Words Matter

“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.”