While showering, you craft a beautifully flowing paragraph…only to forget it as soon as you turn off the water. Ugh!
But don’t fret! Science can explain our dilemma (Why We Have Our Best Ideas in the Shower: The Science of Creativity). And lo and behold, there’s a solution? How did I not know that Aqua Notes were a thing! You learn something new everyday. Happy writing!
I write because I have a passion for the written word. I have a brain overflowing with stories and ideas that must be recorded and shared. I exercise my pen and my keyboard for my freedom. The flow of my words therapeutic, a divine intervention. Published or unpublished, hundreds of readers or just one; my gift is not diminished, my call no less important.
Why do you write? Re-evaluate. Refocus. And let’s write on, friends!
Wow it’s been literally years since I’ve posted. I thought I might make a New Years resolution or a holiday declaration to jump back in but I figured there’s no day like today to start anew. A lot has changed in the world of blogging in my absence and I realize I’m probably way outdated here. But my goal is to simply write and for now I will do just that.
Been reading…She’s Still There by Chrystal Evans Hurst . It has actually been a catalyst for my return here. Her honest words of encouragement spoke to the girl who used to sit for hours filling notebooks with stories and poetry, who sometimes daydreamed about sitting on a talk show couch to discuss her latest work (thanks to Oprah’s Book Club). She spoke to the woman who has filled journal after journal with musings, stories and essays, who keeps picking up the dream but allowing life to knock it down again. A great read if you’re pondering “where do I go from here?”
Been writing…A few months ago I joined COMPEL , an online community of resources, training, and support for writers. I also entered my first contest there, for an opportunity to write a devotion for Proverbs 31 Ministries (you can read an excerpt over at Barnabas Blessings). I was commended on my title but encouraged to work on my lead in. I would be lying if I said the criticism didn’t sting a bit, not because it wasn’t valid or constructive (which it was and very kind); but simply because I’m human. In the far recesses of my mind existed a small shimmer of hope that someone would read my submission and say “She’s got it!” But, c’est la vie! I have work to do and life goes on. I’m just happy to say that I tried. I took a step toward my goal and that’s all that really matters.
The journey continues. Write on friends!
My husband and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in July. We’ve experienced the many growing joys & pains of two imperfect souls coming together to form a seamless unit of love & stability. But in this 10th year we find our status quo challenged, our visions colliding with reality and we’re confronted with a question…What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? And now our 10th year has become a year of “shifting faith.” Not a faith that is unsure or changing, but a faith that completely trusts in a God who knows us so deeply and desires for us to experience his power and love so completely that he drastically shifts our world…and dares us to believe. What is God daring you to believe?
It’s late and I hear the pitter patter of rain drops (at least that’s what I think it is or it could be my mind playing tricks on me). The hubby and kids are asleep and…uh…I need to be right along them. But it’s been a crazy week- full of pesky coughs, serious bronchitis, yucky mucus, yo-yoing fevers…you get my drift. This “nurse” needs some pampering and about 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. But here I write, my kind of therapy, a way to organize my jumbled thoughts and peer through the fog. And because I think most parents and/or spouses can agree that sometimes being “nurse” is a thankless job, I end the night with a smile remembering my son’s python squeeze and sweet smile saying “I appreciate you taking care of me, Mommy.” *Tears* It’s the little things that make this tired Mommy’s heart glad. Happy writing, friends!
Can I just gush a minute? About Jesus you ask? Well of course, He is absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to me. My life without Him, I don’t even want to imagine! About my hubby and kids? Well I love them madly, they are my motivation, my home team, we are the four musketeers, one for all and all for one. But right now I want to gush about the thesaurus! Yes, one of the greatest inventions of the English language. Can I just say how many times this little resource has unblocked this writer’s blockage. Looove it!
While this is the last day of the month and officially the last day of the gratitude project, I know that gratitude is a daily exercise, whether written or spoken. Gratitude keeps life in perspective. No matter what the day brings there is always something for which to be grateful. So today I’m just grateful for life, the great, the not so great, the triumphs, the failures, the little things. God is good and I am grateful for this life He has given to me.
I’m grateful for nosy neighbors. They may be an occasional nuisance but when it really matters I’m grateful to have watchful eyes looking out for the good of our neighborhood.
I’m grateful for golden sugar cookies straight from the oven…hmmm…sugary pieces of heaven.
To be honest I can’t immediately think of anything that I’m grateful for today. It’s been “one of those days”- a day of unpleasant moods and brooding reflections, a day where the cons seem to outweigh the pros. But then I am grateful, grateful for a gracious God who knows me at my core, a God who won’t berate or strike me down in my current state but love and encourage me in spite of…
Barnabas Blessings 