(38 of 40) What We Hold Sacred

I started my 40 days of blogging as a gift to my students (and Margaret, too) in the Writing and Spirituality class. Right now I'm trying to write a wrap-up email to them, and really stalling on it. Too busy? Uninspired? Then I found this passage in my morning's reading:

"...excellence in writing isn't only about voice and style. It is also about finding the truest parts of ourselves and having the moral strength never to waver from what we hold sacred." (Jill Jepson)
  • It's hard to write the wrap-up email because I hate to wrap up this class. I want to keep it.
  • It's hard to write the wrap-up email because I worry that I haven't done enough yet. I want to do more.
  • It's hard to write the wrap-up email because I'm not good at transitions. It's all part of my larger "stuckness" that this class addressed and that I'm still addressing.
  • I'm pretty sure that I learned more from them than they learned from me
  • It's hard to write the wrap-up email because it makes me too sad.
On the other hand, I wonder if I could take my own advice and focus on the positive aspects of each item on this list:
  • I don't have to wrap-up the friendships I formed in this class. I can keep them.
  • I have done enough for now.
  • I move through transitions -- acknowleged and unacknowledged -- all the time. I've certainly practiced them long enough to be great at them.
  • It's such a cool thing that I learned so much!
  • Thinking about this class makes me really happy. I hope Margaret and I can teach it again.
This feels like a first draft, doesn't it?

Comments

  1. I am sad that I missed taking the class. I have truly enjoyed and been motivated by these posts. I hope you find the time to continue posting. I suffer from a lack of focus, procrastination, laziness, and time mismanagement. But every now and then I make progress.

    I really like what you said about rewriting. I am totally okay with rewriting. Although, I find it difficult to analyze and critique my work. I think I need to develop a list of questions to ask myself when I write and when I review: questions like voice, point of view/perspective, subject/verb agreement, use of clear descriptive adjectives, etc.

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  2. Lori, I think we land where we need to. It's as if the soul knows when and where we need a gentle push, or a big shove. I'm very impressed with your Iraq pieces. Keep going!!!!

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