Matthew 6:19
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth?
Several years ago I bought my husband Jerry a gun safe for Christmas. Inside you?ll find odds and ends but not many things of actual value. Sure there is a shotgun or two, and the 410 my daddy gave me when I was a little girl. I can also find a few other trinkets he gave me. A ring, a 1959 (the year I was born) mint set of coins, a couple of old knives he collected, and a penny he had in his pocket the morning he died.
Then there are other things. Important papers such as birth certificates, pass ports, wedding certificate, and diplomas. On the bottom shelf you?ll find a couple of photo albums with pictures of my daughter Wendy when she was a baby. Another shelf has a stack of paper on it; the final proofs of my three novels. There?s also a burned CD of each.
Last year about this time I added that third one, ?Guardian Spirit? unknowing that it would be published this past year. That it would not just lay on a shelf for years gathering dust and mold. That it would actually become something other than food for moths. ?Guardian Spirit? was created and birthed into the world, a raw naked babe. A combination of lives present and past, a creature of hope for all who may have been, or are struggling with hurt in their lives. It was created to be read, not gather dust!
As the New Year clicks into being I long to release my other two novels into the world. To free them from the confines of those four steel walls, to breathe the breath of life into them. To sculpt, re-mold and weave myself through the pages. To take my pencil and create the magic and mystery only words can, as they transform from thought to paper.
As much as I?d like to continue my new novel, ?The River Keeper? the others are calling much louder. ?In the Coal Mine Shadows? is saying. ?Hey what about me, don?t I count for anything, I?ve been lying on this shelf for over six years. When are you going to re-write those parts of me that are holding you back? When do I get a chance to strut my stuff in front of the world??
Then there?s ?The Color of my Heart.? By the time I get the re-write finished on ? In the Coal Mine Shadows? my editor should be finished with the first edit of ?Color?. Then the real work begins as I key in copy changes, additions and deletions! Yes, I believe this year will be a very busy one indeed.
As I reflect back on those treasured words I?ve been storing up on a shelf, I hope I have created something of value for the world to read. I want to use instead of store up, not only my words but also other things in life, like the good china? if I had any. Or maybe celebrate for no other reason than to be alive and healthy. Fear of the unknown holds us back so many times. Will I have enough money to pay a bill if I splurge on a new outfit? Will the world like my writing? If I don?t take the risk and let you, how will I know?
Treasures come in all shapes and sizes, but what good are they if we toss them upon a shelf and only stare at them? If year after year we say, ?I?m going to get that treasure down and use it,? then we never do. Your treasure may be of worldly value or it may be something you?ve created, a song, poem or novel. This year I plan to dust off the fear of the unknown and release more of myself into the wild. A true treasure is only of value if used and enjoyed!
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Sarah, what a wonderful post! I can completely relate. All of my stories are treasures to me and I try to give them all equal attention, although there are ones that are strictly just for me. Those are the funnest, because I can play and do whatever I want without anyone ever knowing. :) I am so grateful to have been given the gift of writing and look forward to sharing my first published novel with the world this year!