It's a warm breezy late afternoon in Seattle and I just got up from a nap. There has been a lot going on lately which has taken some patience and humility to handle. I hope I'm getting better at dealing with these things by now, because this seems to be my plight. At least for now. I know amazing things lie before me, yet I eagerly await for their arrival.
I've noticed lately that I have been very tired. Dealing with so much can really wear a person down. But at the same time, I'm starting to feel really energized. I feel like I have left so much of the negative behind, even though I experienced a lot of good through those things as well... Hm. Weird, huh? Well, despite that, I know I'm going the right direction, still on this journey called life, still working toward my dream...
So, before I moved to Berlin two years ago, I was working hard on my dining room and kitchen renovation, selling stuff and getting ready to go. My dream was to go to Germany and God blessed it far beyond my wildest dreams. My dream is the same, but I'm realizing that my motivation is not there right now. The dream has never changed. Only my circumstances have. I've learned a ton, and God is working powerfully on my heart. So there is still GREAT hope.
So, back to motivation.... Whenever I think of my friends in Berlin, my experiences there, the city itself, etc., I always smile. I miss all of them with all my heart. Sometimes I just come home from work and sit in front of my computer and "veg" out. Which is okay to do sometimes. I've decided that I am going to put up pictures of all my friends around my desk, pictures of the city and the places I've been there, to motivate me to write. Write so that I can return to the place that God has placed next to him, deep in my heart. It will be a motivational collage, to remind me that my dream is worth fighting for, THEY are worth it, and God most certainly is worth it. I can't wait to get these up on my wall to see every day. To make me smile, and to remind me of the incredible beauty of this dream God has given me.
I'm also very excited for some time off. It's been since December that I have had more than 3 days off in a row to enjoy some "me" time. Starting Saturday, I have SIX glorious days off in a row, which I am hoping to fill up with some northwest beauty... I absolutely cannot wait!!! It will likely be a staycation, but I would like to go to a beach for the day or something...
There's a lot more to say, but I'll leave it there for now. I'm trying to spend less time online and more time doing things that will help my dream come to fruition sooner than later. So, thanks for checking in on me and I hope to update again sometime in the next couple weeks!
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Friday, August 7, 2015
Follow Up
First of all, let me apologize for the delay in getting back with you regarding my conversation with the publisher. The last couple weeks have been busy as I have been dealing with some "big" stuff and am just starting to get my mind back a little...
So I won't keep you in suspense any longer. I was most encouraged to hear a publisher who has been working in the industry for 38 years tell me that what I have submitted to him looked "very good". For a novice, that meant a lot to me. I'm not sure if he was addressing writing style or content, but encouraging nonetheless...
They were unfortunately not in a position to publish me for a number of reasons, which I completely understood. Hopefully they'll do my second book.... hehehehe...
He also gave me some tips about self-publishing which took a bit of the my fear of that unknown out of the picture. And they said they might be able to help with some other things as well, but at this point I will continue to plod along as I have so far, changing course only slightly to look into the self-publishing world.
On a side note, I have had to make some tough decisions lately to cut some people out of my life that are not helping me in the course I have chosen for this time in my life. I did not make these choices lightly and it was very difficult to have some of these conversations. It was very hard, tears were shed, but ultimately I have to move forward. The tough thing is that I really love people and it's incredibly painful to say good-bye...
That being said, it's late and I do need to head to bed. I hope everyone is healthy, happy and encouraged. Thanks for checking in on me. Please pray for me to be able to write. I have to be in the right mood to do any kind of writing and I've been having a very difficult time sitting down to do that. My schedule at work has also been very challenging to that end. I don't have a lot of time and I'm not sure how to deal with that. Prayers, good thoughts and vibes would be much appreciated.
Much love from Seattle. Tim.
So I won't keep you in suspense any longer. I was most encouraged to hear a publisher who has been working in the industry for 38 years tell me that what I have submitted to him looked "very good". For a novice, that meant a lot to me. I'm not sure if he was addressing writing style or content, but encouraging nonetheless...
They were unfortunately not in a position to publish me for a number of reasons, which I completely understood. Hopefully they'll do my second book.... hehehehe...
He also gave me some tips about self-publishing which took a bit of the my fear of that unknown out of the picture. And they said they might be able to help with some other things as well, but at this point I will continue to plod along as I have so far, changing course only slightly to look into the self-publishing world.
On a side note, I have had to make some tough decisions lately to cut some people out of my life that are not helping me in the course I have chosen for this time in my life. I did not make these choices lightly and it was very difficult to have some of these conversations. It was very hard, tears were shed, but ultimately I have to move forward. The tough thing is that I really love people and it's incredibly painful to say good-bye...
That being said, it's late and I do need to head to bed. I hope everyone is healthy, happy and encouraged. Thanks for checking in on me. Please pray for me to be able to write. I have to be in the right mood to do any kind of writing and I've been having a very difficult time sitting down to do that. My schedule at work has also been very challenging to that end. I don't have a lot of time and I'm not sure how to deal with that. Prayers, good thoughts and vibes would be much appreciated.
Much love from Seattle. Tim.