#ThursdayThoughts Guest post by Gail Kittleson

Good Morning Friends,

It is my pleasure to introduce you this new-to-me author....

Gail Kittleson taught college expository writing and ESL. She now writes women’s fiction and facilitates writing workshops and women’s retreats. She and her husband enjoy family in northern Iowa, and the Arizona Ponderosa forest in winter.

WhiteFire Publishing released Gail’s memoir, Catching Up With Daylight, in 2013, and her debut women’s historical fiction, In This Together (Wild Rose Press/Vintage Imprint) released in 2015. She also contributed to the Little Cab Press 2015 Christmas Anthology,

The first novel of her World War II series released recently (In Times Like These), and Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas will release the sequel in February, 2017. You can count on Gail’s heroines to make do with what life hands them, and to overcome great odds.

Find out more about Gail by visiting her Website, Facebook Page, Amazon Author Page and following her on Twitter!

Now let's see what's on Gail's mind....

 My tea bag this morning says, “Aspire to inspire before you expire.” 

Not bad advice, eh?

How do people become inspirational to others? Start! What we overcome makes us stronger, more aware of others’ struggles, and gives us perspective.

But if we’re in the midst of anguish, we certainly don’t want to hear this old line. What doesn’t kill you makes you strong . . . you’ll emerge from this period wiser, believe me . . .

Yada, yada, yada. At the time, we just want to get through this pain! Who cares about inspiring others? 

But when the worst has passed, the inspiring comes naturally—we don’t even know when it’s occurring.

 “Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Saint Francis of Assisi

Perhaps the same might be said of doing the inspirational. Paying attention to inner and outer guidance, we work hard at our passions—necessary labor. We start with the possible, and as we toil away, the meaning of possible expands. Our vision enlarges, new ideas flow, and voila! We’re inspiring others.

I’ve found this with my writing. The first step, starting, challenged me. All kinds of arguments formed from voices I’ve listened to my whole life. But I had to move beyond what they said in order to follow my vocation’s rhythm. WRITE, WRITE, WRITE . . . for years, unsure of the outcome.

            

And now, readers tell me my work inspires them. This must be how it works, but doing the necessary and possible initiated the process. I’d love to hear how it’s worked for you. 

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You are so right, Gail....there is always a purpose to our pain.

Gail's latest book, In Times like These can be found at Amazon.

Thanks for joining us! I hope you enjoyed today's thoughts and that you'll come back weekly for more Thursday Thoughts, Tuesday Treasures and Saturday Spotlights.

Until next time...take care and God Bless.

PamT