Where have I been?

Well! It is a whole year since I did a post on this blog.... had you given up on me? I don’t blame you. Here is another one who started with a bang and then fizzled out, I hear you say to yourself.

But wait. Things are not as they seem. In fact, far from fizzling out, there has been a lot of activity going on; only it was not in the public eye. You see, when I went back to reading the very first post on this blog, I was amazed at how God can bring up long buried dreams and make them come true in his good time!

No, I have certainly not fizzled out. In fact, today I can call myself a professional writer with a good rating, 100% recommendations and positive reviews from my clients. The reason I have not been updating this blog is because I have been writing for others – and getting paid for it! At the moment I'm enjoying a break from professional writing, having just completed a ghostwriting project for an eBook. “Enjoying” may not be the right word here - I have got so addicted to writing that between jobs I’m restless and take up personal projects like translating my grandmother’s poems.

And how did all this come about? I found out that in every adversity there is a seed of future blessing. I discovered that the promise in the Bible is true, that when we go through difficult times, God provides a way out, so that we can bear up under it.

My husband and I are no strangers to adversity. In fact, people who know us well have often wondered why we seem to have more than our fair share of misfortunes and difficulties. But who is to say what constitutes a “fair share”? We have stopped questioning now and learned to appreciate every good thing that happens. We have developed a habit of counting our blessings, going through trials without complaining and trusting God for the outcome. But to come back to the point.

For the past four years I have been looking after old and sick parents. Frequent hospitalizations, doctor’s visits and anxious times along with a severely curtailed social life and difficulties with the support system had worn me down. This was compounded by no opportunities for getting away even for a short while to recharge my systems. My father passed away at the age of 90 in April 2012, leaving behind my mother, who is bedridden, silent and often unresponsive. I needed some form of activity that would be a pleasant distraction to keep me from sinking into depression, but going to work was not an option.

Finally, I decided to write a blog to at least do something creative and enjoyable while staying home. At some point, I learned about a freelance site where I could find writing jobs and registered myself in their “Writing and Translation” category. All I had to put on my portfolio were a few articles I had written and my blog posts. I got my first job after I had almost given up, from a client in Australia who had liked one of my posts. The payment was prompt and she left me a 5 star feedback. That was enough to motivate me to try again and soon I was writing for more clients – translation, editing and formatting a book of poems, a meal-plan for a special diet, a Bible-based story, a lesson plan on a gluten free lifestyle, an anti-cancer diet plan and finally, ghostwriting an eBook on Natural cures for cancer!

Last week I had to take my laptop for repairs and was told I would need to come back for it in three days. “Oh, please, couldn’t you give it to me faster? I have deadlines to meet. All my work is on this laptop!” I exclaimed. The technician promised to try. As I was leaving, the receptionist asked me what I did for a living. “I’m a writer,” I told her. She looked impressed. I walked out  with a spring in my step.

So, as I was saying earlier, a couple of days ago I was re-reading the old posts on my blog. I was amazed to find that a childhood dream, buried for four decades, that I had dared to dig up and look in the face a year ago had already come true within a few short months!

Finally, the “someday” had turned into “Today”!