I belong to a liturgical church. We divide our years into liturgical season. A new season, Lent, began about a week and a half ago.
Lent is about assessing and making changes to find balance in our lives. Many people choose something they would like to give up or do without during Lent.
Some years I give something up for Lent. One year I gave up making fun of people from California who thought it was really cold. Another year I gave up Netflix. Other years I work to add a practice or develop a habit.
This year for Lent I am facing my fear and starting to write a book.
My writing is a conversation. Like spending time with another person, there are times to focus on what to say and times to be silent. Writing, like speaking, is finding the balance of words and silence.
There are some aspects of writing I enjoy. I like the dress code. I appreciate that I can take a walk or reflect in a rocking chair while I am writing. I enjoy the way words taste, the different flavors of various ways of saying things. I love the way it feels, after wrestling for a while, to find the way I want to express something.
There are parts of writing that are true agony.
Writing is not only a skill I am working to develop, like learning to climb a mountain. Writing is a pilgrimage, a journey of discovery. Writing is a spiritual practice that draws me closer to the Sacred. I work to know what I hope to say. I pray. I work to write what I think is important.
Writing happens one word, one silence, at a time.
What are you practicing this year for Lent?
Are you a writer, or someone else?
[Image by DavidTurnbull]
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