In January I talked to my little man about goals for the new year... dreams... ambitions... what-would-you-do-if-you-knew-you-wouldn't-fail kind of goals. One frosty morning, draped in a quilt and narrow in focus, I was clicking away at the keyboard when he approached me quietly... paper in hand.
"Would you like to hear my goals?"
The click-clacking stopped. What was in this young heart? The one where I can see just a glimpse of the man to be? I turned my face on his. The world would wait. Dreams would begin.
"I want to get published."
My heart tensed. I know just how hard, just how long, just how disappointing that journey can be. But I also know how entirely thrilling that whole adventure can ultimately become! It is true that no genuinely worthwhile reward comes without substantial effort. He has watched when the words pour out... and when they fail to come. He's humored me for photo shoots of more retakes than takes. He's asked about page layouts and query letters and publishers. He's listened to the phone calls... and he knows his mama's heart. Somewhere along the way, it all became a part of him. And now it is his dream.
"Wow! That's a great goal! You know it might take some time. It may not happen your first try..."
He's undaunted.
I love that.
"I know."
A few days later I saw a note from The Old Schoolhouse magazine about a writing competition, The Grannie Annie. I simply loved their mission... encouraging children to learn about their family heritage from the generations who came before. This was it.
Next week, Andrew will be my first guest author on Prairie Lily Arts. Suffice it to say that a mere handful of weeks after my little man came to me with his heart's dream... he could say he was a published author... and illustrator! The reporters have come and gone. The book rests here by my elbow.
Now we head home. We'll join my dad, who shared with Andrew the treasured family legacy which would become his story. We'll gather at a towering, beautiful, city bookstore under the shadow of the St. Louis Arch. And little man... half nerves, half joy... will read his story and sign crisp, new pages. A dream come true. Undaunted. That's my boy. Dreams are simply our heart's vision of tomorrow's reality. How I love his heart... and all he envisions.
Congratulations, Andrew. I love you to the moon and back.
Join us next week to hear his story and see pictures from our journey.
One mama.
Two boys.
Undaunted.
From my heart,
Susan
