Resurrection Of A Writer

I fell in love with words as a small child. My imagination soared with stories, empowering me to escape reality and become anyone in time with the luxury of visiting any place, real or make-believe. Then the most magical thing happened; an elementary school teacher introduced me to poetry. Words began to sing upon the tongue of this lisping child. The moon waltzed a velvet path, and the sun painted peony clouds. Words and nature romanced me. I wanted to be a poet. In high school a teacher encouraged my creative writing. Though I did not pursue it, I dreamed of a journalism/writing career.

Throughout the years, I scribbled my heart away. I shred, burned, or hid the papers onto which my words took life. The only words read by anyone were the ones required for English class.

Then I became a mother. Though I told stories to my children, I stopped putting them on paper. When they got older I started a few novels but never finished any of them. I published a few poems. I contemplated going to college and decided it was too late in life to begin a writing career.

My love of writing must have been evident to those around me because I still had people nurturing my creative process. My dear friend, Patti, invited me to a church event put on by a writer’s group. We were both amazed and immediately inquired how to join the group which we did. Patti has been my always faithful friend who inspires gratitude to God and His many blessings in my life. I was challenged and began to write once again.

A friend from my childhood reentered my life shortly after. She happened to write on a personal blog. I was intrigued. I’d never even heard of a blog, but it sounded like a great place to post some of my writings. I sent her an email and asked her how to write a blog post. She came over a few days later and set up a blog for me. Still feeling vulnerable, I wrote under the pseudo of SuziCate. (This is a shortened version of my given name though my friends and family did not know me by this name.) Karal is my friend who developed my trust of the writing process. She showed me it is acceptable to question life. She motivated me to look within myself rather than others for answers. She helped me find freedom and courage within my writing.

My husband and I started hiking again and, the unexpected occurred. I developed a spiritual connection to nature, and found my roots. This became evident in my writing as I found my voice. My dream of writing became more of a reality though my focus changed. I no longer visualized fame or success. I wanted to be an encourager, a beacon of hope and love. While I still hope to complete the novel I am currently working on, more importantly I want to be a voice of reassurance to others. If my words touch only one person in a positive way His gifts will have not been wasted on me.

 

****The paperback version of Stepping into the Wilderness is now available at this link.