Welcome to another Grateful Heart Monday, where gratitude is the sole expression to start each of my week’s off in writing, which for today is for beginning something I’ve been avoiding for the better part of a decade now, that can only be credited to someone close to me that’s a rather new addition to my life who’s inspired me to overcome a fear I’ve placed in front of this massive task for a very long time, and that’s to start writing a book about all of my life’s experiences.
I’ve lost track of the number of times ever since I began doing motivational speaking in 2007 where people have told me I need to write a book all that I’ve been through. While I know I’ve been writing about my life in this blog, my truth is that the excerpts I place in here are simply that, they’re snippets. Even with the almost 10 years deep now I’ve been maintaining this blog and writing one unique expression of my life after another, I’ve never told ALL the stories of my life and shared ALL the pain I’ve endured.
Some of my stories are ones I just can’t seem to express. Some are just too painful. The life I’ve lived often feels far too painful to share to the whole as a while. But enter someone ironically enough named Andy, a guy who found a way to inspire me to become more than I’ve been by giving me the challenge to write one chapter to the next from my earliest memories on forward, and then sharing it line by line and chapter by chapter, reading it all to him.
At first, I balked at the assignment and made all the excuses I have before. I told him I’m not ready and said I’m still waiting on God for a sign to start. But I don’t like fear controlling me nor do I like when darkness of this world starts trying creep back in to a facet or crevice within my life, so I agreed one day recently to start the task, and presently I’m nine full chapters in.
It’s been a challenge that’s for sure, as many of the words I’ve written thus far I’ve never told a soul. Not one therapist, not one partner, and not anyone for that matter. I’m finally getting it all down, words that come from my heart of hearts, and ones that aren’t easy to tell.
So, on this Grateful Heart Monday, on this very day, I’m thankful for a guy named Andy who inspired me to be more to write something I’ve been avoiding for far too long, one that I know in the long run is exactly what I know God would have me do, one that one day will be shared with all of you too.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
