L Is For Lamott ~ by Bob Jones

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." Anne Lamott

 

"It is a writer’s job to be curious, to observe, to question, to try to better understand and give language to some of the vast and varied ways of being alive in the world. The fear that I will fall short, that I will fail to convey my ideas in a way that resonates with readers, is real and ever-present, but I have realized that it is also part of the draw and the ongoing challenge."
 

Anne Lamott is right up there with my heroes of the faith. 

Anne is a Christian but not your garden variety. She grew with a father who despised Christianity and a mother who attended Episcopal midnight mass on Christmas Eve but she says no one in her family believed in God. Believing meant you were stupid. In 1985 she reversed course and made a confession of faith in Jesus and chronicled her journey in "Travelling Mercies," my introduction to her writing.

Anne is an author, activist, former alcoholic, and Sunday School teacher. Her work is worth a moment of your day. She'll make you laugh (at least smile) or think about life and that will be good for you.

It is for me.

These are some favourite Annie insights.

"Families are hard, hard, hard, no matter how cherished and astonishing they may also be. Remember that in all cases, it's a miracle that any of us were conceived and born. Earth is forgiveness school. It begins with forgiving yourself, and then you might as well start at the dinner table."

In one paragraph, Anne lays out a path forward to address any issue families face. And in general, for any one in a relationship. None of us gets out of life without a scar, usually from someone who loves us or once loved us. 

God is a forgiving God and calls us to model the divine behaviour.

"God just means goodness."  A. Lamott

 

Look Up

"It's really not all that scary. Emerson said that the happiest person on Earth is the one who learns from nature the lessons of worship. So go outside a lot and look up. My pastor said you can trap bees on the bottom of mason jars without lids because they don't look up, so they just walk around bitterly bumping into the glass walls. Go outside. Look up. That's the secret of life."

Don't be a bee. Hope looks up.

Whatever you're facing, wait, watch, and do the next right thing.

The dawn will come.

Fear of Failure

Even Anne, and perhaps because of all her success in writing bestsellers, inspiring fellow writers, and the awards she has won, is not immune to feeling pressured by the fear of failure.

"My fear of failure has been lifelong and deep. If you are what you do - and I think my parents may have accidentally given me this idea - and you do poorly, what then? It’s over; you’re wiped out. All those prophecies you heard in the dark have come true, and people can see the real you, see what a schmendrick you are, what a fraud."

Remember that God sees the real you. He loves the real you. You are the one Jesus died for. And if God did not spare his own son, but gave him up for you - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give you all things?

I agree with Anne, "All I ever wanted since I arrived here on earth are the same things I needed as baby, to go from cold to warm, lonely to held, the vessel to the giver, empty to full."

This month I am in Ukraine sharing with pastors and helping to host McJoyful parties for children. I won't be able to reply to your comments but I will look for them when I return. Thank you for reading. 

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

Bob writes at REVwords.

He is a Jesus follower, husband, dad, grampa, writer, coach.

E is For Just Do It by Bob Jones

"Many people assume they are bad at writing because it is hard. This is like assuming you are bad at weightlifting because the weight is heavy. Writing is useful because it is hard. It's the effort that goes into writing a clear sentence that leads to better thinking." ~ James Clear, author Atomic Habits

 

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all." ~  Sam Ewing, author The Cat Who Loved Christmas

 

E is for Effort

 

The writers at Inscribe agree: writing is hard work and effort can trump talent.

 

There is hope and reality in that axiom. For those who aren’t afraid of hard work it means that one talent people don’t have to be limited or inferior to the multi-talented. And for those who are multi-talented it is a caution sign that no amount of talent can supersede effort. Natural ability won’t automatically generate success.

 

In writing, professional sports, entrepreneurial business, politics, or any endeavour, hard work will always beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

 

Just Do It

 

My boss reminds our team that not every endeavour will result in success but at least make it look like you tried. 

Success is never an accident. It takes effort, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. Unless your experience is unique, sustained efforts most often lead to success. Efforts like editing.

 

Writers know edits are worth the effort. Dr Seuss got it right and said it well, “The writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”

 

Nancy Kress, a science fiction writer, explores the gravity of effort:

Write.

Just do it.

Then again.

Then some more.

And more.

Do not wait for inspiration.

If you do enough of it often enough, inspiration will eventually come.

 

Most of us love Cinderella stories about writers who turned into overnight sensations. We love the idea of selling a lot of books without working too hard, but we fail to acknowledge that overnight successes usually don’t happen overnight.

 

Success takes significant effort.

 

What does “just do it” mean to you? Please make the effort to leave a comment after you read the following quotes.

 

10 Quotes Worth The Effort to Read

 

1. “At the end of the day, you can't control the results; you can only control your effort level and your focus.” ~ Ben Zobrist, former MLB Player, 2-time World Champion with the Chicago Cubs and KC Royals

 

2. “If a task is once begun, never leave it till it’s done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all.” ~ Anon

 

3. “Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up.” ~ Jane Yolen, author of over 400 books for children and adults

 

4. “Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” ~ Winston Churchill, author of 43 books including Savrola

 

5. “If you’re going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.” ~ Charles Bukowski, authored 40 works of poetry, prose, and novels

 

6. “Great is the art of beginning but greater the art is of ending.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, author, poet (I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day)

 

7. “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” ~ Anne Lamott (no bio needed)

 

8. “A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” ~ Elbert Hubbard, author of A Message to Garcia (1899)

 

9. “Writing is not a matter of inspiration except for your initial idea. Writing is a matter of sitting down and doing it. And you have to do a lot of it to get publishable. If you want to write, you write. Talent is simply not enough.” ~ Nancy Kress, science fiction writer

 

10. “I don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work.” ~ Pearl S. Buck, Pulitzer Prize winner for The Good Earth

 

Bob Jones writes to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.  

Follow his writing at REVwords.com
 
 

 

At The End Of The World by Bob Jones

 

Three words rocked our world. They weren’t unexpected.

 

She has cancer.

 

“It’s in her spleen, stomach, kidneys, and it looks like some spots on her lungs. I’m so sorry.” The ultrasound confirmed our worst fears. Jocelyn and I couldn’t look at each other. The drive  home was in heavy silence. We knew the next 24 hours would change everything. What are we going to do? How do we tell our boys? Why did it have to come to this? Again.

 

Anyone who never allowed a dog to become a part of the family won’t understand or appreciate the devastation of a terminal diagnosis. Lord knows, it’s just a dog. I mean no disrespect to those who suffered the loss of a loved one or face a terminal diagnosis. 

Anne Lamott is one of my favourite writers. Her dog died on October 4th. She wrote, "My beautiful pal passed away yesterday at home. She had (somehow) gotten old. She was the perfect person and had the most beautiful smile. It is the end of the world and I feel that I will never have a moment’s happiness again. You may know the feeling. Sigh."

 

"The end of the world."  Couldn't say it better. This was the third time with the exact same diagnosis. All were Golden Retrievers. They had names - Tammy. Sprite. Silver. Each one had a unique personality. All were love on four legs.

 

Ironically, when Jocelyn was diagnosed with cancer her despair wasn’t nearly as intense as when three of our dogs were stricken with cancer. We had to put each one down. The drive to the clinic was like walking down death row. Meeting with a vet drove up the anxiety level in each of our dogs and they were never happier than when we left a clinic to go home. Silver had no idea she was not coming out of the clinic alive. 

A few last moments alone with her in the vet’s treatment room allowed all the memories to flood in. The puppy training, balls to fetch, leashes, cuddling on the floor, the first time leaping into a lake, road trips, dog slobber. Just a few months before Silver's life came to an end, she travelled with us from Edmonton to cottage country in Ontario. A family vacation in the truest sense of the word.

 

The night before Silver’s last day was spent in the living room together. The leather couch was off limits for her except that night. There wasn’t much sleeping. With first light, she got her favourite treats. The struggle to get them down assured us we were making the right decision on her behalf. That didn’t make the decision any easier.

 

We didn’t get another puppy. That’s not a choice for everyone, but for us we couldn’t and still can’t bring ourselves to face the same outcome. We find our joy in other people’s dogs for now.

 

When a parent, spouse, child or someone close to us dies, our loss is usually met with sympathy, comfort, and sincere condolences. We are allowed to grieve. We are allowed to cry. We are encouraged to experience our emotions.

 

But pet owners who had a terminally ill dog euthanized, hear quite a different story. Many will tell you that most people did not understand the depth of their grief. Some even experienced the gross insensitivity of a comment like, “Why don’t you just get another pet?”

 

We didn’t just lose a pet. We lost unconditional love. Our Goldens gave us emotional responses that were uninhibited by concern for how their expression appeared to others. They did not judge insecurity or imperfection. They were all-accepting in ways few humans can achieve.

 

In many ways, Jocelyn lost a confidante. Silver allowed Jocelyn to express parts of herself that she never let friends see. During a period of upheaval and trauma, Silver provided Jocelyn with security, stability and comfort. Her neck was a safe place to shed tears.

 

Our Goldens were gifts from God. Creatures made in the Creator’s image and in many ways, reflective of the unconditional love and grace of God. Don't tell my pastoral superiors, but I believe all dogs go to heaven. We were guarded in talking about pet grief. Now, we share our gratitude for the love we experienced and a listening ear for those going  through a similar grief.

 

How about you?  Has your world been rocked by the death of a four-legged family member?  Lean into the grief. Reach out for comfort. Bob.pb.jones@gmail.com

 I write to grow hope, inspire people to be real, forge an authentic faith in Jesus, and discover their life purpose.

Please follow my writing at REVwords.com

I would love to hear from you.

A Kerfuffle and the Writing Life by Wendy L. Macdonald

One morning in the early 70’s, my younger brother needed me to take over his paper route for the day. I don’t remember if he warned me ahead of time about a potential problem I may encounter while I delivered newspapers door to door; but I did—be still my pounding heart—experience a kerfuffle that ensured I never delivered anything in that neighborhood again.

Before I continue my story, let’s relate this to the writing life…

Encounters of the negative kind can cause a writer’s pen to halt too. I learned the painful way not to subject a manuscript to critiques until it was completed and self-edited a time or two first. Early criticism that doesn’t contain encouragement can kill an author’s motivation to continue a project.

Constructive critiques on a completed manuscript are gold.

For some writers, the first draft needs to be finished before inviting a second set of eyes to read it; this is the best writing advice I’ve ever received because: You can’t edit a blank page. Editing 65,000 words has huge potential for a wonderful product being produced. Secrecy while writing the first draft is my secret to successfully completing it. 

Thankfully, I have completed several manuscripts since then. And I enjoyed keeping them private until my pen was put to rest. Then, I allowed the first draft to rest too. You can’t count on being an objective editor until you’ve had a chance to forget much of what you’ve written.

If you’re curious about what happened when I invited some critiques of an unfinished story, here’s the link on my own blog site: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Critique? 

Now, let’s get back to the morning I delivered my brother’s newspapers:

I wasn’t a morning person in my younger years. Coffee has helped me embrace early hours now; however, back then, I was barely awake as I road my bicycle with a newspaper bag hung over half of me. The lethargy didn’t last long though…

A big, black, barking dog appeared on the road behind me. He chased me. He nipped at my feet. I pedaled faster than I ever have before. I was active in track and field, not cycling; however, I eventually escaped the dog and completed delivering the newspapers.

Whatever we’re called by God to deliver, we must not give up. We need to pedal our pens across the pages of a first draft before we subject it to potential barks or praise. Good critiques should cause us to experience revelations of how to make it better rather than suffer trepidations and a desire to quit.

Anne Lamott puts it this way in her book, Bird by Bird:

You don't want to spend your time around people who make you hold your breath.  

               
I’m nosy-to-know what writing book has helped you the most? 

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings,

 because we know that suffering produces perseverance. 

Romans 5:3 NIV      

Blessings ~ Wendy Mac