Do you ever have a song that plays over and over in your head? “Memories, light the corners of my mind, Misty watercolor memories of the way we were.”1 You probably recognize the song, “The Way We Were” sung by Barbara Streisand from the movie of the same name.
No doubt, my brain hit the REPLAY button because I hit the SEND button this week. With a mixture of excitement and anxiety, I emailed my memoir manuscript to Inspiring Voices for their initial review and recommendations. Like a first time mother, I nursed and fussed over my newborn baby for many months. My manuscript baby was changed over and over again. When I least expected it, another change would demand my undivided attention. It was finally time to hand my manuscript over to someone else’s capable hands.
My next monumental task was to find the photos for the interior. I do not exaggerate! You would agree if you saw the disorganized state of my 60 plus years of photographs. “Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind… Smiles too painful to remember…”1 I had put off that sorting task for years because I didn’t want to deal with stored up memories. It turned out easier than I expected, since I dealt with my emotions as I wrote my book. The next challenge was to find the ten interior pictures allowed by my publishing package. It was not easy to distill my life into ten snapshots.
The memoir writing process has been a profitable mental and spiritual exercise. It has helped me to forgive and put “The Way We Were” in perspective—to see the BIG picture of how God has been at work in my life. As I am freed from dwelling on the past, I can move forward into the exciting future God has planned for me.
1The Way We Were, Lyrics by Alan & Margaret Bergman and scored by Marvin Hamlish, 1973.
