Thanksgiving

I am thankful for the goodness of God. This past year has been a year of growth for me. It is the anniversary of the day that my first copies of "Nan's Journey" came into my hands. The only thing I can think of that comes close to conveying the emotion of that day is the birth of a baby.

Like birthing a baby, getting a book published is only the beginning. There are responsibilities to the book that require care and attention for it to be successful. I have become more assertive and stronger in voice and confidence. The thought of speaking before a group is less intimidating with each event. Meeting store owners and customers at book signings has become a joy.

A lot of self-doubts threaten sanity at times encouraged by looks of astonishment from acquaintances who can hardly believe that I have the capacity to actually "write something". It has been amusing to watch the various reactions of people. I am blessed that a lot of them are encouraging. That helps soothe the bruises from the others.

If it weren't for the message that is within the covers I don't know that I would have the stamina for this. When a reader approaches me and shares with me the impact this simple story had on their life, it is all worth it. One lady that I have known for years phoned me. She was someone that I thought had it "all together". As she spoke about reading the book she began to cry. She said, "You wrote my story!" It showed me once again that we do not really know the pain behind another person's eyes. She was very grateful that I had written it. I am too.

I am thankful that God lead me to a Christian Publisher who took a risk with me. Every person on the team has been great and I am thankful for them too.