Alright, friends. I have to be honest with you. I’m not sure about the future of Mmm Mondays. Let me tell you why.
I started this blog as an outlet for me to engage in my first passion, writing, and to hold me accountable so I WILL write. As like with anything else, you only get better at something if you actually practice and the craft of writing is certainly no exception. You most certainly won’t get any better if you just sit around and talk about how you want to be a better writer and research how to BE a better writer but then never do any writing.
I think I’ve mentioned the fact that both JJ and I are Renaissance People. Our poor children. This simply means that our interests are so varied and so many that we are “those people” who are always learning about something new or have an interest in learning something new. We tease each other constantly about the things we have either 1) attempted to explore or 2) actually did explore.
Ask JJ about my foray into painting. I will never live it down. At least I tried.
JJ’s bookshelf has titles such as “How to Learn Latin in 90 Days” (as if) and “The Basics of the Harmonica.”
For crying out loud. Seriously.
Truth be told, this is one of the reasons why I married the guy (besides the fact that he makes me wet myself because I laugh so hard in his presence. Sorry for TMI.) As an educator, the quest for knowledge and experimentation is one that I just adore.
Learning to be a better cook is one of those that is high up on my list. Along with photography. Maybe someday I will sew. Or maybe not.
But friends, I have to be honest with you and tell you – I am feeling a pull to abandon it all and focus only on writing. My passion. My love. My outlet. The one thing I credit as allowing me to grow as a person more than I could ever fathom.
When I look back at older posts from my days at Missy Moo and Bubba Boo (my old blog before Fire) I am astonished by how amateur-like my writing was. In no way am I suggesting that I could now win the Pulitzer. Heavens no. But I do see a marked difference between then and now and this encourages me.
Not to mention that I have heard God’s call on this one. Crap. Sometimes you just can’t ignore it anymore.
Sometimes you have to stop saying “No, sorry, God. This is just not the right season,” or let self-doubt, which is not God’s voice, win.
This is my time to do just that. It’s time to stop ignoring God’s call and embrace the fact that I might be scared beyond belief but at least I won’t ever have to sit in my wooden rocker when I’m 90 years old and say “Gosh, I wish I would have given my passion an earnest try.”
I realized today that my heart wasn’t in publishing a recipe each week when what I really want to do is just write. My friend, Jennifer, might put out a recipe here and there, but I no longer want to be tied down to a set “schedule” of content.
Have I mentioned that parameters freak me out? I should have known better. Deadlines, restrictions, requirements and parameters equal an instant spike in blood pressure for me.
This being said, I want to let you know that I have heard many readers express an interest in hearing my story. It’s a wild one, yes. Yes, it is.
So I’m going to share it. In installments because if I threw it out there all at once, you would need to go fetal in the corner for a bit. It’s just too much to digest in one sitting.
I’m also going to go ahead and tell you now that I am not going to hide many details. This is the part that terrifies me because I’m really going to put myself out there. Some of the things I will reveal might make you not like me as much but I can’t let that rule what I write about. I’m sorry. Of course, it is nothing personal.
It’s my journey. And only mine. I thank God for his grace more than once each day.
I’ll start sometime this week. I’m not going to say I will publish an installment on a certain day or even how many installments I will do a week because, well, again. You know how I feel about requirements.
The good thing is that I will create a separate page at the top (next to “About”, “Home”, etc.) where you can click and read from the very beginning or simply catch up on a post or two if you miss them.
Stay tuned, my dear friends. You’re in for a wild ride.
Wow, this is some powerful stuff. Can’t wait…
.-= Clairity´s last blog ..quiet is how we like it =-.
Thanks for the encouragement, Clairity!
Oh, I know that feeling!
.-= Andrea´s last blog ..Have You Heard: Spreading the Work of Christ =-.
SO glad I’m not alone, Andrea! It’s kinda funny in this blog world – I don’t want to represent something that I’m not yet I sometimes worry I am going to scare away readers. Oh well. I suppose that’s the risk I take.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
So can’t wait to learn more about you. I understand your fears about putting it all out there. When I started to blog, especially about what I was learning in the Bible, I would wake up with a cold fear and that rush of heat that one gets when you glance in your rearview mirror and see red and blue lights…THAT one…that I was being so transparent. I didn’t want people to judge me. But then, I just reminded myself that God uses our lives (the good and the bad) to reach others. Maybe someone else has gone through what we did/are going through and it will help them to realize they WILL survive it…
But who am I?
Can’t wait! You most definitely have a God-given talent for writing and I’m so glad you are embracing it!
~Mandy
.-= MandyP´s last blog ..Dear DSW Shoe Warehouse… =-.
Mandy. Thank you so much. Its these small little nuggets of encouragement that keep me going when I get overwhelmed by the vast amount of amazing writers there are in this world and think I could never do it.
I have been thinking of what my ultimate goal is for my blog and its 1) an outlet for my writing and 2) sharing an honest story that might influence others.
It’s not a pretty one. I was ashamed of so much and had reason to be. It won’t be easy to read at times but it will be real. Oh, it will be real.
Thanks so much for always reading and responding. This alone means so much to me!
The top is down, the radio is tuned, my seatbelt is fastened…wild rides are good for the soul.
Ok, so thanks to you I am so reliving my past and everything I have pushed down and hid my entire life. THANK YOU! You have no idea how much I enjoy hearing every gory detail, well I was there for the early years (mono, washington street, elementary and middle school drama). We both grew up needing nothing, but also needing so much. Funny how things get harder the older we get. Wait until your kids are in school, and you think back on how much some people in our lives missed. Gets harder everyday. But thanks to you, I am starting to deal with some of it. At my own pace and my own way ( a little vino every now and then). Keep up the great work you are doing. Oh and no pressure to fix me LOL….:)
That’s a good thing, Brooke! You are right – you probably remember a lot of my dirt BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE!
Love you – happy discovering and dealing. Oh – and yes – vino? Fantastic choice. Good way to hash some stuff out…:)