"Well, I am back"

He took a deep breath. "Well, I am back," he said.
- The Return of the King

via Pinterest 

Knowing how much I love The Lord of the Rings and seem to be quoting J.R.R. Tolkien incessantly of late, I think you will all forgive me when I happily quote Samwise Gamgee in saying, "Well, I am back"!

Back? Back to what? Well, to the happy sphere of blogger-land of course! To the joining in blog-post discussions and gallant tales and writings shared between fellow-scribblers as well as sisters in Christ. To the happy land where I can share my deepest (and not so deep) thoughts, likes and dislikes with you all and well... need I continue? I think not!

Just to inform you why my blogging has lagged and gone to the side-shelf of late, I will without further ado, give you a brief description of what has kept me at bay for nigh over one and twenty days and made me unable to post. I was kept exceedingly busy by preparations for and the actual event of my violin exam; that, and editing up of my short story A Love That Never Fails into better shape (something I am still working on), attending writer's workshops and determining to attack my schoolwork with renewed vigor (I promise you, the school-load never quite seems to end, or so it would seem).

The hours before an exam are usually not much fun... To be perfectly honest, I was so very nervous the morning of my exam, tapping my fingertips on my knees, yawning, grabbing my musical pieces and reciting my general knowledge, checking my watch every few minutes... besides developing a headache that made my head feel almost separate from my body. Not an enjoyable feeling! But when I entered the examination room and had the actual exam, though my headache didn't lessen, my nervousness almost completely disappeared and I felt quite calm. Praise the Lord! He was with me through it all and helped me do well at it, even if I did blunder at my aural work and stammered over a question asked of me during the general knowledge section. But, thank the Lord, I was exceedingly blessed to have had a kind examiner who did her best to put me at ease and made me actually enjoy parts of the examinations (basically performing the pieces). The Lord is so good! So now, I am entering at a very leisurely pace into a new grade while having fun with different hymns and random songs, including a piece from the LOTR movie-score, The Return of the King :).

Also, through attending the two writer's workshops, I have come out of them with an ocean of information, tips, rules, advice, critic and encouragement... so much so that it all seems a little above my head but I will have to tell you all about what I learnt and all for another separate post.

I have not done so much writing this month, but more editing on A Love That Never Fails then ever I expected. So much so, that I feel slightly sick of it all and am by the hour more and more homesick for Ancient Rome, and my dear characters Valerius, Claudia, Anthea and Flavius from The Crown of Life. I have to admit that Anthea's correspondence with y'all kept me quite amused, and I was quite fondly surprised at the positive response she received. After a lot of interceding on the part of some of you (not to mention petulant whining on her part!), I shall consider her guest-posting over here at a later date. But you have to understand that though she can so cheer up a body, she can also tire it out by ceaseless chatter! 


Well, now that I have the violin exam and workshops behind me, I hope to resume my blogging schedule in earnest again, Lord willing. However, I won't say that I'll be entirely free either, as I am trying hard to concentrate on schoolwork at this time. So there might be times when I seem to be absent from blogger-land, but never fear! I am not abandoning you or anything. 


Life has been very busy lately, and sometimes a bit tough and hard to understand. There are so many things that can try to pull me down, make me feel discouraged and suck me away from  abiding in the sweet Presence of my Lord Jesus. But, by His grace, I can be happy and rejoice. Because God is with you and me, no matter what happens. I see not but the Lord's abundant goodness and mercy in my life, despite how frequently I trip and stumble, how often I fall and fail. He remains a Tower and Strength, my Hope and Joy. He loves His Children with an everlasting love, and cares about the tiniest details of our lives. His plan for us is greater than any that we could fathom or desire, much as we struggle, argue and try to get our own way! He wants us totally for Himself, to surrender our ambitions and longings, for Him instead. He will do more than we can ever ask or dream. The Lord Jesus spoke to me through a Scripture in Deuteronomy the other day, and I would like to share it with you before I close up this post. 

"...I have set before you life and death,

blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,

that both you and your descendants may live;

that you may love the LORD your God,

that you may obeys His voice,

and that you may cling to Him,

For He is your life and the length of your days..."

-Deuteronomy 30: 19b-20a

Oh let us purpose to cling to the Lord with all our hearts, let us purpose to choose life, and love the LORD our God! The Lord Jesus bless you all abundantly this weekend.