This is not a writing blog, but every once in a while, I come across a book about the subject that meets me right where I am. Which means, of course, that I have to share bits and pieces of it with you.
This time, it’s a book called Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction—Stories and Advice from a Lifetime of Writing and Editing. It was cowritten by Tracy Kidder, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982 for The Soul of a New Machine, and Richard Todd, his long-time editor.
Happy Summer! The days are officially getting shorter now, but there’s still plenty of sunshine to be enjoyed in the coming months. (Along with fireflies at dusk, the sight of which brings me all sorts of joy.)
I say this every month, at least to myself, but I can’t believe it’s already time to link up with Heather Gerwing for another Share Four Somethings. Starting with …
I was doing some blog maintenance last week when I made a fun discovery: The next time I hit “publish” (today, in other words), I would be sending my 400th post out into the world.
When I started blogging in September 2014, I had no plans to keep going until I hit 400. I had no plans at all, really, other than to post something every Tuesday and hope somebody besides my mom would read it.
One post led to another, though, and here we are—on the brink of a new century, at least when it comes to blog-post quantities.
Much has changed—in the world and in my life—since I started blogging.
You live in the world same as me, so we don’t have to rehash all that. On a personal level, though, my girls were in fourth and seventh grades when I started. Now, one is a high-school senior and the other, a college junior.
I had bangs back then; now I don’t (although I seriously reconsider this look every time I visit the hair shop).
I’m physically stronger, and also visibly older.
Perhaps most significant, at least as far as my writing goes, is that my parents were alive and well when I ventured out into the blogosphere, and now they are not. I don’t know how many blog posts I’ve devoted to various aspects of their long (and sometimes heartbreaking) journeys to heaven, but it’s been a lot.
Three years after my parents died, I still write about them, but it feels different. It’s less therapeutic and more hopeful, less for me and more for others. That might change tomorrow, but for today, it seems good and right.
• • •
After all that life, growth and decline (not to mention those 400 blog posts), I find myself wondering what comes next. And I can’t help thinking about my word for 2022—dawn.
When we went to Idaho a few weeks ago, I expected we’d see some glorious sunrises. How could we not, given the huge sky and regal mountain backdrop? But the two times I woke up early enough (by 5:45 a.m., to be exact) to see the dawn, it was sort of unremarkable.
With so much beauty and majesty in the landscape, I’m guessing that there are days when the sunrises near Kilgore, Idaho, are absolutely gorgeous. That’s not what I experienced while we were there, though.
And yet, here in plain old boring Kansas, with nary a mountain in sight, I have seen sunrises that literally took my breath away. I’ve witnessed dawns splashed across the early morning sky in such vivid color I had to stop running on the trail and take a photo.
So what does this have to do with me and my blog, moving forward, and maybe with you too?
Perhaps just this: That beauty can be found when and where we’re not expecting it. That, upon closer examination, plain isn’t always plain. That we all have gifts and talents—some more obvious than others, but each one good and God-given and meant to be used for His glory.
As I think about my first 400 posts, I don’t have an impressive blog growth story to share with you. Part of me wishes I did, but a larger part is comfortable with the reality that smaller is often better, for a variety of reasons. (That said, new readers are always welcome and appreciated, so if you know of people who might enjoy this blog, please share it with them.)
It’s hard to know, this side of heaven, the true value of what we do, day in and day out. It may not seem all that important or consequential, especially when compared to what others may be doing.
In the end, though, our job is not to keep up with anyone else; it’s simply to do what God has called us to do today, with as much grace and love as possible. Here, that means telling stories that offer what I think we’re all seeking these days—”Strength for today and hope for tomorrow.”
• • •
While I don’t pay much attention to blog stats, I was curious to see which topics have resonated the most with readers over the years. In ascending order, here are the three posts (out of 400) that have garnered the most views since 2014.
No. 3: The Writing Feedback that Changed My Life
No. 2: Do You Feel Like the Wrong Person for the Job?
No. 1: Why Faith is not the Opposite of Fear
If you have a few spare moments, I’d love for you to check out these posts and let me know what you think. While you’re at it, feel free to suggest a topic or two you’d like to see covered here (or covered more often). I have a few plans for the immediate future, but I’ve also learned that sometimes, the words that flow from the day-to-day sharing of lives and hearts are the ones that have the most impact.
Finally, I want to say thank you. If you’ve recently joined us, I’m so glad you’re here. Given all the other reading, listening and viewing options out there, I appreciate your presence very much.
If you’ve been here for the long haul, you’ve walked with me through some deep valleys. Your encouragement has helped me keep writing, and I could not be more grateful.
Onward and upward!
♥ Lois
Beauty can be found when and where we’re not expecting it. Upon closer examination, plain isn’t always plain. Share on X It's hard to know the true value of what we do, day in and day out. In the end, though, our job is not to keep up with anyone else. It's simply to do what God has called us to do today, with as much grace and love as possible. Share on XP.S. I’m linking up this week with OneWord2022, #tellhisstory, InstaEncouragements, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.
Last year, we put our American flag out for Memorial Day.
The holiday came and went, and the flag stayed up. It looked nice there on our porch, next to the front door and the strawberry planter filled with impatiens.
Plus, with everything going on in the country and world, it just felt right to let it fly.
I’m writing this on Tuesday morning, the day I usually publish a blog post each week. I’ve gone back and forth about posting something this week. It’s the time of month when I usually share my Four Somethings, but over the last several days, more pressing matters kept taking precedence (as they often do) over writing.
Gardening. Spending time with my daughter as she recovered from getting her wisdom teeth removed. More gardening. Holiday weekend stuff. Thinking about what’s going on in the world and in my family’s recent history. Even more gardening.
I eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch almost every day. I like what I like, what can I say?
I’ve learned to be flexible over the years, to drop my regularly scheduled activities when something urgent comes up. For the most part, though, I do the same household chores and activities on the same days, week in and week out.