Finding the song of my heart ~ Lorilee Guenter

I have a handmade rough drawn 8 1/2 by 11 inch sized reminder on my wall. It reads: " The worst thing that will happen if you fail, is you will learn something." Some would argue that failures can lead to many nasty things and even death. However, most of our failures are small because the risks taken are small. Even so, when we walk with the Lord and follow his leading even dramatic failure is an opportunity for God's instruction and his refining of our lives. 

I have often questioned if there is a thread that runs through my writing and my interests. As this months prompt asks, what projects, what writing makes my heart sing? I like to learn, which means research and experimentation. It means taking risks. As a result, I have drawn connections between seemingly unrelated objects, events or activities. Some inspire me or others. Some leave a "huh, what are you talking about," response as my attempt to explain falls flat. In either case I have a choice. I can stop or I can keep going. I can keep following my love of research and learning or I can let fear stop me from using the interests God has given me.

The simple, awkwardly written reminder draws on years of learning to walk in faith. We are told faith through God's spirit drives out fear. It allows us to take those desires that God gave us, those things that make our heart sing and let him use them to his glory. Even our failures can be used by him. This sentiment winds its way through much of my writing from essay to novel. It is a reminder that God  is part of the story no matter what our circumstances are. We don't lose him when we fail. He knows we will fail but he never fails us.

In Mark 9, the disciples wonder why they can not drive out a demon. They tried to use what they learned to help others but it did not work. Jesus used that as a teaching moment. He used it to build the faith of all involved and he helped the boy who suffered at the hands of a demon. "LORD, I believe, help me in my unbelief." A simple statement. LORD I trust you, help me take this step. Teach me.

As I study, observe, read and write a recurring theme is to keep trusting, keep trying because God is walking with us even in our failures. He is teaching us and refining us. He gives us the reasons to let our hearts sing. Then he joins with our song.

My Heart Sings When. . . by Carol Harrison

My Heart Sings When. . .

I write a variety of pieces from novels to memoir, short true stories to poetry, devotionals to family stories. What thread ties these together and makes my heart sing as I work on them? As I considered this, several things came to mind. I reread my mission statement which says, “I am passionate about mentoring and encouraging people of all ages and abilities to find their voice and reach their fullest potential.”

Living out that statement starts with my family and involves my writing projects as well. I tried writing fiction because one of my grandsons, then aged sixteen, challenged me to try. He wouldn’t let me give up and gave me suggestions. My adult niece agreed with him and went one step further by asking for a story about a girl named Karla (her name), another girl named Amee, and a dog named Abby (her dog’s name). How could I say no?

Writing that first short Abby story and giving it to her made my heart sing. I had fulfilled a request of a much-loved family member and took up my grandson’s challenge. To see their excitement gave me joy and more writing to work on wh
en she requested a second story the next Christmas. She’s received five so far.

The fiction writing grew when I allowed myself permission to work on the challenge further. But a book needed a cover. One of my granddaughters, Arianna, pursued her fine art education and painted the cover of A Home for Susannah based on a

synopsis of the book. She has now done the covers of the second and third books in the series. Then her sister, Kelsi, digitizes them using her graphic design course. Kelsi creates the covers for the devotional books, often using her own photography. She has an
eye to capture a moment, a scene from a different perspective, and a passion for capturing an image. What a blessing to work with these two granddaughters and encourage them to use their God-given talents and gifts. To encourage them and watch them grow in their field makes my heart sing for more reasons than simply the writing project but also helps me engage with enthusiasm as I write.

Technologically illiterate or mostly so, I have another granddaughter, Kathryn, who formats the books for putting on KDP. She finds it so simple and thinks I could learn it. Yet it boggles my mind and makes me nervous. Formatting does not make me feel good at all but I enjoy working with her to take the beautiful cover design and edited words to a place where readers can find them.

Sometimes I write family stories to get printed and bound at Staples to give my children and grandchildren as gifts. It helps me remember experiences I’ve had, lessons learned, and family times from the good to the not as great. Every piece helped shape me and the tough stuff made me turn to God more than the good times. To be able to pass on these stories to the next generation also makes my heart sing.

Finding little gems in everyday moments and life events and then sharing those with others through writing devotionals or as illustrations when I speak encourages me. When others have ‘ah ha’ moments reading them, or something touches them deeply and they begin to get a glimmer of hope of a glimpse of joy, then I thank God for giving me the words to use. I just need to obey and share those words with others.

My heart sings when something I write encourages a reader. But I don’t always know the effect of my words on others so I must trust God to take the words He has given me and touch the lives of those who read them.

My heart sings when I work with the grandchildren to bring the books to completion. There have been lots of opportunities to interact with them, encourage them, be challenged by them, and work together to use our gifts and abilities to the glory of God. 

 

Carol Harrison loves to hang out with family and friends. She feels blessed to have so many people encourage her in her writing and speaking. Her books truly become a family affair.

 

The Sweet Spot by Sharon Heagy

 

    Sometimes when writing it seems as though I am in a “dry and thirsty land.” I stare at the page, pen in hand with nothing to say. Or the cursor on the computer sits there blinking, mocking my lack of, well, anything to say. Though I love it, there are times when writing is a grind, a chore and I am ready to pack it in.

            But then there are times when I hit the ‘sweet spot’ when words come fast and furious and I can barely keep up with pen or keyboard to get them down. It is in the ‘sweet spot’ that I know God has placed His hand upon me, has stirred the embers within me and we get down to business together. He encourages me with every stroke. Those are the times that make my heart sing. The times where He and I dance together in a rhythm of His making and for which I can no more take credit than I can for my very breath. 

            What is produced in those times is a treasure. Sometimes the piece is tucked away for my eyes only and other times it is read by another, touching their heart in some way. Perhaps with a gasp or a sigh, a tear or a chuckle. A connection beyond my pen occurs. A link only He can design, whatever He desires.

            And so, I continue to search for the sweet spot with my Saviour. Those glorious times that leave a glow that lingers long after the pen lays still and the computer is silent. Knowing the sweet spot exists leads me back to my writer’s chair as if I have an unquenchable thirst or insatiable hunger. And I am glad to clamber and crawl over the dunes of the desert for at some point I know I will be able to slide down the sand to the oasis, where my Mentor and I will meet once more, in the ‘sweet spot.’

When My Heart Sings, Guest Post by Brenda Leyland

"Work on projects

that make your heart sing."

Lady Bird Johnson

Lady Bird’s sage advice has been a touchstone in my life for several decades now. I'd often refer to her words—they were a gauge in any given situation or project. I didn’t always heed her words, to my detriment, but I came to realize when the joy left, when the song in my heart dried up, it was a clear indicator something was out of order. I needed to let it go, change it, or move on. The joy of the Lord is my strength and without his joy, my life's motivation goes out the window. Fullness of joy, or the lack of it, helps me know when I'm in the right space. It’s been a key way the Lord has guided my times and seasons.

It's that way with my writing. If a writing project pulls downward and I don’t feel a quickening in my spirit while working on it, it’s probably not a fit for me. So, what writing projects have made my heart sing?

My blog It’s A Beautiful Life is my happy place. Here I share my love for what’s beautiful and wondrous in the everyday world around us. Ever watching for glimpses of heaven in unexpected places, and when the ugly stuff is too much in our faces, I write to remind myself and others not to lose heart, not to lose sight of all that still makes our lives beautiful. If you saw my post last month, you know my heart also sings when I write handwritten notes to lift hearts, not to mention create bright spots in mailboxes stuffed with junk mail. Years ago, I had the great delight to create a monthly newsletter for consultants in the beauty industry. The Director who hired me wanted a newsletter that wasn’t only about selling product, she wanted something beautiful to inspire her team members. More recently, there's the Christmas! magazine I created and published via Blurb. Written mainly to house my cherished childhood memories of the season, it was pure delight to work on. And what a thrill to hear from readers and friends of friends expressing how my stories brought to mind their own treasured memories.

I am happiest when I can convey the beauty of God through my writing to a broken world. Helping others remember what remains sweet and beautiful beyond the pain, sorrow, and loss: ‘beauty, food and friendship, reservoirs of love and understanding’, to borrow a phrase from novelist Rosamunde Pilcher.

As a young woman, it took me years to discern what made my heart leap for joy and what I felt most passionate about. I felt the joy well up inside when I realized, at the very core, it was Beauty that made me feel the most alive. It touches something on the inside that nothing else does. The wonderment can come in wide-open skies and flowers spilling over garden paths. It manifests in glorious colours, gorgeous sentences, and spine-tingling music. It catches my delight in slices of moist chocolate cake and makes my heart squeeze with love to catch sight of peaceful faces of people asleep...even complete strangers. The list is endless. When the mystery of the beautiful stirs me, I am fully alive, and I long to share the joy of it.

Wondering if it was okay to just follow my heart, and I did wonder a lot about it in my youth, I came to see that Beauty is important to the Lord. The Psalmist reminds us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness Ps 96:9. He beautifies the humble with salvation Ps 150:4. He longs for us to be joyful in the glory and beauty which He confers upon us Ps 150:5. In Genesis, we are told the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired for food—the cherry blossom trees certainly bear witness to this. And in Ecclesiastes, we’re reminded He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Our eyes and souls are designed to appreciate beauty, to need beauty, like we need air and food and sunshine. I eventually came to see, and rest in it, that I could let my heart truly enjoy this great gift God has given to us earth dwellers. And to bring this love and joy of Beauty with me in whatever I do, wherever I go, whoever I see. Letting it spill into my writing.

That's what makes my heart sing. And when I write on these things, I feel His pleasure.

Top Photo: Jill Wellington from Pixabay

Inspired by the beauty of God's world around her, Brenda Leyland happily writes from her home in northerly Alberta, Canada. She writes on her blog It's A Beautiful Life and Facebook page.