Treasure Hunting In Minefields
Today I am grateful for time with friends yesterday and for laughter amidst life's messiness. I am also grateful that I am a writer.
Here are some more words from Glennon Doyle Melton, late in her book Carry On, Warrior:
"So that's why I write--to find the treasures in the suffering. And as I write, my memories change ever so slightly. Reality and writing work together to create my memories, and the final result is that I remember events more beautifully than they actually happened. Or maybe in writing them down, I'm able to see for the first time how beautiful they really were."
"I do not know Zen. I just know gratitude. I am grateful for the beauty in the midst of suffering. I am grateful for the treasure hunt through the minefield of life. Dangerous or not, I don't want out of the minefield. Because truth and beauty, and God are there." (These are both from p. 228)
I find these words very meaningful as I reflect on my own writing. I don't know if my memories change as I write about them, but I know my memories are captured by writing them down. If I didn't do some official recording of my life's experiences, some would be lost forever in the depths of my less-than-efficient memory. Actually, I tend to lean toward the second option that Melton mentions above-writing allows me to process events in a way that brings out the deeper meaning, the underlying beauty. Indeed, some of the best treasures were amidst or following some of the worst suffering.
And the second paragraph quoted above? What a wonderful way of talking about gratitude. Treasure hunting through the minefield of life. Gratitude can be found in every day, even the tough days, if we are paying attention. And in my case, if I take time to process what has been happening by writing about it I tend to find the gratitude more readily. Minefields are dangerous. Life can be dangerous if we make ourselves vulnerable by unarming, but that is also the only way the truth, beauty, and God get through.
I believe it is worth the risk. I have been shown that time and time again. I will keep treasure hunting.I hope you do too.
I will be taking a blog break tomorrow. Have a nice weekend!
Here are some more words from Glennon Doyle Melton, late in her book Carry On, Warrior:
"So that's why I write--to find the treasures in the suffering. And as I write, my memories change ever so slightly. Reality and writing work together to create my memories, and the final result is that I remember events more beautifully than they actually happened. Or maybe in writing them down, I'm able to see for the first time how beautiful they really were."
"I do not know Zen. I just know gratitude. I am grateful for the beauty in the midst of suffering. I am grateful for the treasure hunt through the minefield of life. Dangerous or not, I don't want out of the minefield. Because truth and beauty, and God are there." (These are both from p. 228)
I find these words very meaningful as I reflect on my own writing. I don't know if my memories change as I write about them, but I know my memories are captured by writing them down. If I didn't do some official recording of my life's experiences, some would be lost forever in the depths of my less-than-efficient memory. Actually, I tend to lean toward the second option that Melton mentions above-writing allows me to process events in a way that brings out the deeper meaning, the underlying beauty. Indeed, some of the best treasures were amidst or following some of the worst suffering.
And the second paragraph quoted above? What a wonderful way of talking about gratitude. Treasure hunting through the minefield of life. Gratitude can be found in every day, even the tough days, if we are paying attention. And in my case, if I take time to process what has been happening by writing about it I tend to find the gratitude more readily. Minefields are dangerous. Life can be dangerous if we make ourselves vulnerable by unarming, but that is also the only way the truth, beauty, and God get through.
I believe it is worth the risk. I have been shown that time and time again. I will keep treasure hunting.I hope you do too.
I will be taking a blog break tomorrow. Have a nice weekend!
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