The Venusian Finally Reaches Adulthood

When I was a young boy in fourth grade, I wrote a short story entitled "The Venusian". It was a quite adventuresome story about a boy who discovered that a tree in his backyard had a hidden doorway that, when entered, could transport him to Venus. So, over a period of time, the boy would travel to Venus and in turn, his Venusian friends would travel to Earth. The boy and his extra-terrestrial friends had quite a number of adventures and, if I recall, there was even a sequel written at some point. Sadly to say, those manuscripts have since been lost (or perhaps taken to Venus for safekeeping) so mankind will never benefit from the adventures of "The Venusian".

This year of school began my love and passion for reading and writing. Through High School and College, you could always find me with my head stuck in some book reading for hours (unfortunately they weren't always my textbooks) or I was keeping a journal of some type. I always thought it so cool how John-Boy Walton and Doogie Howser both kept journals at the end of each program. For many years, I kept bound journals with handwritten entries (like John Boy) and then after I achieved technology in my house, I began more technological methods (i.e., Doogie).

Now, even as an adult, it has always been a wish, a dream, a goal to be a writer. After watching the movie "Julia" with Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Robards and Jane Fonda, the most wonderful career for me seemed to be to have a beach house like Jane Fonda had where I could sit and type, smoke cigarettes, and finally throw the typewriter out the window with a flourish in artistic despair. Then, a few decades later, I would watch the "Dave Barry Show" and wish for a career in writing at home in my bathrobe all day. Could life be any cooler than that? However, as the days, months and years passed, I would stick to my occasional journal writing and the once in a while church newsletter article about a pot luck dinner or bowling tournament.

Then, one day a couple years ago, I began to notice how God was teaching me lessons in my daily life. Some of them involved things Murphy would do, some were work-related, and others involved family, friends or by just observing life. I would start to put these thoughts down on paper (well, on monitor) and before long, there was a halfway decent devotional staring back at me. From that day on, it just seemed to consume more and more of my time to write my thoughts and impressions down in a devotional or Christian article format and begin to share them with friends in my church and in the community.

So, I began this blog. Not to get my name out there as being anybody's big woo, but as a vehicle for my writing and possible creating some discussion. As a result, my life has been enriched one hundred fold. I've met some of the neatest people imaginable as we post and comment back and forth, I have become a contributor for Crossmap Columns. And now, today I have been offered a position as a religion columnist for the Henry County Times, writing articles on a regular basis. I am so extremely excited because this is what I've always dreamed of doing. Plus, I realize that God has been working toward this all these years and (being God), never let on to me what He had planned until now. "Thank you, God, for your blessings to me and keep my heart and mind receptive to You in these coming weeks so that I can share your Love with people in a way that they might understand."

And I am certain of one other thing. That somewhere, far far away, the Venusian and the little boy are standing there clapping their hands and various Venusian appendages in excitement, too. I just wish they were here to share the honor.

Be God's,
Jimmy