“Nothing would be the same if you did not exist”

The other week I was watching the latest series of The Big Bang Theory, the one where Amy made a declaration to Sheldon that in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark Indiana Jones was a superfluous character, without him the outcome would have been entirely the same.

Sheldon's jaw drops at Amy's suggestion

The Big Bang geeks all sat and deliberated this and I must confess as I sat watching with my teenage boys we tried to figure out how true this was.

How can you have a film where the main character doesn’t advance the plot? And if Indiana Jones is redundant in his own story where does that leave us lesser mortals who don’t have such grand adventures? Just how important are we in the grand scheme of things?

The next day I found this on Twitter

“Nothing would be the same if you did not exist”

Now that’s quite a mind blowing thought when you are feeling insignificant in the big wide world.

Far too often as a blogger I sit typing away wondering just who will read my words, is anyone actually interested in my thoughts?

Yet I have made connections with hundreds of people all over the world and I mostly have no idea if or how what I have written has affected them.

But turn that thought around and I do know for certain that I have discovered many blogs that have spoken to me, I’ve often found the perfect words that have resounded and touched my life where I am now. Some have made me laugh out loud and lots have made me cry but then I am emotional at the best of times!

I try to make a point of leaving a positive comment where I can and so the connection is strengthened and my existence has made a difference to someone else.

I enjoy reading even the most prosaic blogs and reaching out, being that voice that says – I’ve read what you have to say and in some small way I understand, you are not alone, thank you for sharing.

So back to the original statement by Amy that Indiana Jones doesn’t alter the outcome of the film.

Well I’ve given it much thought and come up with this…

In the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy is reunited with his old flame Marion, albeit for a brief spell in his life because she is long gone by the time he sets off to visit the Temple of Doom in film number two but their relationship is absolutely crucial to the plot of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, film number four!

So in the end it all comes back to relationships and connections…

“Nothing would be the same if you did not exist”

Christian Writing in a Digital Age

I have a rather posh and academic sounding title for today's post, I am feeling decidedly intelligent and articulate and I am revelling in this slightly unusual sensation!

Over the last few days I have been trying to limit the amount of time I spend online, but that's another story I may blog about another day. However last night I logged on to Facebook with perfect timing to discover an announcement had just been added

ACW is delighted to announce the winners of our recently closed blog writing competition, in partnership with the BIGBible Project. 

I scrolled down the list of names with a smile on my face to see my friend Fiona listed as the winner of the second prize.

As I read on I discovered another name I recognised, Helen with an honourable mention and I couldn't quite believe it but mine was listed as honourable mention too!

I was convinced my entry was just added for the purpose of making up the numbers, although secretly I was pleased I'd written exactly 450 words (not a requirement but always strangely satisfying!) I'd nevertheless dithered about the content and almost abandoned what I'd written to write something else entirely!

Anyway here are my honourably mentioned 450 words on the subject of "Christian Writing in a Digital Age"

Let’s be Honest…

my inspirational journal

Recently I treated myself to a beautiful new journal with quotations on every page, inspirational Bible verses and encouraging sayings by famous people. The other day as I wrote my diary I turned over and found this…

“Society needs people who…know how to be compassionate and honest… emotional… [and] affectional. You can’t run society on data and computers alone.” Alvin Toffler

Toffler is “known for his works discussing the digital revolution” according to Wikipedia so it must be true!

It sort of fitted with the vague thoughts floating around my head. Was it God’s timing that I had found the perfect pithy quote to use in my “Christian Writing in a Digital Age” blog post?

Toffler’s name wasn’t new to me; he was quoted once in a lecture when I did my degree. Just some off the cuff comment really that has always stuck in my brain.

A little post it note from God, something I should remember.

The word that jumps out at me from the quote is “honest”.

After all there is a seedy side to this digital revolution, quite rightly we teach our kids to be aware of internet dangers while we too navigate an ever changing landscape.

It can be all too easy to hide behind a façade on social media sites, inventing new personas to mask our real selves and sometimes our intentions.

However I have found the opposite to be true, for me it far easier to completely bare my soul. Somehow I can say things online that I wouldn’t be brave enough to in a face to face situation. This is most noticeable when I write about my Christian beliefs.

My husband died in 2010 and I started a blog. There is no point to my writing if I don’t truthfully express exactly how I feel, but where does that leave my faith? It is an intrinsic part of who I am. 

Miraculously it grew through the tragedy rather than diminished so I naturally write about that too. Not just how wonderful God is but the doubts that I also experience – real honest emotional messy faith.

If people don’t like my Christian blog posts they don’t have to read them, you are only ever one click away from something else. Although recently I have noticed from my blog stats that my more blatant faith posts are getting the most views and best feedback.

Only God fully knows what kind of an impact my writing has on other people. I can’t confess to praying earnestly before I add my words to the World Wide Web but deep down I trust that God will use them and perhaps one day someone will be quoting me!

You can read all the entries here and if you click on Fiona or Helen's names above you can find their wonderful blogs and some more of their excellent writing.

A dream of his own...

Oldest son has big ambitions. He wants to be a sports journalist, reporting on the major sporting events around the globe.

He is trying hard to achieve his dream and has written his own sports blog for almost two years. He has sent his writing to the local paper and been in touch with sports presenters on the radio asking for advice.

Last Saturday his persistence paid off, he got to sit in the commentary box at the football stadium where his favourite team play.

But he didn’t just sit there idly watching, he actually got to speak on air and give his verdict on the match.

It was strange sitting at home listening to this grown up voice through my radio. He spoke knowledgeably, clearly, with no hesitation or nerves and best of all at the end, I heard him say thank you for the fantastic experience.

I have taught him well and am as proud as any mother could be.

But my pride is tinged with overwhelming sadness that his dad could not be beside me to hear him. 

I’m crying even now as I type this and I shouldn’t because I am sat in the corner of the tennis club while he has a lesson, admittedly it’s a very quiet corner and I am rarely bothered while I type but I pull my hair around my face to hide my emotion anyway.

Life is so unfair and cruel.

Andrew and I started going out when we were both working as presenters on a charity radio project. He was the most amazing DJ with his witty banter and repartee. I thought I was OK, I had dreams and aspirations in this area too but I set them aside when I met and heard Andrew, he had a natural ability that just shone. 

He also knew all about the technical side of radio and sound production and built several studios for hospital and temporary charity radio stations.

My technical abilities are limited, once upon a time I knew how to edit tape, cut it and splice it back together but I could never get the sound levels right. I did a proper interview for local radio once and my interviewee, a famous Christian speaker, helped out with the technical side because I was unsure how the tape recorder actually worked.

Andrew could have helped oldest son with all the things I don’t understand. They could have worked on demo tapes together or CDs or whatever the latest things is! I know - I am so old fashioned.

I would have loved to see them work together on something they could both enjoy. Andrew was a patient teacher and he would be thrilled at his son’s interest in broadcasting. He could have taught him so much.

But this dream was only a tiny seed when Andrew died, buried deep.

 

I know I am doing my bit, helping out as much as I can. 

It’s not just radio commentary he wants to do but also writing about sport. It is me who has read through every blog post he has written, correcting grammar and spelling but I know I am far from perfect in that department. I am aware that so many errors pass me by.

The other day I bumped into one of oldest son’s old teachers. She asked how he was getting on at college.

I beamed with pride as I told her he had settled in well and all about his radio exploits.

“He is one of the most determined kids I’ve ever met.” She told me. 

I’ve always known he is unusual among his peers because he knows exactly wants he wants out of life. From this brief conversation I have discovered he really is exceptional and it’s not just me that thinks so.

Dreams are such fragile things; they need nurturing, believing in and a tremendous amount of hard work behind the scenes to make them flourish.

The same can be said of children, even if they appear more resilient and temperamental.

Being a parent is not an easy task, but I am convinced that between us Andrew and I did a good job and somehow on my own I am still mostly getting it right.

Hopefully one day oldest son will reach his goal and everyone will be listening to his words as they resound across the airwaves.

I know this for certain - wherever I am at the time I will be the loudest, proudest mother cheering him on.

If you want to follow oldest son's sports blog you can find it here - Reports from a teenage sports fan

#31days31voices

This October I have joined 30 other bloggers for Project: Underblog’s #31days31voices.

“We want to do something big to honour our year around the Blogosphere. We want to feature a new #smallandmighty blogger every single day for the month of October.  That’s 31 days to celebrate 31 amazing voices! We want to shout from the rooftops that our stories and our voices are amazing and worth celebrating!”

So far we have had a blog about being a teenage mother, one featuring the wonderful line "unfortunate distribution of utensils", a humorous post about those icky things you are never told about when you become a parent and yesterday some wistful words of wonder.

Today it is my turn and I’ve updated an old post called “Rings and Things” to share with a wider audience.

I confess I want my voice heard by as many people as I can reach. I thrive on the great feedback I receive and would one day love to see a book in print with my name on.

To this end I have recently been spending lots of time on line, trying to raise my profile, commenting, blogging, facebooking and twittering – oh I am getting pretty good at this social networking lark awaiting my BIG breakthrough when I become a household name!

Along the way I have made so many new friends and discovered some fabulous writers.

I’ve read words that are healing and soothing, words that touch me deeply and lots that make me laugh out loud.

Suddenly my voice being heard isn’t as important as knowing there are actually other people on my wavelength. So many of us doubting, laughing, muddling through, crying, grieving, shouting, hoping, living and sharing. 

I am aware all of us tapping out our thoughts and I feel connected to something so much bigger. My support network is growing and if I can reach out to just one other person with my own words I am happy. 

Only now I am convinced there are a lot more of us out there and I am not alone!

“It’s those silly dreams that keep us alive”

I’m having a week of catching up, doing those things I’ve been meaning to get round to for a while. I’ve written letters that were long overdue, sorted out some paperwork and filing (my most hated chore) and now I am going to write a blog post in praise of my writing friend Lisa Shambrook.

Lisa and I have never met in person but we have followed each other on Facebook and Twitter for almost a year and we read each other’s blogs. She is without doubt one of the most encouraging people I have met on-line, regularly leaving positive feedback everywhere she goes.

Like me she is a woman who dreams of writing as a career, unlike me she has actually written a whole novel. Not only has she written all the words but she has gone that extra mile getting it to a standard to self-publish via Kindle, putting in all the extra work of editing, designing a cover and promoting.

I am in awe!

It was months ago I read her book “Beneath the Rainbow” and promised her a review.

Of course because it was so long ago I can’t remember everything that happened but like any good book you read there are lasting thoughts and memories that have stayed with me so I will concentrate on them (and refresh my memory by reading about the novel on Lisa’s blog here!)

“Beneath the Rainbow” is the story of seven year old Freya who tragically dies in a road traffic accident. We follow Freya’s family as they come to terms with their grief but also see what the afterlife is like for Freya.

My immediate thoughts on reading the book was how it reminded me of the books I’ve read by Mitch Albom, it has an ethereal quality to it taking you beyond this world to the next. Exploring the “what if” questions of life and death.

Freya has to come to terms with the fact she has left her family for good and made them sad in the process. When death comes unexpectedly there are always things are left unsaid, undone and so many questions go unanswered. The death of a child is especially harrowing and Lisa has tackled the subject with great sensitivity.

There is a lovely contrast in the novel as Freya watches over her elderly neighbour Tom who is terminally ill. Although he has lived a full long life he still has unfulfilled dreams and Freya and her family become instrumental in helping him reach his goals.

Meanwhile Freya dreams of creating a rainbow for her parents, each colour is particularly poignant, matching a much loved item. 

Chasing dreams and rainbows are recurring themes woven throughout the novel and you get the sense they are important to the author too.

Eventually Freya, her family and friends are ready to move on, as they inevitably must.

I happened to be reading “Beneath the Rainbow” around the anniversary of Andrew’s death so as I read Freya’s experiences I thought about him even more than usual. As Freya longed to reach out to her family I thought of how Andrew might be feeling leaving us in a similar sudden manner. Wondering what he had left unresolved and how we might move forward without him.

Some books forever get caught up in real life events of the reader, something the author cannot predict, but in this instance it made my enjoyment of the book even richer helping me process a bit more of my own grief.

For me this is why I thought it was a great first novel and I would recommend it to anyone grieving because it is so beautifully written and thought provoking.

Yes there are issues with it being self-published, some of the editing could be a bit tighter but Lisa knows and acknowledges that on her blog, “unpolished” she calls it.

However she has achieved a great feat – fulfilling her own dream of writing a novel and it is something she is rightly proud of. What's even more exciting is that there is another on the way. 

“Beneath the Old Oak” takes some of the characters from the first novel in a new direction. Lisa started it for her NaNoWriMo project last November and she is still working on it, unlike those of us who have come to a complete standstill!

Lisa you are truly an inspiration teaching me on your blog and through your writing to always remember…

“It’s those silly dreams that keep us alive”

For those who want to find out more, click on the links in the text that are highlighted a different colour. 

If you want to buy "Beneath the Rainbow" and download it onto your Kindle click here.