The pins on my lapel are not expensive or even rare. To most people they would mean little but to me, they are a testament of love, friendship and dreams come true.
The silver feather, a find from my husband reminded him of a quill and my dream to be a published author. He gave me the pin to encourage me to keep writing even when it seemed everything I wrote was destined to be almost good enough but not quite. He believed in me and gave me a gentle push towards achieving those goals.
The butterfly, a gift from my mentor Marni Graff from her trip to England. A butterfly is the symbol of hope and rebirth. I have had need of both. When we lost our home to fire, I struggled to keep believing in hope. When my dad died the year after, hope faltered. When my mom fell and broke her hip, it became nearly impossible to keep writing and deal with life. But like the butterfly who is reborn, death, destruction and life’s tragedies make us stronger. We burst from the darkness of our cocoons a new being. For me, I came back with a renewed determination to achieve those goals.
The RWA PRO pin is a sign of achievement. I worked hard, finished a novel and moved up in the ranks of Romance Writers of America to the status of professional. I am on the path of becoming a published author. I have faced road blocks along the way. I have stumbled and fallen, but I am blessed to have a group of people who believed in me, even when I did not believe in myself.
The cover of my book, Chrome Pink. This is the cheapest of the jewelry I’m wearing for I made it myself. It is nothing more than paper and glue, but it is a symbol of what I have overcome. Because of the people who have stood beside me, pushed me, comforted me and cheered me onward, this book became a reality. Writing maybe a solo act but in truth, I could not, would not have published this book without the love and support of my family and friends.
The pins on my lapel remind me, I’m not alone. Each success I achieve is because of you and each failure is easier to bear, because you lift me up. These pins remind me to be proud, to be humble, to be thankful and to know, I am loved.
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