DREAMS TO SPARE - Sheila Webster

 When I think of dreamers I think of a young boy who wanted to make a difference in the world. To any that knew his limitations they would have thought his dreams were similar to trying to fly to the moon without a spaceship.

He had a tough upbringing, not any advantages, little in the way of education, friendships, or stepping stones.

Often Joshua would tell me what he would do if he was chief of his reserve. He would then edit his dream and say, "At least talk to people about how to be kind to one another and how hard it is for kids like me." A big dream for a young man of no consequence. People would look at all the obstacles he would have to overcome to be anything let alone a person of influence and shake their heads saying it would be a miracle.

Joshua struggled with learning, he struggled with abstract concepts, poetry seemed abstract and he didn't want to do that portion of his English assignments in grade nine or ten. One day however he was on a road trip to and from a funeral. During this road trip he felt the rhythm of the road and begin to put the facts of his life on the page in short sentences. He was surprised to find that what he had written was a form of poetry, raw, gritty and real.

In need of some money to pay some of his expenses his mom helped him put some chapbooks of his writing together to sell at a First Nations Gathering, the rest has become part of his own personal history.

Joshua as a young person has been published in different forms, a shortlisted documentary about a segment of his life, a couple poetry books, and a couple first person essays. He opened at the University of Regina for Library Week last October, has gone on a library tour of south east Saskatchewan last February, spoken at schools and a seniors lodge. He has also achieved his dream of speaking to some foster parents and group home workers. Joshua has been interviewed by CBC twice,

There was no course or seven steps to realizing his dream just a simple prayer and a lot of courage to step out in his fledgling faith to achieve the impossible.

Joshua in Saskatoon receiving a star blanket commissioned by his publisher Siretona Creative's owner Colleen McCubbin - June 2019. (StarBlanket made by Starla Bruneau)

Joshua: A Documentary by Sheila Webster and Emily Duffield can be found on YouTube

Shopping Cart Boy (2018) is currently out of print

Soul Rape/Soul Rage published by Stark Words Press

can still be purchased on Amazon (this is a very poetry graphic book about sexual abuse)

Two of his stories were also published in First Nations Christian Writers by Goldrock Press and one was reprinted by Indian Life.

Shouldn’t I be writing something more serious? - Ramona Heikel

The writing that I do for personal enjoyment, with no intention of anyone else reading it or publishing it, is delightful and energizing for me.  Writing what I “should” be writing, however, is often less motivating, and more like hard work.

When I was around ten years old, I started writing poems and stories.  The poems were light, sometimes with a bit of humor, and the stories were usually one of two types.  I often wrote fantasies of the perfect life, which, at that young age, included having a cat (at that time, no matter how much I begged, I couldn’t have a cat) or the exciting adventures my cat experienced when it ran away.  I also wrote about having my own adventures, full of suspense and danger, sometimes with an element of science fiction or fantasy.  I love humor, and sometimes wrote silly tall tales.  As a teenager, I wrote little romances, and ever since then have enjoyed writing about relationships.

I’ve always enjoyed trying to put my impressions and thoughts into words, and love the rhythm, rhyme and imagery of poetry.  I originally wrote rhyming lines about everyday happenings and objects (one was “A Woman’s Pocketbook”), nature, and even Bible stories.  Once I wrote the lyrics and music for a short little song about the beauty and peace of nature.   

Of all the variety of pieces that I pen, these kinds make me come alive inside.  I can relate to what the missionary Eric Liddell said in the movie “Chariots of Fire” about his athletic talents, “When I run, I feel His pleasure.” They say that people excel at the things they enjoy doing, and that must hold some truth because most of the works that I’ve had published are the things I love to write the most. 

But shouldn’t I be writing something more serious?  Something more overtly spiritual with obvious eternal value?  Several times, I’ve run across comments by respected classic authors of the faith who pointed to Christian fiction writing as evidence that society’s spiritual fervor is cooling.  Yet at the same time, I am certain that even fun or romantic writing changes lives and opens hearts to the true God.  But I’m just not entirely sure, and it often bothers me.

What to do?  I just continue to write, and trust in His faithfulness to guide me into his will.

Posted by Ramona

www.happilywriting.com