He Believes in Me

To celebrate the release of the BlessBack ~ Thank Those Who Shaped Your Life ebook release, I asked a few friends to share a BlessBack here on the blog. Joy DeKok sent me this one to share with you. . .

I knew I was going to be a writer before I could read. When my mom read me stories the words printed in my books fascinated me. When she wrote letters, I watched the way the words appeared from her pen and could hardly wait to learn how to do that.

When I was a teenager, I wrote poetry and even love-notes for my friends. No one knew the words were mine – it didn’t matter – I was writing. I filled notebooks with poetry of my own and believed someday, they would make a difference. Then, an influential adult in my life discouraged me from writing. I burned my poetry and stopped writing.

When Jon and I got married, he knew about my dashed dreams and the words that would not leave me alone. One day, he brought home two writing magazines. As he handed them to me he said, “Quit your job and follow your dreams.” Afraid and still letting the words of my mentor rule, I threw the magazines at him and shouted, “I can’t write!” Jon, a man of tremendous grace, picked up the magazines, offered them to me again, and repeated his invitation as if my tantrum had never happened.

The next day, he had a desk and word processor delivered to our home. The first document I completed was my work notice.

Eight books later, I realized I’ve told this story to hundreds of people, but I’ve never taken the time to thank the man whose generosity is the gentle force beyond my dream coming true.

I offer it now:

Dear Jon,

You saw the talent inside me when I chose blindness. You believed in me when I refused to. Today, when fear and disbelief try to derail me, you refuse to let me quit. Instead, you continue to believe. You are a man of great patience, enduring love, and wisdom. I am certain that without you in my life, I would have stubbornly resisted to write, and would likely be a mean and bitter woman who missed her purpose in life.

Every kind note I receive from readers is yours too. The words would never have hit the pages without you.

You are my beloved husband, best friend, first fan, and I am crazy in love with you. Your enduring support amazes me.

Someone asked me the secret of my writing success and I pointed to you and told her, “He believes in me.”

Thank you my love,

Joy