As I think about my book coming out into the world, and I start talking with people about it, the question most people ask me is: What am I hoping to accomplish with this book? SO that shouldn’t be hard right?! Arggh!
But it is so hard.
Today I was at a networking event and I pushed myself to stand up and talk about it. I have this book coming out and I’m so proud of it. Everybody please buy it. No wait, I mean, please read it. Yes, read it. Oh, but I really need you to review it too. Okay, what I mean is – buy it, read it and review it. That’s it!
No, that is really not it.
Right after Elizabeth died I thought maybe I would do what many others had done and start a foundation or a charity in her name. So I gathered a group of friends together for a meeting. I do love my friends! About ten of us sat down for dinner. None of us really knew what to do but everybody was willing to jump right in. The problem was me. I didn’t have any ideas, and I didn’t have any energy. Grief can be a bit soul-sucking. It is different for everybody, and I will definitely write about that in future blog posts, but for me, it was like ocean waves that just kept knocking me over and sometimes coming from directions I wasn’t expecting. So that went nowhere.
Let me go deeper. I have to go back to when I started to write. Why did I start to write this book? In my journey, I’ve met another parent whose child was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease. She wrote a fantastic blog that I followed. It really helped me. It lifted me up during some dark times and I loved how she was able to share her son with the world. Her love for her son and how she handled her grief after he passed away was changing my life for the better and others too. I wanted to share Elizabeth in a positive way as well. I wanted some sort of a legacy.
Ahhhhh. Now I was getting closer!
Then I went to a legal conference in Hollywood and I met JT McCormick who wrote a book about his life called “I Got There”. JT was very generous with his time. He sat down with me in a quiet room for almost a half hour and listened to my story. He encouraged me to write my family story and introduced me to Tucker Max and his publishing company so I could do it. I will never forget how much JT changed my life my life that day.
Butterflies and Second Chances is the beginning of Elizabeth’s legacy to the world. A legacy that is just starting to take shape. I want to talk about the grief and pain but also the joy of being in a family challenged with special needs. It’s the life I was blessed with and the life I know. The life I cherish. I would love it if you would join me!
Annette