An Attitude of Gratitude: Writing

Although I have struggled to do it consistently this year, I am grateful for the gift of writing.  Quiet as it’s kept, I was a very emotional pre-teen and teenager.  Honestly, it is not my fault.  I grew up watching hours and hours of All My Children with my great-grandmother.  The characters had NO problem expressing their emotions loudly and proudly.  I guess I internalized their behaviors.  When my parents made me mad, I would stomp to my room, slam the door, and throw myself onto the bed.

Those frequent scenes had repercussions.  Not whoopings.  We have already discussed that.  I am a precious angel and nobody should be whooping me…(LOL..but for real though, the “me” now would whoop the “me” then).  My parents had bigger ideas and plans.  They removed my bedroom door…which removed my power to emphasize my points.  And my mom handed me a notebook and a pen.  She suggested I write out my frustrations, and we could discuss them at a later point.  Thank God for a praying mama.  Shoot, I am sick of my own little self.  I took what she said to heart and made a journal and pen my friend.

I wrote about my teenage romance and lack of romance.  I wrote about my friends.  I would write poems about any number of topics.  Occasionally, I dabbled in songwriting.  My journal gave me the opportunity to explore my feelings in a safe way.  I had found a judgement free place.  A healthier way to get to the root of my problems.  A way to record my journey through life.

As I got older, I stopped writing as much.  I fell into the rhythm of adult life.  Work, eat, sleep, pay bills, repeat.  And then the good Lord pushed me to blog.  To make a conscious effort every day to write.  To share my life experiences in hopes that it helps someone else who is journeying through life.  Writing this blog has opened so many doors for me and helped me in ways that I could not have imagined when I published my first post.  And for that, I am grateful.  #wepreach