Post #198

2 September 2018

Extraordinary Accounting

by Lynda McKinney Lambert

I did not have to think about it. 

At the beginning of the New Year, 2015, I announced

my “one word” on my blog, “Walking by Inner Vision.”   Read it Here!

The decision was not a mental activity but a Holy Spirit-inspired kind of inner knowing. I knew instinctively what my personal “One Word” was without doubts.

I followed my intuition.

We can tap into  this knowledge,  INTUITION.. Our intuition is our personal road map to the life we are created to enjoy. We can discover our personal road map when we are quiet and alone. Our One Word comes as a still-small-Voice and we hear that Word inside of our body.   We learn to listen to our gut – that is where intuition resides.

For the past 4 years, beginning in January 2015,  I chose ONE WORD to guide my life for an entire year. This is a supernatural journey of faith for me.

One Word came to me in a flash, through my intuition.

At the age of seventy-five, I am learning more each day about how to live life by intuition and inner direction. It’s not dependent on superficial ideas or well-intentioned advice from others. I am leaning more and more on finding my unique and personal “road map,” placed inside of me by the Creator of all life.

Below is my list of One Word selections;

Lynda’s Comment on that word;

and a link to the blog post.

2015 – Exuberance – Read it Here!

Life – it’s  like a Kaleidoscope and I learn to

Embrace Constant Change – Read it Here!

Lynda’s Comment:

My INTENTION is to VIEW life, filled with BEAUTY, COLOR, INTEGRITY and extraordinary PATTERNS of light and dreams. It is like looking through a kaleidoscope at ever-changing, colorful designs.  

Just one word opened my life up to embrace the joys of ordinary daily encounters. Embracing this word is a game changer. I wanted to discover exuberance in my writing and my art making; in one-on-one encounters. I desired exuberance in the little details of an ordinary day.

Do you often feel this way, too?

2016 – Extraordinary – Read it Here!

Lynda’s Comment:

The writer in me anticipated my poems and Creative Non-fiction essays being published in literary journals and other publications. I was working on a new book, “Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems.” I kept envisioning my book as completed.  I saw the cover in my mind. I read the essays and poems and thought about my future readers as I was writing them.

I could imagine them in the book. And, best of all, I could visualize people who enjoyed reading my book. When I closed my eyes, I could see ME seated at a long table with all of my colorful, glossy books spread out in front of me. People lined up, waiting to purchase a book. I open each book and sign it, one by one. Each of the books has a stunning and memorable cover. I am proud of them and thankful that so many people love my books! 

2017 – Intention – Read my Progress Report for 2017

Photo of Lynda preparing her books for mailing out to her readers.

Lynda’s Comment:

2017: My word was INTENTION. I gave you the link to my end-of-the-year “Progress Report” which is my accounting of my INTENTIONAL year.

At the beginning of the year I “set my intentions.” I wrote my intentions and continued on to live out my ONE WORD for the entire year. Many new opportunities opened up for me and I wrote about them in my blog posts throughout the year.

2017 proved to be a year of INTENTIONAL EXUBERANCE  and EXTRAORDINARY opportunities and achievements.

These 2 qualities< EXUBERANCE AND EXTRAORDINARY,  helped me meet my INTENTION  for the year.

In 2017, I had over 140 pieces published in literary magazines, books, anthologies, and in guest blog posts. I suppose I had more rejections than acceptances –

I must have made it into The Rejection Club!

I also wrote a full-length book of poetry – Star Signs: New and Selected Poems –

which is now ready for publication.

I authored 2 chapbooks: “first snow,” and

“Dreamscape.” Both are ready for publication.

It was an EXTRAORDINARY year for me.

The ONE WORD you choose for each year,

leads you to the next destination you will arrive at on your personal “road map.”

2018 – Abide – Get your Wings in 2018. Read it here!

Lynda’s Comment:

Eight months ago, I set my intentions

ONE WORD would guide my life in 2018 –

ABIDE

When I say ABIDE, I see myself standing still – waiting patiently and praying for guidance every day, as I experience each of the life encounters that are now behind me during the past 8 months.

Photo: Lynda with Dr. Craig Meador, President of the American Foundation for the Blind. From the InSights17 exhibition in Louisville, KY where she won first place honors for her mixed media fiber art work. Read about APH – Click here!

Photo Below: “The Dragon’s Healing Brest Plate,” won first place in 2017 at aPH.

FIRST PLACE AWARD
InSights 2107, Louisville, KY
October 2017

Abide is a strong verb.  I feel like I am STANDING.   It encourages me to stay the course; persevere; hold a stance; take a viewpoint; never back down; never quit.  ABIDE speaks to me about waiting and watching and believing in where I am at this moment.

STAND up through challenges, disappointments, joys, surprises, revelations, triumphs and failures.  The importance of abiding is that I know deep inside that I am on the path that is mine. This, often stony, path is quite unique and personal.  While I am usually walking alone, I am never lonely. Periodically, I pause and I continue to stand. Today, on this first day of September, 2018, I look forward to the last 4 months of this abiding year. When I turn the page to 2019, I will more fully understand what it means to ABIDE.  But, I also know, it will be the beginning of real learning.

I’ve counted successes in several ways

over my lifetime

of making art and writing.

Red, blue, white, gold, and purple award ribbons cover an entire wall, from floor to ceiling, in my art studio. I’ve garnered them all since 1976. They remind me of who I am and what I have achieved over the years. They speak to me and urge me to keep moving on and to keep trusting in what I do.

In my writing office, the wall holds framed certificates of all 3 degrees I earned over a 9-year period of my life. The degrees hold a place of honor on my office wall and they are surrounded by a number of framed awards from organizations and institutions.  I once heard a sermon by Dr. Robert Schuller, who encouraged his audience to put reminders of their achievements in a prominent place where they can see them every day. He said we need to be reminded of who we are in Christ and what we have done in our lifetime.  He spoke of celebrating our achievements. This made sense to me.  We are created in the IMAGE of GOD, and we are not created by God  to be a failure in life. I believed him, and I got out all my awards and ribbons and placed them where I can remember who I am in Christ. I am a person created as a reflection of God, as is every human on our planet. .

In addition to the Wall of Awards reminders, I have rows of binders that chronicle my ART and WRITING career over the past forty-plus years – newspaper clippings, exhibition announcements, publications, interviews, publicity photos, and official letters I’ve received for honors and recognition of my work. Yes! I believe in winning and helping others to realize they are also made to have success in all they do.

I’ve kept an accounting of all the publications, exhibitions and awards over the years.  I’ve sold more art works than I even know. My art is exhibited world-wide, and nationally. My writing is also published internationally.

During my art career:

I recorded all the exhibitions and the juried shows I entered. Therefore, I have a hand-written record of the accepted works, and the rejected works.  I have 2 spiral notebooks filled with that information from 1976 to the present.  I’ve never counted my rejections.  I might do that one day in the future, for my satisfaction in knowing how many rejections I have accumulated and how many exhibitions I have been in.

During my writing career:

I never thought of keeping track of rejections.  I concentrated on recording all of my poems & essays and the publications of those poems & essays.

Here is how I organize my Literary files:

1. All essays & poems, listed alphabetically, by title – in a file
2. Published writings, listed chronologically by year – in a file
3. Published writings, listed alphabetically, by Titles – in a file

I am sure that the amount of rejections I get are far more than I could imagine. This should be fun to do, as well as revealing.

ONE THING

I KNOW FOR SURE

I want to be successful in living an EXUBERANT, CREATIVE LIFE,

it takes an EXTRAORDINARY and INTENTIONAL amount of effort and rejections

for every triumph, award, victory and landslide.

We must learn to ABIDE.

I don’t review my acceptances until the last day of the year.  I like surprises.  This is my end-of-the-year accounting to myself.  It is the time when I check how I lived out my WORD FOR THE YEAR.  My special WORD for this year is ABIDE.   Last year, my WORD was EXTRAORDINARY.  My 140 plus publications, were, to me, EXTRAORDINARY. But the number is not what is most important. It is the quality of my work and it is how I chose to live my life with integrity that matters.

This entire year is focused on ABIDING and I will let you all know how it all turns out in JANUARY 2019 when I write my Professional Literary Progress Report. My report won’t be about numbers, my accounting system is about touching the lives of my readers through words of inspiration and hope.

I believe in HOPE for a glorious future.. I believe in ME. And, I believe in YOU.

Thank you for being with me as I am “Walking by Inner Vision.”

I’d love to hear about your own Literary Accounting and how it works for you.

If you decide to CHOOSE ONE WORD for 2019,

PLEASE, PLEASE let me know.

I’ll be standing with you as we face the year ahead

4 months from now!

Together we will share our Extraordinary Accounting.

Will you join me in the adventure?

Final thought:

I had a Dreaming Prayer for 2018 –

which has yet to be fulfilled.  Read it Here!

That dream will become a reality in due time.

I am ABIDING.