I had a great day today. A day of new friends, new journeys and new understandings of what writing is all about. I had the opportunity to go to a Boot camp for Christian authors.
I went wondering if I was qualified to be in a room with authors. After all, I certainly am not what one would consider an "author". But when I got there and started to talk to others there, I realized that there were many people just like me there. People who enjoyed writing and wanted to see what the next step would be to get their articles and books published. Would that even be possible?
That is why I went but I left with so much more. Let me go back to the beginning of this process....
It all started with Mother`s caring bridge journal that I was doing for her. It brought me to a different spiritual walk. It brought a new love to me, a love that I didn` even know I had... A love to write and encourage through our trials... It was going around in my mind but that was about as far as it went. I didn`t know what to do with this thought ..... maybe I could do a devotion book but where would I start.
Bill actually sent me a newspaper article about this boot camp at Samford for today. So, I decided to go and just see what it was all about....
It was a bit like the first day of school jitters..... would I sit by myself? Would I find someone to talk to?!! I know, that is silly but it ran through my mind.! Here is where the neat part comes in...... God placed specific ladies on my path each session. I sat with a local lady for several sessions and after talking, found out she went to the same Bible Study as me, just a different location. Another young mother that I sat with, had just gotten back from China, adopting a little girl. After I told her I had just gone to China too, we started talking, exchanged names and blogs and had a great talk about her new daughter. Another sweet lady, I talked to in the lunch line and you will never believe her story. I think perhaps that she was one of the reasons I was there today. As a side note, she has a son in Afghanistan, who she writes stories for, with his children. That was so touching to hear about him, a young 27 year old, then.... she told me about her journey. Before Christmas she found out she had a rare form of throat cancer. She had surgery in December, then just last month had more surgery. She has been told that they got it all but that last surgery, left a huge scar on her neck. She says as she talks that it is not a scar but her story. That is what she is trying to do with her journey, to write on face book, so all can keep up with her. Well.... of course I told her about caring bridge and what I had done for Mother on it and she had never heard of it.... I think it would be a great tool for her and she was very interested and excited to hear about it. We exchanged names and emails and I left, looking forward to hearing from her and keeping up with her journey. She told me how she had heard someone say... "Don`t waste your cancer.." What a thought to hear her say... really made me think about God using people right where they are.
After the sessions were over, I went to talk to the author who was leading us and told her a bit about what I was doing there, more for a devotion type book. As I told her about Mother, she said that her son in law had died from Pancreatic cancer too. He was only 44 years old.... Now... we are in the same circle, not a place either would want to be but we have something in common.... She said that she thought it was a great idea and she had often thought about doing something from that experience that they had been through... She was so kind and said to call her if I ever needed her to help or answer questions...
I left the building, filled with thankfulness to God. So many blessings that I was leaving with .... He knew it all , already. He had planned it in advance. They even shared scripture in their presentations that I had just studied in my CBS. in our lessons from James but here, today.... "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. " Ps. 37:7
"Teach me to do your will for you are my God." Ps, 143:10
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil. 4:6
This may lead to nothing with the book idea, but it will leave lasting memories in my mind of the sweet ladies I had the privilege to get to know a little bit today.
Have a great day!
Love,
I went wondering if I was qualified to be in a room with authors. After all, I certainly am not what one would consider an "author". But when I got there and started to talk to others there, I realized that there were many people just like me there. People who enjoyed writing and wanted to see what the next step would be to get their articles and books published. Would that even be possible?
That is why I went but I left with so much more. Let me go back to the beginning of this process....
It all started with Mother`s caring bridge journal that I was doing for her. It brought me to a different spiritual walk. It brought a new love to me, a love that I didn` even know I had... A love to write and encourage through our trials... It was going around in my mind but that was about as far as it went. I didn`t know what to do with this thought ..... maybe I could do a devotion book but where would I start.
Bill actually sent me a newspaper article about this boot camp at Samford for today. So, I decided to go and just see what it was all about....
It was a bit like the first day of school jitters..... would I sit by myself? Would I find someone to talk to?!! I know, that is silly but it ran through my mind.! Here is where the neat part comes in...... God placed specific ladies on my path each session. I sat with a local lady for several sessions and after talking, found out she went to the same Bible Study as me, just a different location. Another young mother that I sat with, had just gotten back from China, adopting a little girl. After I told her I had just gone to China too, we started talking, exchanged names and blogs and had a great talk about her new daughter. Another sweet lady, I talked to in the lunch line and you will never believe her story. I think perhaps that she was one of the reasons I was there today. As a side note, she has a son in Afghanistan, who she writes stories for, with his children. That was so touching to hear about him, a young 27 year old, then.... she told me about her journey. Before Christmas she found out she had a rare form of throat cancer. She had surgery in December, then just last month had more surgery. She has been told that they got it all but that last surgery, left a huge scar on her neck. She says as she talks that it is not a scar but her story. That is what she is trying to do with her journey, to write on face book, so all can keep up with her. Well.... of course I told her about caring bridge and what I had done for Mother on it and she had never heard of it.... I think it would be a great tool for her and she was very interested and excited to hear about it. We exchanged names and emails and I left, looking forward to hearing from her and keeping up with her journey. She told me how she had heard someone say... "Don`t waste your cancer.." What a thought to hear her say... really made me think about God using people right where they are.
After the sessions were over, I went to talk to the author who was leading us and told her a bit about what I was doing there, more for a devotion type book. As I told her about Mother, she said that her son in law had died from Pancreatic cancer too. He was only 44 years old.... Now... we are in the same circle, not a place either would want to be but we have something in common.... She said that she thought it was a great idea and she had often thought about doing something from that experience that they had been through... She was so kind and said to call her if I ever needed her to help or answer questions...
I left the building, filled with thankfulness to God. So many blessings that I was leaving with .... He knew it all , already. He had planned it in advance. They even shared scripture in their presentations that I had just studied in my CBS. in our lessons from James but here, today.... "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. " Ps. 37:7
"Teach me to do your will for you are my God." Ps, 143:10
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil. 4:6
This may lead to nothing with the book idea, but it will leave lasting memories in my mind of the sweet ladies I had the privilege to get to know a little bit today.
Have a great day!
Love,
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