Charles Dickens' Great Expectations

[Lorilyn Roberts]

"There was a long hard time when I kept far from me, the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth. But, since my duty has not been incompatible with the admission of that remembrance, I have given it a place in my heart." Haunting words from Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, as I begin my new novel.

For those who write memoirs or novels based on life, it's a hurdle to be overcome. How often have I avoided music, pictures, locations, events, or people that I associated with a painful memory? But if we don't embrace the past, we will remain its prisoner. If we don't conquer the beasts that set out to destroy us, they will live on in our memories. I for one believe God redeems what we often see as meaningless because He is the Author and Finisher. We only hold the pen.