I bought a book

Sorry family, I didn't kindle it so we could share.  I felt like turning pages on this one.  But now I think you should Kindle it, or I'll pass it along when I'm finished with it.

It's called A Million Little Ways - Uncover the Art You were Made to Live by Emily P. Freeman.  I'm only on chapter 3, but I'm inspired.

I knew I would want to underline and fold pages over.  Ann Voskamp said it would "Wow you awake to who you are meant to be."
The basic message is that God is an artist and we are made in His image.  We are his poetry and we are all artists.

One of my favorite things that has struck me was a section called Desire Uncovered.
A book on writing by Natalie Goldberg, called Writing Down the Bones speaks of "first thoughts." These are the things we see and feel before our rational and logical selves edit them out, and the things we think we should feel take over.  Gosh, I do that all the time.

She gives a writing exercise where you make yourself write with these rules:

1. You can't stop
2. You can't cross out
3. Don't worry about punctuation or grammar
4. You must lose control
5. You must not be logical
6. If something comes to you in writing that scares you, you must dive right into it.

Emily Freeman says we have to wade through the muck of our own manners to be able to look our first thoughts in the eye without blinking.  This applies not only to writing, but to asking ourselves, "When do I feel most fully alive?"
We usually edit the answers to this question to avoid critique, prevent failure, please people, or because we can't see how it will fit into our lives.

I have a million little reasons to be fearful and hold back what God has given me to offer to the world.
We all have a level of fear and even guilt that keeps us from soaring with creativity and sharing that with the world; all those things that would actually make us feel more alive.

When our desires are redeemed we are free to exhibit to the fullest our gifts, bravely and joyfully.  Just believing I have something to offer to others is hard to accept sometimes.

I know this sounds gushy.  I was trying to explain it to Nathan and felt silly.  I shy away from gushy, but I do love the idea of being a brave and awesome artist, and sharing my awesomeness with others. :)

So, what are your dreams?  Write that book.  You really should.  It's scary, but you have something to offer.
But you can also be an artist as you have your babies and raise them and sing to them, when you prepare dinner, when you listen to your little girls tell stories, and kiss your husband, like an artist. :)