Today’s my birthday, and what a gift I received this week, from all of you and from the good Lord–“Creed’s Honor” debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list! I gotta tell you, the word ‘yeehaw’ just isn’t big enough to express this one. I am, quite simply, amazed–yes, it happened last time, but I didn’t expect it again so soon, especially not with all the other new books out there in the marketplace.
What do I plan to do to celebrate? Well, the ranch crew usually comes up with a cake and some presents, and there’s an intriguing box from my daughter and her beau, hiding out in Jenni’s office. And I’ve got a yen to slap paint on some unsuspecting surface. 🙂 Since the other gift I received this week was a case of the flu, I want to write.
Remember when I said, right here on this blog, that I wasn’t setting any more goals? Changed my mind. It’s not because I need anything, because I have the life I’ve always wanted, right here and now. I’m setting new goals for the sake of having goals–because they help us move forward. So, there you go. I want to keep growing, as a person and as a writer, and to do that, one must have goals.
I can’t end today’s blog without a nod to my late-great dad, Skip Lael. Today would have been his birthday, too, and tomorrow is the anniverary of his death. But that’s life for you–the bitter and the sweet, the joy and the sorrow. A human life is like a tapestry, it seems to me. You have the shining threads of happiness and laughter, and the gossamer threads spun from tears. It’s a big blend of color and shadow and, as the old proverb goes, we see it from the back, where the knots and tangles are.
God sees it from the front, for the lovely picture it is.
Be blessed and enjoy your weekend.
I’m grateful for all of it.
