  Spiritual
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Do you enjoy a good read? Do you enjoy sharing your tales with the world? This week's Spiritual Newsletter is all about stories...
kittiara |
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In this newsletter, I would like to talk about stories. It is perhaps safe to assume that the majority of people on this site enjoy a good read. This probably is not the case for everyone – I know a few writers who simply pick up their pen when inspiration strikes, or use the written word as a therapeutic release. One of them, an excellent author, has only finished reading one novel in his 37 years on this planet. Still, on the whole, I feel that writing and reading pretty much go hand in hand.
I’m an avid reader. I don’t know how many books I’ve gone through in my life, or how many words I’ve read and pondered about, but I reckon the answer would be “a lot”. This is partly to do with my being an only child until the age of 15, when my sister was born. The first years of my life were spent in a busy neighbourhood, with a lot of traffic, so playing outside was not usually an option. After a few years of living there, we moved to a different neighbourhood. Unfortunately, there weren’t many children my age there, and the kids at my school all lived out of the area. Books were my friends after school hours.
Before I could pick up a book myself, my mother and grandmother used to read to me. I still have fond memories of these times spent together, travelling to different worlds through the stories they shared with me. Books could carry me out of city life, to places filled with wonder and adventure. I guess, even then, I was hooked. As soon as I learned to write, I started to create my own “novels” to share with my family. I’m sure they were overjoyed with my efforts. My mother still has a couple of them, and isn’t afraid to drag them out when I visit, much to my embarrassment.
These childish attempts at sharing my imagination with others do go to show that reading can inspire creativity. If it weren’t for my love of stories, I doubt I would have embraced the idea of different worlds, different realities, or the lives of all those characters whom I’ve “met” along the way. I wouldn’t have known how the fate of these characters can make the reader laugh, or cry, or think, and I wouldn’t have had the urge to create a similar experience for my own readers.
Reading can be as much of a release as writing, at least for me. There have been times when I was stressed, and picking up a Terry Pratchett novel cured me within the first few pages – his words tend to make me giggle, whether I like it or not. At other times, stories about courage and determination have inspired me to do better with my life, and reinforced the will to never, ever give up.
I think that the need for stories, whether for sharing experiences or sharing one’s imagination through “make believe” is part of human nature. All throughout history, stories have been alive, and people have given in to the urge to write, to study the words of others, or to gather around and enjoy the old art of story telling. Some stories have lasted through the ages, and still appeal to generation after generation. Stories can teach, stories can touch, stories can heal, and stories can broaden the mind and enrich the spirit.
This day and age, with thousands of television channels available at the touch of a remote control button, and film producers offering us one production after another, it’s sometimes easier to just stare at a screen rather than pick up a book. I like movies. Movies can provide me with a similar experience to a good novel, even though the experience is packed into the space of two to three hours. Movies are a great way of sharing stories, and with it being a visual representation of the author’s mind, it means less work for me. I don’t have to imagine the visuals of the tale.
Still, there’s something about picking up a book and curling up into bed with it before I go to sleep. There’s something about touching the pages, and seeing how many I still have left to enjoy, and knowing I have hours of adventure with beloved characters ahead of me. Often I prefer picturing those characters in my mind, and they don’t look anything like Brad Pitt or Catherine Zeta Jones – they are all unique. I like to create the author’s world in my imagination, and I love revisiting whenever I feel like it.
If you have some time to spare, why not have a good read? Pick up a novel, or browse through the works of the many excellent authors on this site. You’ll no doubt be enriched, and perhaps even be inspired. If you are, please do share… as I’ve said, there’s nothing like a good story!
kittiara
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A short poem of encouragement - Be inspired then pass it on.
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And, in case you need something to spark the imagination:
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The Spiritual Newsletter Team welcomes any and all feedback, thoughts, questions and suggestions, so please don't hesitate to contact us  .
Kaya  - I have a very healthy respect for stinging insects of any kind.  I'll run a mile out of my way to avoid them. On the other hand, I have a Koi pond with Koi, bullfrogs, snail, clams and other assorted critters. I find myself saying my most heartfelt and reverent prayers out by that pond. It's so much easier for me to feel connected to God when I'm not boxed in the house. Great newsletter.
Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the newsletter. I feel the same way - nature makes me feel in touch with God, and the world around me. It's inspiring, and makes me feel refreshed, mentally and physically.
~~~
faithjourney - You're right that most people don't care for insects. I've found that my tolerance for "critters" has grown since I moved to the woods a year ago. It's amazed me that things I used to fear or shy away from (bugs, etc) don't bother me anymore. I guess I've come to appreciate God's world, nature, and the circle of life now that I'm so much closer to it. But the exterminator still comes every three months to make sure they stay in their home and out of ours! Thanks for the great newsletter!
Thanks so much for your feedback! Yes, I guess you would get used to them. My policy is pretty much the same - I am fine with them so long as they do not invade my territory. Last night one of my cats chased a spider up my bare foot, and I was not best pleased, as I'm terrified of spiders! And it was a big one... But, I do respect them and their place they have in the world. It's just that I'd rather not have that place be my bedroom  .
~~~
Morgul Priestess - It's a very sweet newsletter Kittiara.
Yet all i believe in Darwinism and to me there is nothing in this world that could proof god's existence. I'm glad you didn't use that word, there is 'Creator' instead but from what i can conclude this means god anyway. I can believe in a so-called Creator, who set the thing in motion by the Big Bang, but I can never believe that he intervenes in the process he started.
And the fact of the co-existence is a blind process of the evolution. The spiciest that could not live together were simply rejected.
Talking about all the beauty of nature, I cannot forget about all it's nastiness and cruelty. There are animals that do harm other species on purpose, in their struggle for survival. After all, are we not a nasty species?
All of that is my personal opinion and if i were too harsh please forgive me .
I hate insects as well .
Thanks so much for sharing . I don't think creationism and evolution are mutually exclusive. I think evolution is a fact of life - we see it all around us. Species adapt to the changes in their environment, as they have to for survival.
You are right - there is cruelty in life, and in nature. And I am certain that of all the species in the world, humans are the most destructive, unfortunately. I'd prefer it if we weren't, and could live in harmony with nature instead, but I suppose that that is wishful thinking.
Still, nature does have its beauty, and when I find myself wandering through it, it lifts my spirit. And, personally, it does make me feel closer to my Creator.
I suppose we are all different, and I, for one, cannot explain my faith in a higher being. It's always been something I've simply felt inside - I do not attend a church or declare myself to be part of any religion.
I'm always interested in other viewpoints, and in learning about other people's faiths and beliefs. It's part of why I enjoy writing for this newsletter - I love reading everyone's thoughts! They give me something to think about .
~~~
We wish you a wonderful week, filled with inspiration!
The Spiritual Newsletter Team:
larryp, Sophurky  , kittiara
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Spiritual: September 17, 2008 Issue [#2618]
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