MY 500 WORDS: Day 10

"For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, 

so that we may have hope through endurance and through 

the encouragement from the Scriptures."

―Romans 15:4, HCSB 

Middle of the Pack

My earliest memories of grade school are sketchy, but I do remember my first writing assignment in the first grade. Our teacher handed each student a ruled sheet of handwriting paper and told us to write our names on the first line. How hard could it be, right? With a pencil as broad as my thumb and my tongue thrust between my teeth at just the right angle, I scrawled my name with broad, deliberate strokes on the top line of my paper. As our teacher ambled through the rows of students, she gave nods of approval―until she came to me. With a scowl, she eyed my name―written on the first line of the top margin instead of within the first two lines―and with a gruff reprimand gave my blonde bangs a quick yank. (No wonder it’s taken me over two-thirds of my life to realize I’m a writer. If not for that early trauma, I’m convinced I’d be a New York Times best-selling author by now.)

I’ve written in a journal the majority of my adult life, but I never thought of myself as a writer. I was simply doing what came naturally. I have drawers of journals spanning several decades that shelter great portions of my life. Thumbing through their pages, I warmly recall long-forgotten events and am reminded of the importance of writing things down.

My journals are a place to record significant events, tape special cards and photos, sort through my thoughts, and process my feelings. Above all, my journals are a place to pour out the fountain of my heart to God and record his words to me. Being able to look back and remember his faithfulness throughout my life is encouraging as I face new challenges. I keep in mind that what God did before, he can and will do again.

In 2011, a dear friend invited me to a writer’s conference held in the mountains north of Phoenix. There, surrounded by a small group of women who shared a passion for writing, I was incurably bitten by the writing bug and uncovered my gift and love of words. To discover this incredible skill in the winter of my life is bittersweet. On one hand, it’s exhilarating, and on the other hand, discouraging. The more I learn about writing, the more I realize how much more there is to learn. The frustrating fact is that I haven’t enough years left to perfect my craft. My redemption is that it’s never too late to begin writing and experience its joys. Even, if only writing for an audience of one, my time with Him is worth the benefits it brings.

Writing is therapeutic and invigorating. It brings healing to my body, mind and spirit. Just as my body needs physical exercise to keep in shape, writing jumpstarts and gives my brain a workout. It refines my thoughts, flushes the slush, and permits those things worth keeping to rise to the surface.

The greatest temptation and hindrance to my growth as a writer is allowing myself to fall into a pit of comparison. Reading the brilliant works of others should serve as a path of inspiration and learning. Instead, there are times my inner critic uses them to usher me down the boulevard of discouragement. My inner critic’s voice assures me my work will never be “as good” as theirs, while my voice of reason lies sprawled in the ditch of despair. The temptation to choose an alternate route and bypass the gift within me seems like a plausible solution until I remind myself: anything worth doing takes effort, but the reward is always great.

Training my heart to express gratitude for the privilege of writing and keeping a steady pace in the midst of my struggle are keys that release a spirit of joy within me. Regardless of which route I take, I’ll always be where I need to be―in the middle of the pack. When I look ahead, I see throngs of people on the trail before me. I work hard to catch up. As I look behind me, I see others who need words of encouragement. I offer them. As I look from side to side, I realize I’m not alone. Others walk with me, ready to give me a hand up when I stumble. I'll take it.

Writing may be a solitary journey, but it’s not a solo sport; I don’t need to walk alone. 

Besides, I’m learning to like being in the middle of the pack. I'm in great company here!

________________

Do you keep a journal? How has God used it in your life?

I always welcome your comments.

Blessings, 
Starr

Day 10: My 500 Words ~ 764 words

Challenge: Write about writing

MY 500 WORDS: Day 7

From Penang Pilot to Palette and Pen

I am a third-generation artist. I realized from a young age that I wanted to paint like my father. I only wish someone had told me sooner that I’m a writer as well. 

I  grew up in a family brimming with creativity. I never knew my paternal grandfather, a Scottish sea captain. I've only read of his high-seas adventures in his autobiography, Home is the Sailor: The Sea Life of William Brown, Master Mariner and Penang Pilot. After my grandfather wrote his life story, his “friend,” William Blain, offered to help him locate a publisher. It broke my grandfather’s heart to discover upon publication by Sheridan House in 1940 that Blain had falsely signed his name as the author of the book. In the early 2000s, I was still able to find and purchase used copies online. My grandfather’s lifeblood was the sea and when not behind the pilot’s wheel, he could at times be found wielding a brush behind his easel, painting the sea and its massive sailing ships.

My father chose his gift of art above his father’s affinity for the sea. He painted in every medium, was a master woodcarver and had more talent in his little finger than I have in my entire body. At twenty-one, he came to the states via Halifax, Nova Scotia with dreams of being a professional artist. He began his career drawing for newspapers across the nation never to return to his Scottish highlands. Instead, while drawing for the Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina, his heart was stolen by a young waitress in a downtown coffee shop. He proceeded to woo her and won her affections by sketching pictures for her on napkins. They married and had two girls while living out his artist’s dream. He died at the age of sixty-two. A brilliant talent and a beautiful life cut far too short.

Although my mother never pursued the arts professionally, she was an avid reader; enjoyed writing―poetry especially―and had a creative flair for dried floral arranging. My only sibling is also artistic. Although she laid her brushes down after the birth of her daughter, she expresses her innate eye for beauty in a number of other ways.

Shortly after my mother’s death in 2011, I was invited by a friend to attend a small writer’s conference in the mountain desert north of Phoenix. Although I’ve kept a journal most of my adult life, I was incurably bitten by the writing bug and uncovered my gift and love for words. My only regret is that it's taken me more than two-thirds of my life to discover this satisfying labor of love. I remember thinking after attending my second writer’s conference that there weren’t enough years left for me to learn all I need to know to perfect my writing craft, much less to become a published author.

Now, several years into my writing journey, I've found one thing to be true―it’s never too late to begin to experience the joys of writing. Even if only writing for an audience of one,  I'm worth it.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr. wrote in P.S. I Love You: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I may be growing old, but I have salt in my veins, paint in my bones and words in my soul that long for the freedom to sail beyond their safe harbor.

I am a writer. It’s time I begin to act like one.

What is one thing you wish someone would have told you sooner?

I always welcome your comments.

Blessings,
Starr

Day 7: Check! 617 words.
Challenge: What I wish someone would have told me sooner.

MY 500 WORDS: Day 5

"So teach us to number our days aright, 

that we may present to you a heart of wisdom."

—Psalm 90:12, NAS

This is the Day

Today My 500 Words writer’s challenge is to write about the most important day of my life―to describe a day I will never forget. Attempting to declare one day or life event more important than any other is, indeed, an extreme challenge.

I consider the first day I sat in kindergarten across the table from the little girl in a pretty orange dress with a lace butterfly on the collar. I relive the day I moved as an eleven-year-old with my family to a new home 750 miles away. I recall the death of my father when I was twenty-one and more recently the death of my mother who was a vital part of my life for sixty-two years. I remember my high school graduation and exchanging my small hometown life for the unknown adventures of art school in the big city of Atlanta. I reminisce about the day I said, “yes,” to my soul mate and, “I will,” to him on our wedding day. I delight again over the joyous birth of our first child who was without a doubt the most beautiful baby girl in the world, perfect in every way. I reflect on the bittersweet birth of our precious second daughter born with Down syndrome and the challenging days that stretched ahead of us. There is no shortage of important life-altering events within my sixty plus years and none that I can deem more important than another outside of the day I acknowledged Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord. All of them have ushered me to this moment in time and have added toward molding me into the person God designed me to be.

So, which day do I choose as the most important day of my life? In view of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of your year,” I choose today.

Have you ever taken the time to number your days? Today, as I write this, I am 23,995 days old. It sounds as if Methuselah is my next of kin, doesn’t it? According to the U. S. Social Security Administration’s life expectancy calculator, I can expect to live another 20.9 years, or another 7,629 days. When I look at that number in relation to the days I’ve already lived, it puts my life in sobering perspective. It reminds me to slow down, breathe, spend time with my family and friends, do those things that spring from my heart and steal quiet moments with the Father of time. The previous moment has passed, and the subsequent moment may never come. This moment is all I have. This moment is my life and this day is my most important day.

Consider the brevity of life and devote your heart to true wisdom―a wisdom that God imparts to us through his Holy Spirit in those quiet moments with him. Stop keeping track of the moments and start numbering your days “aright.” Make each moment count for eternity.

“This is the day the LORD has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” ―Psalm 118:24, NLT

U. S. Social Security Administration’s life expectancy calculator website: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/population/longevity.html

 __________________

Which day would you consider the most important day of your life?

I always welcome your comments.

Blessings, 

Starr


Day 5: Check! 566 words. 
Challenge: Write about the most important day of your life. 

MY 500 WORDS: Day 3

Day 3 of My 500 Words 31-Day Writer's Challenge. Check! 550 words.

Topic: Writer on the Rise:The Early Bird Really Does Get the Worm. 

Happy writing everyone. This girl's gotta worm to wash down with her second cup of joe.

Are you an early riser or a night owl?

I always welcome your comments. 

Blessings, 

Starr

MY 500 WORDS: Day 2

Day 2: Check! 644 words

Look what showed up in my mail box this afternoon! Since I've checked off My 500 Words setting goals challenge for today, it looks like I'll get in some great reading this evening.

What are you currently reading?

I always welcome your comments.

Blessings, 

Starr

MY 500 WORDS: Day 1

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” 

―Philippians 2:3-4, ESV

Push or Pull?

Ahhh! What did I just do? Where do I begin in this 31-day writing Challenge? Yes, that’s Challenge with a capital “C”. From this vantage point, I can’t even imagine sliding into Day 31―――SAFE! However, if I didn’t question the outcome, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge, would it? In view of that, a smidgen of fear and trepidation is a positive thing―just the edge I need to keep me in-bounds and move me towards home plate.

I want to enjoy this journey―to take pleasure in the process, not merely perceive it as a commitment or a painstaking obligation. I want to recognize it as the gift and the privilege it is to join with other writers in this challenge. I am grateful to connect with writers who experience the same relentless distractions and writing obstacles that I do. As artists, we lead solitary lives, so to write for an audience of one in the company of others is indeed a unique diversion. Let’s cheer one another on and arrive at the end of this journey together, believing we are writers and knowing that our written words will, indeed, benefit those who read them.

During the next thirty-one days, I want to remember the words of the late, great twentieth-century author, Raymond Chandler: “The faster I write, the better my output. If I'm going slow, I'm in trouble. It means I'm pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.”

Are you a word pusher? I am. My perfectionist spirit wants to push instead of believe and rest in the flow of my thoughts. Even now, I find myself editing as I go along. Old habits, do indeed, die hard. Thus, the reason I’ve embarked on this journey―to break poor writing habits that thwart my progression as a writer and to adopt a writing lifestyle conducive to allowing my thoughts to dance on the page.

As a child, I loved to pile my favorite dolls and stuffed animals into my little red wagon, plop myself in the middle of them, and charm my father into pulling us around. For him to pull me along in my wagon was far more fun than pushing or pulling someone myself. “Faster, daddy, faster,” I would squeal. The sad part was that the trip to the end of the driveway and back always seemed to be over too fast. Much faster than when I was the one doing the pushing or pulling.

As I begin this challenge, I look forward to my words pulling me along and carrying me to my destination faster than I can imagine. Once there, I hope to be more than happy to assist in pushing or pulling others along on this journey.

But until then―hop in! There’s room in my wagon for you.

“Faster, daddy, faster!”

__________________

I always welcome your comments.

Blessings,
Starr

Day 1: 510 Words

Challenge: Declare your commitment to write 500 words for thirty-one days.

                                                        

Photo image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystalflickr/48840696/

My 500 Words

Today is the first day of my commitment to the 

My 500 Words 31-day writing challenge.

This means I'm committed to forming a daily writing habit by writing 500 words a day. It doesn't mean I'll be posting them all to this blog. I'll only post those I consider worthy of your time.

 

Thank you, Jeff Goins, for providing the opportunity. Click the photo above for details and join me in the My 500 Words 31-day writing challenge.

Thanks for dropping by from time to time and don't forget to click the tab above for my other blog, The Upside of Down. I always welcome your comments.

Blessings,
Starr

Please Be Seated

Do you savor time at the table with the Father or are you ordering meals to go? 

My September article for Thrive magazine is published at the following link. I'd love for you to check it out, and I pray it blesses you.

Please Be Seated: http://ow.ly/AHi1X 

I welcome your comments.

Blessings, 

Starr

Simply As I See It

Don't Worry, Be Happy

“I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy!” ―Philippians 4:11–12, MSG

 

Really, Paul?  Do tell! What is the secret behind your “don’t worry, be happy” attitude? Our world is hungering to know.

Please join me this week for my Don't Worry, Be Happy series on the ZooKeepers Ministries website. Take good notes as Paul shares his age-old formula for true happiness. This is one recipe you’ll want to stash away for future generations!

Day 1: The Winter of Our Discontent

http://ow.ly/zFYHJ

Day 2: Can't Get No Satisfaction

http://ow.ly/zInwT

                                                                                       www.CanStockPhoto.com

Day 3:  Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
http://t.co/AsRjjtMT26

Day 4:  Apples to Oranges

 http://ow.ly/zN0fx

                                                                                                                         www.CanStockPhoto.com

Day 5:  Am I Satisfied?

http://t.co/Wk6M3NVIR8

       www.CanStockPhoto.com 

                                                                                                                                              

WATCHWORD WEDNESDAY: Seaworthy

" 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place 

and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves 
in a boat to a solitary place." 

―Mark 6:30–32, NIV

My husband's old wooden boat began to take on water―again. The puddle of water encircling his new Sperry Top-Siders was a telltale sign that he had patched it far too many times. As he paddled his way to shore, he knew it was time to invest in a new boat. After all, what good is a boat that won’t float?

We all want to be vessels God can use. Is your boat seaworthy? Or are you simply struggling to stay afloat?

Jesus knew the wearying effects of service and the importance of taking a break from its ceaseless demands. He invited the disciples to come away with him to a quiet place. They welcomed his invitation to rest. We should welcome it too.  

Scripture invites us to cast our cares on the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). Is there some baggage you need to cast aside before you step into the boat? 

Let’s stabilize our boats this week. We can assure our boat stays afloat by laying our baggage at the feet of Jesus and prayerfully considering each piece. He will show us the pieces we need for our journey and those we need to leave behind.

Now it's your turn. Make a list of the things you believe are adding to your boat’s instability. Then ask, “Is this a piece I need to throw overboard, something only God can eliminate, or something I need to hold on to?” 

God is looking for a steady boat. Toss the extra baggage and make room for his presence.

I welcome your comments.

Blessings,
Starr

WATCHWORD WEDNESDAY: Wonderstruck

"When I consider your heavens,
      the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
      which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
      human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels
      and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
      you put everything under their feet."
―Psalm 8:3-7, NIV

As an artist, I can't even begin to imagine placing my finished work, my masterpiece, into the hands of a small child. One who can't even begin to fathom or appreciate the time, the heart, and the emotion invested into its creation process. Yet, God has done just that.

God, the Master Artist, crowned us with glory and entrusted the work of his fingers into our hands―the hands of his children.

He is faithful, even when we are faithless. Oh, that I would trust him as much as he trusts me. However, I can't wrap my mind around that either.

Now it's your turn. What is one thing about our Creator or his creation that leaves you wonderstruck?

Please leave a comment.

Blessings
Starr

WATCHWORD WEDNESDAY: It is Written

"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. 

 So they have no excuse for not knowing God."

―Romans 1:20, NLT

Our handwriting is as unique to us as our fingerprints. Its characteristic style can serve as a blueprint of our minds. Though not an exact science, handwriting analysis reveals individualized markers of our personality and character. The examination of the strokes of our handwriting can uncover specific thought patterns, emotions and behavior. Our handwriting may change due to current circumstances and moods, however, the characteristics of our basic personality remain the same.

Accordingly, the broad creative strokes of God throughout our universe reveal not only his existence but give us glimpses into his divine nature. His character is as diverse as his creation, yet he is the same yesterday, today and forever. From the smallest insect to the most majestic mountain range or deepest ocean, the revelation of his innate beauty is clearly seen.

Scripture declares that the earth is filled with God's glory―this wondrous hallmark of his presence leaves me breathless. How about you?

Take deliberate steps today to notice your surroundings and expect to see His signature there.

Now it's your turn. Although God's handwriting is everywhere, where do you see it most clearly? Also, feel free to copy and use this image without altering its content.

Please leave a comment.

Blessings,

Starr

SUNDAY SOLACE: It's A New Day

"What day is it?"

"It's today," squeaked Piglet.

"My favorite day," said Pooh."

―A. A. Milne

Double Take: Bloomer Drawers

Clean out the clutter and replace it with something sweet.

 

"In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things 

that are good and that deserve praise: things 

that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honorable." 

―Philippians 4:8, GNT

Jesus said to his disciples, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see" (Luke 20:23). Because of our hurried lifestyle, we often miss what God intends for us to see each day.

For the blind man in Mark 8, it took a second touch from Jesus and a second look at his surroundings to bring life clearly into focus.

Be attentive. Take a second look around you and allow God to reveal his magnificent presence in the commonplace.


Through my blog feature, Double Take, I hope you'll be inspired to leave a caption or quote and scripture verse for one of today's photos. I chose the first one to spark your creativity. Now what's your take?

Please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.