Grateful today for the friend who pushed me toward my calling.
Some people step into our lives for a season, some for a reason, and every now and then, God sends someone who changes the entire direction of our story. Today, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for someone like that—my writing mentor and dear friend, Patti.
Long before book contracts or deadlines or stacks of author copies on my shelf, there was simply a little spark inside me… and Patti was the one who fanned it into a flame. She saw a writer in me before I dared use that word for myself. When all I had was a whisper of a dream, she stood beside me and said, “You can do this.”
She didn’t just cheer—she showed up.
She took me to writers’ conferences, handed me resources, prayed over me, and pushed me to keep going when insecurity came knocking (and it did, frequently). Patti nudged me forward with a gentle firmness that only a true mentor can offer.
Her belief in me reminds me of something I once wrote about—storms. Not the kind that rattle windows and whip through pecan trees (though we’ve seen a few of those here in Texas), but the ones that shake us on the inside.
When Storms Come. . .
One of my earliest books—and the first that really “took off”—was Hurricane, based on the devastating Galveston hurricane of 1900. The story follows a journalist who returns home to Texas, weary and worn from the pressures of the newspaper world in New York. He arrives on the island longing for peace and clarity, only to face a storm that wipes out nearly everything familiar within days.
Sometimes life feels like that, doesn’t it? We set out searching for calm, and instead we find ourselves in the middle of a storm we never saw coming.
But here’s what I know from experience—God never leaves us to weather those storms alone. He sends people to stand with us… to remind us of who we are and what He called us to do. Patti was one of those people for me. Through creative storms, personal storms, ministry storms—she held the umbrella when I didn’t even realize it was raining.
If Hurricane is new to you, you can take a peek here.
If you’re looking for something comforting to help you pass the time during that next storm, bake up a batch of Snickerdoodles!
Before I close, here’s a little heart-prompt for your week:
Gratitude to Stir Up This Week:
Think of someone who stood beside you during a “storm season”—someone who didn’t walk away when things got hard. Whisper a prayer of thanks for them… and if you can, let them know how much their presence meant.
Thank you for being here with me—sharing stories, memories, faith, and a little kitchen comfort. May your week be filled with reminders that God surrounds you with people who help you stand when the winds blow strong.
