I have recently returned from a writer's conference several states away. There I received private, professional instruction. I learned during the session, as my mentor examined my work, that I fail to go deep enough. For example, in the post "If glasses can be found, so can I", I never discuss the story that inspired the title. She explained that readers want to go with me to the "dark places". For some morbid reason, it appears that you may like to hear the details of my misery.
Truth be told, the title for that particular post came from a moment of redemption. As I said, it had been a lousy day. I was just about to send the kids to the showers and collapse with a book when I remembered that I had promised my neighbor that we would pick some of their strawberries while they were away. I very reluctantly gathered the family and some plastic containers and headed out.
The early summer sun packed a punch that day, and we grew quite warm before the bottom of our containers were covered. My daughter began to complain that her glasses were slipping down her nose as she bent over the plants. I distractedly took them from her and slipped them over the collar of my shirt.
With container volume and attitudes on the rise, we decided to head for home. Kaylee casually extended her hand for her glasses. I paused for a moment. I had completely forgotten that I even had them. I reached up toward my neck to retrieve them, and...you guessed it...they were gone.
In the past thirty minutes we had picked through two different patches, totaling an area of approximately 400 square feet. In the movie version of this story, the camera would zoom out at this point, showing me as a tiny dot in the midst of the low, red-spotted shrubbery.
I hit bottom. I held a heated conversation with God. I envisioned hours of futilely combing through dirt and plants. It was at this low point that the power of that panicked prayer kicked in. I realized that this was a moment of decision. I have read, and even taught, that the largest jumps in our spiritual development come in the smallest choices.
So I made a choice. I took a deep breath and began to look. Within five minutes, the glasses were found. And so was I.
1 comment:
A writer's conference several states away? Not unlike the "surprise Sighting" you had of me at Weis Markets, I found myself scouring my brain in an attempt to remember when you could have gone to such an event!
The writing is improving a lot!!! Very enjoyable--keep it coming!
Post a Comment