Write Right Now

On Tuesday my friend Nancy Hatch, who writes "Spirit Lights the Way" (nrhatch.wordpress.com), asked the question “Why do you write?” Lately Nancy and I seem to be, if not on the same plane, at least in the same airport. I thought about the question. My answer is- to share my creative gift of words in the hopes of inspiring others to be the best that they can be.

I have always given things away that I have created. When my daughter Christina, who will turn 31 next month, was little I did a lot of sewing and crocheting, participating in local craft shows. It was nice to sell my creations, but it made me happier to give them away. Some of my daughter’s former teachers still thank me for things I gave them way back when.

Christina is actually the reason I began writing. One day she commented, “I don’t know anything about you.” What she really meant was, compared to her father and his large menagerie of cousins etc. I have one brother and a nephew. I started writing and haven’t ever stopped. I’m sure there have been times when she has wished that I would have. Sort of like Joan Rivers, nothing and no one is off limits for me to write about.

Today I thought it would be fun to share my very first column submission for “Another Angle", published in the Cibola County Beacon on 9/11/02. This column was short lived, but it was a stepping stone to another column, “Who We Are”, two published books and this blog. For some time I have wished to be a motivational speaker and now I am. I just didn’t use wood for a stage!

In our little town of Grants it is not unusual for things to disappear and appear overnight. Remember your reaction the first time you drove by first and Santa Fe and the Gunderson Furniture store was gone? This column is a little like that in reverse. One day it wasn’t and now it is thanks to the vision offered by the Cibola County Beacon.

I have accepted a unique gift of sight which allows me to see things other people see from a slightly different angle. This column focuses on positive people, doing their best to live their lives, no matter what happens to them. Before you ask, no I do not have a degree in journalism. I have a degree in life and love writing. Recessed genes, perhaps! A sense of humor has always worked when all else fails.

Many people have left their mark on my life. President John F. Kennedy made a lasting impression on me for his creative use of words. “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”, still rings in my ear as clearly as if just spoken. It is as appropriate today as it was more than forty years ago. Substituting family or town for the word country makes it more personal.

Some people have taught me by example what not to do. My deceased mother had some wonderful sayings that I have outgrown. Her, “Never put anything in writing”, makes this column all the more fun to write. I have some sayings of my own. One of my favorites is, “Believe and it will be.”

I like to write about people who, when told they can’t, do it anyway; people who listen with their heart and judge for themselves, no matter what others say. If this column is for you, welcome to the family!