Thanksgiving

As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, we give thanks for all that has been given to us, for the opportunities we have and for the freedom we enjoy.  

We recognize that from the bounty we have been given, we are required to share in order to make the lives of others better.  We observe that by focusing our lives outward, we are also blessed tremendously by having less time to focus on our own problems.  By focusing less on ourselves and by spending our energy to give to others, we trigger the "optimism" switch in our brains and take steps to actively see the world as a better place.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was a strong believer in active, working faith.  My favorite quote of of all time is his:

“Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.”

Time to Step Up

Our local food banks are suffering under these stressful economic times!  I've included a couple of news links to some of the areas local to us - the oldest link is the Wicked Local from Brookline - which was written a year ago.  Everything else has been written within the last six months.

 

Food banks need our help!  Without our help, they will run dry and be unable to feed the needy.  Please - the next time you go to the store - buy a few things from the list below!  Find a church that accepts your donations or find your local food bank!

 

Items most helpful

peanut butter

canned beans

canned fruit

canned meat (ie, tuna, etc)

canned vegetables

canned milk

 

Think protein, vegetables, fruits, grains....

Dreams and Callings

As I lie in bed struggling with my priorities (as established in my previous post), I still feel pulled to write. I am starting to believe that organizing words is becoming a part of who I am.

I have always believed that we all have callings. But what is a calling? A calling is the unique junction where you most need to be and where the world most needs you. Find that spot, and you know you have been called.

I have been called to care for others, to love others, to help others, to inspire others. I have been given the gift of multiple sclerosis - by chance, I'm sure, but it has come with many blessings. One of the key blessings is that I've learned to encourage others more and worry about myself less. As I step back a bit, my family and friends have stepped up and they are amazing.

I believe that my writing is becoming a point of inspiration for my family and friends to read and to walk away encouraged that they, too, can hang in there - not give up - and work to make the world a better place.

Malcom Gladwell (of the The Tipping Point) has just written the Outliers: Why Some People Succeed and Some Don't. I watched an interview with him as he explained that success at a task or skill can take 10,000 hours to perfect. Some people don't succeed because they give up before they have perfected the skill they were aiming for.

10,000 hours is a whole lot of hours. However, I am starting to honestly feel as if I am supposed to use my gift of writing to help with my calling. 10,000 hours means that I don't have to (and absolutely can't) "have it all" quickly.

I don't have to do it all at once. My blogs are a good beginning. I must clearly state that I am not trying to make money with my blogs. I am trying to get my hours in, to practice, to learn, and to explore this tool to use with my calling. As I begin to think like a writer, I lie awake at night writing in my head.

With my writing, I will make a difference. I will inspire and encourage. And I will not give up too soon.

It's a Journey

My life moves at a slow pace.  Well, the daily part of my life can sometimes move a bit too quickly, but the journey of my life simply moves along at a regular pace.  

When I got married at barely nineteen, an (older and experienced) friend told me that I would not be able to "have it all".  I wouldn't be able to pursue my dreams while having a family.  Did I believe her?  Of course not!  I was very young and very naive.  But, having a family was a dream too - so to me, I was making perfect sense.

As both babies came along, as so did the bills, time ran short and college fell by the wayside.  Dreams?  What dreams?  I had beautiful babies and a good husband and warm home.  The dreams would have to wait.  

I started planning for the next phase of my life, when the kids were old enough for me to go back to school and launch a career.  Halfway there, the multiple sclerosis kicked in.  I had to quit my day job because of fatigue.  I started teleworking at a new job, learned new skills, met new people, all the while still considering it just a job.

I tried to go to school online.  The multiple sclerosis got in the way.  I had to quit.  A year later I started my blogs and declared that I was on my way to becoming a writer - my dream.  My first dream, though - from way back 20 years ago - was to become a pastor.  The writing was a by product of not being able to physically become a pastor. 

What is the result of all of this delay and plodding along in my life?  Well, I have decided to organize my dreams and figure out what my journey really is.

1.  My family - not only a dream but also my first responsibility.  All else falls by the wayside as needed until my kids are launched.  After that, my husband will always take priority over everything else.

2.  My caregiving activities - No, I'll never be a pastor.  But I can still crochet, I can still write notes, and I can still bake cookies and meals.  The bonus is that I'll always be able to pray - even if the rest of my body fails!  At some point, I can start writing about caregiving in this mess of a world.

3.  My writing - I see this more as a journey than a destination.  I do not see myself putting words on paper (or screen) just because words exist.  My dream isn't becoming a writer - really (a new realization!).  My goal and responsibility in life is to believe in God and to be God's Hands.  My first two dreams are my real dreams.  My writing is a tool to share my experiences with others and to inspire them to be God's Hands.

I have hammered (yes, hammered!) into my kids' heads - and my husband's too - that we all have a responsibility to make the world a better place.  Just because I love to crochet, I love to bake, and I love to write - doesn't make any of them the end goal.

Crocheting, baking and writing are tools to help me to make the world a better place and to share God's love.

Step by Step

I am starting to understand that the first necessary step in building a life is to get organized.

I unsuccessfully looked for my son's transcript yesterday so that he could submit his application for National Honor Society.

I had to pull together all my notices that had come in from Alexis, my financial advisor, to prepare for a meeting this morning. I ran late for the meeting because I had to figure out where I put everything!

I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to write in my new career as an author. I am somewhat frozen by inaction as I struggle to understand where to start.

As I look around at my office - I'm thinking that the first step is to find a place to put everything (ie, all my Edward Jones paperwork in one file folder.....).

I have taken the first writing step by creating a network of blogs in which to study my muse.

Eventually, I'll have a clue as to where I'm going and how I'm going to get there!

As Yogi Berra once said: "If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else."

Join me!

Join me on a journey, an adventure, the pursuit of a dream! I will turn 40 in 4 short days, and I am now pursuing my dreams of being an author. What shall I write? How shall I write? Will I give in to commercial writing to help pay the bills?

How will having a moderate form of multiple sclerosis affect my ability to get out and meet people, to have new experiences to write about? Will I have to write from my memory of past experiences, or shall I use my imagination? Perhaps, I will attempt to mentally overcome the MS and not let it stop me. I may not be able to drive, but hey - that's what families are for! I'll be the chauffered queen of my nest!

New Author

This blog will follow Adrienne Devlin on the path towards becoming a published author. She has 20 years of business experience in data analysis, web development and proprietary content written for the banking industry and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Adrienne is branching out into becoming a freelance author. This blog will follow her on her journey to following her dreams and never giving up.