Eclectic Waters

Archive for the ‘Girl from the Sea’ Category

sometimes when i write about my childhood

i choke

emotions presses against my throat -

is this my life?

sometimes when i write about my childhood

i smile

laughter spilling in and then out of mouth

this is my life!

i write through the sadness

i write into the joy

discovering parts of my story i had not known

examining those i have

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the purpose of my life

my state of being

my writing -

?

at this time i’m content not to know

The day my week rushes towards and sags after is Tuesday…after supper I lose myself in a book to make the time go faster…

When I come to the front of the line, nervousness flutters in my throat but the moment I skip forward it dissolves.  I curtsy to my partner… I am flying, whirling and spinning… I imagine I am full of light.  It cascades from my eyes and smile, swooshing off my limbs like flickering fireflies.

March 1996.  St. Vincent.  Logos II.

Excerpts from my writing on Scottish dancing on Logos II.

Our identity rests not on the opinion of others, rather, it hinges on two things: who we think we are and who we choose to be.

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While as a Christian I know my true identity is found in God’s truth, the lived out reality of my life will rest on my thoughts of myself. What I believe about myself and the things I choose, i.e. how I spend my time, how I will treat people etc,… this will impact and shape my identity.

It’s been interesting working on my book and re-visiting my experience on Logos II as a 12 and 13 year old. Adolescence is tough and it is time when we are figuring things out, developing as an individual. It’s been fascinating stepping back and writing my story – viewing it from a writer’s perspective. I feel lucky to have such a rich and different life to glean from as I shape the clay of this book. I’ve been praying that God would inspire me and give me discipline and courage to write – it is lonely and can be EXTREMELY boring – and I am incredibly thankful that He has answered this prayer. And now that I have finally invited him into the process of writing, I’m excited to continue seeing the story take shape…

seeing myself emerge. The way I saw myself – the identity I formed. A girl from the sea. This is the story I didn’t have the words for and I am now mining for them… laying a line through the woods of my experience…

Thankful for the words I’m finding. Wish me luck!

The waves slip up the shore to steal kernels of sand, slowly rolling them down into the froth of the ocean. Crabs scuttle out of my way, kicking small pebbles with their sideway steps.

I have started working on my book again. It’s so good to have begun again.

Currently I am writing about the voyage from Portugal to Barbados. I’ll be posting random excerpts here and there so the process doesn’t feel as lonely

“Peering down from the bow of the ship to where her body slices through the water, I see a hammerhead shark. It’s rectangle head is visible in the clear water as it swims next to the ship. I shiver, grabbing hold of the railing just to make sure I am here, above the water, safe.”