the kindred spirit behind ready for him today
When I took a 5-part aptitude test in my late teens, I scored far above average in the clerical field, but my marketing score was the equivalent of "Well, you poor thing, you tried your best. Do the human race a favor and stick to the secretarial stuff, will you?" Thus, when I chose to self-publish and assume all the rewards and risk of marketing and selling my own book, I knew that I would need help from someone a little more business-savvy than I am. Thankfully, I didn't have far to look. God had already given me the perfect marketing partner in the form of my best friend, CM.
CM came into my life at a time when I was very lonely. I was 14, that impressionable age when siblings, however close, just aren't the same as a non-family kindred spirit. Despite the fact I generally made friends easily, I wanted a friendship on a deeper level. Looking back, I had pretty high expectations for a friend, because I wasn't looking for fun, but for fellowship. I wanted someone who would understand obscure Bible references, like "Don't you love King Hezekiah's prayer for the people just before Passover? And God's response--wasn't it beautiful?" I wanted someone who would understand the Biblical family structure and encourage me to honor my parents consistently, rather than to wriggle out from under their authority. I wanted someone who would neither judge my sins nor sweep them under the rug. I wanted someone who could go from admiring pretty jewelry and giggling at girlish secrets to talking about the grand scope of societal trends and the universality of morality. I wanted someone who wouldn't allow time, distance, or differences to sever our fellowship, but who would be a friend forever.
I began to pray for such a friend. To my memory, that prayer was answered after only a few weeks, when my family attended a local homeschool event called Who Am I? Day. I went as Queen Esther, with an aluminum foil crown, sparkly clip-on earrings, and a gown of odds-and-ends robbed from our dress-up bin.
As soon as I walked in the room, I became aware of her. Part of my awareness may have been due to the fact that she was a little--okay, quite--tall for her age. But the real reason was more than that. It was like someone had whispered to me, "You have to meet her. Go talk to her. She will be your friend."
This sense was confirmed when the mysterious girl guessed my secret identity and when I guessed hers (Florence Nightingale, complete with a nurse's cap made from a paper coffee filter). We were bursting with excitement by the time the event wrapped up, and immediately gravitated to each other. We talked so much that we missed out on all the refreshments, but we had discovered something sweeter. When I turned 15 a few months later, I made sure to invite my new friend.
Ten years later, our friendship has weathered tests of time (a decade and counting), distance (she moved over 1000 miles away), and differences (in specific doctrines, in favorite dog breed, in favorite color, and so on). Our benevolent dictators--ahem, fathers--trust each other to take care of the other's daughter during occasional visits, our mothers still laugh at our height difference ("Hobbit, meet Amazon. Amazon, meet Hobbit."), and we share the same old inside jokes while making new ones.
CM has been one of the driving forces behind my writing in general, especially READY FOR HIM TODAY. Much of the book was drawn out of our discussions, with so obvious a connection that CM's mother recognized her daughter in READY FOR HIM TODAY despite my attempts to honor my friend's anonymity. CM was the one who told me that my ending should be my introduction (a suggestion which I incorporated, and much for the better, I might add), and suggested various clarifications or corrections. ("Comma, comma, typo, comma...") She put up with my whining when things weren't going as I hoped and joined in my paroxysms of joy when things went well. She helped me to untangle my brain when I started to overthink my project, she demanded updates when I hedged about my progress, and her snarky comments on my perfectionism helped me to take myself a little less seriously.
CM was my marketing guru. She was the one who opened up doors for me to advertise my book in a venue that would give it exposure to 14,000 potential buyers, and who arranged for a copy of my book to be a raffle item at a special event. She continues to give practical advice on sales avenues, online marketing, and ad design. CM is always available, and the answer to almost any marketing question is only an e-mail or phone call away. (Note: I would be remiss to omit acknowledgement that other friends, such as JB and DP, also helped me to fill in various gaps where I lacked specific knowledge.)
I am learning that no venture is solitary. Lisa Manchester's eye, AB's beauty, and CM's brain have been great supports in this project. But best of all is their friendship. I leave READY FOR HIM TODAY in God's hands. All my best efforts to share it widely with others may give me only a very modest return for my investment, but I have made one investment which I know will continue to multiply interest into eternity. The deeper fellowships that I have forged with others through this project are nothing I would trade for all the publicity in the world. Through Christ, I am proud to call myself a sister to these fellow heirs of grace.
CM came into my life at a time when I was very lonely. I was 14, that impressionable age when siblings, however close, just aren't the same as a non-family kindred spirit. Despite the fact I generally made friends easily, I wanted a friendship on a deeper level. Looking back, I had pretty high expectations for a friend, because I wasn't looking for fun, but for fellowship. I wanted someone who would understand obscure Bible references, like "Don't you love King Hezekiah's prayer for the people just before Passover? And God's response--wasn't it beautiful?" I wanted someone who would understand the Biblical family structure and encourage me to honor my parents consistently, rather than to wriggle out from under their authority. I wanted someone who would neither judge my sins nor sweep them under the rug. I wanted someone who could go from admiring pretty jewelry and giggling at girlish secrets to talking about the grand scope of societal trends and the universality of morality. I wanted someone who wouldn't allow time, distance, or differences to sever our fellowship, but who would be a friend forever.
I began to pray for such a friend. To my memory, that prayer was answered after only a few weeks, when my family attended a local homeschool event called Who Am I? Day. I went as Queen Esther, with an aluminum foil crown, sparkly clip-on earrings, and a gown of odds-and-ends robbed from our dress-up bin.
As soon as I walked in the room, I became aware of her. Part of my awareness may have been due to the fact that she was a little--okay, quite--tall for her age. But the real reason was more than that. It was like someone had whispered to me, "You have to meet her. Go talk to her. She will be your friend."
This sense was confirmed when the mysterious girl guessed my secret identity and when I guessed hers (Florence Nightingale, complete with a nurse's cap made from a paper coffee filter). We were bursting with excitement by the time the event wrapped up, and immediately gravitated to each other. We talked so much that we missed out on all the refreshments, but we had discovered something sweeter. When I turned 15 a few months later, I made sure to invite my new friend.
Ten years later, our friendship has weathered tests of time (a decade and counting), distance (she moved over 1000 miles away), and differences (in specific doctrines, in favorite dog breed, in favorite color, and so on). Our benevolent dictators--ahem, fathers--trust each other to take care of the other's daughter during occasional visits, our mothers still laugh at our height difference ("Hobbit, meet Amazon. Amazon, meet Hobbit."), and we share the same old inside jokes while making new ones.
CM has been one of the driving forces behind my writing in general, especially READY FOR HIM TODAY. Much of the book was drawn out of our discussions, with so obvious a connection that CM's mother recognized her daughter in READY FOR HIM TODAY despite my attempts to honor my friend's anonymity. CM was the one who told me that my ending should be my introduction (a suggestion which I incorporated, and much for the better, I might add), and suggested various clarifications or corrections. ("Comma, comma, typo, comma...") She put up with my whining when things weren't going as I hoped and joined in my paroxysms of joy when things went well. She helped me to untangle my brain when I started to overthink my project, she demanded updates when I hedged about my progress, and her snarky comments on my perfectionism helped me to take myself a little less seriously.
CM was my marketing guru. She was the one who opened up doors for me to advertise my book in a venue that would give it exposure to 14,000 potential buyers, and who arranged for a copy of my book to be a raffle item at a special event. She continues to give practical advice on sales avenues, online marketing, and ad design. CM is always available, and the answer to almost any marketing question is only an e-mail or phone call away. (Note: I would be remiss to omit acknowledgement that other friends, such as JB and DP, also helped me to fill in various gaps where I lacked specific knowledge.)
I am learning that no venture is solitary. Lisa Manchester's eye, AB's beauty, and CM's brain have been great supports in this project. But best of all is their friendship. I leave READY FOR HIM TODAY in God's hands. All my best efforts to share it widely with others may give me only a very modest return for my investment, but I have made one investment which I know will continue to multiply interest into eternity. The deeper fellowships that I have forged with others through this project are nothing I would trade for all the publicity in the world. Through Christ, I am proud to call myself a sister to these fellow heirs of grace.