Ready or Not...

          Probably before the day is over, I will have completed proofing, correcting and fussing over a project I began around March of this year. A few short weeks before my mother passed from the confines of a wheel chair and hospital bed into her eternal and glorious home on April 19, she told me that she wanted me to gather my small collection of thoughts and poems and put them into book form.
          I tried to wiggle out with some very creative objections and excuses, but I knew too well the look in those brown eyes weren’t buying into any of them. So…I promised to honor her request.
          When Mother's health began to rapidly decline, it became evident that my late-night typing would not speed the process enough for her to see the finished product. To reassure her, I took the Introduction, Acknowledgement and a few articles and read them to her and vowed to complete the task.
          I’ve mentioned this self-published endeavor only to a few people and truly my goal is just to fulfill that commitment to a mother who asked very little for herself in an entire lifetime. I could tread a narrow line and say, “I never promised to tell anyone about the book or to promote it in any way.” But those brown eyes wouldn’t buy that either. So…

          Ready or not A Softer Voice in book form will soon become a reality.

       
          The yellow roses on the cover are to honor the only acceptable form of yellow in Goldie Anderson McCall's eyes. Since yellow is just about my favorite color, you can imagine some fun discussions we had with her resistance to a color I would bathe my world in if I could. She finally agreed that, since God made yellow flowers, they were "probably" ok. At her memorial service (and with her permission) there was one yellow rose included in a blanket of pink and white flowers.
          I don’t know what the turn-around time will be once I send the final revision in this weekend, but before long, the promise will have been kept. I have no expectations for A Softer Voice. My prayer is that should it find its way into some readers’ collections, a blessing will be waiting for them from one of the pages. I’m simply giving it back to the Author and Finisher of my faith to do His bidding – whatever that may be.
          Thanks to this week’s “R” meme and Shelley Wilburn’s post on “Reckless” for giving me the courage to “R”oll out A Softer Voice. If only Mother had asked me to put purple streaks in my hair and wear crazy socks instead :)