So, on the last day of last year I had something come to the my doorstep that I wasn’t expecting, especially after the events of the prior three months in the aftershock of Kenny’s sudden and unexpected death. A friend of mine who’s an author of several books sent me a message and asked if I would like to be one of the contributing authors in her upcoming collaborative book. She had written and published two collaborative books already and two more in the series were on the table. I told her I would love to be a part of her book but I didn’t know how or what that would entail on my end.
She gave me the info on the book and told me there was a financial investment in getting it published. I knew I could write the chapter as writing has always come so easily to me since I was a young girl. The financial investment part was a block for me as I did not have that money to spare. Since Kenny died things have been very hard financially, and I did not know where my portion of that financial investment could be pulled from.
My friend said one thing to me—“Write the chapter. The money will come if it’s meant to be”.
So, I did. The words came so easily it surprised me. I sent the chapter to my friend and she liked it. I told her I still didn’t know where the money was going to come from for my investment in the publishing process. She told me a story of how years ago when she was really struggling financially someone left $1000 in her mailbox. She said she never found out who it was but it really made a difference in her life at the time. She repeated to me again that if this was meant to be the money would come.
I ruminated over this for weeks. I had absolutely no idea how I was going to be able to afford this. I had a little bit of money put back from after Kenny died but it wasn’t much more than I needed for this. If I took the leap and made the investment I literally would have just a few hundred dollars left.
As the weeks went by I kept getting nudges from above to do this. I pushed them back at first but they kept coming. They got harder and harder to ignore. I talked everything over with both of my children and they were in support of whatever I chose to do. I finally made the decision to go ahead and make the investment to have my chapter included in the upcoming book as this would open a lot more doors for me as a writer.
I let my friend know that I made the decision to go ahead and do this. A few days later she sent me a message and told me that a benefactor had come forward to scholarship most of what my financial investment would be. She did not tell me who it was and I did not ask. I feel like I had to make the decision myself to go ahead and do it for whoever this person(s) was to come forward and offer that scholarship. The decisions that we make in life change the trajectory of how things play out for us and I believe that’s what happened here.
I covered the rest of the financial investment myself, which was a fraction of what it would have been had no one sponsored me. This secured my chapter being included in the book. It’s going to be published in June. The first two books in the series went to the best sellers list in their genre within hours. This book will follow the same path.
This happening has been the ONLY thing that has made me feel hopeful about anything since Kenny died. None of this would have come about if he was still here because all of the writing that I have been doing since he died brought me to this point. From the greatest pain I have ever experienced in my whole entire life came writing so powerful that grief was the only thing that could facilitate it.
I’ve had many people come and tell me that what I’ve been writing has helped them so much. I’m truly thankful that my words are having a positive effect on others. There’s a saying that goes “Stay in your lane”. What that means is to be and do what you’re familiar with. THIS is my lane. This is what I was sent here to do and this is my life’s purpose…..to write and to help others heal.
Kenny’s hands are all over this whole thing. I truly believe with every fiber of my being that he is the one (along with the Creator) that is orchestrating all of it from the other side. He knew for years how much I loved to write, and how it’s been a lifelong dream of mine to be a published author. He’s still looking after me and taking care of me from the other side of the veil, just like he always did in our 35 1/2 years together.
Thank you, Kenny, for bringing this opportunity to my doorstep. You were (and always will be) such a blessing in my life and I am eternally grateful that our paths crossed so many years ago. My love for you will never die and even though we are separated in the physical form I know that you are still right there beside me like you always were. Thank you for making my lifelong dream come true and for guiding me to what is in my highest good. I love you to the moon and back, forever and ever, and I’ll see you when it’s my time to join you over there.
Love,
Lisa