My boss walked over to my desk the other day to find my website open.  We weren’t particularly busy that day, so he didn’t mind me writing at all.  He was simply inquiring as to what the page was that I was on.  I hesitated a moment, then I admitted that it was my website.  Well … mine and Greg’s.  I corrected the words just as they escaped my lips, as Greg writes occasionally, too.  This sparked curiosity in my boss, and he probed a little bit more.  He wanted to know what our website was about and how I got started with it.

I could feel myself tense up a little as I prepared to answer him.

I felt like I was opening myself up and becoming so vulnerable at that very moment in time.

But I sighed to release the anxiety I was creating in myself for fear of his judgement … and I started to explain.

Our website came about several years ago due to Greg encouraging me to write again.  You see, I enjoyed writing poetry and words of love so many years ago that I’ve lost count.  I would pour myself into what I was writing, concerning myself not with whether I was actually any good or not but with simply getting the words out.

Then tragedy struck.

My sister was snatched away from my life in the worst possible way.  My world shattered and crashed around my feet on July 9, 2001.  I lost my best friend.  My lunch companion.  My link to childhood memories.  The one person I felt I could count on in this life.

And I lost a huge piece of myself the day she died.

My desire to write became nonexistent.  No words could be found.  I could barely breathe or go from one minute to the next; writing fell by the wayside.

Until …

Greg offered his assistance in providing this outlet for me.  A form of therapy, if you will, was presented with the ability for me to write out my thoughts and feelings as they came.

All of those thoughts swirled in my head, but instead, I gave the short version answer to my boss …

Light Love Hope was born out of such a heartbreaking situation, in an effort to help … even if it’s just one person.  It’s an outlet for my struggles and my triumphs, but it’s so much more than that.  It’s letting people know that they are not alone.   I write to provide hope to people that are struggling, and I try to encourage.

My boss was surprised, but he was so supportive.  It’s a form of a ministry, in a sense.  And I take great pride in “my baby.”  He actually encouraged me to keep writing!

So … here I am, trying desperately to catch up on the prompt words provided for the Write 31 Day Challenge!   🙂