Hannah's Heartstrings

I dearly love doing the themed blog carnivals that YLCF does from time to time. However I must say that this one had me stumped for a little bit. My passion? What am I most passionate about? And what's more, how do I communicate it?

The first two things that popped into my head were writing and photography. Two things I very much love.

Writing is like air for me. There are many days I feel I cannot live without writing *something*. I write what I cannot find the words to speak. I relieve stress and tension through forming letters with my pen or typing. I thrill at being able to describe my world, to pour out my heart, to share my thoughts and communicate with others. Yes, I am definitely passionate about writing.

Photography. Now there is a recently discovered love. Since I cannot draw or paint and at times words fail me, I needed a different avenue for capturing the beauty of the worl I see. I found the camera. Nothing fancy; just a slightly upscale Nikon point-and-shoot. Even in its simplicity, it opened a door for me. Suddenly all the things I could not describe were captured forever in still images. I could show the world the things I loved. I began to shadow other photographers and study their technique, hoping to perfect my own. I am still a work in progress, but yes, photography is a passion I possess.

Then I began to think about the other passions that fill my heart. Anyone who ever talks to me will know my passion for healthy food. My love for organics and my super-vegan status makes my life more than interesting where food is concerned and I'm always eager to share it with people. Then there's my love for dancing...I always wanted to take tap dancing or ballet as a child, but was far too shy to dare trying it. So when I was introduced to English Country Dancing---the kind I could to with a group of friends and never alone---I fell in love. I've learned anything I could of it and other forms of dance in the past three years and still don't know enough or experience it enough.
I suppose you could say traveling is a passion I have. Not much thrills me more than packing my bag and jetting off to some new place...so long as that place is filled with people I love. Maybe its the people that are my passion.

But none of this seems to answer my question. What am I *most* passionate about? Actually the answer lies a little deeper than the "things" that make my heart beat. It's the "Who" that makes these things worth being passionate about.

If you look at the tag cloud on my blog, you'll notice that the biggest tag is the one for GOD (next biggest is "poetry"). I love that.

Simply put, God is my biggest passion.

He permeates my writings, gives me words to write and in the reason I write.

He is the Creator of the beautiful things I see and wish to capture with my camera.

I've heard dance described as a form of worship, and I heartily agree. When my heart is so full of my Savior, my feet sometimes can't help but express it.

My love for healthy food stems from my need to heal my body of several very trying health problems, which, if left attended, have the tendency to interfere with being able to live a vibrant life in which I may serve and be a witness for Him. I need to be strong and through Him I can be.

I am most passionate about my God, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is my all in all. He is the reason I can fill my life with all the other things and people that make my heart sing. With His help, He can shine through all I do in the small and glorious life that I have been privileged to live.

~Hannah McMichael