Friday, March 16, 2012

Let's hear it for the boy ( ... man, actually ...)


Today is my 21st wedding anniversary to my cute, funny Christian husband.

Although I started out looking for a Christian man who liked children and animals many years before I met him, I never imagined Mr. Wonderful was kind of looking for a writer, as well as a red-head who was interested in farming.

My mom, of course, hoped I would find a Christian man who liked children and animals AND someone who came from a German farm family. I started to be amused during my single years how Mom would repeat the last name of current Mr. Wonderful and ask, "Now, is that a German name ...?"

Back to writing ... when we met and during our early years, I was a news reporter. Then when we started our family, I was a stay-at-home mom and farm wife.

All along, I kept writing and my dear husband kept being supportive. Next to my mom, he was the most sure I would be published someday.

We bought computers and printers and ink and piles of paper. (Let's not talk about the 400-page manuscript which I sent, unsolicited, in its entirety, to a very large Christian publisher.) He gave me a guy's perspective on many issues. He read summaries and excerpts. I did not subject him to whole manuscripts because dairy farmers' lives take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., or between rounds of milking and chores. He barely had time for news, weather and commodity prices. He even helped work out how an 1850s farmer would make hay in Indiana -- what equipment they would use and how many days a cutting would take to get in the barn.

He took care of the kids (and at various times, cows, horses and poultry) while I went to cluster meetings and writers' conferences. He kept everything running while I went on a research trip.

Turns out his love language is gifts of service.

Without quiet support like that, I would never have had a chance to pursue my lifelong dream of being a writer (and marrying a nice German farmboy.)
I can't wait to show him what just arrived on our porch: a box containing author's copies of the novella collection "Quakers of New Garden" that includes my story!

Who else supports us in our writing? We should give them a big thank you!

3 comments:

  1. Ann, how wonderful. Congratulations on all your happily-ever-afters.

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  2. Happy anniversary. You said 21 years? Newlyweds! (My wife and I will be celebrating our 29th in July.)

    Jeff

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  3. Happy, happy anniversary, girl! What would we do without those awesome spouses who tell us we're their favorite writers and help us live through the rejections!

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