She grabbed a simple spiral bound notebook and pencil. At age 13 these two common items were part of a normal 8th grader’s pile of textbooks and accessories used every day in the classroom. Only now the paper and pencil take on a new adventure. Instead of writing out assignments or calculating math problems, she will choose to write, calling upon her growing imagination to string clever words together, to tell a story that is her own, but not really knowing where to begin she looks for an example and she decides she can be the next Laura Ingalls Wilder. Yes, she will write about living on a farm, on a prairie, with a family of her own carefully characterized as she births each one in her mind, translating those images to the paper. Yes, she will become a famous author. And so she begins….

She’s in high school now. The spiral notebook and pencil from long ago were laid aside after writing only two chapters of a book that would make her famous. What happened? She doesn’t truly recall, except that without a solid plan or outline her “book” was tossed on the pile of procrastination and lack of follow through that seemed to be larger than her dream to write. Entering high school she still yearned to write; she engrossed herself in language arts and enjoyed all the reading and writing assignments by her teachers. To her surprise, she chose to be part of the school’s yearbook team and in her senior year was chosen to be the editor, though her skills were immature and not as strong as others who could have done a better job in the role. Yet, she stepped into the role and flourished. She had a place to write and to shine.

High school graduation came and went without much fanfare. The uncertainty of where to go, what to pursue, the  “what do I do now?”  questions haunted her. Working on a yearbook that won national awards had spurred her on in her desire and dream to write. Maybe she could work in an advertising agency and create awesome ads for companies? Yes! She could try that, she could finally gain recognition and fame for fancy words and unique ideas. But she didn’t. Practically speaking,  she didn’t know how or where to go for that kind of education or opportunities, Lacking clear direction or guidance, she landed in business school and upon that graduation landed a position in a small local bank which launched a 20 plus year career that taught her immeasurable skills, put her in the path of many interesting people and yet in the midst of those productive years, the desire to write did not fade. 

Marriage and raising children came along which was a different way of satisfying life’s dreams for her. She made numerous friendships along the way, mostly with women she met in the church that had become a second home. Other worthy connections developed in her community and during her youngest child’s high school years she found herself employed by the town’s small newspaper. Her responsibilities consisted mainly of clerical and office duties, but being in the presence of all the words, all the daily work associated putting together a newspaper reignited her dream to write. So, one day, in the midst of doing her routine tasks she asked the owner of the paper. “Could I have a chance to write?”

She can still remember how getting her first writing assignment made her feel. She “had arrived”. She would write such a wonderful and amazing article, one that would surely launch her into the exciting world of being a “writer”. The owner of the paper was impressed with her work and her father kept a copy of the article in his drawer at home, a sign of his ongoing role as one of her biggest fans and encouragers. Other than this, there was no huge fanfare, no demands for her skills with words.

Several more writing opportunities were given to her over the course of her tenure at the news office, but they didn’t completely satisfy the need, the draw, the hunger to “write”. Leaving that job, she settled into being home more, spending time with friends, serving in a variety of roles at her church. Soon, she was introduced to social media and with the convenience of having a laptop and access to the Internet, she found herself daydreaming again, wondering, asking herself “what if” questions, remembering the 13 years old girl, the high school student, the young adult woman who entered her senior years still embracing the deep desire to weave words, paint word pictures, inspire, spark a smile or a gut wrenching laugh, the flow of tears down cheeks–those kind of compositions. She remembered, too, once thinking how great life would be to write and publish a magazine or newspaper that only featured positive news, human interest stories reflecting the goodness and kindness of people. With easy access to social media and the Internet that idea which could have consumed her dream, burned up or faded away into nothingness did not happen. She found an avenue to write using a blog site and she created her own “Page” on social media. The ordinary items from teen years–a spiral notebook and pencil–were now replaced with a keyboard and a screen, merely awaiting to be opened, clicked on, echoing  clitter and clack sounds under the direction of her fingertips.

She has come a long way from the days of a notebook and pencil, from the desire to be the next Laura Ingalls Wilder, a famous advertising agency writer, or renowned author of human interest stories. She can look back on 50 years of  life and see exactly how every experience, each cherished memory, those things that make her who she is, will be her source for pulling out ideas to thread into a story, a blog, a series of topical devotionals, a record of her life that allows her to offer encouragement, kindness, love, and above all, hope. 

She is walking on a path that is pursuing and hopefully leading her to great things, no matter how many rocks she needs to step over or having to decide which twist and turn in the path to follow. She has not arrived. She is only beginning. She is “Me”.