Men are put on this earth to help women grow. That’s the decision I have finally reached. God put a man with a woman because without him around she would never push herself as far as she could go.
This week has been plagued by the dreaded cold. My head has felt fuzzy and I haven’t had the energy to even thing of cleaning the house. Tonight was my night to go to bed and sleep it off. I had it all planned. So what if I missed church on Sunday. So what if I’m the one that signed us up for this Wednesday night bible study. I needed to rest and recharge.
My husband missed the memo.
Instead, he called to remind me that he was going to a meeting out of town and didn’t know when he would be home. Frustrated, irritated, and severely disappointed, I set about getting the clan fed, bathed, and ready for church.
While I was in my bathroom changing and complaining to God about how things just never work out the way I want them to work out, I realized what was happening. I knew I needed to be at the bible study (I had even commented to my dad the day before about why I thought I was in the bible study) but I was using any excuse not to go. My husband forced me to do what I needed to do.
I have a new respect for why my husband is the way he is. God knew how different we were when he put us together – after all, men and women are as different as you can get when you think about it. My husband isn’t clueless because he is careless, he is how he is because it challenges me to be better, to do more, and to become the person that I know I need to be.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling him about my revelation. He still needs to worry when he doesn’t do what I expect or want. It keeps him on his toes and out of trouble. Hey, maybe that’s one of the reasons that God made me the way he made me!
October 4th, 2007
Writing can be tough on good days and nearly impossible on bad days. I can usually manage a few words for a blog or a personal essay, but fiction can stop me in my tracks. Over the years, I have found some tips and tricks to help jump start my writing when the coals are burning low.
1. Make a character folder. If I run into interesting people or see a striking (good or bad) face in a newspaper or magazine then I clip it out or write it down and put it in a folder. A great character can really get the creative juices flowing.
2. Eavesdrop. I’ll still bits and pieces of conversation that I will put in a dialogue folder. Be careful though. I once got caught writing out a story a lady was telling 
. When I get stumped, I refer to real conversations to get me going again.
3. Go on a trip – in your imagination or even online. Look up a place you have never been before and then write a short story about that location.
4. Look up your family history. You might be surprised at the numerous stories your heritage has hidden in it. Make your family history into a book that can be given out at Christmas or just use the colorful characters in your past to get your own story flowing.
5. Write a tall tale for your children (or nieces, nephews, cousins, etc). Take an event from their lives and then add lots of exaggeration and humor.
6. Read. Just the other day I was stuck in the doctor’s office. Instead of being annoyed, I skimmed several magazines and got some inspiration for future articles (which I jotted down in the notebook that I carry in my purse). I also read a few articles to get an idea of the style that magazine was looking for, incase I decide to query in the future.
7. Write a poem – just for fun. It doesn’t have to be publish worthy, but it does have to be from the heart. Unable to get my thoughts going one morning, I wrote a poem about our crazy cat. I still work on it when things aren’t going the way I want. It gives me a break and lets my mind wander.
Writing doesn’t have to be a chore. If you change things up and look for creative outlets, writing can be an adventure every time you pick up a pencil (or sit down in front of the computer).
October 4th, 2007
