TOP's Tuesday: The Ideas Return

I've realized something as I incorporate more exercise into my schedule and life style. To write it here makes it sound quite simple yet it is a big a-ha for me.

The more I take care of my physical being, the better I feel and the more energy I have. The more energy I have, the more I'm able to accomplish in a day. The more I accomplish, the more I have to be thankful for. The more I have to be thankful for, and the more thankful I am...the easier it is to see God working in my laugh. These might seem like small realizations yet they are the big things when we pause long enough to reflect on them. 

What does any of this have to do with TOP's Tuesday you might be asking yourself, so let me fill you in. Over the past seventeen months I've struggled to find the inspiration and desire to write or reach out to churches and libraries. I write to glorify God and pray those reading my words or listening to me share will draw closer to Jesus themselves yet I didn't recognize how important it was for my Mom to read and respond to my writing. 

This is the reason I started with the importance and significance of exercise and realizing Who is responsible for the things I have to be thankful for. I'm thankful for my Mom's interest  in my writing and speaking but the thing I miss the most...her feedback.  Mom read with an editorial eye and gave feedback with a mother's unconditional-love-and-honesty. She posed questions and offered suggestions.

There were times I didn't like what she said or asked but I received her message of love because it was challenging me to be a better writer and speaker. As I reflect on this and how the realization of how incorporating a healthier living into my life renews my inspiration and desire to write BUT the pastor's message this past Sunday reminded me of why I write...for God and to share hope, healing, encouragement, and the opportunity of eternity to all though the tragic loss of my sister, Heidi Allen. 
Why do I write?
I write and speak to...

• Encourage others by sharing hope, healing, and my testimony
• Keep Heidi's memory alive and hopefully help bring her home
• I write for HIM, for Heidi, and because I enjoy writing and sharing with others.
  

I hope this makes sense to you because I know it seems like a rambling yet it's one that makes sense to me, at this very moment. 

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If I was to write another book...
​what would you like to read?