Setting Sail

I have never had a blog, so whoever reads this in the present or future, please bear with me! I'm Chavala Ymker, and I am currently trying to get my anchor off the bottom of the ocean which I will traverse for the rest of my life until Jesus carries me to the other side.

Ever since I was little, I've been unable to decide who I want to be. First I was a ballerina, then an artist, a veterinarian, a musician, a writer, and even now, as I search for the degree I should pursue in college, I continue to vacillate. I started telling my friends to not trust what I say I am going to study until I am enrolled! But I know I want to help people and express myself. I want to be an artist of some kind.

Besides being a writer of many story introductions (!), I am also a musician. My Mom taught me piano until I got tired of it. Soon after I taught myself guitar, I started to write songs. I don't have many, but in my songs I express some of my deepest feelings. I also sing. The music of For King and Country, Rich Mullins, Jason Gray and Josh Wilson are my favorites, as well as Celtic and some movie soundtracks. I love music that makes me soar.

I also love movies, and wanted to be a filmmaker for a time (I still think about it). My favorite is Amazing Grace. William Wilberforce was a Christian who stood for right no matter how long, or how hard. Like Dietrich Bonhoeffer. World War II is my favorite time period to read about. I am a voracious reader. I enjoyed reading The Highlander's Last Song by George MacDonald and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen along with many other wonderful books. I enjoy thinking about subjects that stretch my mind. For those of you who read or watch Sherlock Holmes, I find his thought process fascinating. I love beauty and things that make me catch my breath. And I love brokenness because that's what brings us together if we're honest.

I struggle with anxiety and have so many questions; about who I am, and about my place in the world. I want to answer them myself without God's help, but I want to follow Him, because I know He has a purpose for me and I could miss it.

This blog is titled after two quotes, one by J.R.R. Tolkien, "...Not all those who wander are lost", and a Gaelic saying, "He who travels has stories to tell." As a wandering writer, I won't be obliged to stay on one topic (freedom is important to me!), and every day as I travel through the world I will find stories tell, and I will tell old stories. Each traveler walks a different road.

I don't have a particular purpose for this blog, I used to want to rant on my favorite opinions, but now, I believe it is simply a platform for whatever I write, although I do hope that might be able to give hope, understanding and honesty. I don't know all that you might find on these pages in the future, but possibly a short story, a song lyric, but mostly essays of life from my point of view.

P.S. I've been working on this post for a long time, so I guess I won't forestall any longer:)