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Calvin College Faith & Writing Festival, Daniel Taylor, faith and writing festival, Fibromyalgia, integrating faith with writing, Religion and Spirituality, Spiritual Legacy
A scintillating question. When I read this, I really had to think. I’m gearing up to attend the Calvin College Faith & Writing Festival in April, and I like to read some of the authors ahead of time. Thanks to my Kindle, I’ve downloaded a dozen samples, and I’m getting more revved up to go every day.
My stories will show I value dolls even when I’m 12.
Take the question above. The author, Daniel Taylor, in Creating a Spiritual Legacy: How to Share Your Stories, Values, and Wisdom, beautifully argues for the importance for each of us to write our stories for those we leave behind. Having written a career memoir, I, too, am a firm believer that we should write our stories. What I especially like about Taylor’s work is that he differentiates memoir from spiritual legacy, saying that in memoir we tend to report our lives to any interested reader, while in spiritual legacy we are writing with particular people in mind and sharing, via story, our “values, beliefs, insights, passions, and actions.…” He says our passions are what energize those values, beliefs, and insights, and that passion “is a measure of caring, and it is no accident that the source of the word is suffering or pain.”
And thus, Taylor says, “I will know your passion when I see what you are willing to suffer for.”
As I read this in bed a few nights ago, I thought this is one book that I will buy, not just read the sample. I’m in the middle of writing letters to my toddler grandchildren about my experiences when they were born. Since I know I’m writing purposely to them, I can certainly use Taylor since I think it’s important to leave a spiritual legacy too.
Which gets me to what I’m willing to suffer for.
As I lay in bed, my first thought was that I’m not willing to suffer for anything or anybody. I have enough suffering, thank you, with having fibromyalgia and however it decides to manifest itself each day. Then I got a grip on myself and said, Lois, you don’t have it bad at all. Wake up. Look around the world. No, just look out the window, way down to the streets of Chicago, and see the panhandlers who don’t have a warm bed and don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
So, what am I willing to suffer for? Jogging the lakefront every morning? Cleaning my house more often? Volunteering away from home? Not so much.
I’m still thinking about it and will get back to you soon. Meanwhile, you think about it. What are you willing to suffer for?
Write Along with Me 
That is an interesting question for us who have fibromyalgia. There are many things that I know I shouldn’t do but do anyway – because I am willing to suffer a few days of pain and fatigue in order to do them. I retired because I wasn’t willing to suffer for the benefit of the place I worked or for the money. I enjoyed this post – especially about writing our story/leaving our legacy to our children and grandchildren.
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So true, Pat, for those of us with fibro. We go ahead and do things, knowing we’ll pay for it. Always a dilemma. I’m glad you pointed out that having fibro puts a unique slant on answering this question. Talk about denial–I’d not even thought about how my fibro enters into how I’m going to answer this question! I’ll be writing more about the legacy thing as I work it out. Have a good day!
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Thank goodness for denial. 😀 FM impacts everything we do, but not all that we are so we forget about it in order to do what we want to do. I’ll look forward to hearing more about legacy.
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That is the answer, Pat, to just try to forget about it and live. Tricking my neurons by thinking or doing something else are strategies that do work for me a lot of the time.
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I love that phrase “tricking my neurons”. It is so nice to talk to someone who understands what it is like, but with no whining. Life is good, and now a little better with you walking with me. Thanks.
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Absolutely! I try my best not to let fibro define me. I thank you, too, for walking with me!
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I never thought of suffering for my passion, writing. But I suppose I do when I put off a social engagement that I would enjoy in order to write. But then the act of writing gives me pleasure (most times) that will offset the suffering.
My I really need to think about this.
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I’m thinking too, and I think I’ve got an answer. Am letting it perk a few days. The idea of having to suffer is interesting.
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