On Making Someone's Day

the view from where I sit

Somewhere, I read an account by C.S.Lewis about his drawings when he was a boy. This is an approximation of what he said since I can’t again find the actual piece he wrote (If you can help me, I’d love it. I’ve googled until I’m goofy). He said that when he was a child, his friends were drawing pictures of rocket ships and that sort of thing, and he was at home drawing pictures of “dressed animals.”


My friends are out practicing medicine, playing competitive tennis, and taking on various lofty enterprises, but I’m here at home making up stories about kittens. I’ve sometimes wondered to what effect. Yet, the words inside of me cry out to be expressed.

Yesterday morning, I struggled whether to spend the time to do a Kitten Update. I’m staring at a screenplay deadline on Saturday and have lots of writing and editing to do every day this week. But I love writing the updates so much, I plunged ahead.

Later in the day, I received a message on Facebook from Beth, a woman I have recently come to know. She said about the update, “You made my day.”

What you need to know about Beth is that she has a sister who has a serious illness, a husband with several physical challenges, and a son who doctors have reported to be in a most dire situation. He needs a soon miracle. And yet with all that…

I. Made. Her. Day.

And with a kitten story.

If anybody is going to be making someone’s day, it seems it would be the other way around. Thank you, Beth.

A few years back, my husband was invited to preach at a family camp high in the mountains of Montana. After we arrived, someone posed the question to the group gathered there, “Why are you here?” After, I went back to my room, the Lord brought this verse to me: “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith”(Romans 1:11-12).

“…mutually encouraged by each other’s faith…” That’s what I experience daily here at One Ringing Bell.

I’m about to submerge again for many hours into a screenplay story that’s very close to my heart, but it will be years before there’s even a slight possibility any of you will see it on film. Meanwhile, thank you for letting me come into your day with my writing.

It’s such a blessing to be a small part of your lives. Thank you for being a big part of mine.