Writing Your Own Story

This old bed has seen a lot. It has been cried on, prayed on, fought on and loved on. It has felt little baby wiggles and salty tears. It has heard Bible studies and countless nights of me trying to make sense of them. But it's just a bed....

My life hasn't always been so "simple". If you would have asked me 15 years ago if I wanted a quilted bedspread with chickens on it, I probably would have laughed. Quilted, yes.....chickens, no. I was a little more modern and life looked a lot different than it does now. 

My husband has often told me, "write a book". And my response has always been, "about what?" His answer is simple, and it used to be too simple for me, because I love writing. I love the thrill of reading and the various worlds books can take you to. But I also love history and the richness of a good autobiographical novel. Which is exactly what he responds with -- write a story about your life.

Writing your own story isn't always as easy as you think it should be. There are real people with real feelings involved. And while you may be ready to tell your story, they might not be ready to tell theirs. So you walk on egg shells as your pencil dances across the pages. You write and erase, write and erase again. How do you share a story that someone might not be able to share yet?

I would like to think over the past 8 months I've begun to master it, but I've read and re-read the first 10 chapters at least 6 times and yet I continue to write and re-write. I have, however, learned how to use a thesaurus like a boss. Of that, I am extremely appreciative.

The other side to writing your own story is that, well, it's your own. There are things you reminisce in and things that you would prefer to forget. But I've realized something about myself -- when you've forgiven people from your past -- most importantly, yourself -- it makes writing about it a whole lot easier.

So what is this book about? You may ask.

It's a story. It's a story of a girl who had a mom, a dad and a sister. It's a story of a girl who was always "good" and trusting and lovely. You could say she was just one of those Jesus freaks. It's the story of a girl who was good for far too long and decided to rebel. It's the story of a girl who very quietly got into bad situations in high school, even worse situations after high school, and who jumped feet first into being a wife at the age of 18. It's about a girl who just wanted to love and be loved -- a girl who just wanted to feel something. 

It's about love, friendship, heartache, mistakes and losing yourself in the process. It's a story about having to walk alone, because my season of life looked so different than all of my friends lives at that time. But most of all, it's a story of redemption. It's a story of Christ's love. It's a story of hope and forgiveness. It's a story that most people are afraid to hear, because it forces them to realize that with a little elbow grease and a lot of God -- life can be mended, broken marriages can be made new, and that Gods ways truly are different from ours, if we only sit back and pay attention.

I'm hoping to finish it by the end of the year and then start pitching it to publishing companies. I don't have a title, I don't know if it will be under my name or a pen name. I don't know how long it will be or if I'll ever stop writing it. But if nothing else, it's there to share with others....

...because this story isn't just a story -- it's a testimony.