Even when we're not looking...

For all of us, 2020 has been a strange year. In my family, not much as changed as I mostly work from home already and chronic illness has us 'social isolating' most of the time anyway. In many ways, 2020 hasn't been any stranger than the last few years.

It's been a few years since my last book was published. Life has been taken up with, well, life. Little did I know how God had been working in my life to make my dreams come true, even when I was just plodding away doing my thing.

Back in 2013, I was asked by my local library to run a group with young writers. This was a face to face workshop once a fortnight and it was the highlight of my week. I come up with a crazy writing prompt as well as give the teens an opportunity to pick my brains about all things writing. With covid hitting earlier this year, the group has moved to a weekly session via Zoom.

Over the last couple of years, I have known that my day job would be ending as my bosses were retiring. I tried many different things, but kept coming back to the business idea of working with young writers, basically expanding what I had been doing with young writers.

A few months ago, an opportunity came up to purchase a business that does exactly what I have been wanting to do. I can already see potential and possible growth with this business, freeing me up to write and publish more books.

This is also clearing the way so I have the headspace to get back to doing what I really love - writing!

In all of this, I can see God's hand at work, even when I wasn't looking or even asking specifically for help. Opportunities come along when we're least expecting it. In the chaos of 2020, it can sometimes be hard to see God at work, but He is there, working away in the background.

A little encouragement in these crazy times. Keep moving and remember, God is working, even if you can't see it at the time. Things will come together at just the right time.

Melissa Gijsbers currently has three middle grade books published and a picture book on the way in 2020. She currently lives in Gippsland, Victoria with her two teenage sons, their pet blue-tongue lizard, and baby budgie. She runs a weekly online writing group for young writers via Zoom.

You can find her at www.melissagijsbers.com and on Facebook and Twitter.