The Archive

I have been going through all of my writings, on both of my blogs, and writings that have been private. I have been compiling all of the poems and essays I have written and entering them into files on the computer, which I will eventually convert into books.

I have been writing poetry for five years now. It is astonishing to me to see the body of my work, to see how much I have written and shared. I had no idea I had written so much. In my first book, “I am Hope”, I published over seventy poems. To date, I believe I have written enough poetry to fill five more books. That seems quite prolific to me; yet, I am not a writer who writes poetry every day.

When I want to write something new, I now check my work. I go back into the archives of my writing, to see if I have already talked about the subject matter or not. I am thankful to have all of my work archived. It will be that much easier for me to consult my writing once it is book form.

It has been wonderful for me to peruse the things I have written. Some of the pieces I have written are momentary muses. However, I am finding that there are many pieces that resonate with me, years later. My eyes scour the pages, searching for lessons and meanings. I have found nuggets of truth in what I have written. I have found whispers of wisdom, and gemstones of inspiration.

It is a wonderful thing, to have someone tell you that something you have written has inspired them. It is a bewildering phenomenon to be inspired by reading something you yourself have written. It's almost as if you left a time capsule for yourself to find in the future, when you most need to find it.

When I write something, it is to express myself, to express my views and beliefs, as well as to perhaps help someone with something they are going through. I never dreamed that I would one day read my own words and inspire myself. As a friend once told me, “You never know where your light will shine. You never know who will see your light and be inspired by you. You never know who will be inspired by something you write.” I never thought that would include me.

I am thankful to have an archive of material to peruse, to be inspired by. Now that I have an archive, I have a new charge-to create, cultivate, and be the librarian of my own archive.


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