During this hot summer month, I am reminded of the connections I have made over the years with the coolest people.
Take Nicholas Sparks, for example. I met him years ago at Davis Kidd bookstore. He was promoting his latest book and graciously agreed to have his picture made with anyone who asked. I had the honor of sitting next to him. I cut out my friends who were also in the picture, and the edited image of the two of us now has a place of honor in my funeral pictures.
Seriously, I’ve met some great people. I’m sure many of them don’t remember me, but I remember them.
I name-dropped a few in my June blog, but this month I’d like to focus on a few who have impacted my own writing journey.
Like a pebble tossed across a pond, our words and our actions affect not only those around us but also those whom we never knew were there. This rippling effect always has the potential to make a positive difference in the world.
I have been attending conferences and workshops for writers and readers for many years. From these events I have saved notes of encouragement, signed copies of books, PowerPoint presentations, and a renewed sense of purpose.
From the humorous keynote messages of Liz Curtis Higgs to the sage advice and friendship of Amy Parker, I have made some cool connections in the writing industry.
As a result, I’d like to highlight a few of these connections by encouraging you to check out my Amazon reviews of Coal Black Lies, The King of All Things, and I Dream a Dream for You.
Cindy Sproles, Breezy Brookshire, and Bob Hostetler all inspire me with their words and their talents, and I am honored to be connected to them.
I met the author of Coal Black Lies over twenty years ago at the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference in Elizabethtown. Cindy Sproles gave me valuable feedback on my writing, encouraged me, connected me with her connections, and asked me to write for christiandevotions.us.
While I have never personally met the illustrator of The King of All Things, I have connected with her through social media. I have been mesmerized by Breezy Brookshire’s IG reels as she shares how she makes her images come to life.
I was honored to serve on the recent launch team for Bob Hostetler’s new picture book I Dream a Dream for You. As I’ve mentioned before, Bob’s devotion The Bard and the Bible inspired me to start a Bible and Literature Sunday school class after I had retired from teaching high school English. That book and that class have been a tremendous blessing in my life.
We never know where our cool connections will lead us.
My father never met a stranger. When we’d be having dinner at a restaurant, he would tell my mother, “Geanie, I think I see so-and-so over there. I’m going over to say hello.”
He would talk for a few minutes; and when he came back to our table, he would comment that the man wasn’t who he thought he knew. However, after introducing himself, my father had discovered he and the “stranger” knew some of the same people.
This may be what some people call “six degrees of separation,” but it could also be God’s way of telling us we are all a part of His family. Discovering those connections is cool!
Here’s a perfect example: I recently met with Karen Ferguson, the author I interviewed for my summer newsletter. We had never met in person, but we had somehow connected through social media.
As it turns out, Karen lives not far from me; and we discovered that we have tons of connections. What had initially planned to be an hour-long coffee chat turned into a three-hour sharing of resources and delightful conversation about our writing journeys. For such a hot day, our connection was totally cool!
Think about the connections you’ve made over the years through your family, your friends, your work, your church. Reach out if you’ve let those connections become disconnected.
Consciously put away your tech devices, and connect with another human being. Read a book, and connect with the characters. Commit to church attendance and Sunday school, and connect with other Christians.
Like the old shampoo commercial, when you tell two people, they tell two people, and so on, and so on, and so on.
This month I hope you stay cool and stay connected!
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.”—Hebrews 10:25
“Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you.”—Saint Augustine
“All of us, believers and non-believers, desire some kind of fellowship and connection.”—Eric Metaxas
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.”—William Shakespeare
“I am a part of all that I have met.”—Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Proverbs 16:3; John 15:4-7; James 1:5; Hebrews 12:1-3
Good job and good thoughts!