Podcast - MasterClass Writers with Selwyn Milborrow

Selwyn Milborrow is the founder of MasterClass Writers, the home of creative talks about writing and publishing. The office is based in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. Members are from SA, US, UK & France.

It only takes one person to make a difference in the life of another

My wife, Sharon Liberty, wrote this beautiful and poignant piece about a primary school teacher that impacted her life:

"It only takes one person to make a difference in the life of another, and in my case, it was my primary school teacher. A great teacher not only inspires, but shapes the character, calibre, and future of a child.

I'm eternally grateful for Mr Schuster who helped me after I've developed a bad stutter problem in primary school. I became withdrawn and kept to myself. Because of this, Mr Schuster had me do my reading and oral presentations privately; not in front of the class. One day after several reading sessions, he gave me this piece of advice: “Stand in front of the mirror, take a deep breath and talk to yourself. Ask yourself questions, answer yourself, and also start reading out loud.”

I took his advice and did this exercise every day until high school. When I have reached standard 7, I overcame my stuttering problem! It really changed my life because I went from being shy and insecure to a more confident person.

Thank you, Mr Schuster, I'm forever grateful to you for changing my life. I'm firm in my belief that a teacher lives on through the memories of his or her learners. It not only proves that good teaching is forever, but that the teacher is immortal." - Sharon Liberty

#GetOverIt
#BrokennessToBreakthrough

My Lockdown Journal - "The New Normal"

My Lockdown Journal 2020 – Sunday, May 3, 2020:

The world cannot wait for the “new normal” to come. Well, I had an epiphany: Jesus started the new normal the day he rose from the dead! This morning, my wife and I (including our two dogs) had communion while “attending” church via live streaming in our bedroom. Yes, our dogs had communion. I must admit that I could get used to this kind of lifestyle. However, a lot of people are looking forward to getting back to some form of normalcy.

The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” So, why are we in a hurry to get back to normal? It’s something to ponder on for a while.

In Matthew 5:48 (NIV), Jesus makes a call for us to “be perfect”. I believe it means to be perfect in our imperfections. I’m reminded of the Japanese practice of Kintsugi pottery. It’s a practice in which broken pots are mended with silver or gold which results in even more beautiful ones than before it broke. Shouldn’t we look at the many opportunities the lockdown has given us? Isn’t there some gold among the rubble of life in quarantine?

What I love about this locked-in life is that my wife and I can relax in each other’s company. There is mutual trust, respect, support, love, interest and all the other characteristics of friendship that make life wonderful and blessed. So why do people long to get back to normal life as they know it?

#CommunionSunday
#COVID19

My Lockdown Journal - Our "Arab Spring"

My lockdown journal:

The coronavirus has become our 9/11 and our Arab Spring. The coronavirus has changed civilisation; it changed our imaginations. It’s a historic period because mankind will in future (now already) refer to a pre-coronavirus and a post-coronavirus period.

We’ll look at sci-fi movies and acknowledge that the unthinkable can become possible within a matter of days. Science fiction before coronavirus was just that, “fiction”!

The world is concerned with maintaining some sort of normalcy but the truth is that we’ve been swallowed up in the abyss of a pandemic that even medical scientists don’t understand. As a species, we have become disconnected from each other and from ourselves. However, while we’re trying to stay afloat, it would seem that the pandemic has brought civilisation closer together. We’re in a battle for survival. Let’s stay together!

#LockdownSouthAfrica
#LockdownJournal
#COVID19