The Epiphany...

"An epiphany is the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something. The term is used in either a philosophical or literal sense to signify that the claimant has "found the last piece of the puzzle and now sees the whole picture," or has new information or experience, often insignificant by itself, that illuminates a deeper or numinous foundational frame of reference. (taken from Wikipedia)"

Ok. So I had to make sure I had the right word for what happened to me earlier today...

I joined an Authors and Writers group the other day with the intention of soliciting some writers for a Magazine I'm working on for my women's group (NBWEN). As I started reviewing some of the information on the group and seeing some of the writer's profiles, I got a little emotional...

This is sad, but true...

I've been working on a book for over 10 years about the different critical stages of my life - as a teen mom, single mom, and divorced mom and how I made it through. The book is to be an encouragement to others who have been and who are going through the same thing.

Over the years, I was able to write 65 pages but then in the last few years, my computer crashed, not once, but THREE times and (like a dummy) I didn't back anything up!

Although I have an idea of the structure of the book, something struck me this morning...

Why not compile success stories of many different women to incorporate into the book? Wouldn't it be even more encouraging to see more than one person make it through a situation?

Why not give a portion of the proceeds of the book to create a fund to support teen, single, and divorced moms who are struggling to succeed? (After I wrote this earlier, I happened by the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show and balled my eyes out!)

Why not give a portion of the proceeds of the book to its contributors?

I believe that God put this book on my heart a long time ago but He had to bring me to a place where I would be able to get it out to the masses... and here I am! My women's network is over 500 members strong now and growing everyday... God has connected me to some really good people who continue to support and encourage what I do... and everything I do is for the encouragement and support of others... So... it's definitely time!

Anyone interested, please email me at info@paradisesecretarial.com or paradisesecretarial@yahoo.com.

I am going to dedicate at least 1 hr/wk to writing... like I used to do and my prayer is to have the book completed by the time of our Women's Conference in March 2009