Tardiness is not a virtue. . .

Hello, dear friends.  Actually, I have not exactly been tardy but I have been away from the blog and for that I owe you an explanation.  Some of you have counted on me writing every 3 or 4 days and that’s been my intent too.  But I have been working very hard, for months, to finish my memoir and have let this part of my work life go unattended to.  I emailed the book yesterday so now I will catch up here.

I love writing this blog so I have really missed it.  Opening up the page today and seeing that I have 1,545 comments is rather daunting but I’m committed to reading them all and responding to as many as I can. It’s the right thing to do, after all.  If you “show up,” I need to acknowledge it.

People keep asking me what it is about the blog that I like so much and I think it’s because of the instant communication between you and me that occurs.  I love, and will always love writing books and I’m sure I have a few more “in me,” but I don’t get an immediate response from a reader for a book.  I do get a lot of emails and dozens of letters, but they often come weeks, months or some times even years later.  The blog seems to get people’s attention right away.

What I have been thinking a lot about lately is the journey we all are making. That’s no doubt because of the months of work I’ve been doing on the memoir. Tracing one’s journey is a rich experience.  It can also be humbling and on occasion, embarrassing.  I certainly had many situations that were tarnished.  I would not have wanted my parents watching over my shoulder much of the time.  But I will say that every one of those ugly experiences fit quite comfortably into the bigger picture that has become my life.  And it’s that picture that I know God wants me to focus on.  It’s that picture that God was preparing me for all along.

Laying it all out there for the reader who will eventually download the book when Hazelden has it ready means that my life will be the proverbial open book.  Many friends have asked me if I am really comfortable letting all of you into my life so completely.  Therefore, I’ve thought about this a lot.  And I’m happy to say I am comfortable.  Secrets keep us stuck and at my age, I want to skate.  I want to move forward.  I want to see what’s around the corner rather than fretting over what was.

I hope you look at your life in the same way.  Let me close by saying how very glad I am that you have been drawn to this blog.  I feel “well-used” by the God of my understanding.