Welcome to “It’s Never Too Late: Uncovering the Magic of Writing After Sixty,” I’m Dr. Jimmie Aaron Kepler, Christian nonfiction author and poet. This is my writer’s log for Sunday, July 2, 2023. Today, I’m writing about my writing life as a sixty-nine-year-old writer.
In Personal News
I made it to the fitness center yesterday. My goal of stretching my leg and hip muscles and walking 30-minutes on the treadmill was met.
I guess I’m gripping the treadmill wrong or too much. I have developed something called “trigger finger.” It is a condition affecting tendons that flex the fingers and thumb, typically resulting in a sensation of locking or catching when you bend and straighten your digits. My symptoms may include pain and stiffness in the fingers and thumb.
The condition is also known as stenosing tenosynovitis. I need to rest the left hand and specifically the “fickle finger” or middle finger on the hand. My father suffered from this condition. My finger physically locks and I have to force it to straighten out. Ugh.
A trip to the Sketchers store bagged me two new pairs of shoes. One was a pain of black Sketcher step-ins for exercising on the treadmill. They replace a pair of SAS athletic shoes at less than one-third the cost. The second pair were light brown (tan) casual shoes for wearing on ship during my trans-Pacific cruise this fall.
In Spiritual News
My Christian faith is important to me. I regularly attend Bible fellowship class and Sunday morning worship at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. I’ve been a member there for over two decades.
In the worship service this morning, there was a salute to the armed services. The song for each branch of the military was played and members of or veterans of that branch stand and are recognized.
It is the annual “God & Country” service. Today Dr. Jack Graham preached on “Is There Hope For America?”
You can watch live streaming or a replay of the service at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJXF34u8Xlk
My devotional time today was from the Christian Devotions US website https://christiandevotions.us/viewblogentry/21317. The devotion was from Matthew 5:42 NIV, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
In Reading News
I read another 40-minutes worth of Harry Potter and The Soccer’s Stone. I’ve figured out how to use the auto scrolling feature on my Kindle where I can also read while walking on the treadmill.
By using this feature I don’t have to change pages. I have it set to my reading speed. This allows the eReader to scroll like a teleprompter. Very cool!
In Writing News
You may enjoy the blog post “When Words Changed a Kingdom,” by Maureen Miller at https://www.blueridgeconference.com/when-words-changed-a-kingdom/.
Maureen Miller blogs regularly at www.penningpansies.com.
You may also enjoy Linda Goldfard’s The Best Writing Life Podcast. This week’s episode is “How Authors Should Create Online Courses with Thomas Umstattd Jr.”
You can listen for free at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-your-best-writing-life-69198117/.
You can learn more about Linda at https://www.lindagoldfarb.com/ or Thomas at https://www.thomasumstattd.com/.
Have a good Sunday.
I’ve never heard of trigger finger. Doesn’t sound pleasant. What does sound pleasant is auto scroll on a Kindle so you don’t get bored on the treadmill! Yay for good church services and devotionals!
Trigger finger makes typing very tough. You need to avoid using the injured hand.