When I was growing up, I could be assured of two things when school started. One, I would be wearing hand me down clothes since I was the youngest of four in a poor family. Two, I wouldn't actually GET to start school on time because there was always a hurricane nearby which prevented the school from actually beginning until days after the official start date. I always wondered why they simply didn't start later in the fall, but who was I to question the wisdom of my elders?
I did, however, get used to dealing with the upheaval Mother Nature liked to throw at me and I'm sure it helped me to deal with life's storms as I got older. Now I embrace those storms as they come along and know I will always come out on the other side a little bit stronger.
I have discovered my writing journey to sometimes be like an incoming storm. My worlds collide and my characters rage at the injustice of their storybook lives. Storms are brewing and some of my darlings may survive while others become casualties during violent revisions.
But what better way to see what I am made of than to be tested by the winds and rains of this life that I have chosen? The sting of rejection letters will not keep me from my goal of becoming a published author. The turbulent stresses of my day can not prevent me from my appointed writing time. How I deal with those incoming storms speaks volumes of my character and the heart of the writer within me.
And when life's storms have come and gone, I can breathe a sigh of relief. I am still standing...a little weather beaten perhaps, but still kicking and ready to embrace the beauty left behind...
