Dare to Dream

“What I admire most about you,” my friend Barbara once told me, “is that you go after things in your life – you make them happen.” Truer words were never spoken.  If I set my heart on a dream, it was full speed ahead. I was like a pitbull – once I sunk my teeth into an idea, I didn’t let go. I’ve never been one to easily give up. And one can “get going” at any age. 

When It All Started 

At the age of twenty-six, I quit my full-time high school English teaching position to be an at-home mom with identical twin daughters. (Miracle babies because I had prayed and fasted for identical twins and God answered my prayer.)  

The first day my daughters Valerie and Christine were home and sleeping in the afternoon, I wondered what I would do with my hour of “free time.” I wanted it to be something extraordinary.

So, I sat down and wrote a poem. I simply called it “Life.”

Life is but a fleeting moment,

A snowflake that clings to a twig,

And then melts and is gone forever.

Never to be recaptured,

Never to be had again.

Yet, this is

All we have – 

This moment in time

To really shine. 

I sent it off to an anthology who accepted it for publication, and my dream to have a book published by a traditional publisher was born. But it would take my dream almost forty years to come to fruition.

Faced with Discouragement

Along the way, there were some naysayers. My mother told me, “Your brother in high school writes better than you do.” But I kept going. I kept writing. The years went by but I didn’t give up on my dream. Sometimes I received polite notes from editors: We hope you find a good match for your idea and can prove in the future how very short-sighted we were in not acting favorably upon your proposal. And some not so polite notes: Your manuscript is definitely not for us.

But I kept going. I kept writing. The years went by but I didn’t give up on my dream. I was now in my fifties. My daughters told me, “Maybe you should give up your dream of having at least one of your books under contract with a publisher. Why don’t you devote your time to other pursuits?” I wondered, but only for a few moments if my daughters might be right. But I couldn’t, I wouldn’t give up my dream.

I kept going. I kept writing. I kept sending my manuscripts to publishers.

The Not-So-Distant Past

My grandchildren thought I was old. Really, really old. I was in my sixties. I even used to think sixty sounded old. Now, not so much. I kept going. I kept writing. I kept chasing my dream because one is never too old to have their dreams come true. A few more years went by. 

A Dream Come True

And then one day, … (November 8, 2018 to be exact) Christopher Robbins, the founder of Familius Publishing, called. He said he liked Hugga Loula, the picture book manuscript I sent him. He wanted to publish it. (With the healing power of a hug and an act of kindness, the main character Hugga Loula diffuses all sorts of situations. She offers care, comfort, and love to a world that desperately needs all three.)

I was going to have my dream! I felt like doing cartwheels, but I didn’t because I was afraid I’d fall and hurt myself. I smiled and gave myself a Ya Hoo cheer. I hadn’t given up. 

And now I have a few new dreams to chase. I want to travel the world and share Hugga Loula with children (and adults) everywhere. And I want to encourage people of all ages to never give up and keep chasing their dreams.

by: Nancy Dearborn is the author of Hugga Loula. With the healing power of a hug and an act of kindness, little Hugga Loula diffuses all sorts of situations. Featuring colorful illustrations and charming refrain, Hugga Loula gives us an adorable hero offering care, comfort, and love to a world that desperately needs all three. 

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