My Cup Overfloweth

In Appreciation

Even though I consider myself a wordsmith, some things are hard to put into words.  One of the first pages of my book, Beginnings, is the Acknowledgements page.  It’s that place where you write appreciation to all the people who supported your writing effort in some way.  As I began thanking people on that page, I soon realized that it could easily have bled into several pages because so many people had some part in my book coming to life. 

Today I want to express my deepest and sincere appreciation for what writing a book has taught me and the all the joy that has come from having accomplished something I’ve dreamt about for a very long time.  Words will not be adequate to describe the feeling of deep satisfaction and how surprised I feel about the response to my first book.  The purchases, the messages, the reviews, the congratulations are a bit overwhelming.  I’m not quite sure what to do with the requests for me to sign someone’s copy of my book.  That feels so strange and humbling .  I’m happy to do it, but I am left to wonder WHY someone would want me to sign their copy.  I’m just little old me who happened to assemble some pages of poems and photos hoping that a few people might want to read it. 

I’ve been writing publicly for over three years now and it’s nothing short of amazing to me that my reader community has grown and continues to expand.  One temptation in the writing world is to follow the number of views and comments and subscriptions.  Now that my writing is in book form, it’s hard not to look at numbers to gauge success.  Of course I check sales, reviews, royalties, trends.  I have kept my expectations low, but hopeful.  I sometimes have to remind myself that I didn’t tackle this project for monetary gain or notoriety, but I am amazed and blessed so far with the interest I’ve received. 

What feels like success to me is hearing that people are enjoying perusing the pages, reading the poems, appreciating the photos and artwork.  The highest praise is when someone reaches out to tell me that a poem resonated with them or that they especially loved a photo.  It’s easy to let go of numbers when you feel you’ve touched someone in some way. 

So here’s a little gratitude list of things and people I want to recognize and appreciate:

First, to all the people who don’t even know me well but somehow found my writing and purchased my book, you have left me shaking my head in wonder. 

To all those who do know me and support me in such a variety of ways and share your thoughts with me, you all fill up my tank with motivation and energy to keep going.

To my wonderful illustrators who made my book more unique and special than I could have imagined. 

To all the writers who took the time to make YouTube videos about the ins and outs of self-publishing and even as detailed as how to maintain quality while uploading photos with bleed edges, I am eternally grateful.

To all those writer friends who went before me and were willing to guide, inform and suggest, you were the support system I needed to not give up.

To those special prayer warriors and cheerleaders who asked, “How’s that book coming?” or sent little notes of encouragement exactly when I needed them the most, you were the wind beneath my wings!

I don’t know if this will be my first and only, or if I will be inspired to try a different kind of book.  I learned so many skills that I feel like a next effort would be much easier to accomplish.  But there will only be another book if I feel I have a something to share that might impact or inspire other people.  I feel my ability to put words onto paper is a God-given gift and as long as He wants me to use it for His good purposes, you never know what I might be inspired to do next.  My heart is full.

Beginnings on Amazon