HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

(I wish I was tech savvy enough to program a really cool virtual glitter cannon to fire when arrive here, but since I’m not, how about we just pretend?)

*fires 18 glitter cannons*

Welcome to the new year!

You’ve been on my mind a lot over the past several months. For those that have known what’s been happening, thank you for your kind words. For those that haven’t, thank you for your patience.

One of the two men I love the most on this planet—my husband’s Grandpa Mac—became suddenly ill in October during our Write Habit Challenge and by November 27th, passed away.

I was blessed to write his obituary and give the eulogy at his funeral in December. Blessed because, just days before he died, he told me stories that most of the family had never heard. Stories of war, of love, of family, and of living life to his fullest.

“No regrets,” he said to me. “I’ve lived my life with no regrets.”

Death is many things to many people. For me it is a constant reminder to live as Grandpa Mac did in his 92 years… with no regrets.

As storytellers and artists of word and ink, it’s easy to get lost in this world where science and math and practical things are celebrated over almost any creative endeavor.

Mental gremlins—sometimes spoken through human tongues—often cause us to stumble, doubt our worth, and hang our heads as we whisper reasons why it should be okay for us to be writers.

(Sometimes I have felt I’m trying to convince myself more than anyone else.)

THE TRUTH? —> The gifts we have… the work we do… the stories we tell… they are important. Essential to a world trying to find harmony, balance, equality.

These stories living inside us… THEY ARE NEEDED.

They’ve been called for, created out of the souls of humanity mingling with the Universe—their collective dreams forming whispers that return to the Earth, searching for a Muse to tell this story.

And that story chose you.

For a reason.

It saw the shine of your soul illuminating the dark and said, “Yes! SHE is the one. The right one. The beautifully imperfect one who is called
to change the world.”

You paint with words and paper and pen. You create music for the eyes and tapestries for the mind. You speak to hearts and souls and change humanity with ink instead of swords.

You are powerful.

And you are worth choosing YOU. Your art. Your story. Your message.

You are worth being seen.

Worth being heard.

And it is time for the world to feel the power of your soul song.

So I say: Move over Dog… 2018 is the Year of the Writer!!!!

Not just to finish our novels and slay our word goals, but to stand BOLDLY in who we are without excuse or explanation.

WE ARE WRITERS.

YOU ARE A WRITER.

And that, in and of itself, is enough.

I look forward to walking this even bolder path with you in 2018, paved with courage and lined with Glitter Sisters who will help us keep going even with the sky looks dark.

Loves & hugs,

P.S. Want to help spread the word? Feel free to use the graphic below. Let’s support all our writer friends in making this THEIR year!!!!