It's Only Ever Been About Love ~ Valerie Ronald

                   
The phrase hopeless romantic suggests negative pictures of dewy eyes and dime-store romance novels. In fact, the expression is a description of a personality prone to dreaminess, idealism and imaginative flights of fancy. Not such a bad thing, really. To borrow a lyric from singer/songwriter, Steve Bell, “it’s only ever been about love.”

 That is my life theme in a nutshell. Love.

If only life could be described in such a simple word, but love is a word holding connotations, memories, expectations and baggage too complex to explain in a few sentences. Looking back, I recognize the scarlet thread of love in many guises stitched throughout my days, influencing who I am and what I create.

I grew up in a home where love waxed and waned, according to the emotional state of its residents. My family’s dysfunction squeezed my easily wounded little heart with fear of losing love or not giving enough love myself. Here arrived the hopeless romantic who discovered a flair for writing stories in which love conquered all. When reality became too messy, I escaped into worlds of my own making or read about happier worlds in books. There love could become what I wanted it to be instead of the often painful emotion I struggled with daily.

Then at a rustic Bible camp on the shore of a tucked-away bay, I met the Author of Life and Love for the first time, though I realize He had been drawing me to Himself all along. How could a hopeless romantic resist such a hero? Jesus, Maker of miracles, God in flesh, sacrificing His own life for mine. Such unconditional love soaked into the empty places of my heart until I gladly gave it to Him. I wanted what I saw demonstrated in the lives of those who knew Him at that camp --- joy, peace, purpose, and love overflowing to those around them.

If only the truth of God’s love for me had not drained away through the holes in my already injured heart, perhaps I would not have gone in wrong directions looking for ways to bandage up the wounds. I know now that although I wandered far into the world and all its empty dreams, God never let go of my heart. His love held it fast to His own.

I fell into human love like a cliff diver, headlong, heedless, high on emotions moved by charm and promises. I did not listen to the warnings of others who saw the danger. I jumped anyway, only to nearly drown in years of emotional abuse, manipulation and neglect. Within the crucible, my children ignited a fierce maternal love, teaching me invaluable lessons in sacrifice and devotion. Any spark of romantic love for their father was ground into ash on the altar of threadbare loyalty. Finally I hit bottom, looked up, and found genuine Love reaching down to pick up the pieces.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.   
(1 Jn.4:16b NLT)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
(Ps. 34:18)

Gradually, as God’s love renewed me from the inside out, I began to write again in an effort to convey what filled my own bruised yet healing heart. I absorbed God’s Word like a restorative broth and what I learned poured out on the page. Though the infinite love of God could never be fully expressed, I had to try. If words written as an offering back to God could give others a glimpse of His great heart for them, I would write all I could.  

My written words are many, and will continue as long as I have the ability to record my thoughts in print. The topics covered are numerous and varied, yet when each piece is stripped of its descriptive flesh, there will always be found the bones of love. It is the theme for all I do, believe, desire and offer to others. My ways of loving are imperfect yet I believe the God of all Love can still use this hopeful romantic to show the way to Him. 

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Living loved is to touch bottom in the vast, unending pool of God’s care. Swim in it, float in it, be carried along in the current created by the beat of God’s great heart.

Living loved means though all sure things on earth are whipped out from underfoot, yet you stand firm on the only Rock which cannot be shaken, and you find peace.

Living loved gives a glimpse of yourself through God’s eyes, because His love comes without agendas or conditions or variances. It is a love to rest in.

Living loved sets the Cross at my back, the crux of history and of my own life, where Love stretched out His arms to die for me.      
(excerpt from my blog devotional, Living Loved)


 
Valerie Ronald lives in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. She is a graduate of Vancouver's Langara College journalism program, and has worked as a newspaper reporter, freelance writer, public speaker and bookstore employee. Valerie finds being a member of the Manitoba Christian Writers Association has honed her writing skill and confidence. She writes devotionals for her home church bulletins and her online blog. Her current book project chronicles how God's faithfulness saw her through the dark valleys of divorce and cancer. Along with her husband, Valerie enjoys spending time with their blended family and six grandchildren. She is a nature photographer, water colorist, cat lover and Scrabble addict.

More of her devotionals can be read on her blog   https://scriptordeus.wordpress.com

My Writing Theme: Finding Hope and Beauty in a Broken World - Ruth L. Snyder

I found it challenging to define my writing theme. However, "Finding Hope and Beauty in a Broken World," sums it up well. I find myself sharing messages of hope and beauty. In this blog post I will share some of my journey, along with some recent beauty I've captured with my camera.

The first bloom opening on my new rose bush

The Meaning of My Name

When I think about God's calling on my life and writing, it starts with definitions of my name I found as a teenager. Ruth means "compassionate friend," and Lucile means "one who brings light". Since then, I have made it my goal to be a compassionate friend who brings light.

Geese along Jessie Lake, my favorite walking path

An Attitude of Gratitude

One thing I used to struggle with was having a positive attitude. Over the years I have learned that attitude is a choice. I cannot necessarily choose what happens to me, but I can choose how I respond. Writing in a gratitude journal has helped me develop an attitude of gratitude. I have discovered that no matter how bleak a day looks, I can always find at least three things for which to be grateful.

Charles Swindoll puts it this way:
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what others think or say or do.  

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  

We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.  

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you—we are in charge of our attitudes."

I grew up hearing and singing hymns and enjoy playing them

The Joy of Music

I'm grateful that my parents shared the gift of music with me. My Dad played an E-flat alto horn and my Mom played accordion. They also sang. I have many memories of singing as a family—during family devotions, as we traveled hundreds of miles across Canada and the United States to visit those who supported our family's mission work in Africa, in church, and in nursing homes. I didn't realize what a gift this was until I started Bible college. One day I was singing alto along with a CD that was playing in my dorm room. My roommate gaped and asked, "How do you do that?" Singing parts became second nature, thanks to my parents. 

My parents also invested time and money into allowing me to take music lessons. I remember wanting to learn to play the piano from the time I was very young. Pianos were rare in Africa, but the year my siblings and I attended school in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), I had access to both a piano and a piano teacher. I started piano lessons at age nine and now I enjoy sharing music with others by teaching Music for Young Children and piano lessons. 

Music also became a unique doorway to share special times with my Dad after he developed dementia. Even when he no longer remembered who I was, he remembered the lyrics to hymns. We spent many hours together—my Dad singing bass and me playing piano and singing soprano.

NOTE: On Wednesday, June 17th, two pianist friends and I will be launching a virtual hymn sing, streaming to Facebook. Our goal is to provide joy, especially for those who live in senior residences. If you'd like to join in, go to https://www.facebook.com/HymnSingTime/ from 9-9:45 am MST on Wednesday mornings.

One of my flowerbeds

My First Published Piece

Although reading and writing were an important (and enjoyable) part of my life, I didn't think of myself as a writer or dream of publishing my first book. I did take some writing courses through the Institute of Children's Literature, and entered the Fresh Ink Contest in 2009, hosted by The Word Guild. I was shocked to hear I won first place and the award of a free Write!Canada conference registration. At that time our five children (ages 1-11) and work on our local school board kept me busy. However, several months later, Gifts From a Loving God, our journey through the grief of infertility and into adoption, was published in Testimony. I also joined InScribe, happy to find other Christian writers closer to where I live. I kept entering contests, learning, and getting short stories and articles published. 

My peaceful place to relax

I'm an Author!

It took me a while to call myself a writer. I knew I enjoyed writing, but a writer? An author??? Little by little I added to my writing repertoire and wrote longer and longer pieces. Books still scared me...until I figured out books were made of chapters, and I was capable of writing chapters. I thought my first book would be a devotional, but people kept asking me about Twitter and how to use it effectively. Twitter Decoded was born—giving hope to those who thought they would never understand or be able to use Twitter. I also enjoyed some collaborative projects—Kathi Macias wanted to publish a Christmas book and asked if I would be interested in writing a 10,000-word story. She included my story, Cecile's Christmas Miracle, in her 12 Days of Christmas book. Then I joined four other writers to work on The San Francisco Wedding Planner Series and Uplifting Devotionals (which also includes devotionals by Tracy Krauss, Marcia Laycock, Janice Dyck, and Murray Pura).

Pansies are one of my favorite flowers

Self-Publishing?

During this time, I also began exploring the world of self-publishing. I eased in by learning how to publish a Kindle book. Then I joined Author Audience Academy with Shelley Hitz and learned how to publish a paperback as well. (Her program is now called Christian Book Academy.) I enjoyed the challenge and decided to self-publish both an ebook and paperback copy of Equipped: Ephesians 6 Devotionals to Empower and Make You Victorious in Everyday Struggles.

A recent sunset

Coaching

Last year I enjoyed taking training through Beautiful You Coaching Academy. After I graduated, I started working with a business coach to put together a book coaching business. God has really pushed me out of my comfort zone, but after months of work, I'm starting to reap the results. I help Christian entrepreneurs write, publish, and profit from their books. I am aiming to help 20 people publish a book this year. (Check out my updated website.) God has been bringing opportunities for speaking and coaching to me, and I'm stepping out in faith. One of my clients thanked me last week for "providing a safe place and giving me hope."

Thanks for allowing me to share my writing journey and my theme of finding hope and beauty in a broken world. I look forward to hearing about your journey and theme!

Puzzle Piece Themes by Carol Harrison

What do I write about? What themes emerge as I reflect on past pieces written? Is there a theme that weaves through all of them or most of them, or does it vary with each individual piece? This month's prompt allowed a time to review words already written, some published and others for family or still sitting in limbo on my computer. I searched for common pieces that form the overall theme, the picture of what I write and why?

No one theme emerged but several showed up repeatedly, drawing attention to themselves with their frequency. Stories and illustrations filled with life experiences interwoven with biblical truths. Some of those things included struggles of various kinds, some of which I would rather left hidden away. I wanted to throw away the mess of dark, blurry puzzle pieces and not use them in the picture I wanted to present to others. We all have stories with pieces we might not want to include, yet there is no way to complete the picture without all the pieces.

Those pieces with the ragged edges beg for pieces marked hope, courage, faith, help, strength, and joy to be attached and brighten to overall effect. Many times I write about finding those little glimmers of hope and glimpses of joy during difficult or tough circumstances.

Writing about those tough times produces the conflict for the story, the illustrations, and in life. But it
needs the resolution- the hope to round out the scenarios. This main theme of hope in the tough times of life shows up often beginning with my first foray back into writing after stuffing the desire to write so deep I thought it had been forgotten.



Communicating skills, the learning how to share your story and why to share it, also occupies some of the theme pieces in my writing and speaking. It adds that piece marked encouragement on to the jagged pieces of tough times. When we share the good, the bad, and the ugly along with the ways hope showed up, we encourage others and ourselves. I love to share how the hopeless times dimmed as hopefulness appeared; the mess provided the beginning of a message when I gave it all to God; and looking back to see how the trials became triumphs. Even writing these difficult pieces of life's puzzle in my journal and honestly talking to God about them begins the journey to find those pieces of hope, encouragement, and joy.

Experiences in my own life like chronic health conditions, our youngest having a stroke at birth, my
husband's cancer diagnosis, and many other small yet painful events have influenced my writing and speaking. In fact writing the memoir, Amee's Story, began my journey back into writing.

But the telling never ends with the hard times for it's only part of the story, only one of the pieces of our puzzle and only part of the themes that show up in my writing. God steps in when we invite Him but the answers to our prayers do not always look like we expect them to. God touches our lives, offers help, comfort, and hope. This must be included in the puzzle pieces, the themes in my writing. A huge piece of the puzzle involving themes in my writing and that flows into my writing is that I want to let people know through stories, experiences, devotionals, and blogposts is that the God of the Bible is still God today. 

Finding lessons and joy in the ordinary happenings of life occupy a few more theme pieces of the puzzle. Experiences of all kinds  can and often do bring Scripture to mind. The stories combine with Bible verses and show up when I write devotionals as well as serve as illustrations for other pieces of work or when I have opportunity to speak.

I listed the main themes I see reflected in my writing. finding glimmers of hope in the tough times; recognizing we are all people of influence; encouraging others to share their stories; finding glimpses of joy in the ordinary; and most importantly to tell others that the God of the Bible is still God today.
They are all true to me using the gift of storytelling God has given me. Whether I share family memories, my own life experiences, or write a devotional style piece these puzzle pieces will be evident for they are the message I long to convey to others as God puts together the puzzle picture of my life.

Each piece of a puzzle is important to complete the entire picture. Everything I write whether fun, tough, hope, or family memories is part of the whole, a picture continually being worked on by a gracious Heavenly Father.




 Photos of puzzle and pieces are by Carol Harrison

Carol Harrison loves to tell stories and often uses them to answer questions as well as sharing memories. She lives in Saskatoon with her husband Brian and appreciates the encouragement to continue telling stories in various forms which she receives from her children and grandchildren.