For better or worse, 2017 is over. Now we stand on the threshold of a new, untried year. There is a gorgeous full moon sailing high outside my office window, a welcome sight after snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was beautiful, but inconvenient for those who had to be out on icy roads.
I look ahead, wondering what 2018 will bring to family, friends, our country, the world, and me. The song "Que será" in "The Man Who Knew Too Much," asks whether there will be rainbows day after day. The answer, of course, is that the future is not ours to see; what will be, will be.
We may not have rainbows day after day--yet they do appear, sometimes against a dark sky, at other times, in the blue heavens. We simply need to look for them.
Petula Clark's song, "Look to the Rainbow," tells how a father gave a legacy, a song to sing when the world falls apart. His advice? "Look to the rainbow. Follow it . . . and follow the fellow who follows a dream."
In 1977 God used words from Emilie Loring's novel, There is Always Love, to change my life. For two years I had been getting up at 4:30 a.m, writing for two hours before work, nights, and on weekends. I sold a couple of inspirational romances to a low-paying place, and quite a few articles. The desire to fulfill my long-held dream of becoming a full-time author grew. Time after time I read Ms. Loring's challenge to her heroine by a wise friend who planned to drastically change her own life.
"There is only one common-sense move when you don't like your life. Do something about it. Get out. Go somewhere. Follow a rainbow. Who knows, you may find the legendary pot of gold at the end of it."
Inspired by the challenge, I gave notice at my good-paying government job where I was winning awards. Forty-two years old, with no financial guarantee, I knew in my heart it was what I was being called to do. Forty years as a successful author have confirmed that calling.
If there is something you long to accomplish, don't let dark skies dampen your dreams. Work to make them reality. Persist, no matter how many or how high the obstacles are that block your path Every step forward, small or great, brings you closer to your goal.
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Rainbows are symbols of hope. In Genesis 9:13, (KJV) God says, "I do set my bow in the cloud and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."My 2018 prayer is that each of you may focus on the rainbow of promise and follow your dream.
Colleen
5 comments:
Very uplifting, my friend. Thanks for sending.
Writers especially need encouragement. I love to be able to offer it. Great picture of Andi and Taffy.
Colleen
Thanks for sharing, Colleen! Good way to inspire, good accompanying art, and good beginning to a new year.
I enjoyed your lovely New Year's blog post. Thank you for all the encouragement you've given me and all your students over the years. You've made a difference in many lives.
Thanks, Judy and Sandy . . . as the song says, you two (and others) light up my life.
Colleen
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