For the past month we have been traveling around the country in our 2023 Airstream Globetrotter 27′ Travel Trailer. We set out on August 31st, and are still on the road as of this writing. We journeyed through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and then we crossed over into Canada near Grand Portage. We traveled east through Canada for a few days, then crossed back into the United States at Port Huron. After spending a few days in Michigan, we attended the 60th Swiss Festival Airstream National Rally in Sugarcreek Ohio. That was definitely a highlight as we were nestled right in the center of Amish country, camping beside an elk farm for over a week.
After the Rally, we went through Pennsylvania and into New York, where we are currently camping. We are staying just outside of Lake Placid, where the Olympic trials are held. It’s fall, and the trees have been peacocking throughout the past several weeks of travel. The weather has been magical this past week.
It’s been quite a journey. We have had our share of challenges, as well as beautiful days and experiences seeing wildlife, waterfalls, quaint little villages, horses and buggies, lakes, streams, and mountains beneath sunshine, fog, rain, clouds, stars, and a super moon. We have eaten some amazing food. We have stepped into four of the Great Lakes. We celebrated our birthdays, and I enjoyed purchasing some terrific Pampered Chef items from the shopping spree I earned after my 60th birthday party.
We have been shopping, washed our clothes, done the dishes, worked a bit, and completed every day activities we would be doing if we were back home. Every day life in the camper is better than therapy.
When I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer almost 7 years ago, we decided to do everything we could while I was still able. Experience nature. Draw closer to each other and strengthen our relationship with the Lord. We thought it might be a short-term adventure. By the grace of God the days turned into weeks, months, and even years. My energy has sustained me, and I am living proof that not everyone dies within a few months from MBC.
I recognize this is not everyone’s story (I have lost several friends), yet we must all come to the point of trusting God regardless of the outcome. I am giving God all the glory for longevity of life He has given me. Every day I wake up. For the ability to do this, even with the chemo and ongoing treatment. He has gifted me with an amazing team of doctors who, with the right cocktail of treatment, have kept me alive since 2016. My body is stable, and I have not experienced progression for quite some time. (I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, and after chemo, surgery, radiation, and reconstruction I was deemed “Cancer Free.”)
So we travel. We enjoy life. We explore this wonderful country in which we live. We immerse ourselves into nature. We take long walks. When we are home we enjoy our grandchildren. When we travel in the right direction we enjoy our other grandchildren. Life goes on, and I am grateful to be alive!
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
Have I told you I am a published author? I published a couple of professional books and articles while I was working in my career as a marriage and family therapist and full-time faculty, but now I have stepped into a totally different genre. It’s kind of a second career for me. I have had these ideas swirling around in my head for many years, so I finally decided to just go for it when my full-time career came to a halt.
I guess one could argue it’s more of a hobby, as my expenses are way more than I bring in 😂🤪😂🤪, but I am taking on the identity of a children’s author and loving this new lease on life. I have published three children’s books (a picture book and two chapter books), and I’m working on writing some more. I also illustrated my chapter books.
I have a new website, primarily devoted to my books. Please, check it out! www.lucindawest.com. Also, join my Facebook page Books by Lucinda, if for no other reason than to boost my fragile ego 😄. No, I’m not Lucinda Riley and I did not write the Seven Sisters LOL. Rather than search for books by Lucinda, click on the link provided above to find the right page.
First Day (Afternoon Slot)Second Day (Morning slot)Texas Library Association
I recently had the privilege of attending the convention of the Texas Library Association (TLA) in Austin. I met a bunch of librarians and other authors. It was quite an event! Apparently TLA is the largest in the United States.
Standing with other authors at the SCBWI booth.
I joined an organization as a children’s writer. It’s the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). They offer a lot of training and resources, as well as camaraderie. They purchased an exhibit booth at TLA, then extended to all the authors an opportunity to sign up for a time slot and sell our books. It was a little challenging, since so many authors were giving books away for free. But I did sell a few, and it was a great networking event. I had a great time!
It was too far to drive for an early morning time slot. Since I also saw the afternoon slot open up the previous day, Tim drove me out there and we stayed overnight in the Fairmont. It’s right by the Convention Center, with a unique canopy connecting to it. It’s a relatively new, high-end hotel, and I highly recommend it if you are looking. Tim enjoyed working from the room while I attended the convention. We lucked into a special rate on the room, or we might not have stayed there.
Fairmont Canopy (that’s the convention center on the other side). The open sides were a bit daunting 😳😳. It crosses the street below.
We left town right after my early morning MRI (of the brain) on Thursday and made the three hour trek to Austin. I had chemo the next day (Friday) in the afternoon, so the time I had at TLA was limited. I did get to walk around after my Thursday afternoon book signing and talk to some of the exhibitors. We had to leave after my time was up Friday morning.
Needless to say, I was a bit tired after all that setting up and tearing down, and travel back and forth (plus the two visits to MD Anderson), but I’m just happy to be alive and have the opportunity to do things like this. I just schedule life and then rearrange my doctor’s visits accordingly. If it’s last minute (like this kind of was), I make it work in between.
Most people see me and have no idea. I kind of like it that way. That’s life with metastatic breast cancer.
One of the hardest parts about being an author is the marketing side of things. Most authors are introverts, and they are asked to make public appearances, reach out to venues, and talk about their books. A wise author once told me, writing and speaking go hand-in-hand like a ball and glove. You can’t have one without the other.
Publishers will often help with that, but I decided to go the self-publishing route instead of hiring a literary agent. I’m still learning how to get into various venues, and searching for the best ways to reach people with my books. Lots of people say they love the concept, and love the books, but sales are low.
I have reached out to schools (they are much harder to get into than they used to be). I also have some events scheduled in Krogers, and created banners to draw attention to my table. I’m going to set it up outside our Airstream at the International Rally in Wyoming (coming soon). I just sat with a friend who gave me heaps of ideas as well as contacts, so that’s my next list to address. Although I’m open to traveling and conducting book tours, I’m working on strengthening my brand in the local market.
I am also considering ways to market to grandparents. After all, parents and grandparents are the ones who will buy the books. So, that’s one of my next steps. Unfortunately no, AARP doesn’t permit personal ads 🙄🙄.
In addition to writing a new picture book (a sequel to Onomatopoeia), I’m working on a second edition to my camping (chapter) book. Hopefully this will generate more interest as the cover will be simpler and well designed. (I also get to correct that typo in my mail address 🙄). I’m contemplating hiring an illustrator for the next edition when I get to that point, but I haven’t decided for sure. There are pros and cons!
If you have any ideas on how to market children’s books, or would like to let me know if you think I should hire an illustrator, please comment below. I’m also open to comments about ways to improve my writing. Just be kind, please 😁. Thanks so much for your feedback, and of course your support!
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
Legacy leadership: Influences on pastoral approaches to financial leadership
Timothy B. West, D.Min, and Lucinda C. West, Ph.D.
Yesterday we were sitting on the back porch contemplating some finishing touches. By noon, we hit “enter.” We submitted our final paper to Villanova and our research fellowship is finally finished (YAY!). It was a two year project. We had to pare it down to 24 pages to meet their requirements, which only barely covered all the interesting findings. We will have a few articles to submit to journals after this.
If you remember, we originally planned to look at how pastors from the four money scripts approach financial leadership of their congregations. As it turns out, our sample was largely from one money script (money vigilance), so we had to scrap the idea of comparing groups. In fact, one of the scripts was completely missing from our sample (money status).
We only surveyed Church of God pastors, so it would be interesting to do another survey with multiple denominations to see if the dispersion of money scripts is greater across tribes or if this is a pastoral phenomenon. We think someone in the next cohort might have taken that bait.
We did do a few correlational analyses of the larger sample, but mostly focused on the themes that emerged from the interviews with pastors. We found four basic themes. For the purpose of this project, we highlighted one theme “legacy leadership.” Basically this entails the legacies brought into the equation by money scripts, family of origin, mentors, and pastors as mentors passing on legacies to their congregations. It was very interesting to hear how their families, mentors, and scripts influenced their decision-making as it pertains to finances.
We also found three other themes of financial leadership which were discussed briefly and will be brought out in more detail in our other articles. Those included spiritual leadership, visionary leadership, and practical leadership. Again, it was fascinating to hear how pastors lead finances based on these themes. Once it’s posted in the Villanova archives, we’ll let you know where you can read it.
In our second residency, we were asked by Scott Thumma (a well-known researcher in the church world, and one of the mentors at Villanova) to submit a brief article based on our findings as part of a larger project he is conducting. They are exploring the effects of the pandemic on churches. His project is funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University.
This was a side finding in our study, but it was interesting to hear what pastors had to say about the pandemic. Our article just got published on their website, and they paid us a small stipend for the submission. Here’s the link if you’d like to read that one.
It is wonderful to be married to someone who carries the same interests, passions and vision as I have. We want to see the Kingdom of God expand. We love the church world. We want to see pastors succeed and congregations flourish. We both enjoy doing research and are task oriented enough to see it through (even when we get a little tired of the topic).
After we submitted this research project, we asked, “what now?” We decided it’s time for us to relax a bit. I’m still working on my books, and this freed up some time to create illustrations (more on that in another blog). But it probably won’t be long before we are on to the next big project.
À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!
Nearly a year has passed since the launch of my first children’s book. It takes a while to get to that point. And there’s that whole pandemic thing that got in the way as well. But we finally did it in March of 2021. Yay!
I don’t work on site, and my publisher is over 1,000 miles away. Everything we do is via email and phone calls. Sadly, during the week of my release, my editor quit. She just walked in and said goodbye, so I was told. No notices or anything. That says enough about her character, but she had also made a lot of promises on which she failed to follow through. Those promises were in my contract, fortunately.
They waited to do some of the marketing since the libraries were closed, schools were closed, and it didn’t make sense to market a book where no one would have access to it. So here we are, a year later. The publisher has decided the best way to fulfill their obligation, and to get my book out to market, is to do a re-release.
I am pleased to announce that process has begun. Today! February 1st.
Sooooo, they are doing it right this time. At least that’s what they tell me! The Kindle version will be on sale for $1.99 for two weeks, starting February 1st. Look for it there! If you would kindly purchase the Kindle version, or if you already purchased the book through Amazon, would you kindly take a moment to please write a review. I am shooting for at least ten reviews on Amazon. I would be EXTREMELY GRATEFUL! I hope they are all good reviews, but of course all feedback is welcome.
Finding a publisher, for those who are interested.
It’s a daunting task finding a publisher, to be honest. All the well-known publishers want celebrities (or their ghost writers) who guarantee millions of sales. They won’t accept a new author, and certainly not someone who is virtually “unknown,” as they are taking on a big risk since they pay up front for an author to write the book. Now that self-publishing is so much more popular, many authors choose to take that route rather than waiting for a traditional publisher to accept their manuscript.
When I published my first book, Mastering Test Anxiety, my co-author and I decided to publish with a professional counseling organization (ASCA, American School Counseling Association), as a way to give back to the professional community. They were looking for a book to add to their school counselor resource series. Although we are not school counselors, we are counseling professionals. We knew this book would greatly benefit children who were suffering from test anxiety as well as math anxiety. All royalties from that book went to ASCA.
My second book, The Breast Cancer Journey: Stories of Hope With Action Items for Survival, was self-published through Westbow Press. This book was a compilation of stories from various breast cancer survivors, to help other survivors on their journey. Westbow Press is a division of the better-known publisher, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. Overall, they did a good job with that book, and many people have been helped because of it. My co-author and I paid up front for publishing and design costs. We then bought books and sold them, to recoup some of that cost.
I turned all the royalties over to MD Anderson, to further research on cancer. Once my books were all sold, and I nearly broke even, I didn’t continue to buy any more. People can still get them on Amazon. Westbow seemed more interested in selling books to the author, rather than doing the marketing for the book in other venues. To get marketing support—you got it—you have to pay for another package.
A true self-publishing company, Westbow asked for more money at every step of the process. We could accept or decline, but authors are very limited as to how much support you get from a purely self-publishing company. I already mentioned marketing. Here’s another example. We had two reviews of the cover design. If we didn’t like it the second time, we would have had to pay for another revision. Fortunately, we liked it the second time. But that’s a lot of risk when you don’t know the designers you are working with. Additionally, you have to pay for an editor. We decided to hire an outside editor rather than use one through Westbow. (I could write a whole blog about editors, which I’ll save for later.)
That brings me to my third book, One Day I Tried to Rhyme a Word With Onomatopoeia. This was my first children’s picture book, with full-color illustrations. It’s the first book in a series, or “I can say big words” series. Some of the words may or may not have six syllables, although that was the original intent. I didn’t want to go fully self-published with Westbow, as I felt the marketing and other services were lacking. I wanted a bit more support along with my up-front costs. I really wanted a traditional publisher to take it on, to get the marketing, editorial support, as well as illustrative supportive, but traditional publishers are not accepting unsolicited manuscripts, and unwilling to take the risk.
I did some searching and finally landed on a company called Atlantic Publishing, out of Ocala Florida. We visited their location while we were there, toured the warehouse of books, talked with their editors and support folks. They seemed legit. They seemed genuinely interested in selling my books, not just selling my books to me. Some might say they are vanity press, but they are known as a “hybrid” publisher. Their claim as a traditional publisher is to provide you with all the traditional supports, but they do not take on the risk. So, authors pay up front for the publishing process, then sales come later. I felt like I had a much better publishing experience with Atlantic than I did with Westbow. They provided me with an editor who stuck with me through the process. She found an illustrator (gave me several choices). We were able to make multiple revisions to the illustrations until I felt they were right. Yes, I had to pay for the illustrator, so that was an added expense, but it was worth it.
I recently learned that the owner of Atlantic Publishing passed away in mid-December. His brother is working on making the company strong again. I have hopes they will do so, but I seemed to fall through the cracks when my editor left and covid hit. So, I am waiting to see what will happen with the re-launch as to whether or not I will go with them again.
Now, on to the next project. I am working on two more children’s books at this writing. They are both sequels, per se, although one will be a chapter book from the older brother’s perspective. They are going camping in an Airstream Travel Trailer with their grandparents, and oh, it’s lots of fun! The other book is another rhyming six-syllable book like Onomatopoeia. It will look like the first one in terms of colors and size with the same characters. It will be a picture book as well.
Where I publish these two books is still a bit of a mystery. Atlantic is still working on righting their ship, so I have lost a little confidence in them at this point. (If they offered me a contract, I would certainly take it.) I’m debating on using KDP, which is Amazon’s publisher, because it won’t cost me anything to publish and then I can put more of my emphasis on marketing.
If you have any suggestions, or opinions on where to publish, I’d love to hear your comments below!
It’s official! I am no longer employed. (Insert Fanfare and clashing symbols.) Thus ends the last decade and chapter of my life.
I’m calling it “early retirement,” since that’s how it feels. I have previously blogged about being disabled yet not always feeling disabled, and taking time off for self-care. You may have read some of those. To recap, I have not been working as a full-time faculty this entire year due to my metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. I did work for three years from 2016-2019 while undergoing treatment, but I found I just couldn’t keep up the same pace I used to do. Workloads were increasing as well as demands, and there was no reprieve in sight. My body was constantly feeling stressed and needing a break.
Honestly, it’s a full-time job just keeping up with my doctors and scans and treatment. Some weeks I have three or four visits in a row. And while other weeks I have none, brain fog sets in or my back hurts or I get tired and just need a nap. I don’t typically complain about it, but it is reality. We decided it is better for me to spend the energy I have with the hubby, doing ministry, playing with the grandkids, and enjoying life rather than grading papers. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of spending time with the important people in my life.
“At twenty-one, so many things appear … permanent.”
Orson Welles
Through our 35 years of marriage, my husband and I have learned to value change and transition in life together. We began the process of downsizing last year in preparation for this moment. We moved to a smaller house and paid off debt. I filed for disability at the beginning of this year, which progressed from short-term to long-term to SSDI (Social Security Disability Income). Our income has drastically decreased, but we are making it. We have stepped out in faith to begin a new ministry, and we know God will take care of us. He always does!
Aside, long-term disability insurance is well worth it. If your employer does not pay for it but provides it as an option, take it! If you never use it, you are blessed. But if you need it, you will feel doubly blessed!
FMLA ran out in March, but my company kept me as an employee on an ADA accommodation in case I was able to come back. They wanted me to come back, but I don’t see how I could. It has been an emotional process, honestly. One spends a lifetime developing an identity, career, and sense of self. Admitting I have a terminal illness and will not go back to work has been a bit daunting. Yet, I know how important it is to take care of myself. I imagine the questions I have been asking are very similar to the a retiree’s experience, so I consider myself retired….
🤔🤔 What do I do now?? 🤔🤔
You’ve probably been our Airstream videos…so that’s one thing. 😁
In retrospect, I left my job at just the right time. God’s timing is always perfect, and I don’t know why I sometimes fail to listen better. He knew what He was doing when He prompted us to downsize and stop working in January. He knew the plans He had in store for me, plans to give me hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)!
He also knew the pandemic would have been a challenge to navigate as well! In the last few months, as rumors turned into reality my employer started downsizing. One might think online education companies would be booming during a pandemic, but apparently people are not enrolling at the same rate because they are not working. It seems every change in these “unprecedented times” results in a very large snowball affecting many more people in its path. My university has gone through multiple changes — even more since the beginning of this year — which means heavier and heavier faculty workloads amongst other things that concern me. They started downsizing.
My separation from the company is voluntary. I’d love to tell you all about it, but I am bound by a confidentiality clause: “Unless required to do so by subpoena or as otherwise required by law, you agree not to disseminate or disclose the fact of or terms of this Agreement, the discussions leading to this Agreement, or any subsidiary undertakings required by this Agreement, except to immediate family, government agencies, legal counsel, or tax advisers as may become necessary.”
🤔🤔🤔 Hmmmm. It didn’t take long to decide. I would have been terminated anyway, due to my FMLA running out, so this was kinda a “no brainer.” I’d rather leave voluntarily. Suffice it to say, my full-time career permanently ended yesterday. Permanent sounds so…final. Perhaps my full-time job has ended, but I will never cease to learn and grow.
“We are by nature observers, and thereby learners. That is our permanent state.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
October 16th. My mother who is now in Heaven would have been 80 years old on my last day of employment. It was her birthday. Ironic how important dates seem to intersect across one’s lifespan.
I feel blessed to have worked for a company over the past eleven years that provides good benefits, in addition to working for previous employers who provided retirement benefits. As I said before, God is good and He will take care of me and my family. If there is anything I learned from my mother, it is to have faith in God. He will supply all your needs.
This may sound a bit strange, but in some ways I consider myself “lucky” to have this diagnosis (as opposed to alternative options). I feel pretty good overall (always subject to change, of course). I generally have strength and energy to do things I love. I get to spend time with my family, compose music, go on bike rides, write blogs, take walks, learn French, write books, travel, draw, enjoy nature, check off my bucket list, and do things I want to do. More importantly, I am looking forward to pursuing deeper meaning and purpose by listening to what God wants. I wish for the final years of my life to glorify the Lord, serve Him, and point others to Him…whatever I do. I may be no longer employed, but I will do the Lord’s work for the rest of my life.
“Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.”
I just received the first draft sketch of the book cover for my children’s picture book, One Day I Tried to Rhyme a Word With Onomatopoeia! I am pressing on with publishing, but I decided to use a professional illustrator. I am so excited! Once the cover is complete we will be able to take pre-sales. The whole book should be published within the next two to three months. It is cutting close for Christmas, but I am hopeful!
Now that I am not working full-time, I am able to check off items that have been lingering on my bucket list, like writing children’s books. Do you have any to those? I’d love to hear in the comments below. If you could do one item on your bucket list in 2021, what would you do?
Á la prochaine…until next time.
In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.
Abraham lincoln
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You may chuckle if you’ve heard this one before. About two years ago we bought a dually one-ton truck with full intentions to pull a fifth wheel, then something happened that changed our minds. I think the brain mets might have scared us at the time, or for other reasons the fifth wheel ended up not being the right choice. Timing wasn’t right and we traded the truck for a VW Atlas SUV. Who does that? 😂
That was then. This is now. We are no longer afraid of my diagnosis, nor our future. We are living life to the fullest. We are living life in the present, fully engaged in ministry together. We are no longer worried about my cancer coming back because, guess what, it already did! My body is stable, and there are lots of treatment options if anything recurs. Worrying and fretting does not alter reality.
“Don’t live in the past or future…make history.”
~Wally Byam
Like the RV industry, trucks are hard to find! It’s nearly impossible to find a good used one, and the choice on new ones is slim due to decreased production in the pandemic. We settled on a 2020 Dodge Ram 1500, equipped with the tow package. The color is Patriot Blue with a black interior. It has new technology so we can charge our devices on the road. After multiple trips back and forth, they gave us a better deal than the Ford dealership could offer us. It has a little ding on the passenger door, so they also threw in service for two years because they didn’t want to fix it. (This was part of the reason for the back and forth, as we were looking for one without the obvious flaw.) Once the papers were signed we ended up in a better position than our VW Atlas. My husband is a negotiating savant. Amazing.
They gave us a “We Owe” to add the trailer break control. This is a requirement or the Airstream dealer will not let us drive off their lot. After we signed all the paperwork we went to parts department who said these were on back order until December!! Whaaaat?? Yet another result of the pandemic and decrease in production. We were about to tear up the contract, but they managed to do some computer voodoo and find us the part. Whew! We will have that installed on Monday. Wow! What a drama…
We got it home and it barely fits in the garage…barely! But it does fit with a few inches to spare. They were true on their word. I may need to lose a few pounds to squeeze over to my side. 😂
If you read my last blog you will recall that we are fully intending to keep this one. I made Tim promise we would not buy a truck until we had bought an RV. 😂 We put down a deposit on an Airstream and we are not going back on this deal! We will reveal more about our new ministry in time, but this is the first step of faith toward following God’s leading.
“Taking a leap of faith is better than taking a leap of doubt.”
Today was #chemoday. Truthfully I am on biotherapy, but most people don’t understand what that means. So, we call it chemo. It’s maintenance drips of Herceptin and Perjeta, which I get infused in the chemo room at MD Anderson, given by the chemo nurses every three weeks. No major side effects to date, and I’ve had more than 50 of these.
They got me in for treatment and even finished early, so we jumped in the car and took a drive to Dallas to look at an RV — a 2021 Airstream International 30RB Twin to be exact. If you haven’t been following the RV industry lately, it is hopping! It’s nearly impossible to find anything locally, or anywhere for that matter, as people are working from home and staying in the USA due to COVID, meaning they are buying up recreational vehicles.
We are in the process of launching a new ministry, where both of our skill sets will be vital to its success. We love doing ministry together, and we love challenging people to a spirit of adventure. We will be sharing more about this ministry as it unfolds, but the ride up and back included dreaming and planning how an Airstream can help fulfill our ministry goals.
We were “full-timers” about 8 years ago, in the latter half of 2012. We lived in a fifth-wheel with our then 9th grade daughter and our little dog Midge, traveling from location to location where we served the churches in Texas. We learned a lot about the RV lifestyle. This was brought to a screeching halt when I was diagnosed with breast cancer the first time. We sold the fifth wheel in exchange for chemo, surgery, radiation, and more treatment.
We have always dreamed of going back on the road, and God seems to be saying “now.”
No, we aren’t selling our house. No, we aren’t going full-time on the road. But, yes, we will be doing life and ministry together and it has the potential to happen in a silver RV.
A fifth wheel requires a lot more set-up than a travel trailer, is heavier to pull, and in general has more potential for things to go wrong with it. We crossed fifth wheel off the options. Our final debate was between a Class A motorhome or bumper pull. We really wanted the motor coach, but could not justify spending the money. We looked at cheaper travel trailers, but most bumper pulls as well as fifth wheels are made with formaldehyde (we can smell it and it burns my sensitive eyes!).
In the past two years we have done a LOT of research, and the Airstream checks the most boxes in our “must have” list. It has quality parts as well as an iconic history. Without the challenge of navigating slides, we feel this will give us the most flexibility as well as comfort on those longer road trips. Our research shows it has the highest resale of all products on the market as well.
This is definitely a leap of faith, and we are looking forward to seeing what God has in store!
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
I’m so happy to announce I have started a Kickstarter Campaignto publish my new book: “One Day I Tried to Rhyme a Word with Onomatopoeia!” It’s a story of a young girl who sets out to rhyme a word with this very big, six-syllable word. She asks for help along the way, from friends, family members, and even pets! Some are more helpful than others, but at the end of the book she realizes all the sounds and rhymes she has heard in her adventure.
This story was started by our family. To pass the time on a road trip with our high-school sophomore, I said, “Let’s write a poem! Finish this phrase…One day I tried to rhyme a word with Onomatopoeia,” and from there the book was born. It has fun sounds and phrases, colorful pictures, and diversity. Diversity is a hot topic right now, which I am pleased to include in the book. The family is multi-racial, and the main character has colorful friends. This is one of my bucket list items, which I have finally taken the time to pursue. I am SOOOO excited to finally be at this place.
This is the first in a series entitled, I Can Say Big Words: The Six-Syllable Series. It will be published in multiple languages as well. Please review my Kickstarter video and consider making a pledge! This is an all-or-nothing campaign, meaning I must meet my goal in order for your credit card to be charged. I have SIXTY (60) days to meet my goal, so hurry!
You will find the book, some teacher rewards, as well as some rewards with a plush Bumble Bee toy. The Bees are crocheted by a friend of mine, who is donating the bees in honor of her mother, who also has metastatic breast cancer. We share that in common, as well as love for our Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s official! I filed for SSDI (Social Security Disability Income), and I was approved! Woo Hoot! Early Retirement is what I call it. 😃 I have also been approved for (LTD) Long Term Disability through my company’s insurance. I got my first check in the mail today! (Still waiting for SSDI to kick in, as the government is a bit slower than the insurance company LOL😂).
When I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) almost four years ago, I immediately qualified for disability. That’s what I was told. “But, I don’t feel disabled,” I thought. I can walk. I can talk. I have use of my arms and hands. I could even do my job from anywhere as long as I had Internet and my laptop. I am a task-oriented person, and I have always had a strong work ethic. “You don’t work…you don’t eat,” was my motto (and still is, as long as you are able). I did accept a handicap plate for my car early on, for those days when I was doing chem and didn’t feel like walking as far. But the wheelchair on the plate made me feel a bit like an imposter.
Just because someone doesn’t look disabled, doesn’t mean they aren’t.
Even though I would qualify as disabled, I wanted to keep working for a variety of reasons. I felt more productive than I thought I would feel not working. I didn’t want to lose my sense of purpose. I have spent the past ten years developing my professional identity as a counselor educator and supervisor. It is difficult to let go of part of your identity–not that I have to completely–but working full-time in this position has provided me a reason to get up, get dressed, and connect with other professionals. I genuinely enjoyed my job and felt like I was helping people. I put my all into my job, maintained high performance scores and even earned multiple awards. To manage it all, I let go of any extracurricular activities. Fighting cancer became my main activity outside of work and family.
I admit I probably put a bit too much stock in what people might think if I stopped working. I had this theory that people look at you differently when you are not working. I thought they might think of me as “lazy” or “irresponsible.” However, we knew this day would eventually come. From the point of diagnosis, Tim and I talked about what it would look like if I went on disability.
We could send more quality time together, while I’m still feeling good. Perspective changes significantly when you don’t know how much life you have left, or whether you will even make it to the day you retire. Sometimes healthy people don’t make it to their retirement!
The more we talked, the more we liked the idea of accepting SSDI as an “early retirement.” Basically that’s what it is! Going on disability (SSDI) is equivalent to accepting what Social Security has to offer now, rather than waiting to see if I can retire and earn back what I have contributed. It is a tough decision. Social Security is much less than my current income. I committed to keep working as we knew it would take some time and planning to change our financial picture.
You see, two months prior to my MBC diagnosis, we bought a new house. It was a beautiful, 2-story house of 4,200+ square feet. We got a fantastic deal, so we bought it as an investment property. The plan was to keep it until retirement, and then sell it and downsize. It required two full-time incomes. We loved that house. It had a game room with a pool table upstairs, and a dark media room on the first floor with proper media furniture. That was probably my favorite room as we had a lot of family gatherings there to hang out. Well, I also loved my closet 😃 (the house has his and hers closets).
Reality pressed. We could not stay in the house if I wasn’t working. The options were limited: keep working, or begin the process of downsizing. Alternatively, Tim would need to take on additional work, which would defeat the purpose of spending more quality time together. It honestly took a while for me to accept the possibilities of not working. I admit this was a very grueling decision for both of us. It is a process, but we learned to trust the process.
Aside, when I was diagnosed with brain mets in 2018, and experienced the Gamma Knife in January 2019, the decision became easier to downsize and move toward disability. We both agreed that brain mets qualifies you for disability income 😂. We put our house on the market and sold it in May.
Three years have passed since my original MBC diagnosis, and we finally managed to pull the trigger. We downsized and moved into a smaller house in August. I do love our new home. It’s just the right size, and we got to pick out the colors. I finished out the year at work, then I informed my boss I would not be coming to work in January of this year. And as previously stated, I got my first disability check on May 11th.
God is good. He is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
While I am now earning a small disability income, I still feel pretty good. I do get fatigued at times, but now I can lay down and take a nap in the middle of the day without feeling guilty, or worrying about whether I have a meeting to attend to. When I have scans, chemo, or doctor’s appointments I don’t have to take my laptop and work around it, stressing over whether I will have time to complete my job. I do plan on being around a while. My body is stable, but I’m still considered “terminal.” I will always qualify as disabled even without any progression of the cancer.
Looking back (which I only do on a rare occasion), this was the best decision we could have made. I have a new sense of purpose. I am able to work on projects that have been sitting on hold for years. I can spend time with my grandchildren, garden, cook, clean, and organize things around the house. I can play the piano, tap into my creative side, and simply enjoy the small pleasures of life. I can blog 😂. Most importantly, Tim and I are working on ministry opportunities which we can do together, to advance the Kingdom of God. This is my purpose.
