Some Grit, a Little Grace, and a Whole Lot of Gratitude

It wasn't a romance novel. In my other writing life, I write non-fiction. The goal of this book was to capture the thirty-year story of a non-profit organization and how it created a national movement to support families—I managed to do it in 175 pages.

Most of 2018 was spent in research—interviews, watching old videos, reading articles on-line, gathering and selecting images, combing through drawers of file cabinets containing thirty years of archived documents and memorabilia. In 2019 my time was spent determining what not to include, and of course, writing.

It’s what we do, you know, we writers. We sift through stuff—whether physically or mentally—and determine what to write, what not to write, what to include, and how to do it. It’s a process we repeat with each book we write, whether it is a romance novel or non-fiction book.

This book was based on a theme of maintaining grit, grace, and gratitude as we power through life, reach goals, and work toward achieving success.

Grit: bravery | Grace: thoughtful | Gratitude: thankfulness 

I think we all are showing a bit of grit, grace, and gratitude these days. Life during and after a pandemic is not easy—personally, and for our country. Our nation's political state is also being tested, currently. Still, we've demonstrated grit. We’ve tried to be graceful about it all.

And, I’m grateful. I’m writing every day. I’m publishing books. I’m thankful for the grit I’ve maintained over 30+ years to keep at this writing gig—often against the odds of any success—and through my own grit, grace, and gratitude, survived and thrived.

Yes, even in this current climate of pandemic and politics, dwindling book sales, and whatever else the universe throws at us—this year, I am thriving.

• I’ve written new stories that I love.
• I have great writer friends and I’m fortunate to be part of a fabulous writing partnership
• I’ve spent more time on personal writing projects than in many years. 
• I have a supportive family, and a significant other who is not only proud of my writing, but puts the romance in my life every, single day. 
• I have a clear vision for where I want to take my writing in the future. 

I’m thankful every day for all these things.

While it would be to sit back and throw up our hands in despair—sifting through all the rhetoric, the fake news, the what-ifs, the propaganda, and the tired narratives; much like I combed through the thirty years of messy matter researching the book—and quit writing (...living, loving, crafting, cooking, being...), I choose not to.

I choose to keep writing. Keep going. Wear the mask. Ignore the rhetoric. Capture the words. Smile. Be thankful.

It’s not easy, of course. And I’m far from perfect. But it beats giving up. That, I refuse to do.