Breakable

(*Song lyrics by Indie-pop artist Ingrid Michaelson)

Sometimes I’m astonished by how very fragile I am. How fragile we all are. How easily a word wounds, a look hurts, a cold shoulder upsets.

Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts?
Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts.

I’ve vowed not to be overly sensitive, and for good reason. Hyper-sensitivity is the curse of self-centeredness. But still . . . we’re each so fragile.

So it's fairly simple to cut right through the mess,
And to stop the muscle that makes us confess.

I have the power to build up and the power to tear down. And sometimes I wield that power carelessly. Thoughtlessly. Selfishly.

And we are so fragile,
And our cracking bones make noise,
And we are just
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.

Is it any wonder Jesus tells us to love one another? To put one another’s interests above our own? To bear with each other, forgive one another, strengthen one another. To be devoted to one another, honor one another, accept one another. To be kind and compassionate to one another. Encourage one another. Love one another deeply.

Did I mention “love one another” more than once? Yes. So did He. Why? Because . . .

. . . we are so fragile,
And our cracking bones make noise,
And we are just
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.

(To listen to “Breakable,” go to http://cdbaby.com/cd/michaelson3/from/ingridmichaelson)

A Work in Progress

A WORK IN PROGRESS is not only the name of my new writing blog, but the title of the novel I'm currently working on, and an accurate description of my writing journey.

You can find my writing blog at: http://caronguilloswriting.blogspot.com/

I hope you'll check in often for updates, excerpts, behind-the-scenes glimpses into my stories and characters, thoughts on writing, and "First line I wrote today" posts.

There's also a survey on the new blog (below the "About Me" section on the right sidebar), so let me know what you think. You can leave comments on my posts over there, too, so I'd love to hear from you whether you're an established writer, a beginner, an avid reader, one of my faithful cheerleaders, or simply a curious bystander.

Of course, I'll still be sharing my heart here at On This Journey, so don't go away!

I'm Out

Well, I didn't make the Top 10 Finalist cut in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition, but I'm thrilled for the ones who did and eager to see what happens next.

To see the finalist entries, go to http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=gw_cto_abna?ie=UTF8&node=332264011&pf_rd_p=369140101&pf_rd_s=left-nav-2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=507846&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0JX82YDT4R39TR7FEZKC

I can't wait to read and review their excerpts!

By the way, you can view an extended excerpt of my entry at the independent ABNAbooks.com site.

http://abnabooks.com/page6/page11/page11.html

You can also rate and review it. No awards in the offing, but I'd love to hear what you think.