Gathered around the Christmas tree, children wait in anticipation to unwrap their long-awaited surprises. Will they receive the gift they asked for? What sort of things did Santa bring that are above and beyond what they expected?
Growing up, many of my gifts were homemade. From elaborate stables for my and my sister’s model horses that rivaled anything Mattel could have dreamed up to clothing stitched late at night or in secret behind the doors of the room labeled Santa’s Workshop between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
My siblings and I gathered around on Christmas morning knowing that one of each of our gifts under the tree would be something we asked for. The rest were pure joy to discover. My parents were creative and industrious in their efforts to bless us. Although gifts from my grandma had me wondering what she was thinking.
As a parent, I endeavored to come up with gifts that could compete with the empty box. Or that would last past our spring garage sale. Legos seemed to be a winner in that category. We still have most of my son’s collection. The some-assembly-required gift was more valued than one that took no imagination to play with.
The ability to string together words in a form that will keep readers enthralled, coming back for more, is a gift from our Creator. But it’s a some-assembly-required gift.
I have yet to meet a writer who woke up one morning and found that they could create the perfect story with no critiquing, editing, or re-writing. Just send it to the printer as is. Nope. Hasn’t happened. A while back, my husband bought a technical book for work that obviously came from a writer who published with that philosophy. Hubby was thankful the book didn’t cost much.
The greatest gratitude our kids can show for the gifts we give them, is to play with them, care for them, and not cast them to the side. The greatest gratitude we can show our Creator when He has given us the gift of writing is to hone our craft. Take no short cuts even if it takes longer than we like to get our book on the shelf. Be open to critique on our work. Do I dare say it? Be willing to cut those precious words we labored so hard on if it benefits the story. Offer our best work to our readers. Some assembly will be required, but this is one gift that won’t easily be forgotten or laid to the side.
How can you show gratitude for the gift our Creator has blessed you with?
Join Angela on her blog this month for a Christmas blog party with other CrossRiver authors. Click HERE to join the party and enter today’s giveaway! Each author is sharing something Christmassy. There are stories, recipes, memories, giveaways. It will be fun, especially if you join us. And don’t forget to invite your friends!
Angela enjoys a good story, no matter what media or genre. She started writing as a young teenager, pouring out her heart in a journal. She grew from poetry angst to writing inspirational pieces then children’s stories.
Where Healing Starts is Angela’s newest book and is the sequel to Where Hope Starts, her first published novel. She is also a contributor to the devotional compilation by CrossRiver Media, The Benefit Package.
Learn more about Angela and her writing at AngelaDMeyer.com. She is a regular contributor to Wordsowers.com where she blogs about her journey of writing. Join in the conversation with Angela at www.facebook.com/AuthorAngelaDMeyer.
This website uses cookies.