Friday, December 16, 2011

Deja Vu Blogfest: Inspiration

Do-over.
Repeat.
Second chance.

Three terms which can mean the same.

Today is a cool day. Bloggers all over the blogosphere are posting past posts that either were loved by their readers, or they felt didn't get the attention deserved. Thanks for this brain child goes out to Cruising Altitude, Katie Mills, Lydia Kang, Nicole Ducleroir.

I could have chosen many posts, but I thought this one could double as a Christmas message of being thankful and recognizing our blessings, hopefully putting a smile on your faces. I heart you all.

Originally posted December 8, 2010, R U an Inspiration?


Have you ever noticed how much we writers discuss what inspires us? I read post after post, as I'm sure you do. Inspiration can be found anywhere ~ while at a stop light or in the grocery store, in music and nature, or in the genuine smile of a child.



But are you an inspiration? Do you inspire others? I want to share a personal experience I recently had with my newly-turned seven-year-old son, CJ.


(Yeah, that was him this past Halloween. He was originally supposed to be a zombie, but everywhere he went people kept calling him Edward. Hah... He was like, "Ma, who's Edward?" Oh my little Cullen boy.)


The hubs and I went to CJ's parent/teacher's conference. Granted, we were LATE...Uh-hum...a week late. Yup, I completely spaced out the Wednesday we were originally scheduled. His teacher is wonderful, and let us reschedule. For the sake of this little story, let's call her Mrs. P.


When we first arrived for the conference, Mrs. P. looks at me and says, "Man, is he a reader! And wow, we have quite the little writer on our hands."


I acted a bit surprised, but not fully. He'd recently been using more paper in our house than usually, and had been asking me how to spell this word and that word. Of course, he seemed to always ask while I was writing, so I'd answer him but never inquired what he was doing.


Mrs. P. proceeded to tell us about a conversation she recently had with CJ.


Mrs. P. said, "CJ, I just found out something about your mom."


"What?" CJ asked.


"Your mom's a writer."


A bright smile broke through his blush. He said, "Yup."


"Is that why you like to write so much during class?" Mrs. P. asked.


He nodded his little head, and said, "Ah-huh, want to see?"


CJ then rushed to his cubby and pulled out his backpack. He ambled back to Mrs. P's desk with a handful of papers, which he laid out for her to see. He'd been writing little stories and lots of them. One or two sentences, but to him they were the world.


Here's a few:


Giraffes - by CJ Giraffes have long necks. They eat leaves off the trees.


The Monkey - by CJ The monkey likes bananas because they are yummy.


The Cat - by CJ The cat was licking his paws because his paws were dirty.


Seals - by CJ The seals go to get food. It takes over 3 months.


The Cows - by CJ The cow helps people survive because they produce milk.


The Fox - by CJ Where is the Fox? He is in the cave. (Illustration)


Now by reading those, you can tell he's a reader. (I typed them just how he wrote them.) I have no idea how he's such a good reader. I used to sit with my older three kids and read every night. I'm lucky to get two times a week to read with CJ, and one of those times is probably off the cereal box. 


BUT...this one did me in. Mrs. P. displayed this story on the wall of his classroom. It made me cry.
Yeah, Mom writes about werewolves.


I hadn't even noticed how my time, energy, and hard work had been noticed by my seven year old. I only new my older three kids noticed my work when it interfered with taking them to a practice or running around for project supplies - (or when I forgot to buy more school snacks - Bad Mom). 


I surely didn't realize how deeply I was influencing my youngest guy. (Yeah, I'm crying right now.)


It's all good. I am so blessed. AND a quick 'SHOUT-OUT' to my new followers!! Thank you!


Have you paid attention to how your writing might inspire others around you? Share with me, so I'm not the only sap out here. ";-D


December 16, 2011
PS: I won't be blogging much today. I, well...I'll tell you on Monday. Just wish me luck. THX!

22 comments:

  1. Awesome. I'm not sure my writing inspired my daughter to write. But she did have an ah ha moment this year when she tested really well on an pre-college essay test. And she realized she writes well and is spending more time doing it.

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  2. Aww that was so touching and cute. And he does look a little bit like Edward. Two of children are pretty good writers. Maybe it's from modeling me? I don't know. The other one is good at math - def. not me!

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  3. Oh, I love it! My daughter reads and writes all the time too, and I encourage every word, whether it makes sense to me or not! Haha. I don't know that it's her whole passion in life, but I love it when she and I sit on the couch together with our books open in our laps. It drives my husband crazy! (In a good way)

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  4. I remember this post for last year. I can't remember what I wrote, though.

    I take it your kids don't get a day off for parent teacher interviews like my kids do. LOL

    My 9 yo has been writing a lot of stories lately. But he wants to work for Pixar one day, so he's practicing for that, I guess. His goal is to make movie adaptations of his stories. :D

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  5. That is wonderful! He was quietly watching you all of this time. And I hope I'm a positive inspiration for other writers.

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  6. I totally agree that my writing has had influence on my kids. My oldest daughter is an amazing writer, my middle son is the top reader in his class. *happy sigh* It's amazing. ;)

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  7. I'm glad you reposted. So sweet! Looks like you've been a wonderful influence.

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  8. Oh my gosh he does look a tad like Edward Cullen! (but of course I mean that in a good way :)

    What an organized writer he is! My kids think writing is really important too because they know it's so important to me. So how come, when I am just as a voracious reader as a writer, they don't care about reading? Sheesh.

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  9. That's so sweet! Love hearing the world view from kids :)

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  10. Refreshing post. Yes, I've seen some strong inclinations of writerliness in my 3 kiddos, too. One is definitely more math-oriented than I ever was, however. Got that gene from dad for sure. Anyway, nice to meet you via Deja Vu. Will be following!

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  11. If someone tells me I inspire them, it makes me want to cry!

    Kudos to you for being a positive inspiration in his life.

    Thanks so much for joining the Blogfest!

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  12. This post was funny, not in a hahaha sort of way but in a way I definitely identify with. Being a writer, and having a daughter of about the same age, I see her writing stories all the time. In fact, she tells me to give her my computer all the time, since she is going to write scary stories and make money. It is really flattering how much she is influenced by what I do.

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  13. Awwwwwwwww...that is so touching! Every parent secretly hopes their children will look up to them, and its the epidemy of gratification when it comes true. Kudo's to you Sheri!

    Thank you for re-posting something that helps make today so special! :)

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  14. Wow, what a treat to have a child want to be like you! Love the Where Wolf story.

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  15. Awesome repost. I'm so glad I stopped by and got to read this. Your little guy's amazing, and the message on that last story he wrote, well, that's really something. Okay, so you might not have spent as much time with him as you'd have liked, but what a wonderful influence you are. LOve this post.

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  16. What a great post! Two years ago I got pretty emotional (secretly) because at my daughter's second grade conference the teacher told us how "Olivia just hates to write!" I felt like she hated writing because she hated the amount of time I spent writing. BUT, recently, she's started to write stories (without me pushing her at all) and now my 5yo daughter is saying she wants to be a writer when she grows up "just like Mommy." I like to think I'm inspiring my children instead of damaging them (lol!), so this change in attitude makes me happy!

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  17. I loved this post! So exciting to see a child trying his wings.

    No kids here, but when others tell me I inspire them, it is an awesome feeling (all the while I'm saying Huh? Who, me?)

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  18. What a wonderful re-post, Sheri! This summer my 6yo son sat next to me while I was writing and composed a 14-page novel about a dragon (one sentence on every page). It was wonderful and he was so excited that he was writing with Mommy! So I agree, it's a pretty special feeling!

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  19. My oldest (just turned 18) loves reading and writing. She's been working on a novel (YA fantasy) but is having trouble getting beyond the first few chapters. It's great that I can talk with her about my experiences novel writing, give her tips and so on. I know I can't dictate the things my kids will love, but the least I can do is encourage them to follow their passions and their dreams, and pursue a "career" that is fulfilling, regardless of the pay.

    You're both blessed and a blessing to your son!

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  20. Oh that's a wonderful post! I love my kids so much ... and we never really know until later the influence we've had over them.

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  21. Heather - that is so wonderful to hear! Glad to have you here.

    Steve - TY!!

    Elizabeth - perfectly said.

    Aw...so nice, Sarah & Lyn!

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