Foreword

I'm not an author. Well, at least not currently. Who knows what God has written into the future stories of our lives, and I wouldn't be so brazen as to proclaim that it will never happen. At least to date, I've never had a work of writing published professionally and I've never made a cent off any written works. I'm okay with that; my goal in life is not currently to be a revered poet like Robert Frost; a household name in fiction such as Tom Clancy or Stephen King (does he ever spend a day without writing?); or even a successful "unknown" author who's had multiple volumes published but no "New York Times Best-Sellers".

This being said, I think that writing is a quickly-declining skill that is crucial not only to the successful development (and future!) of society but also to the successful development of ourselves as people. Writing allows us to free the mind and soul - to vent our creativity, thoughts, fears, loves, and desires to the page and the world if we so choose. It allows us to tap deep into our emotional state and learn about ourselves. It amplifies the power of our mind and in turn gives us greater personal strength.

Words slip thoughtlessly from our mouths daily, but committing our ideas to a permanent medium forces us to stamp every sentence, phrase, and word with our seal of approval. It is for these reasons that I cringe when I see people treat the art of language with blatant disregard; a picture may well be worth a thousand words, but the written word paints images in our minds that may never be captured with brush or camera.

I would encourage every person to take time out to do some soul-searching and writing. It doesn't have to be every day, or even every week. You don't need to present it to the outside world. I think you will find, however, that a little bit of writing once in a while will do wonders for your psyche.

Beyond this will be a collection of my personal writings. They will not all be perfect - I am not perfect. They will not all be great - practice breeds greatness. They probably will not all be enjoyable to you - that's okay. To quote Proverbs 27, "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." I will always welcome constructive criticism.

I leave you with this charge: take the time to look around and see if you find anything that peaks your interest. I encourage you to leave a comment if you feel so inclined. And please, for the love of writing: learn how to properly use a comma.

-M