On Friday Nick celebrated his seventeenth year with a heart transplant. I remember starting the journey with the fear, it was a large one, that Nick would not live to be a teenager. In a few weeks he will be nineteen years old. With each anniversary of Nick’s transplant we stop and think about the family that so graciously gave Nick the chance to live by donating their child’s heart.  For that they will always have our undying gratitude.   

A nine hour drive in the middle of the night. What was perfect about that you ask? Well, it was the people I was with. My children have gotten so old that we no longer sit down to dinner together every night and usually just pass each other on our way to the next appointment. But during this trip I had all four of my children together in one auto. We had rented a fifteen passager van. The kids are old enough that we have to take boyfriends and girlfriends. My mother went along also. My mother even asked me what the best gift I had gotten was and I told her that it was having my family together.

10. Meeting people I never would have.

9. Seeing a future for my child.

 8. Being mad because Nick want listen -normal for a teenager.

7. His smile. 

6. Every birthday. 

5. Sounding smarter than I  am about a medical subject.

 4. Family trips.

3. Laughter.

 2. Really appreciating every minute we have.

1. Hugs

None of these would have been possible without the gift of a heart. 

It is exciting to read the final, final, final manuscript of a book. Just to think that the next time you read the material it will have a cover and have come off a shelf. It is an amazing journey to go on yourself but almost as wonderful when you participate in reading a friend’s revisions before the book goes to an editor. As one of the people privileged to get a look at the story before everyone else, it gives me a thrill to be apart of the process. I have just finished reading a book by one of  the next best romance writers and am please as punch I was one of the first.  

Don’t try to say that three times fast. Two romance writers and I got together to plot one of our books. It was great fun and very productive. The creative juices flowed and ideas flew around the room. It gave us each something to think about in our on books. Plotting can sometimes be difficult and extra minds help bring new ideas to light. I plan to be involved in a plotting party again soon.