 |
| Waiting by Edmund Blair Leighton |
My kids are big on holidays (so unusual for a child, I know, LOL). The day after Christmas, they asked, “What holiday’s next?” And the same question came on January 2. Several times we’ve played the Holiday Hop game, naming which comes after which. Sometimes I think that if they could, they’d just skip from one special day to the next. New Year’s to Valentine’s to St. Patrick’s Day to Easter, and so on.
I remember being the same way as a kid–especially a growing kid looking for those days off school. 😉 And you know, there’s nothing wrong with that. The Lord instituting Holy Days, after all. As celebration, as remembrances, and a way to look ahead. Just like He made the Sabbath for our rest. He knew we needed those breaks, those things to look forward to.
In a lot of ways, it’s like a book’s plot. When I’m sitting down to start a new book, I usually try to have the big points figured out–kinda like the holidays. There will be major turns at B, E, and H, say. Minor ones at A, C, and F. But a wise friend of mine once said that the real story was like an Oreo–it happens in the middle.
Life’s the same way. Christmas was a lot of fun around here. But you know what was more fun? The day after, when we got an unscheduled 8 inches of snow. When we all went to play in it, to sled ride, to spend time as a family that wasn’t pre-planned. My best memories from being a kid aren’t just the Big Days–it’s the little days. It’s following behind my dad while he raked the lawn after mowing, tossing on dandelions and leaves onto his pile and pretending it was a salad for a giant. It’s passing the summers in the pool with my mom and sister and neighbor.
So often, we’re so busy that it’s easy to put off the special things for the special days. To say “Sure we’ll do that…on our next break. The next holiday. The next…”
But if you’re anything like me, it’s the unanticipated fun, the unexpected Big Days that build the best memories, that make for the best laughter, the best stories. As we head into the new year, you can bet I’m going to be looking forward the holidays with my kids, sure–but what I’m really going to be looking forward to, what I’m going to make a big effort to appreciate, are the days in between. The normal days. The days when you’re just waiting to get through the school day, to the weekend, to the next event.
Because you know what? Those are when life happens.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Oh! And I just got the first chapter of Ring of Secrets up on my website. So if you want a sneak peek, check it out!
http://www.roseannawhite.com/wordpress/books/ring-of-secrets/ring-of-secrets-chapter-one
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
Thanks for sharing the first chapter of your new book. I'm intrigued! 🙂 I really like the way you've written it … and, yes, I want to find out what happens next!
Have a lovely weekend!
Oh, she is VERY wise. A regular sage. Which of course means she has a healthy appreciation for Oreos. =)
Wow, your friend DOES sound wise. Or hungry 🙂