Sunday, June 23, 2013

one thing // i want to see

{photo taken by rachel lee
property of dramaticelegance}
{over the next several weeks, maybe even months, i will be writing here and there from elora's thirty days of prompts. this is something that i have never done before, something raw and fresh and gorgeous and potentially painful. so please, be gentle with me}

sometimes i wonder if i ever have a one thing. all my life, i've been the she of a million hats, that girl that does it all. i raised my hand more than it sat on my hip, ever since i knew how.

i've been working, plowing a strange sort of furrow on the ground and dropping a handful of seeds in the dirt. and they grew, up like fingers reaching toward heaven. 

and then as all my things grew up twisted and tangled and strangely beautiful but all too close together, i sat and sighed. because it was beautiful and perfect, but it felt foreign. like something you go and look at that another has done, without the personal connection.

and again, i whispered,
// do i even have a one thing?

and then i find myself in the darkness under the light of the beaming supermoon, and the lyrics flow in: now you do, now you do.and i start to realize that maybe i do have a one thing. a trend that has followed me all my life. 

:: words. 

and i think i know what i'm doing, some of the time. and then something inside me slips, a cog tripping out of line, and i start with the assumption that actually i have no idea. and then i get scared and scarred and i pick up my skirts and i run away, because shadows whisper too much of the unknown. 

and this thing of the unknown is unsure and viciously uncomfortable. and i told a friend, the kind of friend that grips your heart and gathers close to your soul, that it was an awful gorgeousness, and she felt it because it's true. 

i want to be Lucy, brave Lioness steeped in renewal. but then, i find a mirror and i choke. 

{via pinterest}
i'm Edmud. ugly, traitor, viciously sucked in by tempting sweets laced with poison lies until i am pale and and empty. i'm Eustace, trapped and afraid, clawing at myself because i cannot get free of this scale-wrapped fear prison...the one that holds the words back. 

and all i can manage is a cry, one so much less than a roar and more of a squeak from a mouse who forgot what it was like to have a tail after all. 

if You are willing, i want to see.

and He finds me there at the pool alone and touches my cheek and murmurs my name in the light of dawn, His love roaring like a Lamb. 

dearest daughter, 
I AM willing. 

and i can see. laid before me like a banquet of starlight from His secret garden, i can see my one thing.  

:: words. 
messy, aching, beautiful words. 

10 comments:

  1. messy aching beautiful words...smiles...they are the essence of creation...the word spoken in the beginning and the power given us to name...and to speak life into others...and sometimes death, sadly...words are a huge part of life...as is the discipline in learning how to use them...

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  2. That was beautifully written. I'm eager to see what else you come up with for the prompts!

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  3. Dear Rachael
    There, at the end of ourselves and looking to the uncertain future everyday, is a scary, very uncomfortable place to be. But, and this is a big but, when we look to Jesus, the only sure security, we find this a gorgeous place to be!
    Much love XX
    Mia

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  4. Yes to words and recognizing the calling, that thing that makes your heart sing. I'm hearing Elora's name around the blogosphere, seems she is having an impact on lots of writers.

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  5. Beautiful! Stopping in from SDG, Blessings on your day!

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  6. Oh you are so not the only one who has worn a million hats and wondered if there would ever be a one thing. These words today were beautiful. Well done. Keep pursuing your passion!

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  7. Beautiful words. Discovered you on The Extraordinary Ordinary -- so glad you found your words. You string them together in magical fashion.

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  8. i'm always so enamoured with your gift of words when i read your thoughts. in this one i see so much of myself and i am blessed by the kindredness of your experiences. i'm thankful the Lion knows what to do with the likes of us;)

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  9. I congratulate you on writing these words and accepting the challenge to keep writing them. It's obvious that your words are heart-felt and rich with meaning.

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  10. Wonderful post. I can relate! I've never been able to settle on one thing for my life either.

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I look at you and see all the ways a soul can bruise, and I wish I could sink my hands into your flesh and light lanterns along your spine so you know there's nothing but light when I see you. :: Shinji Moon