Understanding what was
The gift of hindsight
The wisdom of experience
At peace with what is
Reconciling expectations
Forgiving what can’t be known
Hopeful for what will be
Buoyed by promise
Walking by faith
Envisioning endless possibilities
A New Thing.
-LAS
“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”- Isaiah 43:19 NLT
Around this time last year, I tried my hand at microfiction with The Writer Magazine’s 100-word contest. I don’t consider myself a fiction writer but, with time and a $10 entry fee to spare, I thought “Why not?!” So color me shocked when I finished as 1 of 50 semi-finalists. Ok. Not bad. Was I convinced I needed to begin creating characters and plotting a grand story? No. But I was, and still am, encouraged to keep challenging myself; trying new things, flexing new muscles and thinking outside the box. Step by step, a little more each day. How about you?
Here’s my 100-word story “Dear Kelly” (with a little homage to the classic Les Miserables):
“Dear John,
Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I’m headed to New York. I can no longer deny my destiny. If I stay I will be devoured by bitterness and regret. I hope you understand. Please find a way to move on without me. Also, I have taken Marius. I don’t feel you ever had the time or capacity to give this brilliant soul the care he needs…
Dear Kelly,
A little surprised but also quite relieved. Hope you find what you’re looking for. And Marius was more your pet anyway. I’m allergic to cats.”
Let gratitude be the attitude of the day.
“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”
Psalm 9:1 ESV
The dance is familiar
Though she can’t place the song
The gentle back and forth
The explosion of vision
A steady flow
It is inspiration
The Creator breathing into the created
To reflect His glory and make Himself known
-LAS
“I grew up with quilts like these.”
I remembered the quilts folded in closets, spread across beds and laid on floors as pallets. I remembered sleeping soundly tucked under their heavy warmth. To my young eyes they were just fabric scraps stitched together, a colorful hodgepodge, a mosaic of everyday life.
So as I stood with my husband in the Baltimore Museum of Art, I marveled at how what I considered such an ordinary part of my life now hung as art, admired and coveted by museums all over the world. Someone recognized the powerful beauty and impact of the stories of these quilts and the women who made them.
What do you have? An ability? An idea? A story? Your presence? It seems so ordinary and inconsequential to you yet it may have the power to shift the world around you for the good and the glory of God.
Sometimes our reflections are muddied by distraction and discouragement but I’m grateful God always sends reinforcements to remind us for whom and for what we’ve been created. Let this be your reminder. Don’t underestimate or diminish the impact of the “ordinary.”
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” -2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT
Learn more about Gee’s Bend here
Perfection makes impossible demands
Leaving you parched
Thirsting for drops of validation
Begging to be understood
To be seen
To be heard
But, dear one, do you know how lovingly you were formed?
Every hair numbered
Your life purposed
Your very existence a reflection of God’s glory
You are the apple of His eye
In His image created
Fully Known. Deeply Loved.
—L.A.S
Step by step, day by day
Imperfect progress is still progress
It’s that time of the year again to celebrate all things poetic. I’ve been celebrating all month with the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day. And as I’ve begun to diligently work on my own book of poetry, I can’t let the month end without paying homage to a poet who has inspired me.
I’ve been in awe of Maya Angelou since I was a teenager reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. And I made it my mission to memorize her affirming Phenomenal Woman, regularly performing it in front of my bedroom mirror. So imagine my excitement, reading Cicely Tyson’s memoir (Just As I Am, a breathtaking read full of history and wisdom) and coming upon a quote from a poem by Ms. Angelou with which I was unfamiliar. This poem resonated deeply as I thought of my Gran Gran and all of the great souls who have passed.
Keep reaching for the Light, something beautiful is ready to bloom.
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”- John 8:12
Letting my creative juices flow on this Twenty Words Tuesday:
“Don’t let me fall!” The ledge began to crumble in my grasp. Then I heard Him whisper, “Just let go.”
Barnabas Blessings 