I know I’m breaking a cardinal rule of blogging by posting
on a Monday, but I’ve just got so much to say.
I attended a poetry reading today. Perhaps I should clarify
that I was one of the poets. I read three of my poems – including an old
favorite, The Christmas Thank you. We chatted and discussed, and then two
people turned to me saying, “Have you ever considered…” while handing me their business
cards.
Let’s back up a bit.
While this Saturday morning I was seated in a circle with a
group of Lewis fans sharing poetry, last Saturday morning I lay in my bed
pondering the ramifications of turning 40 (I was equally nervous on both occasions).
The first 20 years of my life were spent growing up. Then my
goose was born and I spent the next 20 years of my life helping him grow up. He’ll
be turning 20 this July. Which means that task is done. I’ll always be his
mother, and hopefully his adviser, confident, and friend. Be he no longer needs
me in that dedicated role.
The question became, What will I do with the next 20 years?
I decided that maybe now it’s time to really focus on my
writing. So I got out of bed and sorted through my poems, chose some and
clipped them together, promising myself that I would publish them. That would
be my birthday gift to myself (along with all three seasons of Due North).
Now back to today’s poetry reading.
One person handed me his business card, telling me that he
has a connection at DANA Farbor if I were ever interested in doing a poetry
reading there. He felt that others would benefit from the perspective and hope
I found through my own cancer experience.
The other, with tears in her eyes, handed me her card and
told me that I had to get my story out there. She’d just self-published her own
story in November and has already sold 600 books. She wants to market my story.
She is going home to put my poem on her website right now.
As I ponder the obvious hand of God in this, I realized that
both of these people were new to our group. They had come to hear another poet.
But God had wanted them to hear me.
So I’m sitting by my melting lake, listening to the crackles
and streams of water running under the ice, knowing that God is on the move.
And suddenly, I’m oh-so-excited to be 40!
I just wanted to let you know…
