Spring is humming on the air, my windows are open as I type, and bursts of sunlight are dancing across my bedroom floor. There is something beautiful about the sunshine, the way it soaks into my skin the moment I step outside, how it bathes every facet of nature in pale brilliance, and transforms morning dewdrops into flecks of gold. There is something beautiful in seeing God's creation flourish in the role it was meant to fill. It leaves me wondering how radiant life would be if I spent more time focused on glorifying Christ rather than myself. I stumbled across a favorite quote by George MacDonald along that vein of thought: "The flower expressed what God was thinking of when He made it; the face, what the girl was thinking of herself. When she ceased thinking of herself, then, like the flower, she would show what God was thinking of when He made her." a writing update...April has become a historically productive month for this writer. There is nothing like a fresh breath of spring to get me motived. I have spent countless hours on my novel, polishing the rough edges, discovering new rules of grammar, and even letting myself enjoy my favorite scenes all over again. Besides that, I have been writing more for the Unlocked devotional and also submitted to an up-and-coming magazine that I am excited to tell you about in the near future! Now that all of my deadlines have been met for the first quarter, I am finally letting myself drop exhausted to the floor with a notebook while I plot my next story. So far it has included character sketches, pages of research, and spur-of-the-moment letters between my two main characters--all of which now litter my desk. It's beautiful. :) Sometimes it's worth meeting those deadlines simply so I can sit down and enjoy the stillness. the rest of life...The in-between moments are a swirl of iced blueberry tea, handfuls of colored pens, the odd hour of laundry and podcasts, morning walks and horse-training sessions, days spent experimenting in the kitchen, and coaxing hymns out of the piano.
A goal of mine for this year was to read more historical fiction. Initially, I just wanted to steep myself more thoroughly in the genre of my craft. I ended up reading a dozen books simply for the fun of it. I have been loving Tessa Afshar's Biblical fiction and am re-reading one of my favorites, Stepping Heavenward. I am also rediscovering the joy of digging into God's Word. That joy is something I find that I have to keep chasing and forging every day of my life. It is all too easy to skip a day and realize that I have stumbled back two steps when I could have tiptoed forward one. How has your year been thus far? Are you enjoying these first weeks of spring? I would love to catch up! Until then, blessings!
3 Comments
Brooklyne
4/6/2021 04:46:06 pm
Such a good post, Anita!! I love the beauty of spring! And it was good to read this update, sounds like you have been productive with your writing! I’m glad to hear you’ve been rediscovering the Bible more lately too... I’ve also been reading more consistently as I’ve decided to read cover to cover. What book in the Bible are you studying atm?
Reply
Anita
4/7/2021 04:45:38 pm
Yes! Reading cover-to-cover is such a satisfying goal...especially once you reach it, lol. I am studying Romans right now. The sheer amount of theology packed into every chapter is almost overwhelming, but I'm loving it!
Reply
Brooklyne
4/7/2021 06:44:04 pm
Yes! Romans 8 is a favorite! Leave a Reply. |
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