My inspiration

It's been a busy crazy day. Huh. Sounds like every day in my life.

Items of note: I was accepted into the writing clinic I was freaking out about last week. Sadly, this means I now have four days to get my project ready. So why am I blogging about it rather than doing it? Because silly person that I am, I can't find the link to the really good nonfiction proposal site. Tomorrow, though, I'm going to spend some quality time at my beloved Starbucks, drinking tea, and getting down to business.

I admit, though, there's still some fear. I've been looking at other proposal sites (but not the good one!) and I'm feeling intimidated. Who am I to write a book about God? What do I have to say that will make any difference? Am I really a good writer? I sit here and doubt myself, and then I think about my girls.

Today, the baby decided she was a "little lady". She pranced around, sporting a mesh pink bathing suit cover up (backwards), a pair of light blue shorts, and pigtails. Carrying her little purse (I was too scared to see what was inside), she spun and danced. If you asked her why, she said, "because I'm a little lady." I don't know where she got the idea about being a little lady, but it was obvious that she delighted in being one.

I thought I'd play along, so I called both girls my little ladies. Immediately, B straightened and said, "oh, no, Mom, I'm not a lady. I'm just a kid." The little one smiled, slurped her soup, and said, "well, I'm a little lady."

All day long, everything was about being a little lady. What amazed me was that the child I most often refer to as a terrorist did, in fact, act like a little lady.

I spend a lot of time just watching my girls. Maybe that's why I never seem to get anything done. I'm so fascinated by these creatures. They began as microscopic cells in my body. And every day, they transform into something else. I love to see where their little minds take them.

Who gives my daughter the right to say that she's a little lady? Who gives her the right to think that she is a beautiful, special creature? On the days she decides to be a kitten and make me her owner, how is it that she could possibly think that she could be one?

It's the same voice that tells me I must write. The creative part of our Creator reflected in us that whispers of all the magic we can make. As children, we can be or do whatever we can imagine. Anyone can be a little lady. Or a kitten. Or a stripey. Or a dragon. And even a writer.

Yet as adults, we've been told all the practical reasons why we can't be those things. And for some reason, we believe it. We forget that we were created in the image of God, our Creator. It's natural to want to create. It's natural to follow in His footsteps. So why do we believe the lies that say we can't?

From the time we begin to create, we're told all the reasons why we can't. Why it won't work. How it's a silly idea. My youngest daughter thinks she's a little lady. Tomorrow, she might decide to be a cat. Or a puppy. Her sister is going to be a cowgirl horse rider, although she won't turn down the opportunity to be a dragon rider. I've never seen a dragon myself, but I hope she does.

I'll be spending the next few days working my tail off to make my proposal shine. Not so much because I want to do the work, but because I want my little lady and my cowgirl to grow up believing that it's okay to follow in the footsteps of their Father. I want them to see that even when it seems difficult, they should press on. I don't want them to be too afraid to chase their dreams.