It’s that time of year when you ponder about your passions and see how to pursue them with laser beam focus. For me, I want to focus on my family and helping THEM pursue their particular passionate projects. Like my alliteration?
So, with that, let me tell you about my kiddo and where I see her developing.
First, on the outside, her strength! I love to see her starting to get stronger with the gym and lifting weights!
STRENGTH
Her trainer Emma says she is small but mighty. You think!?
Her drive is the same way when it comes to her imagination. The ideas that pop into her head and then get translated on paper are profound. Just this week, I gave her two prompts, and she immediately wrote two short stories. See below:
These were written in less than an hour:
Freedom in Feathers
Barnaby the parakeet had never known kindness. His owner, an elderly woman with a somber countenance and a voice that could curdle milk, was as cold as the drafty house they lived in. Each day, she’d snap at his chirps, her sharp retorts echoing off the peeling wallpaper. “Quiet, you wretched bird!” she’d snarl. Her words were like barbed wires, entangled with bitterness, leaving Barnaby trapped in his gilded prison.
One fateful morning, her hands—gnarled with age—fumbled while closing his cage. The door swung open, and Barnaby hesitated only for a heartbeat. With acute awareness of the fleeting moment, he launched himself into the sky. His wings sliced through the crisp air, each beat shedding the weight of years in captivity.
Hours later, Barnaby’s strength faltered, and he descended into a small yard, his feathers sprinkled with dust and exhaustion. A little girl, Lucy, was in the midst of an intramural game of soccer with her dog when she spotted him. Her face lit up, her bright eyes contrasting the old woman’s perpetual scowl.
“What’s this?” she whispered, kneeling beside him. Her voice was soft yet profound, carrying a warmth Barnaby had never felt.
He chirped weakly, unsure if he could trust her, but the kindness in her gaze made him stay.
“You look like you’ve been through so much,” Lucy said, her words thoughtful for someone so young. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you now. Ad infinitum, you’ll never have to feel alone again.”
She cupped him gently in her hands, careful not to frighten him. The simple touch, so delicate yet deliberate, untangled the fear that had wrapped itself around his heart.
That evening, as Lucy read aloud from her favorite book, Barnaby perched on her shoulder. Her laughter filled the room, a sweet clamor of joy that made him chirp in harmony.
In Lucy’s home, there was no harsh matriarch to rule over him with cruelty. Instead, there was only love, sprinkled out in every smile and gentle word. Barnaby, once a prisoner of misery, had found freedom—not just in flight, but in the boundless care of an 11-year-old girl with a heart as big as the sky.
AND…this one:
The Secret Power
Shaun and Luke were six-year-old twins who did everything together. They liked to play hide-and-seek, build forts out of couch cushions, and see who could climb the tree in our backyard the fastest. They also liked to boss me around. I’m their big brother, Matthew, and I’m eight, so I’m obviously the boss of them. But somehow, they never listen.
Anyway, the craziest thing happened to me last week. It all started when I was trying to read a comic book in my room. Shaun and Luke were being loud downstairs, yelling about who got the bigger cookie. I shut my door, squeezed my pillow over my head, and shouted, “Be quiet already!”
That’s when it happened.
Suddenly, everything went silent. Like, not even the birds outside were chirping. I sat up and looked around. My window was open, so I could see the trees swaying, but no sound came in. It was like the whole world hit the mute button.
I thought maybe I broke my ears or something. But then I said, “Hello?” and heard my voice echo perfectly. It wasn’t me. It was… them.
I ran downstairs, and Shaun and Luke were frozen mid-argument, mouths open, not saying a word.
“Guys?” I said, poking Shaun’s shoulder. He turned to me, blinking. Then he said, “What just happened? Why can’t I talk?”
Luke said something, but no sound came out.
“Okay, this is weird,” I said, and just like that—pop—everything went back to normal. The TV came back on, the birds outside started singing, and Luke yelled, “You stole my cookie!” like nothing had happened.
It didn’t take me long to figure it out. I had a superpower. I could make everything go quiet if I wanted to. But I couldn’t tell anyone—not even Shaun and Luke. I’d seen enough superhero movies to know that the government might show up and try to experiment on me or something.
The next day, I tested it out while we were eating breakfast. Shaun kept slurping his cereal super loud, and Luke wouldn’t stop tapping his spoon on the table. “Can you two please stop?” I said, and boom, silence again.
It was the best.
I learned how to control it a little better over the next few days. I could make it quiet in just one room or the whole house. I even stopped the school bell from ringing once (but that might’ve been a bad idea because Mrs. Jones got all confused and kept us in class late).
The best part, though, was using it to mess with Shaun and Luke. Like when they were watching their favorite cartoon, and I made the sound cut out right before the big fight scene.
“Matthewwww!” they’d whine, but I’d just grin and pretend I didn’t know what was going on.
Eventually, I figured out I could use my power for good. One time, the twins were having a meltdown in the car on the way to the park. Mom was trying to drive, but Shaun and Luke kept screaming about who got to hold the map.
“Quiet, please,” I whispered, and just like that, peace.
Mom didn’t know what happened, but she looked at me in the rearview mirror and said, “Thank you, Matthew.”
I just smiled.
So yeah, I’ve got a superpower. It’s cool, even if I can’t tell anyone. But honestly? Having quiet twins is the real superpower.
HOW TO HELP HER PURSUE HER PASSION
Next semester, I’m signing her up for a mentorship with a Creative Writing coach from Royal Fireworks Press (Mark Fillie). YES!! I can’t wait to help her along with this.
Finally, I see her HEART growing immensely for teaching and Special Needs. Here is a card from SBC Special Ministries. They love having her volunteer each week as well as the nursery. She gives her heart to the kids. SO MATURELY!
So, you see, strength, creativity and imagination (in her writing), and her heart for others. (and her birdies!) I love watching her grow in all areas as well besides these. More on those in another blog.
As for me? I see hope in trying a new medicine.
I may have to be on it for the rest of my life, but I am willing if it saves me. With EOE, there is no cure and it’s hard to know what causes it. I AM SO GRATEFUL that my insurance has covered it since it is about $6000/month otherwise. I pray for 2025 to see some healing and hope.
I miss my husband. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss my ministries. I miss so many things it’s too numerous to count. But, I have a new perspective on what is important. I am completely and totally grateful for all I have, and I will NEVER take anything for granted.
Oh, and finally, I must mention that my hubby has his passions for which he hopefully will begin to pursue. He has an invention that has been “in the closet” for eons, and I know he would love to focus on it. I see him being so creative and intentional with all his work (at Honeywell and the house). Therefore, I know this will be a success for him…or at least the journey will be a fun pursuit.
I love you family. I truly do.
