Oregon Christian Writers Conference

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When I closed my proofreading & copy editing business a few years ago I felt my hope to become a published writer was also going away.  I had worked on my business for 3 years, studying my course work, learning from my editor and author clients.  I even attended an Oregon Christian Writers conference in Eugene to see if there were people I could network with, i.e. learn more from.  I helped a writer I had befriended to polish her blog, but shortly after that she passed away.  It seemed my writing wasn’t going anywhere.

After some bumps and turns in my road to identifying my new after-raising-children job description, I’ve turned back toward writing.  I know that I’ve posted some rather boring stuff.  I’m guilty of giving it less than my best effort.  Sometimes I’m not even sure who I am speaking to or what I’m trying to say.

Dorcas Smucker, a local author who seems in some ways to walk a parallel path to mine (though many steps ahead of me), wrote recently that she might try her hand at writing fiction.  I might have considered doing that for a day or so, but would have quickly changed course.  I was convinced I should value only truth and reality, and fiction just wasn’t to be trusted.  Here’s where my road turned.  Now I want to learn to write fiction!

My first step is to attend the Oregon Christian Writers Conference this weekend in Salem.  After that, we’ll see!

Grandma Needs A Time Out

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I think the older I get, the more time outs I need.  Really!  I certainly can tell when I’ve neglected one too many of my daily “sit and listen to Jesus” times, devotions, quiet times, prayer times, or whatever you want to call it times.  Something seems to sour in me, like curdled milk.  And when I notice my less-than-gracious thoughts, like flies gathering around my head, have become a nuisance, that’s when it usually dawns on me that I’d better take time to get straightened out.  Hopefully this realization comes to me before I say or do or believe something I’ll regret.

When everyone is in bed is the best time for me, and the sweet thing is that it’s not a punishment to “sit in the corner” in my time out with God.  It’s a reward!

Sometimes I read the Bible, chapter after chapter, and find that many things I’d learned are woven together with ideas just recently uncovered.  Sometimes I take notes.  Sometimes I copy a few lines so I can look at them more carefully and refer to them later.  Sometimes I write my thoughts or prayers.  Sometimes I doodle.  Often I end up dozing off.  Then I fold it all up and put it in his hands and go to bed.  Time outs are quite effective (and necessary) at my age!

Thoughts by the Fireside

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7:30 a.m.  In the dark of the morning I see the snow has come, enough of it to watch travel on the road carefully this morning.  I just heard one of my neighbors leaving for work and it sounded like he was navigating his truck more slowly than usual.  And since it’s a national holiday there is no school for Kayli.  A good morning to stay indoors by the fire my husband stoked for me before he left for work!

10:30 a.m.  I just had a nice long chat with my parents who are visiting relatives and friends in southern California.  After spending time reading the obituaries of 2 long-time acquaintances this weekend, it was sweet to talk with my parents who are still with me.  They have always been my dearest friends.  Thank you, God, for choosing them for me!

A thought I would like to record:  I enjoy writing because it keeps me honest, it requires me to pin down my thoughts and make sense of my choices, it feels like a contract that would be hard to get out of, and it’s good for me.  Thank you, God, for words!

A Strange Anniversary

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At 3 p.m. today I got a call from a friendly-sounding gentleman who said simply, “I do.”

He was calling from Tenmile Creek where he was fishing for steelhead and probably standing in the river grinning.  He said he had been thinking about the music that was playing precisely 34 years ago when he was waiting for me to appear at 3:15 p.m. in my wedding dress – to marry him, and he wanted me to know that he was still saying “I do.”

What a unique day!

He didn’t know till he arrived home that I’d been shopping for a pair of waders for myself so I could join him in the river next time he goes.  Now, how many women do you know would enjoy spending their wedding anniversary shopping for waders?  A unique day for a unique couple, I’m thinking!  Before you think we’re completely odd, however, let me explain that we actually celebrated our anniversary last weekend with a trip to the southern Oregon coast and the California redwoods; a very restful, slow-paced time to just appreciate each other.  Today we found it refreshing to spend the day apart (I really like spending time alone once in a while).

Jerry, “I do,” too!  Thank you for 34 years of marriage.

Difficult Family Times this Season

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Be careful when you look at another family’s difficulties in their relationships, that you be careful not to pass judgment unnecessarily.  Don’t assume that you can discern the “whys” when you think you know what caused their problems.  Be careful that you don’t believe you can totally protect yourself from trouble in your family.  It’s quite possible you will suffer some brokenness too, if you haven’t yet.

I couldn’t be so vain as to say I know that all families will have hurtful relationships, because I don’t know that much.  But didn’t Jesus himself teach us that “in this world you will have tribulation?”  That’s a promise we may not want to think about, but if he suffered on account of others, who are we to think that it won’t also happen to us?

Walk humbly before your God, and recognize that he may allow situations that you wouldn’t have believed could happen in your family.  Consider carefully what he has actually promised to do for you, and don’t presume you will have what he hasn’t promised.  Read his word thoughtfully and ask him for what you want, but don’t tell him what he must do for you.  Put it in his hands and trust him.  He promised there’d be trouble, but then he told us to not be heavy-hearted about it because he overcame it all.

Allow him to be who he is.  He has gone through tribulation, and he promised to be with us, our Emmanuel.  And be who you are.  Cry to him when it hurts.  Include him in your discussions and give him room to work where you don’t see him working.  Zip up your lips if you are starting to go to those negative places around other people that might actually do damage.  It’s ok to admit you don’t understand, but don’t cast blame, no matter how right you are.  You may actually be wrong to some degree.

-just a few holiday thoughts for those who may feel more sensitive at this time of year. Emmanuel is with us, and he has overcome.

The Parent’s Boost

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Deeper than my skin the cold comes in.  Brrr!  The weather may mean winter but I’ve come into a harvest season.  For now there is so much for my hands to do, but soon it will end and I’ll be finding new opportunities for work.

Here’s an idea I’m working on.  Imagine you are a mom coming home from work and as you turn down your street after a long day you begin making a mental list of all the things that will need to get done before you can unwind.  It’s hard not to dread the chaos you might find when you get home.

Now imagine you come in and close the door behind you and smell dinner simmering on the stove.  Your children are sitting around the house doing their homework and you can hear the dryer drying a load of clothes in the garage.  The freshly baked cookies are calling you from the counter top and you can tell the vacuum cleaner has been run in the hallway.  You walk to the closet to hang up your coat and realize there really isn’t much you need to worry about tonight except just enjoying your family.

That’s one idea I have for work I would love to do, helping a family, just giving a little boost to the parent that needs it.  The teenager wouldn’t want a babysitter, surely.  And she may never have heard of “Aunt Bea” from the 50s.  If you’re a single dad you wouldn’t want to hire a “Mommy’s Helper.”

I’m not sure how to define this idea yet.  I’m still working on that!  You can contact me on the About page if you’d like to leave a comment.

 

What Emmett Showed Me Today

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This is my Thanksgiving-picture-of-the-day.  Notice the blurriness of it, and the joy on their faces.  My grandsons Jackson and Noah are “rasslin” with their grandpa and demonstrating once again that young boys, movement, and muscles lead to good times.

We spent today with them watching the Ducks vs. Beavers civil war game, and I sat on the floor to get on their little brother’s level.  Emmett recently has learned to army-crawl and was happy to demonstrate it when he spotted my shoelaces or an electrical cord.  Yes, redirection training has begun!

His determination was amazing.  Just months ago he struggled to will his body to roll over.  Now he is moving himself from here to there with gusto.  Have I struggled to learn something entirely new and difficult for me in these same few months?

THAT is a very good question.

I think I need to get moving.