To love or to completely despise....

Stephanie Meyer. Yup, say the name and MOST everyone knows she is the author of the ever-popular Twilight series. My title simply stems from the idea that any wanna be writer, novelist or even journalist that aspires one day to be a published author must love/despise Meyer at the same time. WHY? She simply went on and broke just about every rule in the writing industry. I say that because I follow a few writers on their journey to getting published and the work they invest is daunting at times to read about. However, in the end, I know they will get published and I will be one of the first to buy!

Most writers spend years honing a craft. They have gone to college for it, they have invested in short story and essay competitions, they have designed professional writing blogs, attended conferences, struggled with a bazillion rejections and truly are a "starving artist" waiting to reap the benefits of an agent recognizing their talent.

If you take a moment to read through Meyer's journey- it took all of two years for her to go from scratching down a dream she had - to a published story. She wasn't a writer by trade, she was an avid reader. She had never really written even a short story before, her book was "too long" by industry standards and she didn't even follow the would be "traditional myths" of vampires. She faced all of nine rejections before an agent took her under her wing. Her marketing scheme was modest at best and then...boom.

She went from completely unknown to a world-wide phenomenon. It's not like she got published and was excited to see her book in a local bookstore. It's not like she broke out the champagne when her book hit the best-seller list for a week or two...nope....she went world wide, sellings millions of copies and became a best-selling author in rapid fashion. Then....within a year...the movie. sheesh.

So, yes, I love the fact that her creativity and dedication to a story she loved did so well...but I sometimes pictures all those writers yet unpublished sitting, staring at their laptops.... throwing invisible darts at the girl who created Edward and Bella. :)

A perfect grade...

So this is the first year of "real" school, where Andrew actually gets grades instead of smiley faces, his reading is evaluated and his math too. I never thought I would be a worrier about school work and even now, I wouldn't say I worry. BUT, when I met for teacher's conference last week I actually had the same feeling return - ya know- the one that would come before I had a test handed back to me and I feared for my grade...yes, I was one of those kids who cried if I received a bad grade. The desire for Andrew to do well was the same...it might be even greater! I was just amused that I could feel that trepidation again.."Did he do well?", "Can he read as well as the other kids?" "I pray he is better at math than I was"....and on and on.

So far. so good.

In typical Andrew fashion: He brought home a spelling test and I made a big deal out of the "100" at the top of the page and the "wow" next to it. I had to explain that a "100" was the best he could do and I was proud of him. He looked at the paper and furrowed his little brow....

"What?" I asked him.

"Well," he looked at the teacher's writing again..."I just think she could have written that a little neater on my paper."

I flipped the paper over and it was the typical "100" with the swooping zero's and the wow was big and cursive like.. - nothing like how the kiddos are expected to write on their homework.

I laughed and hung the paper on the fridge anyway. Andrew's perfect handwriting on his test and well, his teacher's sub-par markings.

Only 11 and half more years.

A November Day....

Investing...

Anyone who has been close to me this past week knows it was a week full of emotional highs and lows. The undulation in emotions can cause a million questions to arise in why we invest in other people's lives. No one is perfect and imperfections will result in disappointments. However, within those imperfections are gems. I am not sure how to describe it, but I was asked this week why in the world I would agree to coach a varsity girls soccer team. Now, for anyone who does it, you know the answers to that question. On the outside... people have to wonder why I agree to invest months into the lives of a handful of adolescent females in an arena where emotions run high, parents get involved and every decision I make is subject to public scrutiny. I can only equate it to parenting or any other job where the investment and the work is worth it for the betterment of a child.

This past week as I watched a group of young ladies close out a successful and long season, I realized what character and promise they possess. It's a brilliant and unforgettable experience to watch 17 young girls from a variety of backgrounds, an array of personalities and widely varied perspectives on life...pull together to work toward a single goal. The investment was worth it. The investment into the lives of those girls is worth every frustration and every bump along the way.

It's just one reason why I coach, but many reasons why investing in others is worth the time. Family and friends are sure to disappoint as I am sure I will disappoint others at times. However, the reciprocal blessings, I think, outweigh the disappointments. So, whether it be friends, family, athletes or my children, the investments I have made have been worth it.

I Could Be A Morning Person....

I could do it. I could be a morning person if every morning when I awoke I could set the clock back one hour. Would that be a problem for anyone? It just worked out great today, I felt like what morning people feel like. Breakfast, clean up, dressed and church all in a timely manner - I just needed an extra hour! Problem. fixed. I just need daylight savings time every night :)