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Monday, June 11, 2007

The Never-Ending Story - from the mind of a 7 year old...

The weather was so nice this afternoon, I HAD to move my computer outside onto our deck. The shade from the oak trees and the light breeze felt great. Actually, I hoped it would help me break through some writer's block I had been experiencing.

Lately I sit at the computer and want to write, but my mind feels like a fuzzy blur due to some stressful situations and decisions that must be made. But as I sat out here, enjoying the day, I put on some wonderful prayer and praise music from Soaking.net. It has rested me from the inside out.

As I began a story for Chicken Soup for the Do-It-Yourselfer's Soul, my 7 year old granddaughter came out onto the deck and said, Grammy, can I write a story with you.?"

How could I resist such a plea? So she began her "Once Upon A Time" fairytale as I typed away trying to keep up with the "and then's" and dark, dark, dark clouds, bright lights, fairies and even crocodiles.

At one point I had to interrupt her to explain that with a story, things had to get worse before they could get better, so every few paragraphs, she stopped me to ask, "How can we make this scarier, Grammy?"

So the never ending tale continued for an hour, as she dictated one scary event after another for her three princesses and princes who play together. One recurring theme I noticed is the longing of all her characters to make new friends.

They say an author's first "novel" is a baring of the author's heart. Perhaps my little granddaughter is really unveiling her own loneliness since they moved away from their home to come here for a time. So as I write with her, I pray a little of her loneliness will ease and that God will provide them a wonderful new home and place of ministry (her parents are ministers) so she can make lots of new friends.

I do know one thing: her eagerness to share the writing that I love has blessed me today and I am thankful for God's sweet gifts to us through others. Good things do come in seven-year-old packages!

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