By Mollie Joy Rushmeyer, @mollierushmeyer
Have you ever read Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Suess? Perhaps you’ve enjoyed this story with your children, grandchildren, or maybe read it yourself as a youngster. It’s a delightful, hopeful book and a favorite to gift as a graduation present. The part that struck me as I grew older and began this winding writer’s path was the “The Waiting Place.” This is the part where the weary yet dream-driven traveler must wait in a room filled with other “waiters”—everyone biding their time, each for something different. And we’re told that along this journey (called life) we will spend much of it waiting.
This imagery resonates with me as a writer. How about you? Am I hearing an, “Amen!” out there?
Like a giant train station, we writers wait for roadblocks to move, doors to open (or close in confirmation), for yes’s or no’s, to hear back from agents, publishers, critique partners, contest judges, etc. We wait for the money and time to attend the writing classes and conferences we need to hone our craft. We wait for children to go to bed so we can squeak a little writing time in before a new day starts again. We wait to hear God’s still small voice, His guidance amid the loudest, harshest critic of all, ourselves. We wait for our social media platforms and newsletter lists to grow, trying to remain faithful even when the results are slow and small. The list could go on.
Something struck me during a recent time of waiting. What if I chose to see this “Waiting Place” as an opportunity instead of an anxiety-inducing burden? What if I looked at this time of in-between as a place to grow? Even though I still very much wanted this answer (and now!), it flipped something inside of my heart.
Suddenly a whole list of ways I could spend this time flooded my brain.
Things to do in the Waiting Room:
- Get together with a writing friend. Commiserate with someone who knows the ups and downs of this writing life. Laugh. Cry. Share chocolate.
- Talk to God. Let Him know your worries, frustrations, hopes. Open your heart to the One who holds you and your future in His capable hands.
- Read the Bible. It goes hand in hand with prayer. It aligns our thoughts with God’s, ushers in peace, and reminds us He will never leave nor forsake us.
- Remember your past waiting rooms. They didn’t last forever and neither will this one.
- Go for a walk. Fresh air, a little vitamin D, and the beauty of creation can go a long way in forming a new perspective.
- Listen to music, something joyful. Dancing optional. ☺
- And just keep writing and learning your craft. Do the thing that started it all. Do what God has called you to do and do it with His joy in your heart.
Blessings to you as you wait.
A collection of lost books holds the clues to her family’s legacy…and her future
Hope Sparrow has mastered the art of outrunning her tragic past. Never stay anywhere too long, never allow anyone control over her life again. Coming to Wanishin Falls in search of her family’s history already feels too risky. But somewhere in the towering stacks of this dusty old bookshop are the books that hold Hope’s last ties to her late mother—and to a rumored family treasure that could help her start over.
Only, the bookshop is in shambles, and the elderly owner is in the beginning stages of dementia and can’t remember where the books lie. To find the last links to the loved ones she lost, Hope must stay and painstakingly search the stacks for the treasured volumes. Each secret she uncovers brings her closer to understanding where she came from. But the longer she stays in the quaint town, the more people find their way into the cracks in her heart. And letting them in may be the greatest risk of all.
Mollie Joy Rushmeyer writes “Contemporary Fiction with a Heart for History.” What does this mean exactly? She loves to write inspirational fiction in contemporary settings with fascinating historical elements, people, objects, and stories woven throughout. A modern girl herself, she wouldn’t want to go a day without modern plumbing. But she’s always felt a special connection to the past. The legacies and lives left behind are like gifts waiting to be unwrapped, and shares this blend of history and contemporary living with readers.
A born and bred Midwestern gal, Mollie, makes her home in Minnesota with her husband and two spunky daughters. She is not only a bibliophile (the dustier the better, in her opinion), she’s a true anglophile at heart. Tea and coffee fuel her travels, by Google maps at least, and her passion for the written word.
Her debut novel with Love Inspired Trade/Harlequin will release October 25th, 2022.
She’d love to connect through social media: Facebook and Instagram
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