by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Went in search of the lovely, the whole, the meaningful ones.
Discovered the faded, the broken, the useless ones.
Returned with a grateful heart as the Creator
also discovers the faded, the broken, the useless ones—
making them whole,
calling them Beloved.
Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:15-17
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Beach time has many benefits—one being the beauty of the “Plan B”.
Plan A, i.e. sunny day: Awaken early, enjoy a cup of coffee, head to the beach.
Plan B, i.e. rainy day: Sleep in, enjoy two cups of coffee, read, write, or play games.
It’s all good.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
“I always do first drafts of my poems on yellow paper. Because yellow paper means it is just a draft, I am much braver and more wild than I would be on white paper. Those yellow-paper scribbles make me more free than I would be on the computer where everything looks like a final copy.” – Penelope Scambly Schott
Sage Cohen shares the above quote in her book The Productive Writer, in addition to these timely tips for creating first drafts:
Use a special font for first drafts that feels friendly and fun.
Choose a color paper that makes you feel courageous, whether you’re writing by hand or printing them from your computer.
Experiment with inputs and context such as location, music, lighting, time of day, writing medium (such as pen and paper vs. computer) to get yourself in the mood. (Sage shares that she often starts something in a cafe or in bed, two low-pressure environments where she feels relaxed and comfortable. Her serious work can be found at her desk.)
Simple yet effective tips—especially for those of us with an unrelenting and may I add—very annoying “inner editor”.
Thanks (again) Sage!
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Years ago, I omitted milk from my diet after a general surgeon told me God never intended adults to drink cow milk. I felt much better as a result—but I’ve missed my cereal.
This week, I found Flaxmilk “Original”, a non-dairy product that has literally opened new doors for me. Okay, so the doors are golden yellow, constructed from cardboard, and have little mini-wheats dancing on the front.
It’s creamy (reminds me of whole milk) and packed with Omega 3, flax, and other nutrients. It’s also very low in calories—which works to my advantage since I celebrated my newfound non-dairy freedom by eating two boxes of mini-wheats in 4 days.
Oh, the sweet taste of freedom Flaxmilk “Original”. Let’s just say the little mini wheats are not alone in their happy dance.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Yes, John Boy. (OK, so it’s been a slow week 🙂
In The Chicken Thief episode, Ben received a letter from Liberty magazine saying he’d won a poetry contest, but guilt plagued him as his poem on winter closely resembled that of his brother’s poem on spring.
Enter John-Boy, who quickly put Ben’s mind at ease by sharing that writers have been inspiring other writers for hundreds of years, adding their own voice, and thereby creating their own masterpiece. Ben had used John-Boy’s idea—but ended up writing a better poem.
It was the only part of the episode I caught, but I’m glad I did. In the past, I’ve actually avoided reading both poetry and prose in fear of unconsciously using a word, phrase, or idea another writer may have already used. My writer’s group, however, enlightened me to the fact there’s “nothing new under the sun” but there is much to learn from more experienced writers.
I can’t imagine my world without the writer’s group—or John-Boy, of course.
Poem – “A Winter Mountain” by Benjamin Walton –
Our mountain in winter is something to see
at times it is just like a person to me.
A giant in white all covered with snow
it changes each day as the heavy winds blow.
And when I'm alone and I go for a walk
it's almost as if that old mountain can talk.
It seems to say Welcome my Winter Friend
I was here at the beginning, I'll be here at the end.
And what would a post on the Walton’s be without Earl Hamner’s distinctive “voice” to close us out?
“Outside our mountain the world was in deep depression, but we were sheltered by a common bond. The accomplishment of one was the accomplishment of all. We shared our glories, our defeats, our hopes, our aspirations, but mostly our love”.
Went in search of the lovely, the whole, the meaningful ones.
