A number of years ago…
In life before electronic publishing, the concept of writing, editing and producing a book was beyond my vision. Instead, my son got me interested in blogging. He and my daughter are both excellent writers and bloggers. I’m not sure how the writing bug hits a family, but brother and uncle are also writers and I’ve enjoyed reading a lot of the family production.
My blog title focus has been on the word “algorithm” and follows a pattern of thinking through a thought with the necessary steps documented that got to my conclusion. It was not a pattern that followed through on every post, but this is the way my analytical mind works. (Read my first Algorithm posting here from 2010). My “slogan” has been:
Everything begins with a simple thought
And grows into a magnificent premise
And returns to a very simple thought…
Since those early writing years, I’ve developed an almost daily habit of devotion time. It’s not structured by someone else’s book, or even by a daily scripture reading scheme, rather, it follows the avenues of life that are gathering attention in the dusty corners of my mind and the revolving world around me. Research, prayer, thought, and writing have been the result of this morning habit. There are times I write early, sometimes late, and not everything I write gets published. But the daily habit is getting words down to document what I think is important.
Sometimes, the post is simply the unloading of my study and the pressure of life!
The one thing I’ve focused on is a daily thought. That will be my thrust of the new year. Writing a daily devotional style of prose, improve my writing skills, and write at a level that will touch the readers life in a positive way. This will not be a novel, or tell-all. Rather, I believe in the algorithms that point us away from negative results and lead us to a better life.
So, algorithm… What is it? Ordered steps or procedures to get to a result. Simple. Almost like a recipe for baking, or instructions for assembling a toy. Algorithms can be very complex, but is resolved by breaking down ordered steps into small and doable chunks. This might mean you have to learn something new, or assume that the process is correct in the steps it provides.
I struggled with algorithms in math class. They made no sense. It seemed like my foundation for comprehending math was suspect, even with a few good teachers along the way. Theorems. Formulas. Rules. In order to make sense you have to memorize some processes, and understand what the results represents. Remember. Math is a language. Some are good with certain language skills, while others struggle.
My first post of 2016 deals with looking at the end of this new year, and determining the results achieved and missed. Did we follow the steps we started out to follow and successfully get to the end? What challenges did we face, and how did we overcome them? If the results are not what you intended, what was wrong with the algorithm to produce these imperfections?
This morning it is reported that Natalie Cole has passed away. She’s only 5 years older than me, but her life has climbed many hurdles that I have never had to face. Along with fame comes cruelty. Staggering highs, and bottoming lows. At post time, we still do not know why she passed away, but a quote from an interview a few years ago gives me hope that there are some victories in the midst of the challenges.
“I think that I am a walking testimony that you can have scars. You can go through turbulent times and still have victory in your life.” Natalie Cole via CBS Sunday Morning 2006 (See quote in story here)
What about you? Turbulent times? Scars? Victory? What’s your testimony? There are algorithms that we create to get through life. What are yours?
One man posted this morning that his family has an annual habit of reflecting over the blessings of the prior year and recites them to each other. This is an algorithm! How do you improve on it? Maybe it is a seasonal, monthly, weekly, or even daily habit. Reflect and recite.
This is what I want as a result of my writing. For me. For you. If it helps us to become better citizens and human beings, then this will be the mark of my success…
Blessings to you all!