Unlikely Gifts

Sometimes we get gifts that take us a while to figure out that they really are gifts. As a writer, those gifts may be something as simple as an interruption in our writing time to minister to a friend in need or as heavy as a rejection from someone that God knows would not be the right fit.

Once I purchased a laptop and started writing at different locations, little gifts from God seemed to appear everywhere.

Many times, I sit on my back porch to write. It offers a great view and the perfect landscape for those little gifts. A furry bunny. A family of deer. A red fox. Numerous birds. Especially hummingbirds. Often, because I’m fond of Coffee Mate’s Crème Bruleé creamer in my coffee, I’ve had the little feathered kamikazes dangerously close. So close, I've felt the breeze of their wings on my face.

At the park, the giggles of a brother and sister playing on the swings.

At a coffee shop, the gesture of a stranger that perfectly matches the personality of my main character.

At a restaurant, the background music that sets the tone for a difficult scene.

In the den next to the fireplace on a cold, winter morning when sleep is interrupted by the voices that demand their stories be told. In the still quiet morning, the words flow. No restrictions.

Have you received a gift from God while you were writing? If so, please share.

Sometimes it’s in appreciating the little things that keep the big things from overwhelming us.