The path to our dreams brings more than expected

Once upon a time, there was an eight-year-old girl growing up in Northern Indiana who dreamed of being an author. She happily plunked out stories on her K-Mart “Snappy Blue” typewriter, which produced only capital letters.

As the girl matured into her teen years, her mother gave her a real typewriter. Soon she created entire books, which she entered into various contests. She never won, but she kept trying. The girl took creative writing in high school and went on to be a Journalism and English major at Indiana University, Bloomington.

As she transformed into a young woman, her head filled with dreams of being a famous author, working full-time and traveling around the country – and beyond – on book tours. The woman figured she’d work at newspapers and write her books on the side until she could be a full-time author.

After graduation, she worked in newspapers selling advertising vs. working on the editorial side. But the woman enjoyed her work. She kept reading books and newspapers, turning often to columnist Erma Bombeck, whom she’d loved ever since she was a girl.

Time passed, and the woman fell in love with a wonderful man and had two sweet little boys. She still wasn’t a full-time author, but she discovered an amazing career where she could use her writing skills – that of a grant professional.

While she still wrote books on the side thanks to her sons’ naps and evenings/weekends, she fell in love with helping nonprofits secure funding to make a difference in the world. The woman also began to write a column for a local newspaper, hoping to be at least half as good as her idol, Erma.

As her sons grew, so did her grant professional experience. The woman went on to work for her city and county, writing and self-publishing books along the way. She didn’t travel much beyond her hometown but did attend Grant Professional Association conferences around the country and often talked to her kind readers. In fact, she began to reach more readers thanks to writing at a new local newspaper and one in Kokomo, too.

One day, she took a plunge she never imagined: she started her own fundraising consultancy. This gave her more freedom to grow in all aspects of her writing. In her early 50s, the woman learned about writers’ conferences – something she had never heard of – and attended her first one at Taylor University.

The annual conference opened her world and gave her new friendships – and strengthened existing ones. It nurtured her mind and soul and opened the gate to a new, traditional Christian publisher for her books. Her friends, the Word Warriors, began meeting with her once a month. Both the event and her Word Warriors helped her grow her faith and opened her mind.

Suddenly, as a conference keynote speaker said one year, she realized her writing path shouldn’t necessarily focus first on sales. Instead, it should lead to souls – helping others make their lives better. The woman also knew her writing path, though different from what she had envisioned as a girl, was better than she had ever imagined.

The woman is still on her journey. Whether or not she becomes a full-time author, she’ll keep writing. Whether it’s newspaper columns, grant proposals, or books, she’ll continue to embrace the twists, turns, and discoveries on the path to her dreams. She hopes others do the same on their paths.

And the woman lived happily ever after.

Amy Shankland is an empty-nester, writer, and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John and two dogs. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.