Pen for Posterity
Sporadic blogging, I think, describes the life of any woman. We have to be prepared to start and stop activities, chores, errands, answering emails, and completing projects at the drop of a hat. Why? Because our relationships mean so much to us. We desire that our most-loved people feel connected. Women have historically been the connectors. It is woven into our feminine nature and genius.
I truly intend my life to be well-organized and well-ordered. Well-ordered it is. Faith first every day. My vocation is wife and mother. Then, in random order: teacher/mentor/friend. Then author. This is why it took me seven years to write and edit my first novel Close to the Soul for publication. I had frequent pauses along the way. Some by choice and some by circumstance.
The organizational part comes and goes. I take to heart the scripture that says, “I shall make a helpmate fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18). Because I am a married woman whose husband is now retired, his well-being has become a top priority for me. His sense of calm is hard-wired into his must-be-doing-a-project DNA line. Nearly everywhere he goes, my Mr. Project will be seen with tools either tearing something apart or building something up. I have learned a lot being his extra set of hands, and I am blessed to be appreciated by him for the help I give.
There was the building of a new house in a new town with its very own Cousin Cave for our growing little generation. There were the weddings of our two daughters in the same year. There was a purchase of a second cottage that needed minor renovations. There were the births of five grandsons in three years, making six grandchildren under six. There were trips to Zion, Arches, and Bryce Canyon, Yellowstone, California, Thailand, Spain, Portugal, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and Antigua. There was my husband’s retirement and exploration of where we wanted to land ourselves for the winter to escape Michigan’s frozen tundra. Florida one year, Arizona the next. There was a car accident resulting in a broken neck for John. There were parents and brothers who passed away. There were projects at other people’s homes and another renovation at ours. There was a novel contract and a mountain of edits and a learning curve in social media marketing and website design to prepare for the launch.
Through it all, we stayed well-ordered but not so well-organized (at times). And that’s okay because all of it is LIFE–our life, and we choose to live it to the full, even if that means some things are put on a slight delay. All good things take time and when we finally get around to completing them, it always seems like the right time.
