She Speaks: Why I Write

Once upon a time, there was a young girl who loved to write stories of sweeping romance and hard-fought love. One day the girl’s Daddy watched her writing furiously with her brow furrowed and her lip bit. He asked her,

“Whatcha writin’, baby?”

She didn’t look up as she told him dreamy words of far off people in far off places.

He patted her back and told her gently,

“You know, a lot of good writers write what they know.”

She waved her hand flippantly to his advice but she never forgot his words.

He was right. Again.

I grew from a girl to a woman and fell hard for an Air Force man who took me across this country, even if from time to time the country took him away from me. Through our marriage of 15 years-and-going I’ve learned much about hard-fought love. Still, I have lots more to learn.

Just like writing…I have learned much but still have much to learn. This is where She Speaks comes in.

I write what I know. I write of the one man I love and motherhood and our crazy Air Force life. I write about falling hard and failing often in the midst of it all but oh, how His grace and unlimited do-overs save me.

How Jesus can save us all.

She Speaks would be an avenue for me to write what I know better. Or better write what I know. Or know what I want to write better.

Ah, heck. You get the idea.

What is She Speaks? It is a conference hosted by Lysa TerKeurst (author of Becoming More than a Good Bible Study Girl and Made to Crave among other books) and her Proverbs 31 Ministries. The conference provides workshops and professional guidance for 3 different ministry paths: General Women’s Ministry, Speaking, and Writing. It is my dream to attend the writing track.

The only problem? Braces. And braces. And a set of expanders (top and bottom, thank you very much). Since we must fund the orthodontists’ next trip(s) to Hawaii, I must look towards scholarship money in order to attend this conference.

In all seriousness, braces are just the tip of the iceberg. God has provided for us above and beyond our needs, but life is expensive. With all our Dave Ramsey frugal lifestyle habits, things still happen and houses don’t sell and cars break down and poor dental genes need fixing. So, each dollar has a priority.

Still, I know God has placed a desire and a love of writing on my heart. So, I do it for Him, for me and for them-my family. I just process life better when I spill my heart into words. This makes me a better daughter, wife and mama. Attending She Speaks would show me how to do this kicked up a notch or twenty.

And if I can encourage and build up other wives and mamas along the way? Bonus. But I am content if the only writing I do is right here or the only mentoring I give is to my sons’ 5^th grade writing class.

I will bloom where I’m planted and do all I can do with what He’s given me…be it here, there, or anywhere.

Thank you, United States Air Force, for helping me learn that one.

Thank you, Heavenly Daddy, for helping me remember it.

Want to try for a She Speaks scholarship yourself? Click here for the details and enter!

His work-in-progress,