Coffee Chat // Rainy Days

When I was 14, I was experiencing a lot of pain in one of my knees. The doctors briefly thought that I had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which would have affected me for the rest of my life (though it later turned out to be something else). My mom, when she heard, wanted to give me something to work on during times of difficulty. So she decided to help me edit my novel.

I had always loved writing, but this novel was the first major project I’d ever taken on. For months, my mother and I sat down every day to discuss it over coffee – in the living room, in the garden, or on the floor of the kitchen as she made dinner. Those coffee chats became one of my favorite things, and they are now some of my happiest memories.

Basically, I owe both my love of writing and my coffee addiction to my mother.

This blog has grown a lot in recent months. Because of that, I worry about disconnecting from you; maybe becoming less authentic and personal. I’ll admit that the popularity of the blog both excites and overwhelms me. With 45,000 people reading every month, it is suddenly harder to be myself.

But this blog was born out of a desire to be myself, and share my view of world with you. No gloss, no veneer, no walls between us. So let’s catch up, just you and me, over coffee. I’ll share what’s going on in my mind and in my life, and I hope you’ll do the same in the comments. I can’t tell you how much I love hearing from you, and reading about your corner of the world like you do about mine. It makes my day.

Today is rainy. I’m drinking coffee out of a mug my mom gave me for Christmas. Our family is moving in a few weeks, so our house is a disaster, but I’m so happy to be home. Though I loved my internship, it’s good to be with family, and especially my little brother before he goes off to college in the fall.

A major part of my life for the last few months has recently ended. I’ve spent the last several weeks working on a Big Secret Project that I’ll be announcing one week from today. I finished the final round of changes yesterday, so now it’s really truly done! I’m experiencing the simultaneous thrill of having finished something big that I love, and the let-down of being done with something that gave me purpose for so many weeks. I have really poured myself into this, so I am excited to share it with you next Wednesday! (Honestly, I wish I could share it now, but we’ll both have to wait.)

I’ve also been nerding out about Bible study lately. Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while will know that my faith is a little messy, but Bible study – both personal and academic – brings me so much joy. I’ve been thinking for a while of doing a “Women of the Bible” project, whether that be a blog series, a book, or just something I do for myself. On the one hand, I worry about alienating my audience, or drawing in a different crowd. On the other, if it’s something I’m passionate about, then why not?

That’s what’s going on with me right now. What about you? What are you up to lately? Do you have any big projects going on, or that you’ve recently finished? I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Really, it’ll make my day.