Waiting for the Rain

During the weekly sermon at my church, the pastor shared a clip from the movie, Facing the Giants. It has been a while since I’ve seen the movie, but in this scene, I know the coach is struggling with a huge challenge, and the answer comes to him through a message delivered by the school janitor, Mr. Bridges.  The script reads something like this;

Mr. Bridges: “I heard a story about two farmers who desperately needed rain. And both of them prayed for rain. But only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it. Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?”

Coach Taylor: The one who prepared his fields for it.”

Mr. Bridges: “Which one are you? God will send the rain when He’s ready. And you need to prepare your field to receive it.”

As writers, we all struggle with trying to balance whatever else is going on in our lives and making the time to write. I stepped away from the leadership role of Claire’s Day, the free family book festival I founded in honor of my daughter, TO WRITE.  And that I have, completing the first and second draft of my memoir, as a result of taking a Creative Autobiography course taught by Melissa Gleckler, my amazing advisor.  Thanks to a novel writing course, I’m working on a story based on a mission trip I took with my son’s youth group several years ago.

But, I find that writing is taking a back seat to my course work and to other life obligations.  My days involve reading the latest novel assigned in the writing course, extensive reading and studying for course on nonprofit marketing, and of all things, the challenges of a math for liberal arts class that I am required to take due to the core requirements. I’m not certain why it is imperative that I revisit quadratic formulas and learn to use a scientific calculator at my age, but so be it.

Completing my undergraduate opens the door to the possibility of further study, but first I think I need to get back to what I’ve always wanted to do.

I will write. After graduation this Spring I will spend my days writing and hopefully something will come of it.  Perhaps my memoir, my reflection of my grief journey and moving forward in life joyfully with my husband and two other children will get published.  Or, maybe the story I’m writing now will resonate with an agent.  Or any of the other children’s stories I’ve written that I have not submitted nearly often enough.

I will get my derriere in my chair and write.  I will write stories.  I will write book proposals and business plans and submit.  And then I will cross my fingers, and once the rejection letters come, I will allow myself to be sad.  Then I’ll start all over again.  And again. 

My field is going to be prepared.  The rain can’t come soon enough.

www.clairesday.org 

www.julierubini.com

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