If our pain doesn’t destroy us, it might just transform us into truly human beings at last.

– Frederick Buechner

I’m not very good at finishing books. I’d say that I’m halfway through 4 or 5 at the moment; maybe more. One in particular, A Crazy, Holy Grace: The Healing Power of Pain and Memory, by Frederick Buechner, has been on my mind quite a bit this past week.

In the part I’ve been thinking about, Buechner writes about what we do with the hand we’re dealt in life. He shares his ideas about sloth as “not really making use of what happens to you,” and “burying what you might have made something out of.” In other words, do you slip what you’ve been though under the rug, and carry on as if nothing ever happened to you? Or do you take that experience and make something meaningful out of it?

First of all, I always thought that sloth was just sheer laziness; lounging around and enjoying leisure time (kind of like the sloth pictured here).

It was comforting to see sloth the way that Buechner does, especially now that I REALLY have time to lounge around (kind of like that sloth pictured there). And aren’t we all trying to make the most of what we’ve been dealt right now—even if that means accepting the simple fact that we have some extra leisure time right now?

I know this is a strange story, and you probably wonder what the point of it is anyway… but what I’m getting at is that the story made me thankful for WRITERS; People like Buechner that spill it all out on the page and let the rest of us try to make sense of it all.

Novelists, journalists, bloggers, poets (to name a few)… we’re all doing it. Scribbling down our thoughts and sending them out into the world. Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable; trying to make a difference; using our experiences to encourage others; sharing the talents we’ve been given; even adding some whimsy and lighthearted humor to help cheer others up. That’s what it’s all about!

So yes… yes indeed. Today I am thankful for writers.

God bless you everyone… Thank you for reading, and Write on!

—Janet

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This is the first in my newest series during the social distancing rule here in the States: A Daily Gratitude.