Why Don't You Write?

President Eyring’s talk from Conference has been much on my mind because I do have things that happen every day that are evidences of God’s hand in my life and I want to remember and record them. Scot asked me on Friday what I would say that day about how I’d been blessed and it was like an overflowing basket—so many things in one relatively quiet day came rushing to my mind. But here are just a few—from one day of my life.

Catherine Arveseth is truly homebound these days with Eliza as a fairly new two and twins who are only a few months old. Doug works the impossible hours that seem to be demanded by today’s corporations so she is quite on her own. To lift her week, she invites us over for lunch on Fridays and for a spot of adult conversation. She is a dear friend of ours, a little sister, and someone who always understands my heart. She is the book reviewer for Meridian, and so we got to talking about the books that pour into our homes from the LDS publishers and she confessed that she was quite tired of them. She then turned to me, imploringly, and said, “I am waiting for your book. You must write because you have so much to say. I want to read your thoughts and ideas. You must do it.” Scot was nodding his head because it is the constant mantra from him. In every blessing I receive I am admonished to write. Scot feels it to be part of his stewardship to deliver that message to me, to help me loosen every chain that binds.

I want to write for I think there is nothing that so opens the chambers of your soul and throws light into the corners like expression, spinning out the gold inside. But I am terribly, frantically busy with duties and visions I think are important. Still, I knew today, that Catherine’s words were another witness to me—and I felt loved, not nagged.