Awakening

To fall to sleep, not for the rest, but for the awakening on the other side. For new eyes to see things clearly, waking up to the truth you were too tired to see. Circumstances brought about the slumber but then too called you to your awakening. To your awakening. Awakening. Wake up. Sleep no longer.

Wake up sleeper, rise from the dead (Ephesians 5:14).

Evelyn has awoken. Now what will she do?

My Dad is a true man

My Dad does not know how much he means to me. He does not know how much I appreciate his tirelessness in going far out of his way for me. He does not know that I do listen to him and take on board his suggestions. He does not know that I notice the man that he is and take pride in calling him "Dad". My Dad is a true man.

He does not act selfishly. He fights for those that he loves. He openly imparts wisdom. He knows when to speak and when to be silent. He leads well. My Dad is a true man.

He is an encourager, a worker, a dreamer, and a man abounding in love through his actions. My Dad is a true man.

Thank you for teaching me so much. I have been watching. I have been listening. I love you, Dad.

Who are you when no one is around?

Who are you?

A feather in the breeze?

Or a trees blown leaves?

Only time will show,

Only "destiny" will reveal,

Who you are when no one is around.

I expect little but you surprise me - 

When you thought no one was watching.

For I was watching and I caught you.

Not as I suspected, did I catch you, though.

You were strong like the breeze,

Not the leaves in the trees.

And I was pleasantly surprised

By the look in your eyes

When you turned and saw me watching.

Oh! There you go again

With the strength of a hen

Trying to defend your little ones.

My eyes delight in such truths be told,

For I grew cynical a long time ago

That such as you could still be found.

Is Evelyn as pleasantly surprised by the true character of Shaphan?

The journey ahead

I did it. I wrote those wretched words. I endured and now Evelyn prevails! What a relief to have ventured beyond the abyss. Now winters gloom hangs above her miserable head and a new journey awaits her. Oh the excitement of it all!

A journey that must be taken

I have a conundrum. Though I know where Evelyn is heading, I do not want to follow her. I do not want to be responsible for those words on the page- innocent words by themselves, but dangerous when pieced together. Yet I feel the call to follow. I feel it necessary for her to walk down this path, for the destination is righteous. It's the getting there that scares me.

Long ago, when this journey begun, I felt at peace with its direction, feeling that lessons hard learned are still lessons learned. That some people just have to learn the hard way. Evelyn was one of these people. Now that I've reached this stage, however, the practice of writing such things has stunted my progress.

I've tried to work my way around it, to come at it from a different angle, but no angle seems to fit. It's left me with three options: write a story that is untrue to Evelyn, abandon Evelyn completely and cease to write her story, or follow Evelyn down this path.

I feel compelled to continue. Oh forgive me!

May the ending be well worth all that Evelyn has to go through to get there.

Let go of the bird

Freedom. By setting someone else free, you are setting yourself free too. Holding onto a bird harbours a particular inwardness. Set your eyes out and up. Let them fly free and you will fly too- nay- you will soar!

Freedom. Someone wise once told me that you can find freedom in forgiveness. That it's like standing in a cage with the door open and all you have to do is walk out. It is then that you would be free of the burden of your own grudge.

Freedom. Rules give the appearance of restricting and imprisoning. Ever considered the joy of boundaries? Knowing where is wise and unwise to tread?

So why don't you let go of the bird, Evelyn? Walk out of the cage and be free to live under the shelter of wise choices.

Where it all began

This is where it all began. Where the beauty of the world invaded my mind and I fell into a trance of imagination. I was captivated by this arbour and everything just fell into place from there. 

I saw Evelyn sitting alone on the grass. I saw Shaphan spying on her. I saw an orchestra playing sweet tunes in the distance. And their world overtook mine. About a week went by and Evelyn had become a part of me.

All of the key plot points where decided here. Even the ending. It was just a matter of putting fingers to keyboard and bringing it to life.