The Song of Your Heart

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.

(Author unknown)

As I shared on Monday, one of my recent dreams got sidelined. The journey is delayed while I do more work on my current book. (At least no editors or agents told me to "throw it away" like someone told best-selling author Debbie Macomber to do with her first novel.) And, I have to admit that some of the concerns raised were right.

But, it still felt horrible.

Anticipation met with disappointment. I found myself trying to rejoice with those around me at the ACFW Conference while crying inside.

And then out.

Along came three separate friends who understood the dream, felt my pain, and sang back the song of my heart until I heard faint stirrings of melody deep within.

So, thank you to Sandi, Dena, and Valerie who helped me rediscover my song.

Who is this type of friend in your life? Can you share a time when they did this for you?

Transformations - 6

Another Monday and another look and being transformed by the journey.

Today, I'd like to look at stained glass.

When I think of stained glass, I think of beautiful old church windows. The ones depicting scenes from the Bible that come to life when the sun shines through them and scatter patches of colored light across the room.

When making stained glass, different metallic oxides or minerals are added to the melted mixture to create or remove different colors. The resulting glass is now colored, yet transparent. The artist creates a pattern and cuts the glass into specific sizes and shapes. The edges are ground and the pieces arranged. Depending on the method, the glass is either wrapped with copper foil or fit into lead channels. Add heat to solder and then polish the finished product.

Scattered pieces of glass on the table make little sense except in the mind of the artist. He is the one who sees the big picture and carefully nudges each piece into position. The process takes time as each section is cut, ground and wrapped. Did I mention the heat?

But, the finished product? Oh, so valuable. And beautiful.

What about my life? I can think of scattered fragments of different colors that individually seem insignificant and deserve only to be collected and thrown away. Yet, in the hands of the Master Craftsman, each shard is being pieced together in a pattern only He can see. One that will come to life when the light of love shines through.

I recall a time when this overachieving super-mom found herself on the couch with chronic fatigue syndrome - unable to manage a simple trip with two preschoolers to a park three blocks from home. That period of my life was wrapped in prayer and now I lead a Bible study on the topic of prayer. See a pattern?

Just over a week ago, I went to a writer's conference. In some ways, the novel I wrote has been broken to pieces. Yet, taking the lesson of stained glass to heart, there are fragments that can be picked up, polished, and rearranged to create a different picture.

What about you? Do the broken pieces of your life fit together in a pattern?

Football Friday - Teamwork

Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success. (Author unknown)

I didn't pick this picture for today's post because it's the cover of my book but because it shows a team in action. Teammates huddled together and communicating the play call. Leaving to do their individual parts, and then returning to encourage or congratulate each other before doing it all over again.

In the game of football, each team has eleven players on the field. Count them. Not one or two, but eleven. Each with individual responsibilities on every play. One to snap the ball to the quarterback. Four additional linemen to protect the quarterback from various angles of attack and to open holes for the running backs. The receivers run assigned routes to either get in position to catch the ball or to draw the defensive players away from an area of the field. Running backs sometimes run with the ball and sometimes block for their teammates. The quarterback surveys the defense, adjusts the play call, and then throws or hands off the ball.

Eleven players, each with a small part of the overall task. None of them can do it alone, and each individual effort contributes to the success (or failure) of the team. (Not to mention the fact that other teammates cheer from the sidelines and stand ready to take our place on the field if we're injured.)

Football is a team sport. So is life.

I can't do this by myself and I'd be crazy to try. I need my teammates as much as the quarterback needs his. Can you imagine if he tried to run a play by himself? Ouch.

So, who's on my team? My husband. My parents. My friends. My daughter's doctor and speech therapist. Her teachers and paraprofessionals. My boys' teachers, coaches, Sunday School teachers, and youth group leaders. My critique partners and local writing group.

Last week, I spent several days out of town at the ACFW Conference in Denver. While I was away from home, my mother stepped in to handle the daily details of three kids' school schedules and activities. My Bible Study group prayed for me. My critique partners helped me polish my first chapters and proposal. My roommates became new friends to cheer me on before every appointment. Two members of my local writer's group were there to listen during the rough spots. And my husband both subsidized and encouraged the pursuit of my dream.

Could I have done it without all their help? Not a chance.

Who's on your team? Have you thanked them for their help? What are you doing to help them?

Footprints on Your Soul

"Life is full of people who will make you laugh, cry, smile until your face hurts, and so happy that you think you'll burst. But the ones who leave their footprints on your soul are the ones that keep your life going."

~Natalie Bernot

In the past few months, I've been using Facebook to reconnect with old friends and keep up with their news. In the process, I was reminded that my friends fall into different circles and periods of my life. Some from high school in Colorado and others from college in Oklahoma. A group from the church I grew up in and another from our church for the past six years. Writers groups. Other families with children with CdLS. Fellow teachers and former students.

Friends come in all shapes and sizes. Some enter your life for a season while others endure for a lifetime. Some celebrate the victories while others walk the dark paths beside you. If you want someone to pray with you about a situation, you have a phone number memorized. And if you want to rent a romantic comedy and eat ice cream out of the carton? Well, you know who to call.

Some make you laugh. And others leave footprints on your soul.

Which type of friends do you have? Which are you?

Transformations - 5

For the past four Mondays, we've been looking at transformations.

In boiling water, eggs become hard and carrots become soft, but coffee beans transform their circumstances into coffee. Under intense heat and pressure, black carbon transforms into transparent diamonds. Oysters turn their irritations into pearls. The crashing waves upon the sands of life polish broken glass into a beachcomber's treasure.

Today's transformation focuses on silver.

In nature, silver is usually found in a combination with lead or copper. In fact, the precious metal is only one small fraction of the rock's mineral composition. Silver-bearing ore is mined and then crushed and ground. After a flotation separation process, the remaining silver-bearing mineral concentration is ready for the extraction process.

With me so far? If you're a silver molecule, so far you've been dug up, pulverized and drowned in water to separate you from the other parts of the rock who've been your neighbors for years.

In order to get the silver separated from the lead or copper, it's time to turn up the heat. Until the metal melts. Until the impurities rise to the surface and are skimmed (or burned) away. Until the silver shines like a mirror and is ready to be poured into a mold.

Are you seeing a pattern here? Uncomfortable heat and time. Yet, this process happens under the watchful eye of the refiner who is careful to not to let the silver overheat. The craftsman who knows the silver is ready when his image is reflected.

When the heat of your journey is turned up, have you seen impurities rise to the surface? Is it reassuring to know the heat won't get too hot?

Football Friday - Perseverance

This week's football lesson is in honor of those who overcome the obstacles. Who keep getting up when knocked down. Who persevere despite the problems.

Football players have to be tough both mentally and physically. They are constantly shoved around or tackled to the ground. Forward progress is stopped by a strong defense. Or a mistake. Or a penalty. They continue to play no matter if they are outsized or outscored. Even the weather can conspire against them with wind, driving rain, or freezing drizzle.

A year ago tonight, my husband's team played in such a game. Our opponent was bigger, stronger, and faster than us at every position. They stifled our offense and ran away with the game, scoring at will until the "mercy rule" took effect with a running clock. Did I mention it was raining sheets of water - sideways - for the entire game?

Yet, I was so proud of our team and coaches. They never gave up. They left everything they had out there on the field. They slogged off the turf with heads held high, despite the tears in their eyes. And, paid the price during the off season to prepare for tonight's rematch.

What about life? Obstacles and failure are as much a part of life as tackles and fumbles exist in football. The key is what you do next. Will you buckle under the pressure or continue to pursue your dream? If you need more inspiration, watch this U-Tube video from BlueFish TV about Famous Failures. (Warning - bring a tissue)

When you face opposition, do you give in? Or do you persevere?

Let Me Be Brave

"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

(Special Olympics motto)

We all want to win.

We dream of winning. We plan, prepare, and practice. We spend hours of time training. We line up at the starting line and crouch low, ready to run.

The starter raises the gun and our heart beats faster in anticipation of breaking the tape at the finish line. On your mark. Get set.

The gun fires and we explode off the line. Arms pumping and legs churning, we cover the ground with the goal ahead. To either side, we see others running just as fast and wanting to win just as much as we do.

What if I don't win? What if someone else crosses the finish line first? Has that made my attempt worth less than theirs?

As I prepare to pitch my novel to editors and agents at the ACFW conference this weekend, I'm praying for the win. But also that I will be brave in the attempt.

What I love about Special Olympics (and yes, that's my daughter in the picture above) is that ALL finishers get a reward. Even if they didn't win the race.

What about you? Do you focus on the win or the bravery?

Transformations - 4

Another week, another example of being transformed by the journey.

Today, let's look at sea glass.

Also known as beach glass, it is glass found on the beaches of oceans and large lakes that has been tumbled by the action of water and sand until smoothed and frosted. The scattered pieces are collected by beachcombers into jars or fashioned into pieces of jewelry.

A classic example of trash transformed into a treasure.

What about the broken pieces of our lives? The shattered dreams we threw away? Time has a way of smoothing out the rough edges, and, if we gather those previously discarded pieces, we may discover their hidden beauty and purpose. Especially if we put them in a jar on a window-sill and let the light shine through.

Have you found beauty in the broken pieces of your life?

Football Friday - Coaches

Today's lesson from the game of football? The importance of coaches.

Not only is my husband a coach, but I used to coach track and cross-country. (Not quite the same intensity as football but enough to show that I know of what I speak.)

The coach is the team leader and teacher. Responsible for the safety and conduct of the team. Commissioned with the task of teaching skill and building endurance in addition to developing a game plan and implementing changes from the sideline. Corrector. Encourager. Friend. One who shoulders the blame and passes along the credit while preparing the team for the next level of competition. The good ones lead by example.

The athletes who find quality coaches and listen to their instruction have an advantage over their peers. Those who don't? Well, a coach can only point you in the right direction. You have to do the work yourself.

What about life? Successful travelers have coaches (also known as mentors, agents, and friends). Someone with more knowledge and experience who shares their wisdom and offers encouragement for the journey. Who can point out the potholes and steer in the right direction.

"Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction."

~John Crosby

Do you have a coach? Are you listening? Have you thanked them?

A Life of Giving

"We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give."

~Winston Churchhill

Do you live to get or live to give?

I thought about all the things I do in one day's time. Including everything from brushing my teeth to laundry to cooking to my part-time job to breaking up fights between the boys. Then, I separated each activity into one of two lists: Getting or Giving. (Honestly, I added a third list for stuff like personal hygiene that didn't seem to fit either category.)

In the one column, I got money for my work. I got groceries and school supplies from the store. The mailman brought a book that in turn offered wisdom and knowledge. I got a scribbled picture from my kindergartener.

In the other column, I found that putting laundry and cooking in the giving category helped my attitude about the chores. I found that breaking up fights was actually giving the boys strategies to problem solve. I found that reading a book with my kids was a gift of time.

Overall, the exercise showed that getting and giving balanced out in my life. No out of control priorities to work on. Whew.

The exercise also highlighted the relative value of gifts. Like Winston Churchhill said in the opening quote, there's a big difference between making a living and making a life. Those intangibles are invaluable. And kindergarten art ranks at the top.

When we think of giving, we usually picture money or a pile of presents. But, we can also give our time, energy, love, friendship, and wisdom. The opportunities to give are limitless, and the return on our investment is priceless.

And in this journey called life, it's nice to know that we can make a difference in the lives of other travelers by giving of ourselves.

How has giving enriched your life?

Transformations - 3

In our continuing look at being transformed by the journey, today let's take a closer look at the pearl.

An oyster produces a pearl when foreign material becomes trapped inside the shell. The oyster responds to the irritation by producing nacre, a combination of calcium and protein. The nacre coats the foreign material and over time produces a pearl.

Think of it like you just got a piece of dust in your eye. Tears flow to coat the offending object and hopefully wash it out. If you can't get it out, at least you can keep it from scratching every time you blink.

So, a pearl is an irritation transformed into a gemstone.

But, the process takes time. Cultured pearls, where irritants are deliberately implanted into oysters, take three to six years to develop. Years of irritation being transformed in secret until one day the pearl farmer opens the oyster's shell to harvest the lustrous treasure.

Are your irritations being coated by layers of patience and grace?

Football Friday - Weight Training

Are you ready for more lessons from football?

Last Friday, we looked at the importance of taking time-outs during the action.

Today, we're going to look at the weight room. That place filled with clanging metal, loud supposedly-inspiring music, and sweating bodies. Where athletes grunt, groan, and strain to lift bars loaded with weights, and then do it again. And again.

Why would any sane person put themselves through such torture? To grow stronger. To build muscle. To run faster. To push harder. To face opposing linemen without flinching. To withstand injury.

How? Because repeatedly pushing against resistance builds strength. The athlete is then able to lift that same loaded bar with less effort than before. Or, they can increase the weight and take on a bigger challenge.

It's the same in life. Every time I successfully face resistance, I grow stronger in character. And faith. And patience. That increased strength comes in handy the next time I face opposition or trials.

Hmm. Rejoice in the weight room because it makes me stronger. That sounds familiar.

What resistance are you facing? Are you growing stronger from the opposition or letting it keep you out of the weight room of life?

Rejoice in Trials ... Because

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When your journey gets tough, is rejoicing the first thing you do?

Um, me neither. The only party I'm pitching is a pity-party.

However, consider these words:

"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 (NIV)

I'd like to have perseverance, character, and hope. I'd certainly like to be mature and complete, too. But, it appears those qualities come as a result of going through suffering and trials of many kinds. That maybe the rough patches in the journey are creating something good inside of me. That I am being transformed by the process (sense a theme here?).

Look again at those verses. The joy is not in honor of the suffering. The joy is because the pain has a purpose. And the end result is worth celebrating.