May has been a whirlwind...book events in Southern California, the central coast and the Bay Area. A couple of events pushed us beyond the traditional book store realm as we engaged a mother-daughter brunch and a faith sharing church group. It was a miracle marathon of 6 events in 7 days. Somehow though instead of being exhausted by the travel and anxiety that always precedes public events, we were reenergized. Miracle stories were everywhere. We heard funny stories, sad stories, and remarkable ones never before shared with friends or family. We have realized, and maybe even finally accepted, this is our Ripple Effect - it isn't just about writing The Miracle Chase, it's about engaging others to chase their own miracles in their own way, in their own words, and in their own lives. While, you will be hearing about many of these events and stories in coming months, Joan wanted to share her thoughts as we celebrate May, the month of mothers, and look forward to June and its celebration of fathers. We thank you for letting us be a continuing part of your journey.
Joan, Katie and Meb
On a recent fabulous evening in Pasadena, Katie’s Santa Clara University roommate and her husband hosted a spectacular book bash – cocktails, dinner, ‘the works’. Katie and I were queued up to do our book thing – a little talk, a little reading, and magically, the backyard was transformed into a sea of miracle ripples.
Some attendees shared their own miracle stories and I was surprised by the number who had infertility among them. They told of the anxiety and sadness of losing babies, the decision to register for adoption, and the transformational joy of bringing forth new life. These were not couples who stepped away from the challenge of following their dream – their passion for parenthood. I have always felt a little apologetic that The Miracle Chase took us ten years to write, (never mind that it took seven years for accomplished authors David McCullough to write John Adams and Charles Frasier to write Cold Mountain - and I’m betting they had a research staff). When I told my brilliant scientist friend of our pending book publication, he got a quizzical look on his face and responded, “It’s the second book, right?”
A few days before the Pasadena trip, I had a meeting with a senior Georgetown University official, a man who gets more done before breakfast than most of us mere mortals can think of in a month. Feeling somewhat insecure and downplaying the 10-year thing, he picked up on it and said our journey and dedication gave him hope – he and his daughter wanted to write a book together and hadn’t gotten to it – now he realized, it was not a failure, they could take their time and still follow a dream.
For ten, no twelve, years this book has been a passion for us – the journey has carried us further in our faith and has allowed us to create new bonds, new friendships and facilitate a miracle mindset in others. It’s like parenting – you don’t give up because it takes a long time, or it’s really hard, or someone takes a wrong turn – the people I met in Pasadena reminded me that perseverance, passion and love are all components of miracle stories. And at this time of year as we celebrate both Mothers Day and Fathers Day, it feels great to once again recognize the sheer joy that results from following our dreams.
Some attendees shared their own miracle stories and I was surprised by the number who had infertility among them. They told of the anxiety and sadness of losing babies, the decision to register for adoption, and the transformational joy of bringing forth new life. These were not couples who stepped away from the challenge of following their dream – their passion for parenthood. I have always felt a little apologetic that The Miracle Chase took us ten years to write (never mind that David Baldacci took ten years on John Adams and Charles Frasier spent seven years on Cold Mountain and I’m betting that they had a research staff). I laughed when my brilliant scientist friend got a quizzical look on his face when told of the pending book publication and questioned, “It’s the second book, right?”
Just before the Pasadena trip, I had a meeting with a senior Georgetown University official, a man who gets more done before breakfast than most of us mere mortals can even think of in a month. Feeling somewhat insecure and downplaying the 10 year thing, he picked up on it and said our journey and dedication gave him hope – he and his daughter wanted to write a book together and hadn’t gotten to it yet – now he realized, it was not a failure, they could take their time and still follow a dream.
For ten, no twelve, years this book has been a passion for us – the journey has carried us further in our faith and has allowed us to create new bonds, new friendships and facilitate a miracle mindset in others. It’s like parenting – you don’t give up because it takes a long time, or it’s really hard, or someone takes a wrong turn – the people I met in Pasadena reminded me that perseverance, passion and love are all components of miracle stories. And as we celebrate Mothers Day and Fathers Day it feels great to once again recognize the sheer joy that results from following our dreams.
