Gratitude

I'm going back home today! I miss my Boo, the Mills Teens and my fur baby. I can't wait to see them all later! One of my most favorite things is sitting down for dinner as a family, and it'll be just about dinner time when I get home. I already bought our tickets to see The Shack tomorrow, too. As Serena and Cairo would say, it's going to be lit! 💥😊

At the same time, this week was amazing. It has been so wonderful to focus on creating, connecting with other writers (one woman in our group left yesterday, and then we were joined by two more delightful young ladies last night), and getting to hang out with Laura every day. I can't say I won't miss the leisurely pace and enjoying a glass of wine and good conversation by the fireplace.

I experienced so much through the stories of my retreat tribe members this week . . .  An Italian love affair (Lawd, Lawd!), an exploration of motherhood and the stages of grief, young sisters facing the end of life together (or so it seems), the consequences of narrow interpretations ("untouched by man" Hmm . . . ), a resentful merman, the book-loving niece of a priest facing danger, finding purpose and identity after caring for a parent with Alzheimer's, corporate caste systems, the journey of a man from bystander to abolitionist, surviving September 11th (one of my retreat tribe members was working for Port Authority on the 43rd floor of One WTC when the plane hit). . . and I will absolutely never look at a snowflake the same again because of Erika :).  I am forever changed by these stories, and I'm so thankful that our FB group will keep us connected. I can't wait to see all of their books in print. 

So . . . what's next for Afrika the Writer? I'd like to find a local writers' group (though it's hard for me to imagine a group more special than the one I was part of this past week). Being a part of a writing community will keep me motivated, I think. These past several weeks of blogging every day provided me with clarity, enjoyment, laughter, frustration, surprise, exhaustion and delight. My love for writing has been reawakened, and I'm grateful for that. I want to keep it going. 

I have decided to transition to blogging weekly instead of daily - probably on Saturday mornings. Thanks so much to all of you who've traveled with me on this journey. See you next week!