On Writing

Sometimes I get the itch to write. The death of Madeleine L'Engle, one of my favorite authors, has made me want to read any of her books I never got to, and re-read old treasures. I am currently reading Certain Women. It makes me think of so many characters from my life that I would love to put on a page, to save my memories of them, saving a part of them forever. Even if nobody other than me ever reads it, it would be worth the effort.

So, who would I write about? My maternal grandmother and my mom, without a doubt. They were such rich, unique characters, I could fill volumes about them. Does anybody remember Thyra Fere Bjorn's books? She wrote Papa's Wife, Papa's Daughter, and others in that vein. I'm not sure I'd write exactly that way, but sort of.

There are others who should get at least a chapter of their own...people who have had tremendous influence in my life, who have been there for me in a crisis, at a crossroads, without whom I may have made disastrous choices. (Dr. Z is at the top of that list!) Others, were just really good friends in times of awful pain. Some have been good friends who've made me laugh, who've made me see my life more clearly because of the pain in their own lives, who've made me feel more valuable, because they needed me, and who have shared different facets of my life, those little areas of my life that make me "me."

And it wouldn't be all women. Some men would be there, and some children, as well. I definitely would not have survived some of the most awful things in my life, if my children were not there for me to hold it together for, and to give me perspective when I needed it most. Some of the choicest bits of wisdom has come to me "from the mouths of babes."

At the very least, I should start writing this...jot down notes, outlines, lists, about specific people and what they have meant to me. At this stage of my life, it might take me a very long time to even finish one chapter, but I think just the writing of it will do me a world of good. Remembering one's blessings is a wonderful thing.