Writing Ramblings

Alright, prepare yourselves - this is going to be a random post. 

Normally, when I sit down to write a post, I just start writing whatever I am thinking and then reorganize it after I'm all done.  Thanks to so many English and creative writing classes, writing organized thoughts comes fairly easily to me. 

But today, I am going to just write what is swirling in my mind, (not my brain, worldview people:).

First, I love posting.  I journal anyways and this is just another place to put my thoughts.  Plus, you can put pictures and change the fonts; I mean, how fun is that?  I read Savanna's post on journaling and her introvert perspective on that.  I thought that was really interesting.  For me, as an extrovert, words tend to come out of my mouth whether I want them to or not and journaling is just putting them on paper.  But I agree with her in the fact that writing them done solidifies them.  Forces the person to acknowledge them.  You are now responsible for those words.  I have always found it freeing and reassuring to put down my thoughts, but she made me think about what I do when I write.  In my journal, I put all my opinions in there.  Journals are so much fun to look back on.  What I thought was important when I was nine differed from when I was twelve.  And when I was twelve definitely differs from now.  Reading my journal can be encouraging and convicting.  From one side, I am proud of the maturity I've gained since I was ten.  But at the same time, I miss the carefree, innocent ten-year-old Mary Frances.  Life was so much simpler.  But it's encouraging to see what I've learned.  It's also fun to see what my opinions of people where a couple years ago.  I was so skeptical of one person (who is now my best friend) and wasn't sure what I thought of all her ideas.  But now, as I journal about her, I cannot imagine not having her as a sister in Christ.

I love seeing other people's writing.  I know some say it is easier to organize your thoughts and better articulate what you want to say on paper.  And I agree.  Often, we know what we want to say, but just can't seem to get the words out.  How many times have I walked away from a conversation and an hour later, know exactly what I should have said?  Maybe that is why texting is so popular. 
But I love face to face conversations.  People can't hide behind socially correct words or emoticons.  They can't delete what they intended to say.  You get to know their facial expressions, their tones of voice, and their laughs.  What I find is fun is reading a letter from someone I know and being able to hear their voice reading it.

My favorite relationships are the ones that I trust.  And I trust them because I know them.  Not just their favorite store at the mall.  But their hearts: their fears, their dreams.  Those friendships take time and effort, but they are completely worth it.  My closest friends are willing to share the gritty, ugly reality of a fallen world. 

Writing is a gift.  Some tribes don't even have a written language.  I am grateful that I can use writing to grow closer to people and hopefully, closer to God.