Back to My Roots

Well, this is it for Keitharsis, as you and I know it.

The last post.

And, frankly, I’m excited.

I’m ready to engage with you in new ways, on a more dynamic platform.

I’m ready to spend less time blogging and more time writing creative nonfiction for national publications.  Not to mention more poetry.

And I’m ready to begin the marathon of creating and collecting content for my first book.  Yes, book.

But something more important is happening in my life right now.

Something that has begun to absorb my attention, my daydreams, my energy and my prayers.

In a couple of handful of weeks—we currently estimate in late June—my wife, three kids, mother-in-law and I will make the 20-something hour trek to Guangzhou, China to welcome a new daughter into our family.

She will be scared, confused and torn.

Every sound, smell, taste, touch and sight will be foreign to her.

Her life will be placed in the hands of strangers (that would be us). And she will have no say in the matter.

We know, in time, she has a good chance of thriving in a stable home environment—in a family.

But it will take time.

She will need space to grieve.

And we will do everything in our power to give it to her.

She deserves it.

We currently have two biological sons and an adopted daughter.  And they will need our attention, energy and care during this transitory time, as well.

Their lives, like their sister’s, will be permanently altered.

This is not a time to write on a weekly schedule—which blogging requires.

It’s not even a time to be outwardly focused.

It’s a time to cocoon.  To nest.  To be present.

I’ve been a professional writer for many years.  And with the notable exception of fame and fortune, I’ve experienced about everything a writer can experience.

Hot times. Cold times.

Fruitful times.  Barren times.

Connected times.  Blocked times.

Admiration.  Criticism.

“We are pleased to accept…”  “We regret to inform you…”

Mostly, “We regret to inform you…”

Noise. Silence.

Lots of silence.

I’ve learned that I when I walk away from my creative life, my soul starts to die.

But I’ve also learned that my creative life is much larger than my writing life.

I can be just as connected and creative in my family and my work in healthcare as I can facing a blinking cursor.

That said, I need to write.

Words and ideas pour out of me no matter where I am or what I try to do.

I have 174 essays on the creative life already drafted, which haven’t been read by anyone but me.  You interested?

I also have nearly one hundred poems that need honing for submission to literary journals.

And I have three book projects in the works.

But these can wait.

Many of these have been hanging around for a few years.  So a few more months won’t matter.

Over the summer, as time allows, I will build a new website at keithjennings.com.  Once live—which I’m aiming for August/September—it will offer a rich collection of essays, articles, eBooks and resources for you and other writers and artists.

I am also preparing lectures and workshops on the creative life.  And plan to lead some exclusive artist retreats and writers’ groups in the coming years.

For now, though, my head and heart have moved to my family—my roots.

I want to look, really look, into each of their eyes when they speak.

I want them to be celebrated and hugged when I see them each morning.  And when I walk in the door from a day at the office.  And when I tuck them in at night.

I want to chase lightning bugs.

And wander the bamboo forest behind our house.

And get grass stains on my knees.

And laugh.

And cry.

And cuss.

And spit watermelon seeds.

And fill the house with the smell of warm chocolate chip cookies.

Our everyday life provides the stories for our creative life.  It grounds us in our humanity.

Our creative life provides the inspirational breath (spir) that makes our everyday life worth living.  It’s the song, the poetry, the moment that transcends the transactional and offers us access to the spiritual.

Each time I’ve hunkered down to write these essays for Keitharsis, I’ve imagined you sitting beside me.  I’ve tried to write as if it were just you and I, sipping wine, chatting, trying to make sense of this strange little space we inhabit as writers and artists.

“Why do we feel compelled to create?”

“Why do we feel blocked at times?”

“Where do ideas come from?”

“Why do we try to control our lives?”

“What is our role in the culture?”

“What happens if “success” never happens?”

“Can we ever find relief or release from all the tensions in our life pulling us in a million different directions?”

Those are the types of questions that brought us together.

And those are the types of questions that will keep us going.

Thank you for reading this blog.

Thank you for emailing and commenting and opening your hearts to me.

Thank you for the encouraging words in discouraging moments.

Thank you for receiving and sharing the strange ideas and frameworks I’ve offered.

I hope with each essay and reply I've given you, you've always sensed the respect I have for you, as fellow creatives in the world.

Let’s keep in touch!

And speaking of keeping in touch, I’ve created an email newsletter, I’m calling Root Notes, to serve as my link to you over this summer and beyond.

In it, I will share ongoing updates on what I’m working on and thinking about.  Many of the emails will read a lot like the essays you’ve grown to love here—wanderings and wonderings along creative landscapes.

So, please sign up and stay in touch by clicking here or on the image below!

And I will see you on the other side…

Comments

[Karen]

Keith .. well as you end this, i am traditionally answering back at 1:30am.. I am consistent I know.

BY the way, I hope my laptop is OK seeing I just shed tears all over it by reading this last blog writing over yours. I literally cried!

you touch hearts, you are an amazing writer that I look up to, i am thankful for all that you gave us in this blog. You have made me a better writer; to take risks and be vulnerable in my creative writing.

I think you rooting towards your family is a beautiful thing, and it sounds like a beautiful new beginning in this rest for you. I am SO happy for you!

I got tearful because all the happy things you mention, I am looking for in my own life.. I call it "GOODNESS". I look for it every chance that I get.

Thank you for being YOU Keith.. I truly mean that and good luck with your new addition, I will say huge prayers for you and your family! I look forward to your new website

Karen

[Suzie Gallagher]

Keith, bless you for all the hours you have put into this site. It has been a great encouragement and sparked lots of tangents.
Every blessing to your family as you transition into a new dynamic.
When our faith is deeply rooted in the Lord all things are possible, I look forward to seeing your name on my local bookshop shelves, I can point to it and say "I kinda know that guy"
and then explain what a blessing your posts have been in the last couple of months. The tension that I always thought of as something negative I now embrace, the tension of family or writing, the tension of can I or can't I, the tension of sharing or keeping it to myself: the tension that exists in every creatives heart and mind.
Will miss the structure of the three mornings, so blessings and prayers to you Keith,
Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage;
be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed;for the Lord thy
God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
- Joshua 1:9

[Eileen]

Keith,

I'm so thankful I stumbled across your blog several months ago. After reading your words today, I had this thought...he knows what's important. Go chase those lightening bugs. I will definitely be subscribing to your newsletter. And, congrats on the upcoming addition to your family! How exciting!

[Keith Jennings]

Karen,

I sincerely appreciate your consistency! Have come to look forward to it.

And I appreciate YOU! Let's keep up the dialogue!

[Keith Jennings]

Suzie,

I have come to look forward to your comments! Seeing your name always makes me smile.

You saying that my writing has helped you shift from seeing life's tensions as a negative to a positive makes my heart sing.

I hope you will sign up for my newsletter. Even though it won't be 3 times a week, it will have a rhythm. And it will feel a lot like this blog.

Thank you for that Bible verse! It's perfect!

[Keith Jennings]

Eileen,

I'm so thankful we've connected too! You've been an incredible source of encouragement through your comments and tweets.

Thank you for joining me in the newsletter. "Newsletter" isn't really the right word for what I'm doing, but that's the only word I could find. I promise it will offer a nice, deep, intimate transition from here.

And if there's any way I can help you in your creative life, don't hesitate to reach out!

[Barb Winters]

So very happy for you! Your expression of transitioning your family through the process of adopting again are spot on! I pray more fathers have your attitude. And I will be praying for your family. I know for us the end/beginning was a rocky and emotional transition. Keep us posted on the process.

I will post this on our CARE wall so others can pray and be blessed by your thoughts on family life. And I look forward to continuing to read your writings as you transition your writing life. Blessings!

[Kim]

Keith!

I will miss you on Tuesdays and Thursdays but I will smile knowing that you have turned toward your family, and toward the miracle of your new child.

Your essay left me in tears.

Thank you for your guidance and your thought-provoking posts. I've learned so much from you...from everything you've written, up to and including this essay. Maybe ESPECIALLY this essay.

I hope your summer is magical!
Kim

[Nikki]

So sad, but happy that you're really not going anywhere. :) I look forward to future creative/writing retreats (will be the first to sign up!), newsletter info and new content on your new site and seeing what the next chapters and seasons bring forth. I appreciate so much what you've offered to me personally for my writing and creative heart. Although stalled for a time, the seeds planted will bear fruit in its perfect time. I hope down the line to continue creative conversations when the soil is ready for some real cultivation and harvest. :o)

Blessings abundant to you and your family with the new arrival of your daughter. I'm so very excited for you! My daughter's bff was adopted from China and my heart swoons over adoption stories! I don't have words, but if I did, they come from deep.

Nikki

[Jason Vana]

Keith - I will definitely miss opening my RSS Reader to find your posts waiting for me to read. Your blog quickly became one of my favorites, and the one I look forward to reading each day you post. BUT, I understand and know the need to disconnect for a while in order to focus on your family and your newly adopted little girl. They are far more important than writing a blog, and I commend you for taking a step back to focus on what's most important, especially when the allure of readers and comments and followers can be seductive.

I will be signing up for your newsletter as soon as I post this comment and am looking forward to your new site going live in August or September. I will be praying for you in this season as well.

[Lizzie]

I just spent some time getting caught up on your recent posts. I'm so excited for your new site, and I look forward to devouring all those essays and articles. Your writing is a gift straight from God, and it's helped me so much over the months. There's a depth to your words that I don't find elsewhere.

Congratulations on that beautiful little girl! It's so wise to embrace the grass stains and the fireflies because the creative life extends far beyond what we put down on paper. I'm getting chills thinking about the summer that awaits you.

Enjoy every moment, Keith.

[Larry Carter]

Good luck as you move forward. I can't wait to hear the updates and about the upcoming adventures.

[Keith Jennings]

Barb,

You’ve truly been a loyal, longtime reader! And you have been one of those offering incredible encouragement at discouraging times.

As an adoptive mom, I know you know what I’ve written here at a very deep, personal level.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support and prayers!

[Keith Jennings]

Kim,

Sorry I made you cry! Based on the email that’s been pouring in, I’ve made quite a few people cry. In a good way, thank God.

You know where to find me, going forward. I’m rooting for your ongoing development and emergence, as a writer.

And I’ll have a magical summer if you will? Deal?

[Keith Jennings]

Nikki,

Thank you for your understanding! And thank you for your support and interest in future events.

There’s nothing wrong with being stalled. It’s a natural part of the creative life (and life in general).

And bring on those conversations whenever you’re ready!

[Keith Jennings]

Jason,

You, my man, have emerged as one of my favorite bloggers. I’m really excited our paths have crossed.

Let’s keep this alive!

[Keith Jennings]

Lizzie,

This sentence just made my day: “There’s a depth to your words that I don’t find elsewhere.” Thank you for that!

You enjoy every moment, too! (I hope to see you over on Root Notes!)

[Keith Jennings]

Larry,

I appreciate you! You get the award for communicating big ideas in the fewest words. Your comments are like lightning strikes…BAM!...point made.

Look forward to keeping in touch with you!

[Hellen]

Awwwwwww, Keith! I feel sad that I will no longer see your blogs on my list! You have a way of writing that inspires and draws me in!

I wish you the LORD's blessing in your endeavors. And will definitely sign up for your email newsletter.

[Tony J. Alicea]

I pray blessings over your next adoption journey. It's one of the many reasons why you are such an inspiration. Not just with your words, but with your life.

I'm excited about this next step as well. It's going to be incredible, my friend.

So go into that cocoon and do what you have to do. Meanwhile, I'll be feverishly clicking the send/receive button on my email as I wait for your next newsletter.

Thank you for what you've done here. You've made a mark on my life. And for that I thank you.

[Keith Jennings]

Hellen,

Thank you so much for your sweet comment! And for coming with me into the unknown.

I don't take it for granted!

[Keith Jennings]

Tony,

I appreciate you so much! Like Barb, you've been a early and longtime source of encouragement.

Couldn't have done it without you!

[Yvette Carol]

Keith...Heart-stopping. I, for one, know I want to read your essays on creativity! Each one is a meditation. In getting real, and the simplicity of art.

Thank you.

And may I say... a more beautiful expression from a father, I never heard. I salute you in your expression of 'being a man' too (if that is okay to do?) And how wonderful to put all else aside and go focus on what is really important in life. That's the only way to live.
See you on the other side. :-)
Yvette Carol

[georgia]

you said...

"I’ve learned that I when I walk away from my creative life, my soul starts to die.
But I’ve also learned that my creative life is much larger than my writing life."

very wise!

this blog will be missed so much. i am so incredibly happy that i serendipitously happened upon it one day not too long ago and had the chance to be a part of the journey you took us on while it was active... at the tail end, anyway. and you can be sure that i will continue to read here... all the posts that i never got around to reading... posts written previous to my finding this blog.

and that book{s}... i'll be one of the first to buy it and one of your greatest promoters... telling everyone i know that is artistic or creative to go get a copy for themselves... 'cause they sure aren't gettin' my copy! =)

there is only one thing i can say here that would cover all the things i'd like to...

thank you. all the very best to you and yours.

see you around!

[Andrew Z]

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