WILL Get Web Copywriting 2.0 AND the Two Bonus Books

 

For just $497!

 

What’s even better is that

Web Copywriting 2.0 is on Sale!

That’s right. Right now, for a VERY Limited Time,

You Can Order Web Copywriting 2.0 on

Sale for an Additional $150 OFF!

Use Code: SAVEDOLLARS

But…Only if You Order NOW.

 

Save $150 and Get Your

Two Free Bonuses for

Only $347!

 

But Wait, we’re not even

Close to being done!

 

Order Today, and You are under

No Obligation.

AWAI gives You

 365 Days –1 Full YEAR

With a 100% Money Back Guarantee

Because We Believe You’ll Agree

Web Copywriting 2.0  Is for You!

YOU WILL GET:

 

  • The Full Web Copywriting 2.0 Course
  • Information Packed: 16 Video Modules
  • Access to all the Live Spec Assignments that include Feedback
  • Help Choosing a Profitable Web Writing Niche
  • Help Putting up a Website that Sells You to Clients in that Niche
  • Help Landing Your First Client Within a Few Weeks
  • Nick’s Step-by-Step Guide to Working with Clients

 

Recorded Webinars and Teleconferences:

  • Website Critiques
  • Group Coaching
  • Nick’s 4-Part Webinar Workshop
  • Four Strategies for Increasing the Money You Make from Every Project
  • How to Promote Yourself as an Online Copywriter
  • How to Discover a Profitable Copywriting Niche That’s Right for You

Plus, Many More Bonus Webinars and Teleconferences … AND:

 

  • Bonus #1 – “Writing Rituals”

 

  • Bonus #2 – “Words of Wisdom

Web Copywriting 2.0

$347

Use Code: SAVEDOLLARS

Yours Today Only!

PS:    

Don’t Forget…

 

You Get it ALL

Web Copywriting 2.0

The Bonus Materials for You to Become the Online Copywriter of Your Dreams for

1 Full Year

With AWAI’s 100% Guarantee!

 

“Moving Forward in a Church Gone Sideways”

By Cynthia Saarie

 

Ask anyone if their attendance is up or down at Church, and this is what they’ll say… “UP!”

But is it really? Stick with me a minute, and we will determine the Truth.

If nothing else – the pandemic has taught us one crucial thing…

WE NEED EACH OTHER.

Humans, and especially the children and the elderly, need interaction. Human contact. It is as necessary as the air we breathe. 

When schools, churches, gyms, jobs, and social organizations closed at the beginning of March 2020, our world stood sideways. We strained to see what was going on, what would happen, and what we could do to bring things back to normal; NOW…

It never happened. 

As devastating news came around with the deaths of so many, hope was waning.

For the next year and a half – it was like the apocalypse happened, or a strange version of Y2K…

The world didn’t stand still, but we did. 

We stood in our homes and wondered if we would be allowed to go back to work, school, and church? And then the next question, When?

Thank God for technology!

In February 2020, our church was informed our Pastor was moving to another church to a full-time position. This is not uncommon with the United Methodist Church system of doing things. Pastors are moved from church to church throughout their careers. These days, it is very unusual for a pastor to remain in the same church for 10 – 20 years. 

Then our church doors closed on March 10th, the night of our Bible study at church. 

What about Easter coming up soon? We were in the middle of our Lenten Study. Our community hosts five different denominational churches for a weekly Ecumenical Lenten luncheon each week. We had the first luncheon in March, then we all closed.

And what about our Pastor that was leaving?

There weren’t going to be any farewell parties or a commissioning service to say goodbye. Nor were we able to plan a welcoming service for the incoming Pastor at the beginning of July. 

As a Lay Minister in our church, I took things I could do into consideration and found an amicable solution for both pastors.

I do videos!

I called every congregation member and asked if I could come to video them on my phone for a farewell video to give to Pastor? I told them I would piece together a video for our outgoing Pastor that we loved for four years and one for the incoming Pastor we had yet to meet. 

Of course, no one had been vaccinated yet; it hadn’t been developed. So, I met everyone outside on their stoop, porch, or sidewalk to video them. 

We hadn’t gotten masks yet; it was still so new to us. So, we safe-distanced and chatted.

I first asked each person I videoed their name and asked them to say something to the Pastor leaving us. They all knew him quite well. He and his new wife married the year before, who had been very active in our church. We were all very sad to see them go. 

I asked them if they had a special memory or instance when something happened they wanted to make sure he remembered. Some were very funny, and I knew I’d have a lot of editing to do! But not too much. It was very emotional listening to the different stories.

Then, after I videoed the current Pastor’s message from each person, I asked them to say some words of welcome. Tell him a little bit about themselves and what they hoped to see with our new Pastor. It was very insightful. Lots of ideas.

Each evening for almost the entire month of May and part of June, I videoed our congregation. 

Our Pastor, meanwhile, videoed a message onto YouTube each week for us to watch. But it wasn’t the same. No organ music, no hymns to sing. But it was something.

We gathered a car parade and went to his house and waved, tooted car horns, stopped, and tossed a bag of goodies, presents, and balloons to him on his lawn. He and his wife waved back. 

Inside the bag, I enclosed a card with the flash drive of the video I made. I also posted it on our YouTube church channel for others to see. 

There were tears and shouts of goodbye out car windows as we waved and drove away. 

Our church stood empty at the end of June, waiting for our new Pastor to come in. 

I had pre-sent the flash drive to him with the “Welcome” video. I also posted it on our church’s YouTube for everyone to see. 

Our new Pastor and his wife, and three children came without any fanfare. He was a military chaplain in the National Guard and let his two laity pastors, me, and one another woman know – we would also be helping by leading our church every month or two for a Sunday while he was away with the ARMY. 

We never got to meet his family. Instead, they were sequestered back home, keeping them safe from the pandemic. 

While he was in town, the Pastor videoed the church service from our office or church pulpit each week and then sent it to me to edit the hymns that the organist and I recorded. 

I came to church every week and met up with our church organist. I videoed the songs we would be incorporating into the service each week, with her playing and me singing. 

When I put them together in a PowerPoint deck and processed the whole thing, I’d send a copy to our new Pastor and post it on YouTube, our church website, and our Facebook page. 

A lot of work, but we did what we could to keep the church going.

Our church website now had an online giving platform that I oversaw, with the deposits and recording of each congregant’s monetary tithe or gift. Some still mailed it into the church office, so I would take care of the bank deposits and upload the information on our two flash drives. 

I mentioned to Pastor, our gifts have gone up. Word was getting out that they could watch church online and wanted to send in an offering.

We even received an offering from someone out west; none of us knew that person. However, they came across our church’s Facebook page, watched the video, and decided to place an offering online. Since we started videoing our church service and putting it on YouTube, our website, and our Church’s Facebook page, donations have increased. 

The hits on our website reported between 25 – 49 people watch our video each week. With as many as 140 in the week for Easter.

We were impressed and realized how much all people need “Church.”

So, has church attendance increased? Yes, and it’s different. 

We have about a quarter of the people that used to come to church sitting in the pews now. They’re wearing their masks with hands sanitized, safe distanced, and remaining seated until it’s time to go. And the rest?… they’re online. So, it’s hybrid Church time!

People still join us live and in-person, and others join us live online or watch the videos later on in the day or week.

They make regular tithes and offerings by going online to our website or mailing a check into the church office. Others place their envelope on the plate by the door before they leave.

We’ve been careful to sanitize surfaces and other areas. 

We broadcast our weekly PowerPoint on the wall behind the Pastor for everyone in the church and online live to see. The video service is posted afterward. 

It’s different, but it is the interaction we need. We need to feel the camaraderie of being a Church Family, of worshipping God in “Togetherness.” 

I think God is happy we’re doing what we can to be a part of His Church Family.

Poetry

[DUOTRAIN POETRY

These poems use the ABCB rhyme scheme. The ending words of lines two (B) and four (B) rhyme with each other. They are assigned the same letter (B) because they are “related” through rhyme. While the end words in lines one (A) and three (C) do not rhyme with each other and are therefore assigned different letters.

Duotrain is a form invented by Bhaskar Datta of Allpoetry
It is a four stanza poem
It has no metric requirement
but each stanza alternates between 8 and six syllable lines. (8/6/8/6)
Each Stanza is required to begin with the same character of the alphabet.]

The Encounter

By Cynthia Saarie

The sun was warm this shortened day

Our winter not far off

Reminding smells of falls decay

Plays in a roadside trough.

Then saw the widening road ahead

And next to it – a path.

Debating which to follow through

Sat down and did the math.

The time allowed to walk today

The hours it would take.

I rested longer than I should

Time wasted in suns wake.

The listing winds brushed through the trees,

The leaves in scattered rows.

I wrapped my arms around my knees

Eyes resting while I dozed.

Tread rustling bushes to my left 

With what my ears provide.

I rose up quickly. Startled saw –

A deer with antlers wide.

Though surprise registered on both

We now stood – hoof to toe.

I turned around and ran away

From path and widening road.

Month of March 2021.

I have a lesson with a word that always sounds like how a child says part of their alphabet…LMNOP But, really, it’s called: Onomatopoeia.

These poems use words that make a sound in your mind. Like “POP” – you

imagine a popping sound. Or “SLURP” – you can hear in your mind the sound of

someone sucking in their liquidy food. It produces images and sounds all in your

mind. You “HEAR” the word. Advertisers have used it for years, as in: “Plop,

Plop, Fizz, Fizz, Oh what a relief it is!” You remember that sound those large

disks make in the glass when you drop them into the water. The cartoon above

is similar to Onomatopoeia poetry as the wording creates a cringe in your

thoughts of sitting on the john for bouts of… well, you get the idea.

Edgar Allan Poe was a master of onomatopoeia. Here is an excerpt from

1845’s “The Raven”:

  • While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some

one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “’Tis some visitor,” I muttered,

“tapping at my chamber door— Only this and nothing more.”

The use of words that are similar, rapping, tapping, napping. They make a

reader lulled into a rhythm like on a see-saw…up, and down, and up, and down.

it makes, you ride, the ride.

Onomatopoeia poetry is used in a lot of children’s books and comic books, as

you can imagine why. Here is my offering for March. There is not pattern or

meter in the poems. Words have to paint a picture in your thoughts. It’s a fun

poem to write and I encourage you to give this type of poetry a try.

The Tree

By Cynthia Saarie

ThaWhumpp – came down the tree

As it toppled in the woods

It rolled and lollygagged its way

Until ending by the brook

Gave up its roll and blending sway

Within the mudflats shook

The winds that blew that finished blow

The babbles of bubbling waters

Brought all the endings to that day

And entered darkness broader.

 

Did you hear the picture I painted in your mind?

[A Japanese Poetry Lesson

This month I’m trying a Japanese form of Poetry called Kouta.

Kouta poems have two forms in 4 stanzas (lines in a poem)

These forms are either 7775 or 7575 (syllables in each line)

and I’ll give you two examples for you to follow.  There are no other rules.

I asked my daughter-in-law for a word to start my thinking process.

This month she was looking at her Christmas tree and said ‘Ornaments.’]

Christmas Tree Ornaments

by Cynthia Saarie (7775)

Gazing outside my windows

The snow falling on the ground

The Christmas tree now sparkles

Ornaments abound!

OR…

(7575)

Gazing outside my windows

Snow is on the ground

The Christmas tree now sparkles

Ornaments abound!

Which do You prefer? Do you have poetry forms you’d like me to explore?

Please let me know!

This original poem has traveled extensively through our USA prison system. I hope it continues.  https://youtu.be/P3MADHnO5JMhttps://youtu.be/P3MADHnO5JM

It’s been asked…if you were arrested today,

would there be enough evidence to prove

you were saved by your belief in the

cleansing grace of Jesus?

Could you be convicted? 

CONVICTED

by Cynthia Saarie

Before the court I stood alone          
Hands bound behind  
Lost and alone 
The papers said I am the one 
I’ve been arrested        
My Judge just threw the gavel down 
He saw my life 
But in His frown 
He struck my sin and pounded loud 
You Are Convicted      
You nailed my pride upon a tree 
You broke my stride    
So now I see   
That as alone as I may be   
I was convicted      
He yelled and Heaven opened wide 
Trumpets sounded 
Waters divide    
And there He stood me by His side 
I Am Convicted        
A wondrous smile a Heavenly bleed 
He waved His hand     
I felt strife leave 
His blood had washed my former life 
I’m a new person           
My wildest dreams could I believe  
Surrendered all 
So I can be      
Convicted for Eternity     
Jesus my Savior   
The world can see I ask you now 
If you stood here  
Would your knee bow  
Throughout the world  your evidence 
That He’s your Savior   

Would the Judge be convinced and say 
Your faith does show     
You know the way    
To bow a knee before Him pray 
Are You Convicted?