Tag: be thankful

Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Live in The Moment

Recently, I spent time talking with a neighbor whom I got to know during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. We spent many days in her living room talking about life and connecting. I never knew she was originally from North Georgia where my mentor lives.

I stopped in to check in on my neighbor because I knew she had been having health issues and wasn’t home for a month. What started as sepsis ended up revealing she had stage IV colon cancer. Needless to say, everyone was shocked and saddened by her diagnosis.

We were all relieved to finally have her back home after 30 days bouncing between hospitals and rehabilitation centers and now she begins her chemotherapy for her second battle with cancer. During those days we spent talking at her home after the storm, we never imagined she would soon face a personal storm that few could understand.

It reminded me how we get too focused on the future or what we want instead of living one day at a time. We avoid the present out of our ignorance of the future for various reasons.

Hopeful
Stressed
Inpatient

After my accident, I was headstrong about speeding through my recovery so I could get back to my normal life and finish school. I was so laser-focused on my goals and my hopes that I was out of touch with reality.

Even with the doctor’s warnings, I foolishly tried my best to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. I didn’t know at the time how my brain injury had changed me forever. I didn’t understand that my TBI caused me to be impatient, made it harder for me to process information, and caused me to struggle to focus. My T. B. I. taught me to live in the moment, instead of being fixated on the future or the past.

Live in the Moment

It’s been a hard year for a lot of people, especially for those of us living in the southeast. People have lost their lives and loved ones. Others have lost their livelihood and many more have lost their homes.

Perhaps that’s why many of us all looking forward to the holidays and the new year. We want to get lost in the hustle of the holidays and forget the hardships of 2024. Hopefully, the holidays will distract us from the hardships of the year.

We want to spend time with our friends and loved ones whom we don’t get to enjoy quite enough throughout the year. However, the holidays seem to speed by themselves.

Instead of trying to rush through life, we need to slow down appreciate what we have, and live in the moment. If anything, 2024 should have taught all of us that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed and no one knows what the future holds.

Many people didn’t live to see the holidays and many who did have no homes to celebrate with their loved ones. It shouldn’t take the holidays to help us make memories and appreciate the time together. Daily living in the moment helps us enjoy the journey, instead of dreading it.

The Writing Journey

As writers, we have goals and dreams that each of us is working towards. Sometimes we are focused more on the destination, than the journey. We learn early on from the writing community, that a writing career is a marathon and not a sprint.

Even as writers, we need to slow down and live in the moment. Because when we rush the process and the journey, we miss out on the information and opportunities that are critical for the writing path.

It is the journey that prepares us for the career and helps us to polish our prose so it stands the test of time. The journey is what prepares us for the destination. There are benefits for writers to live in the moment, instead of stressing and focusing on the future.

Shape your voice
Hone your skills
Network
Build platform and brand
Health benefits

Journeys are best experienced, not exacerbated. When we rush the process, we short ourselves invaluable experiences and wisdom. Some ways we can live in the moment as writers are: grounding techniques and mindfulness exercises, putting away distractions, plan our to-do’s so you can focus on the moment, practicing gratitude, rest, be habitual.

Don’t miss the little things on the journey to your big destination or dream. Be thankful for the little things and even the hard things. Writers need to learn to practice an attitude of gratitude.

Be Thankful

Now that the holidays have officially arrived, most of us will slow down and give thanks for the blessings we have been given. However, we often forget to be grateful for our hardships.

It is our struggles that make us stronger and help build our endurance. As writers, we can be thankful for closed doors, rejections, and lost opportunities. Learning to accept our disappointments helps us be present and prepares us for the future. Below are some fruits of enduring the disappointments of the writing journey.

Experience
Humility
Wisdom
Thick skin

If you haven’t learned by now, a writing career comes with criticism and professional feedback. After my accident, the hardest lesson for me to learn was that I would never be the same.

I will never forget the time I fell off of the toilet in the hospital (disclaimer: this video contains medically graphic images), because it taught me that I was not ready to go home or return to my daily routines. It humbled me. It also taught me to appreciate the little things of life. Hardships can force us to learn to live in the moment.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Tags be thankful, live in the moment, thankfulness, writing journey, Writing with a disability, Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Embrace the Wait

Survival Tips for the Waiting Part of Writing Tip #21 – In All Things Give Thanks

Post author By Annette Marie Griffin
Post date November 5, 2020
No Comments on Survival Tips for the Waiting Part of Writing Tip #21 – In All Things Give Thanks

When my kids were young we used to play a mandatory game. Whenever one of them was grumpy or having a bad attitude, I would ask them to list five things for which they were thankful. This was not a suggestion. It was the required payment for complaining. They, of course, hated it—because who likes to leave a pity-party to bask in a Thanksgiving parade? But something magical always happened after their lists were begrudgingly recited. The edge of discontentedness was eased when their thoughts shifted to gratefulness.

Writers have their share of challenges, disappointments, and burdens to carry. On top of dealing with frequent rejections and long wait times, we battle things like writer’s block, imposter syndrome, and platform anxiety on a regular basis. It’s enough to make the bravest hearted writing hero want to throw in his/her cape. But writing, unlike some lesser super-powers, is not so easily ignored. So we continue to write. Continue to press forward. Continue to hope, pray and … yes, WAIT.

Here are a few ways to cultivate gratefulness in your writing life so that the wait and challenges don’t overshadow the precious gift and calling God has given to each writer.

Take your thoughts captive.

Don’t let negative self-talk undermine what God has called you to do. The great Elizabeth Elliot once said, “Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted by faith.” I love that. Next time you’re tempted to give up or beat yourself up because of a writing set-back … don’t. Just don’t. Think back to your origin story. Remember the things God did to propel your calling. Rehearse the God moments I know you’ve experienced as a writer. We all have them. Remember those things and press forward by faith.

Choose to view every disappointment as a divinely planned opportunity.

We may not be able to see the purpose behind another rejection letter or a particularly frustrating meeting with critique partners, but God does. We can trust that His plan, which includes valleys, will ultimately lead us to the place He’s called us to be in our writing journey. We can trust Him to open the doors that need to be opened—which means others will need to remain shut—and lead us into our calling in His perfect time.

Make a list and say it out loud.

Try our family’s little game. I know it sounds crazy, but there is something so powerful about thankfulness. We all have many things to be thankful for. Next time you’re feeling discouraged try verbally listing five you’re thankful for. It won’t change the circumstances, but it will definitely redirect your focus to work around them.

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Philippians 4:8

Fun Fact or Helpful Resource:
Back in 2015, my dear friend, Elaine Cooper, created a list of people for whom writers can be thankful. All too often it’s easy to forget about these valuable relationships. The link is below. Happy Thanksgiving! I am so grateful for each of you and for A3 for giving me the opportunity to share some tidbits of my writing journey each month.

Annette Marie Griffin is an award-winning author who has managed and directed programs for children and youth for more than twenty years. She has written curriculum for character growth and development of elementary-age children, developed parent training seminars to benefit the community, and counseled at-risk youth. Her first children’s book What Is A Family? released in 2020. She and her husband have five children—three who have already flown the coop and two adopted teens still roosting at home—plus two adorable grands who add immeasurable joy and laughter to the whole flock.

Tags be thankful, embrace the wait, gratefulness, patience, Thanksgiving

Write for His Glory

Give Thanks in Every Situation

Post author By Mary G. Scro - Write for His Glory
Post date November 19, 2018
No Comments on Give Thanks in Every Situation

I’m so glad we have this time of year to remind us to count our blessings! All through the Bible, we are instructed to be thankful. But not only that, we are instructed to give thanks in every situation. I like the Amplified version of these verses:

Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, emphasis mine)

Looking back, I realize that everything that happened to me, good or bad, contributed to who I am today. Every.single.thing. Divorce, abuse, friendships gone bad, heartache, all of it, I am thankful for all of it. Of course, it’s easy to look back and be thankful, now that I can see with perspective and I can see the fruit that resulted. The difficulty is choosing to be thankful in the middle of a rough time.

An editor or agent rejects your manuscript
You become suddenly ill and can’t work
A friend betrays your trust
You lose a loved one
Accidents, loss of job, writer’s block, the list is endless

Yes, thanking God for a tough time is the last thing we all feel like doing! But by the grace of God and by choosing to be obedient, it’s not only possible but it’s incredibly freeing and peace-bringing (a new word for you!). I don’t always jump into thanksgiving right away, and I often go kicking and screaming (so to speak). I’m so thankful for those times I can be thankful in the midst of a rough time…and what I learn about God in the process.

So back to 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – it’s not hypocritical to give thanks when you’re suffering through difficult and hard circumstances. It’s obedient. Because when we’re thankful, we’re demonstrating faith that says, “I have no idea what is going on…but I trust YOU do and will get me through.” One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 13 – short and to the point.

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy exalt himself and triumph over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
Give light (life) to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.

But I have trusted and relied on and been confident in Your lovingkindness and faithfulness;
My heart shall rejoice and delight in Your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

When I read this Psalm (and many others!), I realize God doesn’t expect us to deny our feelings and pretend things are OK when they’re not. What He wants is honesty: “God, this is HARD!! I’m hurting, I can’t see you, I’m afraid, what do I do now??” And then He delights in our confession of faith in Him through choosing to sing praises and give thanks regardless of the hurt and fear. We sing because of Who He is, and we thank Him for sending Jesus to die for our sins so we can live and reign with Him forever.

No matter what happens on this earth, our eternity with Jesus is secure.

Perspective. We know the end of the Story. In every situation, give thanks.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Mary Graziano Scro, a graduate of Christian Communicators Conference, is an inspirational author, speaker, and blogger who intuitively weaves analogies and personal testimony with practical biblical teaching. Whether “live” or at the keyboard, Mary loves sharing what God has done in her life to encourage others about the awesome life God has planned for us, IF we are willing to choose wisely in our everyday lives (John 8:31-32). And it’s not only about us – the more we invest in our own unique relationship with Jesus, the more visible He is to a world that desperately needs Him.