Boy this is weird.

For years & years, I've written for fun.

Kind family members have said "You ought to write a book someday." And while I think I'd really like to do that, the reality is very different. How can I write a book? It requires lots & lots of time, which I don't have. And there's the whole money issue. Or the lack thereof. Needless to say, writing a book has been on the back burner for a while. And I don't see it moving to the front burner anytime soon.

Back in the early Fall, I found a column in our local town's newspaper that I fell in love with. The writing style was very much like a mommy-blogger. The lady's articles were right up my alley. I really enjoyed her writing style and the stories she told about her life, her family, politics, faith and whatever else happened in her life that week. I sent her an email expressing that maybe I could be her fan club president and she was tickled that I'd let her know. We became friends via email and Facebook and she began reading my blog. All the while, I continued reading her column every week.

Right before Christmas, I emailed her again to praise her latest column. She replied that she would be moving away over the holidays and perhaps I should contact the newspaper editor about writing for them. I kind of laughed at the idea at first and then realized that I would LOVE to do it. I mean, I write all the time anyway so I might as well share it with others. Long story short, my first column came out in the paper today.

It's a crazy kind of fun & excitement! I'm proud of the column. I'm proud of this particular article (which happens to be a slightly edited version of THIS post). I feel like I've had a hundred pats on the back from all my facebook family who I shared the article with tonight. I realize this is not the New York Times we're talking about. It's not even a daily newspaper. It's our little town's weekly newspaper. But it's still exciting. But here's the trouble. I don't want it to ever become a column about me.

Please help me remember that this is all about you, Jesus! Please help me keep my focus where it should be & give you all the glory. Help me to find way to weave a little bit of you into every article.