B is for Bravery

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt

Words are so powerful. They can change lives. That means that those of us who spend our days with words, speaking or writing, are much more powerful than we probably realize. We must use them carefully, because we can never be quite sure if they’re going to cut, sting, or soothe. It takes courage and bravery to try and use them well.

Once when I was feeling particularly down—like nothing I said or did made any difference at all— a miracle happened. On that day, which was probably after a long string of why-do-I-bother-to-get-out-of bed sort of days, three different people told me of things that I had said that had helped them see a situation differently. In fact, one friend said that because of me she decided to have a third child! I’m not relating this to brag, I’m sharing it because I feel it was a tender mercy from God reminding me that my contributions, however small, matters.

When we have a house full of children, it’s easy to feel important. Soccer games, debate teams, piano recitals, homework assigns, and LIVES depend upon moms getting up and getting things done. But now that my children are grown, it’s easy to feel that what I have to do or say isn’t all that important. And quite honestly, if I stayed in bed all day, no one would really know or care. The dog would get hungry, but being a terrier, she’d could kill a rabbit or two. My husband could grab a pizza. Once I confided my feelings to a friend, she later called and asked if I was wearing clothes, because she wanted me to know that she cares. (By the way, I do get out of bed every day, and I almost always put on clothes. My point is that now that my children are grown, the temptation to loaf is much, much stronger.)

And so I write. And sometimes it’s still hard to know if anyone cares. But then my books get reviews like these:

SQUEE!! I absolutely LOVED this book! It was truly impossible to put down and I can't wait to read the next one. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, and I loved how unique this book was. If you're looking for a book to wow you, READ THIS BOOK!

And

This is the first time-travelling romance novel I have read and certainly won’t be the last. I enjoyed the traveling back and forth and adventure which the characters endured. This was a quick read and I loved the relationship between the hero and heroine. Ms. Tate has an awesome imagination and I look forward to reading more of her books.

I recommend this book for all ages. If you enjoy reading about time travel, adventure and romance, this is the book for you.

And the good reviews make me happy, but what really makes me happy is having the ability to make creative choices, and knowing that what I write can help someone escape from boredom or an unpleasant reality for a few hours, and that what I have to say can make the world a better place.

It takes bravery to speak-up and write-out, but if we don’t, we might as well stay in bed in our underwear and let life pass us by.

POST SCRIPT:
The above reviews belong to my novel, The Highwayman Incident. If you'd like a free copy of The Highwayman Incident, simply sign up for my newsletter. (Sign ups on the right hand bar of blog)