We Can Write In The Margins by Mary Folkerts

Life is a beautiful, breathtaking, awe-inspiring journey strewn with hard decisions, unexpected diagnoses, unfulfilled dreams, and broken promises. No one is exempt from hard things. The expectation of a pain-free life is unrealistic, but that doesn't mean it can’t still be a wonderful life!

What if there was a way to reclaim that brokenness and bring some purpose to the hurt we’ve experienced by leaving breadcrumbs of hope for others to follow? Bread crumbs that lead those who find themselves in similar circumstances to a place of understanding and maybe even peace?

When our daughter was born with Down syndrome, I found myself scouring the internet, looking for words of comfort. I wanted to know what others before us had experienced, how they dealt with the diagnosis, the best resources and therapies, and the possible outcomes. Would she reach the milestones, read books, or ride a bike? What potential did she have for a quality life? We were not the first to ask these difficult questions, and I was grateful to those who took the time to be vulnerable and share their stories.

The experiences we have in life always change us. They can make us better or bitter. If we let them make us better and stronger, we have an excellent opportunity to share what we’ve learned with others and how it can, in turn, help them. Sharing our journey will be the continuation of our own healing process.

Inspiration strikes us wherever God is—which is everywhere and anywhere

To share your story doesn’t mean you must have a designated desk and chair at which you spend hours upon hours writing. It can mean writing it down in the margins of your day, before you begin your chores, or in the evenings as the day winds down. It can mean that when you find yourself alone, on the drive, in the garden or in the bathroom, that the words pour out and you grab your phone or paper to quickly record what God placed there.

Now, in saying that, when a deadline looms for a project, or I have dedicated work I need to get done, I find I like to go into my room and sit at my desk (or walk on my walking pad as I have a standing desk). When I turn on my lamp and set out my laptop, it triggers my brain that it’s time to get to work. I have been working on a poetry book—poetry for the anxious soul—slated for early fall publication, so this is where I will do this work.

Inspiration strikes us wherever God is—which is everywhere and anywhere. We need to be ready to capture those words before they are lost to the wind.

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a member of Proverbs 31 Ministries' COMPEL Writers Training, involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/ or connect on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/