Please welcome this weeks guest Fay Lamb for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey? God Is Always in the Details … and the Herbs of Life God is always in the details. I believe that’s what God, through Paul, is telling us when it is declared in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” God proved the depth of that scripture by the sacrifice … [Read more...]
Postponing my journey
Many of you have probably noticed I have not been posting about my 365 day journey since the end of June. While I plan to keep going with it, this past month is always hard for me. For those of you who don't know me very well, my husband and I have lost our only child, our 8 1/2-year-old daughter, six years ago on July 16. I end up having a hard time focusing as the days draw closer to this time. This year has been no different. On July 1 we also had family fly in from California and has been … [Read more...]
Day 130: Paying Attention #acfw #365days
When I write about Mari, I’m paying attention to my internal thoughts and feelings I have at the time. She will be at the forefront as I write out the words on the screen. For me, it’s knowing I’m being truthful about what I’m feeling at the time. It helps me to grieve for her and heal at the same time. Sometimes it’s when I’m feeling sad and really missing her. Other times it’s about the happy memories I have of her. I know all of this requires me to pay attention to my thoughts and feelings … [Read more...]
Day 129: Imaginations Going Nuts #acfw #365days
I had to laugh. Not too long ago I was talking to a friend on the phone and telling her about my story. She said, “Well, I’m glad I’m not in that family.” I had to agree. My main character is goes through a tragedy that so few will ever go through, and thank goodness most people never will. However, I hope it will still resonate because everyone in life at some points has some type of tragedy that befalls them. Whether it’s as simple as being laid off or as tragic as losing a child, we all go … [Read more...]
Day 125: Approval #acfw
That one little word, approval, can mean so much to someone. To know that someone approves of something you have said or done. It gives you the confidence you might not have had otherwise. I think back on the time when Mari was in the hospital. When she had made it to her fourth and final hospital, I was told by one of the nurses about CarePages. She told me it was a way to keep family and friends updated on Mari and how she was doing. I couldn’t wait to get started. We had so many people … [Read more...]
Day 124: Breaking Glass: Metaphor and Symbols #acfw
In life, it seems so many of us try to compare our grief and pain to someone else’s. Our tragedy to theirs. The thing is that even if the tragedies sound similar in nature, no two are the same. I remember going to a wake a few months after my daughter had passed. This may be long but here it goes: My husband’s sister’s husband’s (David’s) grandfather had passed away. Both David’s grandmother and grandfather had come to Mari’s wake. Basically his whole family came by to pay their respects. I … [Read more...]
Day 117: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Writer #acfw
I love this. Here is what the author said about loneliness: “Writing can be a lonely business. But gradually your characters, or the scenes and people from your past, begin to rise up around you, and you find yourself writing your way out of loneliness, writing your own company. And you’ll find yourself at dinner some evening telling your family or friends, “Well, Natalie really made a mess of things today” or “I can’t believe what John said about Kathryn’s dog.” And everyone will look at you … [Read more...]
Day 116: Why Writers Get Scared #acfw
As writers we have to be willing to pour ourselves into our writing. It’s what makes a good story. I think the reason why my daughter’s hospital story has touched so many is because the words written came directly from my heart. I didn’t hold anything back. At the time I only thought of them as updates for friends and family. But over time they have become so much more. Some of the comments I’ve received have been such a blessing for me. (To read the comments others have left, click the … [Read more...]
W is for Water #atozchallenge
Mari and water, a dynamic combination. Mari loved being in, playing in, basically anything to do with in the water. From the time Mari was a baby, she loved to go swimming. My husband's family was always amazed that I could put her in the swimming pool and she had the time of her life. She didn't mind if the water got in her face. She just giggled and had a blast. As most of you know I've been writing a book about what happened with our little girl. In the book there is a dedication section … [Read more...]
O is for opens a door, window or gate
It seemed like there was never a door, window or gate that'd get in Mari's way. She'd simply open it and go where ever it is that interested her at the time. In her last six months we had moved to a new house in Burbank, Illinois. I think it was in this house where Mari was the most active with trying to do whatever it was she wanted to do without any regard to the safety aspect so Mommy also had several minor heart attacks as a result. I have to smile now looking back on those times knowing … [Read more...]
