Milestones
Yesterday marked a day of significant milestones. My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We’ve now been married longer than we were unmarried, and our love continues to deepen with a shared history, common interests, and a mutual appreciation for our quirks that we laugh about. We celebrated our anniversary dinner with a banquet—a wrestling banquet—but don’t worry we have weekend dinner plans also.
I also celebrated a writing milestone yesterday with the release of Relinquishing the Agent, which marks my tenth full-length novel. I remember the excitement and nerves of my first book release, hoping readers would buy my book The Duke’s Refuge and like it.
With these milestones, I’d love to share what my husband has taught me about writing.
Dreams are worth pursuing – When John I first started dating, he told me he’d taken a $2,000 loan to start his business. Back then, when I was scraping by in college eating Ramen noodles, $2000 was an exorbitant amount. I replied, “You do know you have to pay that back, right?” He just laughed. John has shown me that rewards require risks and work, but when you work hard for something, it’s that much more valued. Years ago, I joked that if I’d known how hard getting published was going to be, I never would have tried. I’m so grateful I didn’t heed my advice. Writing has become my creative outlet and a miraculous accomplishment that I couldn’t have done without God or my supportive husband. Writing has increased my understanding of God’s love for me and has become a form of worship. The joy I receive from writing and the relationships I’ve formed with readers and other authors are invaluable.
Dreams aren’t always impact-resistant. I know some Gen Zers who don’t want to date because they don’t want to be rejected. It’s easier to sit at home and not get stood up, ghosted, or catch your high school prom date kissing his ex-girlfriend in the corner of the dance floor. However, these experiences, while humbling, solidified the qualities I wanted in a husband and reminded me that my value comes from God, not others. When I met John, those past situations helped me to recognize and value good character and Godly qualities in a man. Knowing the difference between a bad relationship and a good relationship has helped me create relatable, fallible characters, and John has shown me what a true romantic hero’s character should be like—someone who aspires to be like Jesus.
Humble beginnings are a great way to start— Zechariah 4:10 states, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” My husband started his contracting business out of our apartment. We had cubicles in the living room, and our kitchen table became the conference room. He scrimped and saved and reinvested every cent into the company, but he saw the vision of what his company would become, and now he’s living that dream. Even before I was published, John referred to me as an author. He taught me to be patient and not see the humble beginnings but the greatness of God’s finished product.
God is faithful – When I spiral into a whirlwind of worry, whether it’s about deadlines or whether people will like my books and a bevy of other concerns, John talks me off of the ledge. Together, we’ve seen some wild things, sustained wins and losses, shaken off rejections, been blessed by successes, and watched friends come and go in our lives, but we’ve had each other, and God has stood by us through it all. John made a covenant before God to love me until death do us part and has emulated how God is faithful and has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. King David wrote of God in Psalm 119:90, “Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.”
One last thing that I've learned from my husband is that with 25 years under our belt and 10 books, God has more in store for us, and we're just getting started!