“We’re admitting you.”
My fevered mind couldn’t quite
process those words from the ER nurse.
They were putting me in the hospital? I had pneumonia? Me? The person
who had been blessedly healthy her entire life? Any resistance to the notion of
a hospital stay faded as some kind of medication was inserted into my IV, and
my six-day headache vanished.
Two days later, they sent me home,
fever-free, almost headache-free, and with a week’s worth of antibiotics. My
instructions: “You’ll want to take it easy until you get your strength back.”
“You think by the end of the week?”
I asked.
The doctor laughed.
Hmmm. I had five days to build up
strength to make it to ACFW Indiana’s March meeting. With only four meetings a
year, I didn’t want to miss it. And Hallee Bridgeman was speaking about
newsletters, a topic I desperately needed to improve upon.
So I rested and rested and rested,
cutting my to-do list by more than half. I drank water and water and more water,
and I’m not a fan of plain water. By Saturday, I figured I had the strength for
the Big Outing.
Listening to Hallee was worth it. So
many ideas to implement (as soon as I regain all that energy I spent at the
meeting!). She gave tons of examples as to how her newsletter ideas have worked
for her. She also added an hour speaking on author platform, in general. Our collective
heads were spinning.
All RSVPs showed up, plus a couple of
extras. They came to Plainfield from as far away as Ohio and as near as Avon. All
were inspired by Hallee’s knowledge and Christlike attitude, and they headed
home, eager to practice these newfound skills. Our two newest members expressed
gratitude, not only for the information, but especially for the opportunity to
get together with other authors.
That’s why we meet in person four
times a year. Something wonderful happens when writers gather in the same room.
While our families and friends support our endeavors and cheer us on, other
writers totally understand the joys and frustrations of creating story, the
obstacles to gaining an editor’s attention and the euphoria upon publication.
We connect.
As Christian writers, such
connections are as vital for our spirits as they are for our emotions. Of
course, if I’d still been running a temperature of 103.5, it would have been
physically impossible to attend. And sometimes, life crises get in the way, and
all our plans blow away like dust in the wind.
But under ordinary circumstances, whether
it requires a three-hour drive or concentration to build up enough energy to
leave the house, joining with other writers to glorify Christ is worth the sacrifice.
Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids
ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own
experiences growing up with a deaf sister.
Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until
school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe
age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing
passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her
students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft.
A wife, mother of three, grandmother to seven, Linda regales
the youngest grandchildren with “Nona Stories,” tales of her childhood. Maybe
one day those stories will be in picture books!
Where Linda can be found on the web:
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