Ah words…I love words. In August, I wrote a post called “Sounds+Words,” which detailed my love of music. Now, I will write about my love of words through writing. I’ve been writing since I was a little nugget. I’m not a nugget anymore, but I still love writing, reading, and thinking about words in my head.

One of my best childhood memories is of my dad and I at the Worcester Public Library. I remember the old Worcester Public Library before it was remodeled. The library had this old-fashioned look, but it was one of my favorite places. My dad and I would look for books to borrow. I would spend a long time in the stacks of the Children’s Room and grab a stack of books to borrow. I was fascinated by all kinds of books, especially biographies and autobiographies.

In elementary school, I spent several outside recesses, reading books and writing. I was shy and I did not have any friends. My best friend moved to another school when I was in the 3rd grade, so I spent a lot of time by myself.  I was teased by the other kids as well. Even though I did not have those human friendships, I had words. I could fall into imaginary worlds and learn about historical figures in books. I could write poems and stories. Words were my expression!

As I continued to grow, I wrote constantly. Some folks might remember the “books” that I wrote in spiraled notebooks. I took all of the fictional stories that were swirling in my head and jotted them down on paper. And folks loved my words. My friends read my “books,” and I even performed my poems at school shows

In college, my friendship with words became strained. I still wrote poetry, but I began to compare myself to others. I felt that I was not a stellar writer, and I wanted to write better. I felt that my poetry could not compare to the spoken word pieces that other students wrote. I can admit that I felt jealous, and I did not take care of the gift that God gave me.

I believe that God has given each of us a gift or talent. Indeed, you are probably saying that you do not have a gift, but you do. If there is something that you do well, it is probably your gift. I do not always take care of my gift of writing like I should, but I feel that it is the gift that God has given me.

Sometimes, I do get caught up in the competition. I think, “Why can’t I be a singer?” I have numerous friends who are wonderful singers. Singing is their gift. I can get into the mindset of wanting the gift to sing or to belt out tunes. When I make this wish, I am pushing my friendship with words away. I am not cherishing the gift that God has instilled in me.  I need to hold onto my gift, as God gave it to me to hold onto and to grow. Like a plant needs a water, a writer needs to write.

I have decided to keep the writing going through blogging. I have not written a poem or a short story in a while, but I know the words are sitting in my head.

-Blessings y’all!