EVERYONE HAS A STORY!

BY:  Linda Law

For several years I had kept notes of different events in my own life; although not necessarily a journal or organized in any particular way.  Usually the notes would be written by hand in notebooks, and at times it would be weeks or months in between logging in.  Once the computer era was settled in, I began to use the notebook software regularly.  The problem at times with these methods, is that when I would read my notes, they didn't always make sense, or the actual memory of the event didn't click as I had hoped it would when I wrote it in the begining.onde

Having a career and raising a family doesn't leave much time for writing, so I didn't keep as many notes as I had hoped.  After retirement, time was plentiful, and that is when I knew that this was my time to fulfill my dreams of being a writer....a published author.

As I began to compile my notes for the book I planned to write, people would ask me what the subject was going to be, and I'd say, "I'm writing about true stories that I believe are small miracles through Divine Intervention."  Those were magical words, because each person would say, "Well, I have a story to tell you!"  I would listen, or sometimes simply give them my card or email address and suggest they write me and I would see if I could use it at some future point.

In time the stories began to come in trickles, usually sent by email.  The trickle grew into a slow stream, then the pond began to fill with so many wonderful true adventures in the lives of ordinary people.  The exciting part to me was that people described these interventions as extraordinary visits in their lives.  Thus, my first book, EXTRAORDINARY VISITS, Miracles Through Divine Intervention was no longer a book of my own experiences, but now it was a compilation of the positive events in the lives of others.  

One of the most interesting things that I learned through this writing exercise is that although my own experiences were special to me, I believed that God had given me a larger vision of what He wanted me to do with this information.  The book was no longer about ME, it was about faith, hope and believing that there is a higher power, be it Angels, and/or messengers sent to assist us in achieving positive resolution to difficult times in our lives.

The stories continue to come in, and it has been almost four years since I began this particular project.  Stories from all over the world, including South Africa, Italy, Israel, Norway, Germany, Australia, British Columbia, Mexico, Turkey, Europe, Canada, and The United States.  It is amazing how stories shared have a common thread regardless of where it originates.  We are all the same when it comes to negative or difficult times in life, and the struggles may be unique, yet resolution comes in many ways; often spectacular or in the most simple manner.  A visit of Divine Intervention is a miracle, no matter who receives it, or where the visit occurs.

THE VISITORS, ANGELS IN OUR MIDST, is the second book in this series, as the stories are too important, and too inspirational not to be shared.  In this book I chose to include poetry for the first time.  Many of my fellow writers; people who have tremendous talent and are my peers in this field were kind enough to share some of their beautiful pieces for this book. It was during this time that I realized that I had begun to write poems that were reviewed in positive ways, and I knew that I wanted to share some of those pieces with my readers as well.  Sometimes we find that we have hidden talent, and unless we give something a try, we may never know that we can actually touch the lives of others in positive ways.

The third book in this series is almost complete, and it will include many of the stories that I collected over the past.  It is my hope that these books will continue to bring hope and lift spirits when times are not so good.  The stories are written simply and it is not difficult to read the book in its entirety, or enjoy it one story at a time.  These books are written in such a way that the stories will continue to remind you that life can be difficult, but there is always hope if you choose to believe and trust.  Many of my readers have shared that they enjoy keeping these books near their bedside so they can read various stories more than once.  As a writer, this gives me such joy, and helps me to understand why God gave me a different direction than I had originally planned when writing my first book. 

Basically, I learned that this work is not about ME...it is about YOU...and it is about Faith, Trust, and Hope.  You must believe in you and your own higher power.  Share your story with others, and even if you never actually write a book, or get published, you will be amazed at how your personal story can change the life of another in a more positive way. 

Yes, you do have a story to tell, and never let anyone discourage you from writing it down. You don't have to be an accomplished writer, so just write it in your own words, in your own way, and tell is as you remember it.  Often simply writing it down can be healing, as we purge hurts, pain, sorrows, and often joy and beautiful times.  Sharing will also allow you to plant a seed of hope in the life of someone else....Believe in yourself, and take that first step....WRITE, and tell your story. 

Remember that miracles, are not judged by size or lack of size...each has its own merit and value.  Another positive in keeping a journal or notes of true stories from your life will be a record of history for your own family....your children, your grandchildren and future generations.  How many times have you heard someone say?  "My dad or mom never talked about his/her childhood...so I know little to nothing about how they met or about their parents, etc."  Too often some of us cannot express ourselves, for whatever reason, therefore writing in private, can be an outlet that is easy and convenient for us.  

Take advantage of the time you have, and go for it! You may never become rich or famous with your writing, but you may become more special than you already are....to those who care about you and want to know about the person they love.

Linda Law