Why am I Here?

Image by ha11ok from Pixabay

I've written for several blogs now; some were my own, others were collaborations. My last collaboration ended for the best of reasons. My writing partner decided to take a step back and focus on homeschooling and raising her family. This focus left her with little time to devote to writing. One day, she'll come back to it. At least I really hope she does. She is a phenomenal and creative writer and a very dear friend. I'm impressed by her dedication and sacrifice to her family. 

I write for myself and for my children. Writing provides the best avenue for me to express all the thoughts rattling around in my head. I enjoy it and I hope others at least get something out of my meandering thoughts. For my children, I hope to impart a love of writing, a love for the Faith, and a little insight into their mother--flawed as I am.

You might wonder what is meant by the title of this new endeavor: "No Doing without Ruing". I discovered this particular quote while doing some research on my favorite author, Sigrid Undset and is attributed to her. Undset, a Norwegian writer and notable convert to Catholicism, won the Nobel Prize for Literature for her glorious medieval Scandinavian saga, Kristen Lavransdatter. Since discovering her in the early 1990s, I've been working my way through all of her writings. I always return to Kristen, which I've read four times over the years and I have found something new to ponder each reading, especially as I pass through stages in life from young wife and mother of young children to seasoned wife and mother of adult children.

Her somewhat cryptic quote just fits. So many of my closest friends pray earnestly before any endeavor they undertake, seeking God's guidance. I deeply admire them. I, on the other hand, tend to just jump into things with little reflection and little prayer. I pray, but I rarely ask for guidance. I impulsively undertake. Usually things work out, but often I really do end up ruing having jumped in so heedlessly. While I wish I were more prayerful about making decisions, I can look back on many of the bigger decisions I've made and see God's providence, whether I'd handed it over to Him or not. Still, I occasionally ask myself, "What was I thinking? Why did I ever agree to this?" I rue more than I should.

Welcome to this new undertaking of mine. Enjoy reading, I'll most likely give it up in the morning.