The Write Ingredients

When I was a little girl, I was quite the "klutz."  I could never quite make it home (after school) without some sort of "bruise," "accident," or "scraped knee."  I guess the more proper term in today's vernacular would be "accident prone." Each day, as my parents would drop me off on my daily school excursion, I'd find myself telling them, "I won't come home with a new wound today," to which they'd smile and say, "okay, love you, enjoy your day" and EVERY afternoon, my promise would turn into an "off color" fib because as sure as I said "no more accidents," the antithesis would show up on the scene. 

With accidents however, there is a time of healing and with all bodily wounds or scars, an "itch" begins to take place...an almost iritating, "wanna scratch 'til it bleeds again" type of itch, to which we're reminded by our loved ones not to scratch because it's a sign of healing, a sign of activity that your wound is no longer as sensitive or painful as it once was.  I can recall my father telling me, "Don't scratch it Baby, it's healing." In later years, under his employ, I would hear him use a phrase (regarding itching) in staff meetings, which was his extraordinary, wise manner of telling us not to worry about an activity that hadn't transpired.  It was in this milieu that we would take a breath and look at the bigger component that was ahead.  

Itching indicates activity, it means something's about to take place that might change the entire positive outlook on a project or life expectancy.  Be in tune to your "itching" and prepare to be utilized for the greater good!  In the same regard, however don't pursue something that you feel in your heart is not "scratch worthy," which may cause you harm in the near future.  You'll recognize whether you need to scratch or not, long before the itch comes to fruition.

   "Let's be prayerful, we may be scratchin' at somethin' that doesn't have an itch yet." -  Dr. Timothy J. Winters, Author/Pastor 

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I've equated my life at times to that of a diamond; not the brilliant, flawless, luminescent stone that evokes phrases like, "ooooh and ahhhh, this is gorgeous," but the form it was rendered from...the dirty, lumpy, coal-like, ugly portion that could never be considered any part of a diamond until it has been reformed into the lustrous gem we see in various jewelry stores. 

Each of us has experienced along our journey, the woes of life, but have kept a positive "finish line" in our view.  We have been able to give personal advice to those who have struggled or continue to struggle based on our own personal testaments.  These testimonials are what provides us the opportunity to encourage others to be strong in the face of adversity, to take our "coal like" experience and turn it into a resplendent masterpiece for all to enjoy.  Whatever your dirty, ugly experience is, rest assured that brilliance and illustriousness...a masterpiece will still come from it.

"The stuff of which masterpieces are made drifts about the world waiting to be clothed in words." - Thornton Wilder, American Dramatist/Playright

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Many of us have been faced with failures in our lives; a failure to complete something in the time frame designated, a failure to follow directives that would ultimately keep us from disaster, or a personal failure to achieve an overdue objective.  What's most important to remember is that despite those failures, you were able to learn, grow, and move through your circumstance to better equip you for the successes that were still ahead.  Please remember that no matter how many failures you have may have encountered or may see along life's journey, your successes are in close proximity too.

"A moment's success pays for the failure of the years." - Robert Browning, English Poet/Playright 

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My second son was vigorously working on fractions...fun, fun fractions!  Ironically, they're fun for me now, reducing to the simplest terms, finding LCD's, adding, subtracting borrowing whole numbers, fantastically exciting, but as he laboriously scratched his head trying to figure out what step came next, I heard a slight whisper swell from his throat, "I quit!"  Vehemently, he said it low enough for me not to hear (or so he thought), but loud enough for me to sneak behind him, startle him a little bit, and whisper in his ear, "Baby, Mommy never wants you to quit."  He promised me he'd never say it again and I recalled how at one time, I too felt like him at his age struggling over something I felt I would never grasp, but with practice and the skills to understand the necessary steps to completion, it became easier to learn and I promised my son, it would be the same for him too.  After all, he has to learn fractions because algebra is just around the corner right? ;-). Perhaps, in your life, there is something that you've started, stopped, and started again, only to throw your hands in the air and shout loud enough for everyone to hear the exact phrase  my son whispered several months ago.  However, be reminded that quitting is for quitters and that's not hardly you!

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." - Richard Bach, American Author

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So, you have a gift you're hoarding, refusing to share with others?  It may be the gift of song, the gift of hospitality, the gift to care for the elderly and you're keeping it all to yourself.  You've been urged by your inner spirit to "get movin' and stay focused," and yet, you've refused to obey!  Hmmmmm, sound familiar?  We've all been there and some of us are still there, but I encourage you to step out on faith and exercise your ability to create; whatever it is, get out of the "stall" you call your "comfort zone" and get ready to run your race! 

"Do the thing and you'll have the power." - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Essayist/Lecturer/Poet

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