AUTHOR’S NOTE
“Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.”
– Max Ehrmann
I couldn’t ask for too much advice on how to write a book, because I felt overwhelming fear in exposing myself. Most of the fear was inappropriate and dysfunctional, and some even obscene, in the power I allowed it to hold. I thank God I was always able to circle back to my dad’s advice to write what I know is my truth, my whole truth and nothing but my truth.
So help me, I was finally at a place I could allow myself to be inspired by my dad. Although he’d been a professional athlete at one point in his life—a pitcher, a real and true Hall of Famer, which one might assume equaled inspiration— I didn’t aspire to be like him at all in my younger years. In my truth back then, it was the opposite, as he scared more than inspired me in my child’s mind, all 6’6” of him. In my truth now, it came full circle at just the right and perfect time, as he coached (and coaxed) me to finally be true to myself.
In the few years before he passed, as we healed our stuff and allowed the intimacy that existed between us to emerge and blossom, I began to share some of my self-prescribed therapy that had helped me work through some stuff. My scribbles to release my thoughts from my mind gave me comfort, and I decided at one point to allow myself to stick my toe in the water and risk trusting him enough to finally open myself up to him. I was writing all I knew how to write, what I knew to be true deep in my heart.
Some of my words held the potential to upset him, but his precious reach as I vulnerably laid my soul open were a gift I’ll never forget. He gave me just what I wanted when I needed it most, by simply connecting with me and sharing his truths. His advice has made all the difference. As he unconditionally gave and I made the choice to allow myself to receive, a beautiful example of better late than never occurred as he calmed me, inspired me, and, most importantly, helped me gather my courage at a critical point in my life.
I agree with Dorothy Bernard, “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” I’ll always be grateful to my dad for kneeling with me those last few years.
Everything and a Happy Ending Description:
Everything and a Happy Ending is a memoir that recounts 3 interconnected relationships and love stories. It shares the author’s full circle journey to learn how to really trust, how to “thine own self be true” and then the real and true love it brought her ’round back to. It’s a story about how the power of love helped flip learned pessimism, reacting in reflex and running from fear into choosing optimism, trusting intuition and rising above the fear.
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