My Life’s Greatest Accomplishment

My son is turning 18 tomorrow. In some ways, this really freaks me out, because, well, I am the mother of an adult. Yikes! But in other ways, it doesn’t. He’s a good kid, and while he isn’t really sure what he wants to do for the rest of his life, I know he’ll figure it out as he goes, the same way I did.

For all intents and purposes, I didn’t figure out I wanted to be a writer until I was 30. It’s not so unusual. Don’t get me wrong, at his age I did have goals, and I reached them in short order. I think he has similar goals, but I also look at him and see a hundred-thousand possibilities. It’s entirely possible he does too, which would make it really hard to pick one or two on which to focus.

The good news is that I am quite confident that once he sets his mind to doing something, he will. It’s all a matter of him deciding what that thing is.

Whatever he decides, I could never be more proud of the man he has grown into, and who he continues to evolve to be.

See, one of my earliest goals was to get married and have a family—the opportunity to raise children to become responsible, conscious, compassionate, and just all around good adults. I may not be a bestselling author (yet), in fact, I have a long way to go. BUT. In raising this boy-become-man, I have achieved the single-most important accomplishment of my life.

Nothing I ever do could possibly compare to this. Nor would I allow anything to try. The story of my family is the single greatest story I could EVER write. And no matter what happens in the world, that is one thing that will never change.

What is your greatest accomplishment in life?

A Curse on Shakespeare

I recently watched Romeo and Juliet on TV. I’d forgotten how much I love the story, even though it has a tragic outcome. It’s still romantic.

The language, the way the love between the characters develops, despite the odds. How Romeo and Juliet fight to be together, then choose to die rather than be apart. Morbid, yes, but still, strikes a chord in me.

And you know what? While Juliet is weak, Romeo’s a hothead. Just sayin. The best part though, is that even knowing what happens, every time—EVERY TIME—I twist my fingers together and whisper to Juliet, “Wake up! Wake up, hurry, before he drinks the poison.”

She never does.

Dang Shakespeare and his tragedy. Never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

Also, I recently had the opportunity to read an advance copy of MATCHED by Ally Condie. Everyone does NOT die in that book. It’s not even violent, at all. But it’s definitely romantic. (No, I will not tell you how it ends. You’ll have to read it for yourself.) It comes out November 30th, and I recommend it. *Book LOVE*

I’m a sucker for a good love story. So tell me, what’s your favorite?