A Gift

Amidst the files, old manuscripts, contest results from the Heart’s Series I’d stored away many years ago, I’ve found a…gift, a treasure, something so rare and wonderful, I was speechless and so very grateful. A rejection, but not just any rejection; a rejection dotted with edits from a very kind-heart, generous editor—Caroline Tolley, while she worked for Pocket Books.

Here is a case where better notations and explanations would answer questions. Why did I squirrel this treasure away? Why didn’t I grab up the gift given me and run with it? I don’t know. I can’t remember. It was at a time when life around here was having seismic changes—children marrying, first grandbabies, necessary kitchen and home office redo.

I know I would have been very aware of the kindness, the rare gift of time from a very busy person. Was I too overwhelmed, too insecure? Was the timing just wrong? I don’t remember that. I wished I did. I only know that sometimes the best gifts percolate and become much greater down the road.

The reason I went back to see how viable the series was, was the stories, three of them anyway, had been nagging me all these years, along with this niggling thought that the books and writing was worthy. Maybe, it was that little pluck of a memory of this kindness, this knowledge that someone took the time to give me some much needed help. This editor wouldn’t have done that if there wasn’t something redeemable about the story, would she?

And then the fourth and last of the series, showed up and grew.