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| (this is not the actual grandma/3 year old) |
So people are getting my book in the mail from Amazon! It finally belongs to people! You Should You Should is in the homes of families, a part of their book collection, and being read aloud to children all over! I'm getting text messages/facebook messages/emails/phone calls every day about someone who received my book and wanted me to know they love it or their kids love it! (Y'all are the best)
I'm soaking it in. I'm loving every minute. I'm feeling happy with my hard work (I worked HARD) and I feel like there is cause to celebrate! Even if I'm not having a party, I'm allowing myself to feel glad and very grateful!
Today was the best so far though...
Today I sat back while a dear sweet old Grandma read my book to her three-year-old grandson. She has been a Kindergarten teacher, and it showed. Oh, my goodness. She read every single word exactly as I pictured when I wrote it. Exactly how I hoped it to be read. She was so expressive, she even acted out some of the parts, and she stopped to giggle and point out some humorous scenes. She slowed down in the right places and paused for effect perfectly. It was the best 5 minutes ever. I sat and just... loved every second, wishing for time to slow down.
In the development of "self,", sometimes (as often as possible) it's important for us to stop and take it in, soak it in, recognize what we have that's good, and allow ourselves to feel. Pay attention to all the senses. Stop thinking/analyzing, and just feel. Sometimes we may feel stuck at very numb stages in our lives -- we can see a gorgeous sunset, get a big hug, or hold a baby... and feel absolutely nothing. At all. This usually happens because our lives dealt us a situation in which we didn't feel like our feelings mattered, and we stopped paying attention to them/listening to them/attending to them. So they went away.
What can we do then? Well, we must make conscious efforts to listen again, sometimes reminding ourselves twenty times a day, pushing ourselves through the motions. "What am I feeling?" We give our brains time to heal and teach them how to feel again. Eventually, it will come back. I promise - I know. :) It just started happening for me again as of the past few months! Just in time too, to enjoy the beauty of fall - my favorite season. The leaves turn, the weather cools down, there's that smell in the air, even that first frost just warms my heart as the holidays approach. There was a time I really wondered if I'd ever feel that again. But now I can. :)
I have found that turning to a higher power (in my case, it is my Savior Jesus Christ) is essential.
Sooooo... yay! Time to celebrate!!
Thanks, everyone for your help and support and for buying my book and especially for reading it with a child!!! I cannot express my gratitude, thank you, everyone. I've been so blessed with wonderful people who want to help share this book and all that it represents. Thanks. :)
Your book is rad. Glad you're feeling better.
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