Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day Nine

Day 9. The Letter I.

Today I’m thankful for Inspiration.

WRITER’S MYTH: If you just wait for inspiration, it will come, and the words will flow like molten lava onto the page, igniting the world with your brilliance.

Oh, if only that were so. The truth is writing is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration. It’s hard work. And sometimes grueling. As nice as it would be, an author doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike. The writing chair and keyboard await. Deadlines lurk. Books (and blog posts!) don’t write themselves. There are, however, some things that just by nature are inspiring or which I’ve found helpful to jumpstart my brain. Oddly enough, these ten things are also things which bring me joy and contentment.

Maui, June 2011

1. Books – Reading great novels not only satisfies my need to be drawn into fictitious story worlds, but also challenges me to be a better writer.

2. Music – Jazz, doo-wop, gospel, and golden oldies are regular choices for me. I can’t imagine a world without music.

3. Sunsets – There is nothing quite so breathtaking as a sunset on the prairie, especially the shifting colors as evening slips into night. The ones in Maui are pretty incredible too.

4. The smell of new rain – I never tire of this smell, and coupled with it, the patter of rain on the roof as I settle in with my computer to write plays its own kind of music.

5. Coffee – Oh sweet Sumatra, vivacious Verona, eloquent Espresso, friendly Folgers, capricious Columbian. You make my mornings brighter and my heart happy.

6. Laughter – Grandkid giggles. Belly laughing that makes tears run down my cheeks. The world needs more laughter.

7. Change of scenery – Weekend getaways. Exotic vacations. Visits with friends. All are inspiring in their own way.


8. Reading the inspirational stories of others – I’m a Guideposts reader and happy to be part of a new website that brings inspirational stories every day.

9. Prayer – A day bathed in prayer makes all the difference in my outlook and my writing output.

10. God’s Word – So many scriptures inspire me, but here’s one that helps me keep my focus as I’m writing:  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

I’m feeling inspired – how about you? Do you have any special places or rituals that help stir inspiration in you?

The Christmas Spirit

I’m the first to admit, the Christmas spirit is a little slow in making its appearance around here. I’m consumed with me-isms—my book promotion, my next project, my responsibilities to the writing groups I belong to, my blog posts, my email. It’s no wonder I feel like such a Scrooge. When we see only ourselves and the urgencies around us, it’s harder to gain our focus. And sadly, I’m guilty.

This past weekend, I went to Texas to see my grandson perform in his second Christmas band concert. Last year he was a beginning tuba player. This year, he’s advanced to the symphonic band. Oh, what a difference from last year until this one! The tempo was faster, they were together on the melody, and the blending of the sections was so much mellower. Delightful.

Proud Mimi with her grandsons, the tuba player on the left.

They played four numbers, the first of which was The Christmas Eve March where a portion of the song featured the percussion and tuba players. Lots of bum-bum-bum. They played with skill and authority. Next was African Noel with an exotic beat that reminded me of our brothers and sisters in another part of the world. A toe-tapping Holly, Jolly Christmas followed with the finale of Feliz Navidad, its Latin beat resounding with the very talented percussion section again. And in each of the songs, the tuba notes grounded the instruments, giving the overall performance depth and a framework.

It made me more aware than ever that we are all part of humankind. Different cultures. Different generations. One reason to celebrate. How can we not get in the Christmas spirit when we stop for a moment to ponder and remember that Jesus is the Spirit of Christmas? Jesus who came in fulfillment of the prophecy, to save us all, even a wretch like me.

I had a wonderful time with my grandsons and their parents as well as about twelve hours of playing my favorite Christmas CDs on the trip to and fro. I arrived home weary, but filled anew with the wonder of Christmas, the love of family, and the gift of music in our world.

May all heaven and nature sing!

One WICKED Show

We’ve had our theater tickets for months! I’m a huge fan of Broadway musicals, and after hearing my daughter-in-law rave about WICKED, we coughed up the $$ for five tickets. Hubby and me, our son and daughter-in-law (Happy early birthday Allison), and our twelve-year-old grandson. The three-hour show was even better than all the hype, so without giving anything away—here’s what I learned from WICKED:

1. The Emerald City is really, REALLY green. Dazzling, neon, hurt-your-eyes green!
2. Having a best friend of another color is a “good” thing.
3. Things are not always as they seem. Nor are people.
4. Being swept up in an over-the-top fantasy erases the cares of the world, if only for a few hours.
5. The world would be a lot more fun with more flying monkeys.
6. Seeing the delight in my grandson’s eyes was totally worth the price of the tickets.
   

Hope you’ve all taken the time to do something fun this summer. I’m glad we did.

JINGLE BELLS . . . Tuba Style

Drake (my first born grandson) is one of two tuba players in his school's Sixth Grade Beginner Band, and the FIRST tuba player in our family. He goes to a small school (although not that small compared to their neighboring rural towns) so the Christmas concert is a combined effort of beginners, junior high, high school, and the jazz band. Before we left, Drake gave us a preview of the three songs he would be performing: Jingle Bells, Up On The Housetop, and Jolly Old St. Nicholas.

He takes a deep breath, positions his hand on the keys . . . or are they called valves? Then the boomp, boomp, boomps come out of the concert tuba. Rich. Punctuated. So much fun. Now I knew what to listen for when the band appeared on stage. It's really quite amazing that less than four months ago, most of these kids had never held an instrument, let alone played a song. Now, they sat erect in front of their music stands, their feet tapping out the beats as they counted quarter notes, half notes, rests, and played their hearts out. Beautiful.

One of the fun things about the concert was hearing the progression of difficulty levels as the higher grades performed their numbers. My favorite, after the beginners of course, was the jazz band. Drake liked it, too, and has his sights set on playing with the jazz group one day. I like that.

We rounded out the afternoon with authentic Mexican food at a new restaurant and playing some cut-throat games of Sorry! and Trouble that my younger grandson, Nash, delights in. I had to leave in the early evening and journey on to visit with my dad for a day. 'Twas a nice break from my writing routine and spending time with family is always time well spent.

So, O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way!

Hope you're all getting ready for some lovely times with your families over the holidays. I can hardly wait.

Ah . . . Do You Remember These?

Does anyone remember the Statler Brothers? Max and I loved this group in the 70s and 80s, so much, in fact, that we own all their CDs and have seen them onstage in four different states. In 1983, we planned our entire vacation around going to their annual 4th of July celebration in their hometown—Staunton, VA.

The Statlers retired a few years ago, and I’ve missed them—their unapologetic love of God, country, and families, the four-part harmony, and story songs that became their signature “voice.” They clowned around, sang about times gone by, and pierced my heart with achingly beautiful love songs.

Andy, our oldest son, was indoctrinated with their “gospel” music from an early age and announced that he liked Grandma Pat’s church because they sang Statler Brothers’ songs. The song that day? “How Great Thou Art.”

It was Andy who found this video and sent it my way. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Meet Singing Artist SALLY KLEIN O'CONNOR

I talk a lot about books here at the Café, and with good reason. I love to read. I’m a writer. Words make my heart throb. An original, fresh metaphor lingers in my mind for hours. And when I capture just the right word or phrase for my own prose, I can float for an entire day. I have a confession, though. Some of my best ideas, my most thought-provoking writing, has come because of music that inspired me. I haven’t really talked about that enough here.

My finished novel (which I am shopping) is set in the 1950s—my favorite music era. I used a few familiar titles in the novel, but more than that, it’s a feeling of the times—the birth of rock and roll, a time of change. This plays out in the journey my young character takes. And the title was inspired by the lyrics in an old Rod McKuen song. Without telling you more than that here, my point is that music plays a vital role in my writing. Music evokes emotion which triggers something creative in my brain. Or takes me to deep, evocative places of laughter, joy, or tears.

Mostly tears. Worship songs with the words glory or nail-scarred hands or old rugged cross tug at my heart each time I hear them, but I also am moved by golden oldies on TV commercials or the radio. Sometimes a jazz number digs deep and uncovers the desire to dance in the kitchen with my hubby (oh the joy!). I believe we were created to respond to the melodic as well as the spoken word. It touches something within our very souls. I simply cannot imagine a church service without music, a world with song. Like words, it is a universal communicator and link to other human beings.

At Mount Hermon earlier this month, hymns, choruses, and special music played a daily part in connecting people of diverse backgrounds through worship. One day at lunch, a woman I’d never heard of was introduced and took her place at the grand piano. She adjusted the mike boom and began playing an unfamiliar song. The artist? Sally Klein O’Connor. The song? Come Meet The Author of Life. The lyrics and the lilting melody, touched with the haunting message of mercy and the welcoming arms of God, brought a lump in my throat as well as the usual tears. By the end of the song, the air seemed thick with the presence of God. No words were needed as those of us at our lunch table made eye contact, an unspoken agreement that we were touched by the fresh, transparent performance of a woman who, without a doubt, had met the Author of life. She has an amazing life story that is reflected in her songs.

Later, I purchased one of Sally’s CDs in the bookstore (available here) and have since spent several pleasant listening hours. The songs pierce the heart with words and melodies so beautiful they almost hurt. That’s what I want my writing to do. Touch hearts. Make someone smile or forget for a moment the troubles of this world. And thanks to artists like Sally, who bring music to life, I have an endless stream of inspiration.

How about you? Do you have a special song or favorite artist that inspires you? That makes you want to write heart-wrenching prose or just be a better person? I’d love to hear from you.