When I wasn’t dancing this past weekend, I was going over the first page proofs for my book. Linda, the lovely woman who edited my book with her “editorial feather duster,” did an outstanding job. I appreciate the fact that she really knows her stuff, and at the same time she allows me to be me… meaning I need to make up phrases and words that don’t necessarily exist in anyone else’s speech, or even in a dictionary. I love that Linda let me be me in my writing, but at the same time, she corrects all of those nasty little nit-picky things (like nit-picky!) Seriously, I have never loved purple marks on my papers like I do with Linda’s marks on my first page proofs for Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery.
An email response arrived in my inbox today from an assistant for Dr. Maya Angelou. Yes, I sent an endorsement request to Dr. Angelou sometime in early March. Rather than feeling disappointed that she is too busy to look at my book, I feel grateful for the kind reply from her assistant. They could have rolled their eyes at my request, and blasted me back with a, “YOU?!! YOU want a WHAT???!!!!!” But kindness and civility prevailed throughout their polite decline of my request.
And now… what a smile I still have upon my face! Yes, I know it is a smile I usually reserve for when I am filled with pure joy from dancing, but a pure joy surprise appeared in my mailbox today. I opened an autographed photo that was signed to me along with a beautiful note that was written on the coolest of cool stationery The note has his name pressed into it and cowboy boots on either side of the paper. And the note and photo were signed… Jeff Foxworthy. Have you checked out his PSA for CURE Childhood Cancer?
http://www.curechildhoodcancer.org/default.asp?contentID=69
Thanks Jeff… for showing you truly care about children fighting cancer. My gratitude runs deep and wide.
Melinda Marchiano 
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