"Joy is peace dancing, peace is joy at rest" ~ F.B. Meyer

 

~ The above has been my life quote for many, many years ~

 

Eight years ago, while my husband and two youngest daughters were hiking in the jungles of Haiti on a mission trip and I was holding down the fort back home, keeping the fires burning at our restaurant in west central Indiana, I had an idea. I clicked buy on a website and purchased a laptop that would later be delivered to my doorstep via UPS. That purchase was the beginning of a journey that brought me to where I am today. A little idea about a yarn shop and some wacky women led me to the newfound, exciting world of publishing! I am an author!

It didn't take me eight years to write my book.

I had the idea eight years ago.

I told two dear friends about my idea--Wendy and Bethany--they just smiled at me and looked at me with that, "Uh-huh, that's nice," kind of look that people who are not quite sure about your sanity give you when they are just being nice because they are nice people. You know the look. I get that look quite often, from many people who know me. Maybe it's because my sanity is often questioned by those who know me best. Anyway, Wendy and Bethany asked me from time to time over the years if I was working on my book. I would answer, "Oh, I've written a few pages here and there." Which was a truthful answer, but I just never went any further than a few page here and there.

Fast forward to 2012.

Our youngest daughter, bless her heart, met and married the love of her life.

She married Bill on what would have been the 65th Anniversary of her Grandparent's, my Mom and Daddy ~ March 31st, 2012. It was a beautiful day for the beautiful couple and the legacy of

being married on the same day as her grandparents. Many happy tears were shed.

Fast forward again.

May 2012.

My husband and I closed our restaurant, sold our home, most of our possessions, and packed up most of what was left over (including that crazy laptop purchased nearly six years prior), shoved it all into a 24 foot U-Haul truck, 8-foot trailer and/or our SUV and headed to Central Florida.

Fast forward again.

June 2012.

I wandered into my first Writer's Guild meeting.

It was here that I gathered the courage and encouragement to finally allow my ladies to spring to life. For the next eighteen months, the Sip & Knit ladies became my friends and confidants.

Each week I would write and read their story to my peers.

Each week my peers would help me pare and hone their story.

Each week we all would embrace their world.

In short, we all wanted to know more about these women I was creating!

 

Patience is a tedious exercise.

Exercise.

When someone tells me they enjoy exercise my left eyebrow twitches.

I do not enjoy exercise. I find it boring and repetitive.

So even though I am an extremely patient person...I could wait until the cows come home

on any given day of the week...I would not want to be exercising while I was waiting for said cows to come wandering into the pasture.

Anyway, cows and exercise have absolutely nothing to do with anything I am talking about.

 

I wrote a book.

I had an idea eight years ago.

I bought a laptop eight years ago because I had an idea.

Wendy and Bethany thought I was a little cuckoo eight years ago.

They probably still think I am a little cuckoo.

Eighteen months ago I really started exercising my brain and my fingers.

Six weeks ago I launched my book!

Today I am an author!

I am gaining fans!

It's an exercise in patience.

Joy is peace dancing, peace is joy at rest.

I am resting in the joy!

Welcome to my wacky world!!