Writing a book is a marathon

And I am discovering that I am a sprinter.

I write for a bit, cry for a bit, drink more coffee, and twitter. Sometimes I also read the important news updates, because there is a lot going on in Hollywood.

:)

I'm taking a break to say hey to all of you out in blogland, and give you a couple updates.

I mentioned recently that there was a situation going on at my house, and I wanted to give you a few more details so that you can be praying. I hope you understand that I will be a bit more vague than normal out of a desire to protect someone I have grown to love.

She came to us with her two children after driving through the night, away from a situation she needed to be away from. It is complicated, but she was braver than I could have been, and it has been one of the greatest honors of my life to have her and her kids in our home. She was a stranger when she came, but she is now a kindred spirit (yes, that was intentional :) ).

Yesterday she moved out (but not too far from us, thank goodness) and I closed the door behind her and tried not to bawl my eyes out. In a very short amount of time, she became so dear to me. Morning coffee and nights on the deck, talking about life and hurt.

And the Lord Who gave her unspeakable courage.

So, I have been absent from the blog a bit, because I felt like she needed me to be present. Trust me when I say I learned more from her than she did from me.

After the toddler beds were packed up and gone, and her voice had left, I reflected on who she was and why it was so hard for me to watch her go. I felt so protective of her, and must say I was ridiculously relieved that she chose to stay close to us instead of moving an hour away where she had intended to go.

I love to blog, because I get to meet people I might not have otherwise met, and I get to share the corners of life I haven't visited in years.

The truth is, I spent the last few weeks ministering to a girl who I used to be.

And I am so glad the Lord chose to give us the courage to trust Him more than this life.

I am crying as I write, because I am blessed to have been entrusted with such a sacred part of someone's life, and I don't take it lightly. As she left, we gave each other a quick hug to get the goodbye over with, and Kate protested her leaving. Just before she walked out, she went to Kate and whispered something to her, placing something in her tiny hand. She curled Kate's fingers around it and told her to take care of it. After she left, Kate showed me the ring I had grown accustomed to seeing on our guest.

We put it on a necklace today so Kate could wear it all the time :) That was right after it got sucked up by the vacuum and I spent more time digging through dog hair and dust than I care to recall.

Please pray for her and her children, and for wisdom as she seeks discernment in God's calling on her life.

And for those of you who have been (or are) where she has been, I want to tell you that you have a Father Who wants you to be safe. He has not forgotten you, and He loves you more than you know. That last sentence could not be more trite, and as a writer, I am tempted to go back and come up with something more clever.

I won't.

Sometimes it just needs to be left alone.

Anyway, I have to run and get ready to head to a local church.

There's a girl who is going to be there tonight and I am dying to see her.

:)

As a sidebar, I have been loving finding old quotes in books I haven't read in years. They are all marked up with memories, and there is nothing like a good quote. Some are from fiction books, and others are religious or biographical.

I have been twittering today about a book I just finished (see right hand lower sidebar) and LOVED. It had so many great lines, and as I was writing this, I decided to ask you all to join me in a little inspiration.

If you are game, do me a favor and leave a quote you love as a comment on this post. It can be from a book, a movie, a song, whatever. I have long wanted to start a book club on here so that we could all grab some hot drinks and have a chat online, but I will have to wait until I am done writing to do that :)

In the meantime, I would love to hear from you, friends.

Thank you for praying and for loving me so well.

And if you were the sweet girl at the concert last night with the t-shirt that my hubby signed on the back, I would love for you to email me your address so I can send a little thank you to you. It made me feel so special, and I am honored you took the time...you know who you are :)

I can't wait to hear your words! I need the inspiration...

Blessings,

Angie