It has been a couple years since I’ve done a Five Minute Friday! Not exactly sure what happened except that I lost my words. They stopped flowing out of me. And it was scary to lose my words!
Who am I when I can’t write, when I can’t express the depths of me in old familiar ways, when I lose all of my opinions and cares and become silent? Pain and sheer levels of turmoil, chaos and burnout stored within my heart and mind choked out all flow of words. That pain undeniably cried out to be healed and I couldn’t ignore it any longer. It needed to be cleared out of the way before my words (and my life) could flow freely again! But in order for the pain to be healed, I had to find a different way to speak.
Slowly, the words began to slide out but they came out in art. Art journaling took the place of blogging as color, doodling and collaging together spoke my truth. Through the pages of my art journals, the deepest and rawest parts of me were being revealed, nurtured, loved, counseled and slowly nursed to a level of health and wholeness that I never knew existed. All that was made wrong was slowly being set right. Years of perseverance, strength and determination to find healing finally led to freedom and transformation. This transformation is finally leading me back to the written word once again!
But who am I after that journey? How does that journey impact my writing? What do I even want to write about? What is worth saying in a world where everyone has something to say? Where can my voice make a difference? Where can my words bring hope?
I don’t know the answers to these questions right now, but the right thing to do is to show back up today, to pick up the pen (keyboard?), to remain open to rediscovering my written voice and to offer up my heart and my words to the One who has led me into shalom. My words are back and now is the right time to unleash them once again!
Five Minute Friday (#FMFparty) gives writers a word prompt every Friday. We are encouraged to write whatever comes to mind about that word in just five minutes. No editing, no perfection, only writing from the heart. To find out more, visit Five Minute Friday. This week's word is "RIGHT”.
I was the same! A king time removed from blogging. The ebbs and flows if life. May God bless you as you find the words and art.
ReplyDeleteWriting is an art, so it sounds to me like you just switched mediums for a while. =). Welcome back.
ReplyDeleteAmie, FMF #21
It's great to be back! Am enjoying reading everyone's thoughts on this week's word! I love this community!
DeleteDear Amy -- I love how your art journals helped reveal, nurture and nurse you to a new wholeness. And then back to words and to this community. Indeed, where can our words make a difference? Probably more places than we realize. Thank you for sharing yours with me. Carol Ann, your FNF Neighbor #34
ReplyDeleteThank you! The art journals are very grounding both in reading them and going back through them. It's so fun to trace the journey visually and reflect on all that has taken place!
DeleteI am glad you found your way back to writing. Welcome back@
ReplyDeleteThank you! It feels good to write again! :)
DeleteSometimes a piece of art can touch a heart more than a volume of words. Glad it helped you find your way back to writing, but hope you don't stop art journaling as well.
ReplyDeleteYes, it can! Art still has a way of saying things words can't...come too far to stop! :)
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