A decade ago, I didn’t have a blog or a website. Much has changed for me—and for the world—since 2010.
Building a Community
My first blog posts were written for a group blog I became part of in 2011. A group of writer friends, we called ourselves Swagger and took turns writing posts. I was unsure of participating in the endeavor, but that group of friends convinced me to give it a go.
Friends have always been a great support system for me, and the past decade was no exception.
Facing Life’s Curveballs
I began 2010 with new health issues. Having dealt with health issues since I was 16, I usually take them in stride, but this time was tougher. I had two heart procedures in 2010—and another in 2012. Those procedures and my friends helped me feel more like ME again.
“…but with the help of friends and family, I not only moved forward, but thrived.”
Early in 2011, my husband was the one who suffered a severe accident, which caused him months of immobility and pain. Those injuries brought on other difficulties that will afflict him for the rest of his life. It has been a tough road for both of us, but with the help of friends and family, I not only moved forward, but thrived.
Releasing My First Novel
In 2013, after writing for over 4 decades, I was finally offered a contract on my novel Like a River. It was the 11th novel I’d written, and I had nearly given up on ever seeing one of them published.
Like a River launched in 2015 and was followed by Empty Places in 2016 and Not on Fifth Street in 2017. I was thrilled just to have my work published, but a greater excitement came when Like a River won the 2015 Grateful American Book Prize. An honor I never dreamed of!
What’s Next?
I began a new novel in 2016, but only finished its latest revision in August, 2019. No word yet if it will be published. I learned a long time ago that decision is out of my hands.
However, I don’t let the long wait stop me. As soon as I sent that manuscript to my editor, I began a new novel. I am excited about it and working on it keeps me busy into the new decade.
A Decade of Growth
The past decade was much more than health issues and writing. I spent time with longtime friends and made new friends. I watched family grow and expand. Not only have my own grandchildren grown, but my nieces and nephews have added 15 more offspring to our family, with at least two more expected in the next year. And I have lost track of the new babies in my husband’s family.
All in all, it has been a remarkable decade in a very full life, and I sincerely hope that life has a lot more mileage left.
My large, extended family (cousins and their offspring) has also grown, and we have gotten together for three family reunions in the last decade. A family reunion for us draws more than 100 loved ones.
I have traveled with my husband often in the decade, taking road trips all the way to the West Coast more than once. We vacationed with our children and grandchildren as well.
I have eaten countless lunches with four of my siblings and some offspring. (It’s a weekly tradition.)
The last decade witnessed deaths as well as births. It is always hard for my heart to say Goodbye to loved ones. But their memories live on inside me. All in all, it has been a remarkable decade in a very full life, and I sincerely hope that life has a lot more mileage left. Happy 2020. And beyond!
