Dear Everyone,
First, thank you for reading. I hope that you subscribe to my little newsletter, Robin’s Writings. I
will make these TinyLetters not too long, not too tiny, not too frequent, but to the point! The
point now is, I have written a book and my memoir manuscript is at the publisher!!! It is
undergoing an editorial round being shined up. I had no idea what this process of writing a book
would entail when I began one year ago. It is indeed a journey and I am definitely a novice.
I took my first steps on this path last October when the Muse tapped me on the shoulder and
would not stop. Daily I felt an incessant urging begin in the early hours of the morning. Rising
often at 4 or 5am, I just had to put my hands on the keyboard. I was hooked. I have been writing
a book about my life as a mother, my family and our challenges and miracles. Encouraged to
write by many who knew the amazing story of our daughter, Anna, and our family living with
cystic fibrosis and a lung transplant, it is a story that was begging to be told. Until that tap on my
shoulder I was unsure of how to do that. Since I began I realized that more time had to pass for it
all to come into view.
Sitting for many hours this past year writing, rewriting and exploring the past 40 years of my life
has been emotional as I relived many turning points. Remembering these stories of having a
child with a life-limiting disease whose dire prognosis was always in the forefront revealed the importance of telling our story. Ours is a unique tale of heartbreak, medical challenges,
determination, triumphs, hope and miraculous events.
Our first born daughter, Anna was not expected to live a long life. Of course we never knew
when her demise might come but she continues to keep on with her intrepid spirit. in 2010 her
CF lungs gave out and she was gifted new lungs with a transplant. Transplant surgery is nothing
less than miraculous and gave her more time. The experience of enduring a disease like CF in
our family was devastating and wounded all of us. Still, witnessing Anna’s courage and
determination to live and thrive through so many difficult challenges has highlighted a path for
growth, and the view that love and miracles are all around us.
I hope that our story will support and inspire other mothers, patients and families who have
similar challenges. I believe that our personal lives serve as platforms for us to learn, grow and
find our own spiritual understandings. There are things that come our way in life that we can not
change. Terrible things happen but we can learn to accept them and let our minds and hearts be
opened by our circumstances. This is what this life experience has taught me.
Through this newsletter I will share stories and reflections. I will also tell you about the progress
of the book, stages completed, the release date, marketing outreach and whatever else I need to
do to make it happen. I might even put out a call for HELP here and there. The title is in flux and
soon will be decided. Currently, I must go through rounds of editing polish and design the cover.
I have never embarked on this type of writing and publishing journey before. It is far more
complex than I ever thought. Yet, I am determined.
Thank you for coming along with me. I love the company.
Forever Grateful,
Robin