Over the years, I’ve read the entries of this blog countless times in my mind. Each topic began with pondering that gently evolved to text. Dorothy Bridges was my high school English teacher. I never thought much about words until one of her descriptive writing assignments forced me to sit, think and write. That one-page description of my maternal grandfather’s battle with the breathing disorder emphysema had a dual effect on me. Not only did it require me to document the sights and sounds of his struggle to breathe but forced me to face the personal fear that I could possibly lose my grandfather. Words became therapeutic through that assignment and opened a passage deep in my soul that allowed the staying power of the written word to enter my life.
When you open a door to something that blesses your life, you can be sure that the Holy Spirit will find its way in as well.
Once I discovered my need to write, I never wanted to stop. Married life, motherhood, work, and just life in general often forced me to file my ponderings deep in the recesses of my mind. I told myself life would slow down and offer me easy opportunities to write. It never did. Infact, life pick up speed.
A mentor, the late Lanny K. Smith, entered my life in 2016. He helped me see the importance of giving the words in my mind a chance to live and breathe. A published historian, he knew the craft and encouraged me to fill even the shortest amount of downtime with writing. He stressed, “It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just write!” So, instead of waiting for the time to present, I began taking and making the time! I’ve read multiple devotional books and blogs over the years and always find myself gravitating towards simple and not deep doctrinal script. Little snacks for my soul that I can grab on the run and keep me thinking are what I like. Determined to offer tempting reads with tidbits of real life, I began compiling the posts that follow.
Please take the time to savor each topic, poem and experience recounted. God had a lesson in each for me, and I know he has one for you as well. It always amazes me how two people can read the same text and glean something completely different from it. Some of the entries refer to scriptures while others do not, so I ask that you open your mind and Bible following each post to see how the Spirit breathes life into each word for you. Though these pages were not written with the Bible scholar in mind, if you are such a scholar, I hope the words serve as a map to lead you deeper into your studies or evoke joy and laughter. If your knowledge of scripture is limited, the pages that follow are intended to show you how every day occurrences parallel the existence of God in everything you are and do. Basically, it doesn’t have to be hard to begin or foster a relation with our Savior. Till these words over and over in your mind. Allow them to take root in your soul. What will they grow?