Still I write

Just like moons and like suns

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I rise.

- Maya Angelou

The second half of 2010 brought personal challenges like none I've faced before.  Namely my mother's very serious illness.  But it has also given me moments of grace and understanding; moments where my family and I have had to pull together, be strong, have faith... rise.

Anger, worry, heartbreak, exhaustion... they are all still there, they don't really go away, but amidst those emotions, I feel gratitude.  I find that everything feels more precious: My family, my children, my  friends, and yes, my writing pulls me up from underneath back into the light.

It's a curious thing, to write through hardship.  It would seem that in times of great stress there would be nothing left of my creative self to give.  But I'm discovering that writing is not only my passion, but my lifeline.  Journal entries, sessions where I dig in and lose myself in the story are powerfully cathartic.

Instead, what has fallen away are the trivial details of life in which I once felt so caught up.  It's not how I'd choose to learn the lesson of what truly matters, but it's a powerful lesson nonetheless.

So I still get up, kiss the tops of my little girl's heads, find a quiet space—and write.