Praying about the New Year & Direction
And well, a surprising answer.
For a more full reading experience, click on this post title to be taken to my Substack site.
FOR THE NEW YEAR
I've begun this post 15 different times in my head, a flurry of thoughts swirling around, hard to capture and commit to virtual paper. Where to start?
In the quietish weeks of November and December as I sat with my questions and pondered what God might be saying for the coming year about my writing, I sensed a nudge that surprised me. It surprised me, but felt right.
Here’s what I heard:
It's time for me to step away for the time being from my weekly posting, hosting comments and engaging with you all around the world of poetry. There are nearly 600 subscribers/readers of Poetry & Made Things and I don’t take that for granted; I appreciate you all more than you know. I don’t know how long the break will be; I’m confident God will show me when it’s time to resume. (And for new subscribers who j u s t signed up to receive my posts—well, I apologize.)
About that nudge: several factors go into my decision to pause my writing here on Substack.
Spiritually, God has been stirring up my desire for a deeper closeness to Him, a desire to be in the Word, and offer myself again in teaching and worship to my local church community. That takes time and attention I need to recapture.
Also, for the past year and a half I have been working behind the scenes, editing and coaching folks in different phases of their writing journeys. As a creative endeavor, I’ve come to realize that is my greatest joy, offering people wings for their words.
And, I have another poetry project brewing for the coming year, a poem/prayer devotional inspired by many readers’ reactions and comments surrounding my two poetry books, Mining the Bright Birds: Poems of Longing for Home and Hearts on Pilgrimage: Poems & Prayers.1
To that end, it's time to open up the space for me to be more intentional and direct my energy to my own writing projects as well as being a cheerleader for other folks and their work.
What does that mean for now?
The content that it is currently on my Substack site will continue to remain unchanged; whether you are a new subscriber or have been following my work for awhile, take a look around by clicking on this link, where you’ll find not only poetry but reflective essays on everything from leaving social media to why you should read poetry if you’re writing it.
Also, be sure to look under the “Poetry & Writing Resources” for FREE curated poetry lists. Some of my favorite books are in the lists I’ve crafted for you. Note: Home Schoolers-look for the Free “PoetScribe” resources, a printable notebook of 12 poems for copying, remembering and reciting.
Yes, writing is the way I process the world and there is a lot going on that doesn’t make here to my internet home.
But practically speaking, it's also important to address my current season of life. Our oldest grandchild will be 22 this month, the youngest one is 5 1/2. Life is short and there is much to participate in, family-wise. My husband turns 80 in July (photo above taken on our last anniversary, also in July.) I will be 73 in August. We are, shall we say, in the Golden Years that Matter stage of our lives, and I am prioritizing accordingly.
I’ve been writing online since January 2012 via my first blog—Three Way Light. At the time I jumped in with both feet (see photo below) and had no idea how rich the experience and online connections would be. Many, many of you who are readers now were people I first met online and then had the joy of meeting in person over the years. My soul is filled because of those relationships.
So, here we are. I figured out how to gather all those swirling thoughts…….. I think.
Stay tuned!
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE-your presence is a blessing to me.
Jody
You can order copies of my poetry books via the button below. Thank you, Biana, Linda F. & Barb for the inspo for the next project.
Blessings, Jody.
Go forth and "Do whatever he tells you" (John 2:5).
Jody, sorry to see you go but it is important to listen to the voice of God calling us to our purpose. I am happy for you and your family as you explore this new season of life. I am glad we connected and your book of poetry will always have an honored place on my shelves. Don't hesitate to reach out. All the best to you and yours.