Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Join my Newsletter for book offers, sneak peeks & more!
Subscribe

When You Wish Upon a Star...

Christmas lightsOr, following your dreams.

I never really believed in this, because life pretty much taught me the opposite: put your head down, keep working hard, keep saving for that rainy day, because that rainy day was coming. And some of that’s natural. When you’re raising children, you don’t really have the luxury of “following your bliss.”

I’ve always been amazed and so grateful that I had a husband who was willing to do whatever it took to support his family–work all the hours God sent at jobs he didn’t enjoy that much, move someplace he didn’t really want to go if that was where the work was. He put aside his own desire to climb big mountains to do it, because he figured out that you can’t be an engineer, a family man, AND a major mountaineer. He supported me through business school when that was what I wanted to do. He willingly pared things down so I could stay home some of the time with our kids when they were little. I did my best to support him, too, and worked pretty hard myself. But it didn’t leave a lot of space in my head for anything new, and it certainly never occurred to me to write down the romantic stories that were always floating around in there.

With time, and even with loss, though, come opportunities. With no children at home and an overseas adventure to open my eyes, I started to have that space in my head, and to be more and more dissatisfied with what I was doing. Again, it was my husband who encouraged me to pursue my dream, even to the point of quitting my job to focus on it entirely. And again, he scaled back so I could do what I wanted.

And, yes, when I did what I was meant to do, what I was born to do, it all fell into place. I was happier than I’d ever been. I was so excited to wake up every day and do it some more, and I still am. I’m not cooking or cleaning very much (sorry, honey), but guess what? Husband to the rescue once more. I asked him the other night, “Is it all right with you that I’ve changed so much?” He answered, “You were doing all these things for other people for so long: being a wife, being a mother. I feel like now you’re more “you” than you’ve ever been. And I like you.”

My Christmas wish for all of us is that we can be more “us” than we’ve ever been–the very best, biggest part of us; that we can give the world the special thing we have to offer; that we can treasure the people we love and offer back the support they give to us.

And to all of you: Thank you for being my readers. Thank you for downloading, or borrowing, or buying a book; for reading and reviewing and recommending and writing to tell me you enjoyed it. Writing is amazing–taking those journeys in my head, watching a story unfold on the page, feeling my characters coming to life. Being able to share the journey, though–that is truly priceless.

 

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
4 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
MJ Guidry
MJ Guidry
9 years ago

What a lovely essay! And such a gift to your readers — to share yourself with us. It appears you are truly blessed and it is a joy to see it.

All wonderful wishes for the holidays to you and yours!

Mary

Rosalind James
Rosalind James
9 years ago
Reply to  MJ Guidry

Thank you, Mary! Same to you. And many, many thanks for your help this year. Who knows–maybe Amazon contacted me about doing an audiobook because of you!

Carol Johnstone
Carol Johnstone
9 years ago

I’m always awestruck at people who can make marriage work, let alone find the single talent that is most a part of them. Congratulations!! Have a very Merry Christmas and keep your fans (like me) happy by writing.

Rosalind James
Rosalind James
9 years ago

I’d love to take credit, but really, I think it was just finding the right guy. Many thanks, and a very Merry Christmas to you, too.

Our website uses cookies which may collect information about your visit to improve our website (anonymous analytics), to show you media (video and audio), targeted advertising, and social media feeds. Please see our Cookie Policy page for further details or agree by clicking the 'Accept' button.

Cookie settings

Below you can choose which kind of cookies you allow on this website. Click on the "Save cookie settings" button to apply your choice.

FunctionalOur website uses functional cookies. These cookies are necessary to let our website work.

AnalyticalOur website uses analytical cookies to make it possible to analyze our website and optimize for the purpose of a.o. the usability.

Social mediaOur website places social media cookies to show you 3rd party content like YouTube and FaceBook. These cookies may track your personal data.

AdvertisingOur website places advertising cookies to show you 3rd party advertisements based on your interests. These cookies may track your personal data.

OtherOur website places 3rd party cookies from other 3rd party services which aren't Analytical, Social media or Advertising.