A Year in Reflection
AS I LOOK BACK upon the year that has passed since last Thanksgiving I cannot help but be grateful. I’ve faced many challenges, personally, professionally, financially and in general life–but throughout it all, like an anchor, three things have grounded me, held me in place amidst the torrent that is sometimes referred to as life: My family, my God, and my friends.
This very time last year, I went through a crisis as I lost my job as Director of Operations (11 years in the IT field) , the income and benefits of which my family relied upon heavily. I had just returned from the professional writers Masterclass held by Dean W. Smith, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch in Oregon, where it became clear to me that I should seriously pursue writing as my career.
So during this time of lost income, during the downturned economy, my beautiful wife and children encouraged me to keep doing what I was passionate about: writing. Through much prayer and encouragement, we decided as a family to make the necessary sacrifices to make full-time writing a reality. To that end, we sold our big, beautiful house and downsized. We adjusted schedules and lifestyles by cutting our budget.