Archive for January, 2010

Since writing is an action that helps define us, I think this is why Julia Cameron includes writing as a basic step in her book The Artist’s Way.  To become an artist, we need to know who we are…even if all we get is a little glimpse.  Writing makes our souls visible, both to ourselves and to others.

Writing is an action that helps define us.  In searching for the right words, we search for meaning inside ourselves.  We listen to the voice within that speaks our truth.

When we share our stories in our memoirs, we are not only sharing our feelings about our lives, but we are also connecting with those who will view our pages.  Our stories ground us and connect us.  They help us experience ourselves as human by leading us through our emotions, from joy to grief.  They not only help us to know ourselves, but they also remind us of our universal experience.

When I write about a time spent with a friend or my children about the time we spent together, I am giving them the gift of our time together as seen through my eyes.  I are letting them know that I cherish the moments we had together.  When I write my thoughts and feelings to accompany the photographs on the pages, I am writing to remember and to celebrate our story.

So much of our culture comes at us in little bursts: glaring headlines, strips along the bottom of television screens, sound bites on the evening news.  Writing our stories reminds us to slow down and dig beneath the surface, to what really matters.  When we write our stories down and share them with our children and the people we love, we give them both memories and hope.