A First Attempt
In the 16th century, the French judge Montaigne wished to express his thoughts in writing. Before he turned forty, he left his career as a judge and made a new attempt. Unlike the conventional literature of his time, he wrote freely, without restrictions on form, length, or subject, recording people and life as they were, along with his own thoughts, without embellishment. His collection of writings was published as Les Essais, and Montaigne later came to be recognized as the creator of a new literary genre—what we now call the essay.
The word essay comes from the French essai, and its verb form, essayer, means “to try” or “to attempt.”
If a goal or desire has begun to grow in your heart, do not feel burdened, and do not try too hard to be perfect. Simply give it a try. Each step, though taken with a trembling heart, will cause the seeds of possibility to sprout and, before long, bear valuable fruit.
“. . . What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” Mk 4:30–32
