Where Have You Been Chinquapin?

I finally completed my books to our three children and that is what has kept me from blogging for a while. The book is one of those fill-in-the pages volumes entitled, "A Father's Legacy - Your Life Story in Your Own Words."

I presented the first copy to our oldest daughter while in Spain to see the newly arrived grandtwins. Then at Christmas I presented copies to our youngest daughter and son while they were visiting us here at home.



Handwriting three copies (it's a limited edition) took some time. I found myself utilizing every free moment for quite a while. It's the kind of thing that isn't fabulous - just some facts about my childhood and life that I want my kids to be familiar with so that they might understand me a little more and understand why I interacted in their lives growing up the way I did. It's the kind of thing I would have liked to have had from my dad but he died young. (Not that I have any premonition of dying anytime soon. I plan to live for a long time on this earth unless Christ returns soon.)

Writing down these thoughts was difficult at times. Some entries brought back tough memories. Some made me feel self-aggrandizing, when all the while I just wanted to communicate some stuff to our three children who are grown and starting families of their own. I hope they see how much I love them. I hope they understand my foibles and I definitely hope we stay close even though the miles separate us.

This adventure made me back up quite a bit on one of my life's crazy dreams - the fantasy of one day writing a book. It's hard work. I knew that already from all the books I've read on writing, but this really opened my eyes. If something this comparatively simple takes so much self-discipline, then I think buckling down and writing an original work must be mind-boggling. The only time I've come close to writing anything, book-wise, has been in the wee early morning hours when I couldn't sleep and there were absolutely no distractions at all.

Seems my imagination is wide open during the witching hours from midnight until 3 am. I've often thought I should keep a pen and pad of paper next to the bed. But I always think it would be unfair to awaken Deb just because I can't sleep. So far I have most often rebelled against getting completely out of bed to write when the thoughts course o'er my mind.

If I ever write a real book it will be via sleep-deprivation.