Hello Readers!
Last week I had the
opportunity to sit down beside with my dear fiend Steve Wiens to record an interview on his
podcast This Good Word. Every week Steve chooses one word to discuss,
and the word we talked about together was “hero.” Steve has told me on several occasions that I
am one of his heroes, but the really sweet thing is that the feeling is mutual!
Steve has cheered my life on since we meet in 2009. He is extremely gifted, and has generously shared
those gifts with me. He has encouraged
my writing from the first keystrokes of Walking
with Tension to its publication, nearly four and half years later!
Steve has many great qualities: He runs marathons; he has written a book
called Beginnings coming out January 1st, and
preaches thoughtful sermons where he pastors at Genesis Covenant Church. All these things are terrific, but my
favorite thing about Steve is that he is my friend. He has taken a genuine interest in my life
and I am grateful. We all need someone
like that.
I hope you have time in your schedule to listen our
conversation recorded below. It’s honest
and unedited. We talk about friendship,
writing, cerebral palsy, and, of course, heroes.
At the end of this post, I’ve included three ways
I have used in the past to honor people I love.
Maybe during this month of thanks and giving, you’d like to try one of
them out.
Cheers!
Jenny
Three ways to honor those we love:
Write a letter or a
poem. There’s something really
impactful for both the writer and the reader to take the time to thoughtfully
name the ways in which a person has impacted your life. If life allows, sit down with the person over coffee
or a meal and read it aloud. Give them a
copy to keep. It will be a gift to both
of you.
Send Thank You Notes
in November instead of Christmas Cards in December. Make a list of 40 people who have given to
you this year. It could be something
momentary like an encouraging word something enduring like years of
friendship. Whatever it is, write it
down along with the reason it impacted you and mail it out this month. It’s a great way to reflect on your year with
gratitude and a unique piece of mail to receive.
Host an honor night. Get together with your closest friends and
schedule a night for each of you.
Whoever hosts makes their favorite meal for everyone to enjoy and is the
one being honored that evening. Following dinner, the guests focus their
conversation on the host and present the honoree with gifts representing their
friendship. Be creative! It could be a letter, artwork, video, prayers,
or something else. Each person gets a turn to honor their friend with words and
memories, affirming the good gifts God has placed in their life and naming how
their friendship has made an impact. It
might be your most favorite thing you’ve ever done with your friends or small
group and a great way to practice seeing the beauty in each other.
No comments:
Post a Comment