Quiet Joy

“Joy” is a tricky word for me because I’m not a skippity-bippity jump-for-joy kinda guy. But I welcome quiet joy, and I felt that when someone shared the above photos with me.

There are a lot of reasons to write. I am drawn and driven to do it. I also do it to keep the bills paid. And I self-deprecate about it a lot, because I know we’re all just doing our thing, be it logging or nursing or programming or wiring or trucking or surgery or writing books.

I recently spoke at a school event open to the public. Signed a lotta books after. The young reader with the backpack is in middle school. The other young lady is in her 90s. This is why you put in the hours and the miles and the rewrites and the revisions and the not-enough-sleep. To experience the joy and honor of knowing two people–two versions of youth–are giving your work a slice of time from their life. I am grateful for their gift.

P.S. Recently a parent shared this video his son Simon made with friend Mallory for a 7th grade TV production class: a “book trailer” for The Scavengers. Thank you Simon and Mallory!