On a recent Saturday night, I interviewed Fred for his biographical chapter of Saffron Cross. Sprawled out on our living room floor and tinkering with a solar yard light, we hashed out the details of his adolescence, his conversion to Hinduism, and his life as a monk. He took the solar light apart and put [...]
“Writing is thinking. To write well is to think clearly. That’s why it’s so hard.” –David McCullough, Pulitzer prize winning author of Truman and John Adams (via @QuotesforWriters) There’s not much clear thinking going on in my head these days. Since last Monday, my mind has been launched into a fury of excitement; my body has [...]
Lent has come and gone, and it was less quiet than I anticipated. While my intention of a writing discipline and reflection was sincere, the holy season seemed to fly by, lost in a whirlwind of activities and work. Within that work, though, there were spaces of contemplation and awareness. While I wrestled with the Saffron Cross [...]
We are three weeks into Lent, and my manuscript writing discipline has gone better than I expected. Some days I cannot accomplish the 30 minute goal, but I do my best to make up it with longer writing sessions on the weekends. Thus far, I’ve worked on the second chapter of the book, which is focused [...]
Lent is upon us. Some observers will give up chocolate, alcohol, sugar, meat, or Facebook. Others will add a practice, like morning or evening prayer, Scripture study, yoga, or mediation. Either way, Lent is a time of reflection–a 40 day wilderness of discipline that helps us live the life God has called us to. This [...]
Two weeks ago this Thursday, I felt completely sorry for myself and for my writing. This self-depreciating, pitiful behavior surfaced after I began ruminating over my 2011 creative writing submissions. Of the several major submissions I had sent to magazines and editors (which, in truth, was not that many because, like many writers, I find [...]
Lent 2012 is three weeks away. For my pastor friends, this means a season as busy as Advent, a time when ministers work hard to offer their parishioners Bible studies, Lenten reflections, daily devotional booklets, and sermons on the wilderness experience. For me, Lent marks a time of adding a spiritual practice. It is the time [...]
What is Sabbath? Depending upon our contexts, we all have different ways of defining Sabbath. For some, it is a day of rest, for others, a day of worship, ritual, and study. For others still, it is a day of strict unplugging–of stripping away all that distracts us from the divine. For Fred and me, [...]
My husband is amazing. He knows what motivates me and keeps me moving toward my goals. For Christmas, Fred had a BlogBook made of my published posts from http://jdanatrent.com/. He used Feed Fabrik to produce a 138 page book that contains 75 of my posts dating back to August 2010. The BlogBook is tangible evidence of [...]
With nearly a few hours left in 2011, I hope we all take some time to reflect on the past twelve months. What changes did you make this year? What are you most proud of? What challenges did you encounter? 2011 was a benchmark for me. It was a year of adventure, risk-taking, growth, and [...]
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