Jeanne Dennis, host of Heritage of Truth TV
A Creative Challenge: Try Something New
Life for me has been changing rapidly. After 11 years of part-time caregiving and the deaths of several family members and friends, I’m finally coming up for air. I’m able to enjoy writing, art, cooking, and music again.
One writing project especially challenges and excites me. My dad used to journal often and made me promise to do something with his musings. He died three years ago, but his journals and notes had been missing for five years, ever since my sister died. We thought they had been discarded accidentally with some of her papers.
What joy it gave us to find them in an old file cabinet a few months ago! Now I plan to sort through his writings and “do something” with them, probably in the form of a memoir about Dad’s and Mom’s lives. When Mom told others their story, people always said, “You should write a book.” So perhaps I’ll do it in her stead.
In the past month, I’ve also tried my hand at urban sketching. Drawing buildings and bustling street life has never appealed to me before, but I’ve found it enjoyable. Scribbles done the right way can look amazingly similar to people, cars, and architecture.
Though I’ve always enjoyed cooking, I’ve recently faced new challenges in the kitchen. Last fall I discovered I have gluten and other food sensitivities. Tragically, my favorite homemade whole-wheat sourdough bread had to go. Now I’m learning to cook with vegetables, fruits, and proteins with little to no grains. It has stretched my creativity and our food budget, but we’re feeling healthier and I was able to lose weight for the first time in many years. I also make my own dark chocolate–yum!
Finally, I’m writing music again and working on a Christmas album, which will be my third album.
Can I challenge you to make the most of your summer and try something new, fun, and creative? Don’t get frustrated if you don’t succeed at first. Half the joy in accomplishment comes from the journey it takes to get there. So enjoy the creative journey!
Jeanne Gowen Dennis hosts Heritage of Truth TV http://heritageoftruth.com, is a commissioned Colson Fellow and Centurion, and is a multi-award winning author of a dozen books. For over twenty years, she has been helping families understand, live out, and pass on biblical heritage through her writing, speaking, teaching, original music, and online ministries. She and her husband of over 40 years serve actively in their local church and enjoy spending time with their family, including three amazing grandchildren.
