Around 13, I began thinking of myself as a poet.
Somewhere in my 20s, I more generally became a writer (so as not to limit myself).
Today, I'm simply a woman who like words, likes sentences, and spends irregular amounts of time practicing catharsis online. Yes, I'm one of those people who's very public but 9 times out of 10, I'll probably be caught off guard if you refer to something I've written.
But please, don't let that stop you.
Til later,
MichaelaThe Long Story
I was raised to believe that "Hi" is too informal.
My name is Michaela Lawrence Jeffery.
I have dark brown skin, having been born of a Jamaican (Maroon) dad and a Guyanese mum after they'd moved across land and sea to England and after they'd had my older sister. Several years after me, they had two more, twin boy and girl. Four kids? No biggie.
I'm a British citizen even after living most of my life away from those shores. I check the "Black" box on surveys. I'm married so I check that box, too. We have no children unless you count our plants. We have no pets unless you count the random frogs/rabbits that cruise through our little back yard from time to time. My husband and I enjoy doing a variety of things together from music to gardening to spectating at quality concerts to hanging out with fine friends.
Many years ago, I decided to become a university professor of English lit. That decision ended after wrapping up my MA in lit and realizing that spending my life in that field wasn't to be. I loved teaching. I still do. The classroom has always been a positive experience especially seeing students realize that they can write, that their ideas do make sense. But alas, I have yet to figure out another subject that I love deeply enough to reenter the classroom fulltime.
But that's alright because there's something else (that's somewhat related) to which I've been called. And I'm still trying to figure how to do it well. It's called being a pastor.
Currently, I'm a campus minister at a large public university where thousands of students make decisions each day for or against all that is God...and I do the same as I attempt to journey with a few of them. One of the hardest realities of the job is that I can only journey with a few...and to that end I hope to get a better handle on love & discipleship.
Another thing you should know about me is that I enjoy becoming a part of my community, the larger space beyond my house, my job, my church. I like figuring out how to embrace people and efforts beyond my daily routine, using my gifts to encourage, to build, to grow. Figuring out what to say yes to, what to initiate...it's mixed blessing and I enjoy the challenge.
Writing is catharsis. I don't promise to be helpful but I want to be honest only so much as it seems helpful. Hope that makes sense.
Walk with God,
MLJ
