An Excerpt from Moss Manor News, by Rev. Dr. Francis M. Womack, Jr., Parish Associate
[Editor’s Note: As noted in the Book Club article, those attending the June club meeting had the privilege of hearing Rev. Womack speak about his recently published book. The following excerpt, reproduced here with his permission, gives insight into the joys of writing and of reading the many diverse pieces that make up this unique book. For those not familiar with Rev. Womack’s living situation, Lady Bean is the Siamese cat who shares her living space with him and allows him to serve as her man-staff.
A while back, I received a note of appreciation for our newsletter. (It always makes me feel good to know that somebody actually reads my stuff.) But this note made me sit up in my chair and start thinking. It read: We so enjoy crawling into your brain and knowing your inner thoughts from the simplest unseen magic of everyday life to your philosophic outlook of “why.”
I was never aware that people were crawling around in my brain, nor that there was magic in my philosophic outlook. However, if my ramblings are meaningful or helpful and sometimes even enjoyable, it makes my efforts at journalism worthwhile. The note made my day and it also gave me something to write about.
I had never thought about it, but what we put down on paper does provide a pathway into the secret places of our mind and heart. It is not so much the exact words or sentences but rather things that can be read between the words. The way I say things, the themes I write about over and over, the sensitivity I show, the anger or hurt that bubbles up, the tenderness and love that hides under the print; all of these allow my readers to “crawl around in my brain.” Like and expert analyzing my handwriting, more comes across than is really intended. I guess this is a good thing because the blogs and articles that find their way into Moss Manor News speak of things I want to share. In writing, I guess, I am trying to share something of myself . . . my concerns, my hopes, my frustrations and my dreams. In a sense, what is said and what is put down on paper do provide a pathway into my thoughts and into my mind. It provides a “worm-hole” into who I am and what I really believe.
When I have moved from one church to another, one home to another, I have always felt that I have taken with me a part of every person I have known and that I have left a part of me with them. My hope and prayer were that I had left something of value, some of my love, with them and I know that I carried something from each of them that made me a better person. Maybe that is what I am trying to do with my ramblings and miscellaneous writings. Maybe that is what simplest unseen magic of everyday life was trying to describe. If words bring back good memories, if words can bring hope and encourage harmony, if Lady Bean can bring a smile, then maybe that is magic. I do not mind readers crawling around in my brain as long as they will also crawl around in my heart and find therein love for them and hope for days to come.
Guess this is my feeble philosophic outlook or maybe it is just the ramblings of a scrambled brain that has been crawled into once too often . . . only time will tell.