“One
day you will tell your story of how you’ve overcome what you’re going through
now, and it will become part of someone else’s survival guide.” (Suspended Coffee-blog post quote)
That
one day arrives much sooner than we think.
The necessary gobbles up so much time, not much is left for
contemplation and creativity. The
impetus to finish Charles’ memoir, Chasing a Whirlwind, became more real this past week when I read
about the sudden death of Jennifer Kennedy Dean. She was a writer extraordinaire on the
Christian’s prayer life and spiritual growth. She wrote dozens of books on
those vital topics. She had not been sick, and I am sure she
didn’t wake up that morning expecting it to be her last.
I
wake up every morning determined to get back to editing Charles’ book, and
before I know it the day has gone. I
sure can’t blame Charles. He has given me page after page of material to edit and
massage into a story format. So now it is up to me—no pressure, right?
The
same has been true with my blog writing in June. I’ve neglected it far too
long. First, we spent a very busy week working in our church’s Vacation Bible
School. Both Charles and I were at the church by 8 am each day setting up for
the boys’ and girls’ arrival. He manned
the parking lot making sure everyone was safe. At the registration table, my workers
and I passed out name tags and helped the kids find their rooms. We were done
in by the end of the week, but so glad to have been a part of the VBS team.
We
spent the next week working with a realtor to help my son find a new place to
live. Apartment rents in this area are sky high, so he needed to find a better
fit for his budget. We looked at over a dozen places and agreed on a townhouse closer to his children.
Finally,
we were able to take a week’s vacation in the mountains. We traveled to Highlands, North Carolina and
soaked in the mid-70’s temperatures and the beauty of the hills and valleys around
every bend and curve. Charles hiked, I
shopped, and we both enjoyed being away from home and all our responsibilities.
Now
it is time to put aside all the going and doing and get back to the business of
writing. A change of pace is good, but
there is also a lot to be said about routine and quiet times.
Tomorrow
I will take Mark Twain’s admonition to heart and kick my book writing into
motion.
“The secret
of getting ahead is getting started.”
