*Please enjoy this lovely, inspiring piece from our guest blogger, Yvonne Borgquist*
I wrote a lot when I was a child, in my teens, and early twenties. However, after I gave birth to my son, the writing ceased. My passion for writing was dormant, as tho sealed away within my soul, until last year. I joined Athena Sisterhood in August 2020 and was informed that it had a writing club. I thought to myself, "I haven't written in years!" I was intrigued and decided to attend on that fateful September morn. The reception from all of the Sisters was so welcoming! I immediately felt good vibes. While listening to the talented writers read their empowering and inspirational pieces, I couldn't help but think to myself, "Everyone is so talented!" I began to doubt myself, thinking that I couldn't write like the others, and dare I say was feeling a bit intimidated. I found the courage when it was my turn to give thoughts on each Sister's written piece. It was easy to express myself with these amazing women. Their eyes were kind, and their smiles beamed while I spoke. When the meeting ended, I realized I wanted to be a part of the wonderful group.. I was hungry to reignite my passion for writing, and I needed these supportive women in my life. The prompt for the following week was "A Voice in my Head". I anxiously waited for the morning to arrive the next day, for that is when I am most creative. I found a smooth ballpoint pen and a new notebook filled with crisp lined sheets of paper in a drawer. There I was, sitting at my desk in my yellow room filled with treasured personal possessions. I call it "My Favorite Things Room." I was trying with all my might to think of what I wanted to write about. Nothing. Zilch. Zero. With heavy sighs, I was sadly beginning to lose zest. My mind was blank. I decided to look up quotes about writing, hoping that one would shine like a star and catch my attention. Thankfully, I found much illumination, and one particular quote by Louis L ' Amour brilliantly shined. "Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." I took a deep breath, looked at the pen held between my fingers and I began to write! A word here, a thought there, the pages looked like a scrambled chaotic mess. In hindsight, it was life-transforming. For it was the first step to getting my artistic mojo back. It was time for me to reclaim and bring it back to life! As I look back, I remember that "Aha" moment of discovering what my written piece was going to be about. I began to write about Miss VOR, the Voice of Reason who was living in my head. Suddenly, the once chaotic mess on the paper was turned into literary artistry. No, it wasn't Pulitzer Prize material, but it was MY prized award. I won diligence, creativity, and passion that day. Since then, I have not stopped putting the pen in my hand. I have written many pieces that I am proud of within the Sisterhood and on Medium, an online publishing platform. I also have begun to write about my family's "God Story" regarding the why and how we moved from California to Ohio over twenty years ago. Thank you, Candie, Goddess of Courage, and Serena, Goddess of Stories, for birthing the Athena Sisterhood Writing Club. It is a gift that you have given to me and to each Sister. It is a gratifying home for writers, a glorious tribe of beautiful souls. Every Sister is supported, respected, encouraged, and loved beyond words. Speaking of words, I look forward to abundantly writing until I take my last breath. The world-famous author, Beatrix Potter, once said, "There is something delicious to writing the first words of a story. You never know where they'll take you." I invite you to read my words of creativity. yvonne-6482.medium.com I am abundantly grateful for Athena Sisterhood's Writing Club for it has taken me to the beautiful world of writing, once again! Sending much love to my Sisters, Yvonne, Goddess of Resilience Blessedpathofjoy@gmail.com