My husband—in the middle of editing my manuscript—looked up at me.
"You realize
you're living your dream?" he said. "You're an author. A
published author. "
I paused while wiping down the countertop, the damp rag in my hand. "I am,
aren't I?"
"I bet it's easy to forget that when you're living your dream every day."
He was right.
The hustle and bustle of deadline, preparing to launch my sophomore novel,
THE MIDWIFE, being
six months pregnant all while staying home with a toddler sometimes makes me
feel like whirligig in a straight-line wind, no stopping point in sight.
I am not as anxious about my June 1 book launch as I was with my debut,
THE OUTCAST; I can
actually enjoy these days leading up to it, instead of tossing and turning at night.
Yet the anxiety, with
THE
OUTCAST, fueled both me and my mild case of insomnia. I wrote blog
posts, arranged radio, television, and newspaper interviews, and finalized the
details for book signings like I was hyped up on caffeine.
I've done all of these things in preparation for
THE MIDWIFE: a story
about overcoming loss and learning to love again. But I am also aware that true
happiness and fulfillment cannot be acquired through a plethora of five star
reviews and critical acclaim.
You see, many things have changed in this year between book launches.
In the fall, I suffered a miscarriage that realigned my perspective and ceased
my spinning. I was out of town for a book event when I understood what was
happening, and those hours it took to drive back home made me realize that all
that mattered in my world was God and my family.
I believe that God has indeed granted me with the gift of storytelling, and I
always want to use it for His honor and glory. However, I also never want to
forget that I am living the dream, regardless if I'm a published author or not.
I never want to forget sitting on the porch this spring, writing, and feeling my
unborn child moving inside my womb like a promise, of walking out to the mailbox
while pushing my toddler in the stroller and discovering a handwritten note from
someone who enjoyed my story, of laughing with my husband—our laptops before
us—as we edit my manuscript side by side.
I am indeed living the dream, not because another book is about to be born, but
because of the beauty that is present in my simple, everyday life.
Hello, Peggy! Thanks for taking the time to comment! The Midwife, in fifteen words, is the story about a mother who risks everything to save a child not genetically hers. It officially releases on June 1, Sunday, and I can't wait to share! :) Blessings to you! Jolina
(Jolina Petersheim 1:23pm May 30, 2014)
Hi Sweet Jolina, I am so thrilled that you are living your dream. Life is as it
should be for you and your little family. Take in every moment amidst all the
hustle and bustle as the time passes much too quickly. Your gifts and
talents are true blessings and you share them unselfishly. Thank you so
very much.
(Melanie Backus 8:27am June 1, 2014)
Thank you, Leona. It's so true that nothing else matters, isn't it? Blessings to you! Jolina
(Jolina Petersheim 9:44am June 1, 2014)
Hello, Melanie, thank you for visiting with me here and for your sweet comment. I am definitely trying to drink these days in, for I know they're passing all too quickly! Hope you have a great weekend with your family as well! Love, Jolina
(Jolina Petersheim 9:46am June 1, 2014)
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