Who Knew?

I never fancied myself a writer. In fact it was one of the exercises I dreaded most in school. I always felt like I didn't have anything good to say, and even if I did, it often came out a jumbled mess when I tried to put in down on paper. For me, reading my own writing was like listening to someone talk with food in their mouth, just plain gross. Several weeks back I followed a link to a high school classmate's blog. As I sat and read her entries I was overcome with great emotion. I was amazed by her abilities to articulate what could have been pages out of my own life story. Not only was I moved by the similarities of our experiences in life, but by the way she was able to take hard raw emotions and freely express them through her writing. I decided to step way out of my comfort zone and leave a comment on an entry that I found to be particularly moving and quite profound. Having not had any contact with her, other than a friend request on facebook, in over 15 years, I was a little bit nervous. I never imagined that what would result would be an extraordinary gift.
After Glennon read my comment she took time to contact me. She sent me a message on facebook. I suspect when she went to my profile she read in the box below my picture a little tribute to my stepdaughter Shayla. She asked me if I would be willing to tell her about Shayla. I sat in front of my computer thinking to myself ok, how in the world am I going to be able to "sum up" my story about Shayla in a facebook message. I asked myself, do I really want to even attempt this considering how talented a writer Glennon is. I definately did not want to even try, but I did it anyway. I bowed my head, closed my eyes and asked God what it was He wanted me to say and then I started typing. I was completely shocked by what I had written. With a tear streaked face and trembling hands, I hit the reply button.
Over a period of a few weeks and several facebook messages, Glennon has encouraged me to continue on with my writing. She has incorporated a "me too" section of her blog where her readers share their stories. She has honored me and Shayla by posting my story about her. What Glennon doesn't know is that my experiencing the death of my stepdaughter is just one of the stories of my life that I could share in a "me too" column. I have also lived through drug and alcohol abuse, an eating disorder, co-dependence, a physically abusive relationship, the infidelity of a spouse, a failed marriage, and to end on a more light hearted note, a rat infested house/neighborhood.
If any of you who read this believe you are in a hopeless situation, I am here to tell there is hope. I have had more than a few failures and disappointments along the way, but today I live a life filled with joy and peace. I am looking forward to the days to come as I am able to share with you the details of my experiences and how I have been able to LIVE through the struggles.
I have found that writing is one of the greatest outlets a person can have. It is something I am beginning to love and I even like some of what I read, sometimes...I strive for progress not perfection. Who knew I would one day fancy myself a writer?