A Good Day!

"Expect to have hope rekindled.

Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways."

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Here ye! Here ye!

This day shall officially go down in history as one of the best days of my life.

So the next time I'm whining about something,

or feeling depressed, unloved, unloveable,

or thinking that life stinks,

I hope someone will shut me up by saying a simple

October 20, 2010.

And the reason(s) this day is so wonderful is:

1. I finally - FINALLY - have my very own copy of Saying Goodbye in my hot little hands. I can hold it, see my name on the back cover, flip through the pages, find my story on pg. 143, and re-read it to make sure there is not a latent type-o lurking about. I can go to sleep tonight with the book under my pillow and dream of all the books I'll write in my future. I must say, I thought just knowing about it was cool, but seeing it for the first time is, mmmmm, pretty damn sweet!

2. My dad has been kind of clueless about the upcoming publication. Not because I haven't mentioned it, but because he just doesn't always catch on when I get all puffed up about myself. When the book arrived, as I was doing the happy dance, Sweetie was singing "woohoo" and the nurse was saying "congratulations" Dad said a simple and quiet I'm proud of you.

But what I heard was 'I AM PROUD OF YOU." Followed by this ... "I'm proud of you because you are so proud of yourself. And I'm happy for you because you are happy."

Amongst the thrill of it all I also found myself wondering, like Dorothy must have done when the good witch told she had the way home all the time, is that all I had to do to win Dad's pride - be proud of myself?And maybe what that means is be true to myself. Could it be that simple? Why didn't I know? And why didn't he say so before? But who cares, today it seemed to hit a home run to my heart. I am filled with gratitude.

3. And last but very far from least, my Sweetie not only waited with me by sharing my bed of pins and needles, he was as excited to hold Saying Goodbye in his hands as I was. As I finished up with the hospice nurse, Jack left to run some errands. When he got home he was carrying a huge vase of roses which he presented to me with a congratulations song and a card that dared me to continue dreaming. I just don't think a girl can ask for much more than that from her husband. It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood when that Prince walked into my life and charmed me from my head to my toes. There is something to be said for being in a relationship where two can be as one, in good times and bad. Again, I'm over-flowing with gratitude.

Wishing for you gratitude that knows no bounds,

Merry ME