Did you miss me?

     In the last few weeks I have heard so many heart breaking prayer requests taking our dear friends away from their writing and other important work. It sounds like the enemy is pulling out all of the punches to bring us to our knees. But you know what you do best when you are on your knees, don't you? That's right friends...YOU PRAY!  You pray for yourself, you pray for your loved ones...and you pray for everyone else! You pray through to victory. There is strength in numbers and if we all bind together we can fight the forces that try to bring us down. I have seen miracles happen! In the next few weeks I am going to ask some of our friends how they deal with these occasions when we can't seem to think clearly and our creative energy feels drained. I have faced some challenges that I thought would never end, but through faith those too passed and I finally stopped crying and pulled up my big girl panties and faced the day ahead.
     Old Slewfoot knows our weaknesses, and isn't afraid to attack them! Mine was my son, and he decided he wanted to move out after graduation. No job, no plans, stay up all night and sleep all day. He left me. Just like his father before him...he left me. He was the man in my life. He protected me when I was afraid, and now he was the one scaring me!  He didn't want to talk. What happened to the boy who used to crawl into bed with me when he was sick and let me massage his foot, like I did when he was a baby? Where was the boy with the dimple who smiled so big it would make me tear up with joy? He seemed hardened and I didn't know him anymore. All I could think about was that my family was falling apart, and what a terrible mother I must have been to make him want to leave. He didn't just leave, he left me for another family...another mother, who could take him to the beach and to fun day trips. Places I couldn't afford. He didn't see it that way. To him, he was taking that all important step in life and moving out on his own. Once again....I had been replaced just like his father had replaced me with another woman. Old wounds ripped open and oozed fresh pain.  Writing was the farthest thing from my mind!
     In the distance a victory cry broke the silence of the evening. Satan's minions moved rhythmically to the bet of the "happy dance".  I curled up into a ball and went to sleep instead of working on the books God called me to write. I stopped reading anything...other people's books, my research, even the Bible.
     This week my son moved back home, and things started to look up.  I knew I had ignored my blogs, nothing seemed important during the attack. I rationed that no one reads my silly ramblings anyway. Then God sent me a message through a most unlikely angel. Not some Fabio look-a-like...no my angel was an old friend...a big cuddly teddy bear who is a bounty hunter, rides a Harley, and works as security for the WWF. (Wrestling Federation for those who didn't know). The last person you would ever expect to read Tea Time wit Cheri. He said, "You haven't been keeping up with your blog much either, have you?" The words could have come straight from God. Ouch! He read my blog, AND he knew! So today I am going to start talking to some of my friends and asking if anything ever stops them from writing. How does the enemy attack them? Does a true writer ever let anything get the way of their calling? Troubles pass. Maybe not as fast as we want them to, but they will pass.
     Thanks for sticking with me and still reading...it will get better. And thanks Jack!