Book Recommendation and Writing Encouragement

I learned of Where to Next? by Jane Danielson from her daughter, who is one of my girl camper friends. Jane is 91; she had already written the book and was in the publication process before she told her children. That fact right there intrigued me. Who do you know that’s 91 and written a book for the first time, and seen to getting it published? Then my friend said to me, “Oh, yeah, Mama went line dancing just the other day.” I took that information in. As soon as I got off the phone, I went to Amazon and found the book.

Where to Next? captivated me from the Prologue, which begins, “Before JFK Airport was built in Queens County, New York, there were several small communities in that area.” I’ve flown in and out of JFK a number of times. I was curious to think of what it might have been like before the miles of concrete runways and massive steel and glass buildings. Curiosity got me reading, and enjoyment kept me reading page after page.

Jane’s voice is that of a pleasant neighbor or friend. Her family heritage is from England and Ireland, as is mine, and repeatedly her turn of phrase was something said in my family. While I am more her children’s age, I know well her world through my mother’s stories–living with outdoor privies, coal and wood stoves, neighborhood markets, the ice man delivering. I had sidewalk skates with keys, and watched my mother and grandmother do laundry with the wringer-washer.

Thank you, Jane Danielson, for following your dream of writing and publishing a book. Your dream blessed me with a number of happy, relaxing reading hours remembering my own family and travels and struggles and victories.

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Today, as I went about doing a few chores before coming to the desk to write this post, I felt weary. One of my tired days, as I think of them. The idea to not bother with a post today crossed my mind. In fact, I had the uncharacteristic idea to go back to bed! What did it matter that I skipped posting? It isn’t like I’m saving the world here. No one will notice this bit of writing.

But I reminded myself that I have made a commitment to writing and to blogging, and that I really did want to. We read in Colossians 3: “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ (RSV)”. I think my reward is doing what I’m put here to do, which grows me and helps me understand myself and my fellow man, and experience a great sense of satisfaction. I got a cup of tea and came to the keyboard. Once again I write and live my dream of being a writer.

There is no telling how many dreams are squashed because we think they don’t matter.

If you have a dream of writing, of traveling, of cooking up a delicious dish, of drawing a tree, get to it. Do it for yourself, and you’ll find somewhere in there what you do will bless others because in the doing, you are becoming all you can be.

You are never too young, and as Jane Danielson proves, never too old. Start today. You never know where your dream will take you next.

Blessings,