Friday, January 1, 2016

It's a New Year

For 2016 I am participating in "365 Days of Free Writing, Creativity & Storytelling Inspiration" with Tanya Taylor Rubinstein. Sometimes we all need a little help with ideas for our writing. It seemed like it would be helpful to me to use the writing prompts for my blog posts, so here we go with day 1. Today's assignment is to talk about what I most essentially want to express, at this moment in my life. Further, I am to write for ten minutes without stopping, judging or editing. So here goes...


St. Louis Flood 2015
New Year’s Day is a day of new beginnings, starting over and taking a fresh look at your life. Because St. Louis has been faced with so much devastation in light of the recent floods, my new year begins with a deep sigh of gratitude that we were not personally impacted by the flood waters. Sure, there are minor inconveniences as three of the major interstates and numerous ancillary highways were forced to close, so traffic routes were diverted. But we didn't have to evacuate our home and wonder what would be left when it was finally safe to return. Many people in our area are not beginning the new year by making resolutions such as how much weight they want to lose or how many times they will commit to go to the gym. Instead they are looking for a new place to live, or trying to replace their basic necessities. Many don’t know if they will have a job to come back to as their place of employment is still under water.

I drove around the area today to see first hand some of the areas that were most impacted by the flood. Somehow when you watch it on television, it is almost like it isn't real. But to be close enough to put your hand in the quick-flowing water quickly makes it a reality.

So I will begin 2016 thanking God for all the goodness he has provided to me and my family, and praying for all those who have not been so fortunate.