What One Person Can Do

I grew up in a family of storytellers. My mother, who has a knack for making friends with just about everyone she meets, and my father, who spent 25 years in the Navy, provided plenty of material. Ideas, characters, and plots rattled around in my head.

I enjoyed English classes, and I wrote short stories. Then I graduated and stopped writing for the sheer enjoyment of it. Over my adult career my writing consisted of news items, press releases, some magazine articles, and more marketing collateral than I ever thought possible.

Sometimes I would start a story but it they were horrible, and I gave up. By that point I didn’t know how to write creatively anymore. It was a part of me that had grown rusty from disuse.

Then, in 2004, my brother moved in with me.

He thought it was ridiculous that I wasn’t writing. Of course I should be writing, and I should be writing what I wanted to write. He encouraged me to do NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month. He gave me Stephen King’s On Writing. If someone called me while I was writing he told him or her I wasn’t available to talk. He honored the space I had to carve out of life to write. He never, not once, made me feel that the time I devoted to writing was wasted. He always encouraged. He still does.

I’m on my third manuscript now. The first two were cruddy, but that’s okay. It took me a while to figure out what I was doing and what I wanted to write. This one, though, might have a chance of seeing the light of day. But I wouldn’t have thought it was possible if it weren’t for him.

So today, on his birthday, I just want to say thanks for believing. It’s made a huge difference in my life.

Favorite Finds of 2009

In homage to every other list on the Web that presents the best of the year or decade, I offer my own favorites of 2009. There is no particular order of importance; it's just a melting pot of things I liked.

1. Dr. Who

Hats off to David Tennant, who got me through an awful case of H1N1. A special shout out to Netflix for bringing this great series into my home.

2. 500 Days of Summer

I didn't know what to expect when I walked into the theater. I laughed, I related, and I still remember it. The characters were spot on, and any film that manages to get The Smiths, The Pixies, and Hall and Oates in it is worth a look.

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
I'll make a confession. I do not like a lot of "Women's Fiction" books. My tastes run towards mysteries. But this well-crafted book spotlights intriguing characters on the island of Guernsey in the Channel during German occupation. I stayed up late to finish it.

4. Beth Moore's Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman
Our ladies class completed this study about the book of Esther this winter, and I cannot recommend it enough. It's deep, sound, intriguing, and soul-searching. The videos are great, and it was such a revelation to walk away and realize that my struggles as a woman are not mine alone. I loved getting so deep into a book of the Bible where God "is not in it, but He's all over it."

5. As Time Goes By

Another Netflix find. I kept coming back to this gentle British comedy when I needed to blow off steam and completely de-stress. Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer used to be in love before he was sent off to war and, through a letter gone awry, lost touch. They meet again 38 years later. It's witty and well-written with great performances. I recommend with a hot cup of tea.

6. CakeWrecks
If you want a laugh, go here. This blog of professional cakes that go horribly, hilariously wrong was one of my favorite Web finds this year. Personal favorites include the UK Wildcats logo mishap and wedding cakes gone wrong.

7. Charles Finch, author
In particular, I have enjoyed A Beautiful Blue Death and The September Society. Classic British* mysteries with plots I could not puzzle out. Kept me guessing until the end.

8. Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elise Resch
Weight Watchers, Weigh Down, South Beach, Spark Diets, SlimFast, eDiets, Thin Within ... this list could go on for a while. I've done the diet treadmill over and over. For my birthday this year I resolved to get healthier. I used the money I was about to throw towards Jenny Craig and signed up for sessions with a nutritional counselor. This is the book we've been working through. If you are miserably contemplating yet another diet scheme, get this book and read it first.

9. Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Conference talk
Are you a creative? Writer. Artist. Designer. Musician. Doesn't matter. Elizabeth presents a different way to look at creative genius and this inspiring talk will give you hope and encouragement about your talent.

10. Women of Hope Conference
This conference, put on by Healing Hands International, gave me a huge helping of good spiritual food. Held in Nashville, I attended the first one they had last year and came away so uplifted. The next one is January 23, is only $30 if you register before December 31, and honors a woman my church has helped in missions for many years. I'm so privileged to have access to events like this. If you are in town, go. You won't regret it.



*Suddenly occurred to me that quite a few things on this list are British. I make no apologies. :)