Small Acts of Kindness...

There are encounters with unexpected generosity that are powerful enough to change one’s life. It happened to me on September 8, 2011. I have agonizing for months as to whether or not I should proceed with self-publishing my books. Oh, I went through all the motions - I proof-read and edited the manuscript for “Children of Angels,” built a website, designed the cover of the book, made a Facebook page - all as if I were moving forward with my dream. Yet still, even with all the right things in place, the courage I needed to proceed was nowhere to be found. Until September 8. When I casually checked my email I found an email that a person from the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers group was now a follower of @SuzanneKimball on Twitter. My first! She was not aware that I was also a member of HCRW writing as Suzanne Kimball. My pen name is not yet on their roster as such. Whether or not she knew it, her kindness meant the world to me so much so I came to tears. That one email, that small kindness on her part - following a new writer she didn’t even know, sparked a well of resolve deep inside me to forge ahead with the pursuit of my dream. It is so very easy to give up when the road ahead seems so fraught with obstacles. I was on the verge of doing so.  But after that small email, my resolve has strengthened and each day I take a few more steps forward toward that dream. Yet were it not for this small act of kindness, I may have given up prematurely. I may never be a rich and famous author but I will be a person who, thanks to this small kindness, is living her dreams. One can ask for no more that that. Thank you, Beth. You made a big - huge - difference in my life.