To Barb, because I remembered my promise, even after all this time.
This enigmatic dedication does have a story behind it. During my high school years my family lived in a small town in Wisconsin. A dark-haired drama lover named Barb Poleet was my best friend. Even back then I was writing stories constantly, and often I would take "orders" for stories from my classmates. They would tell me the characters they would like in it, and I would write a short story and give it to them as a gift. Barb was convinced I would be a published author someday, and made me promise that my first full-length novel would be dedicated to her. Who knew that it would take more than thirty years for me to fulfill that dream!
In those thirty years, Barb and I had grown apart. She married and moved to Arkansas; I married and moved to Michigan. I hadn't heard from her in years. But I did have her address, so with some trepidation I sent her a copy of The Spy and the Miracle. Would she still be interested in my creative urges? Would she remember?
The responding e-mail was a thrill to receive. Barb did remember, and she loved the story! She was overjoyed to be the "dedicatee"! She shared with me the following interesting epilogue:
Barb shared the story of the delayed dedication with her pastor, and he used it as a sermon illustration in their church service the following Sunday. "God has given promises to us," he said in his sermon. "Sometimes we have to wait for their fulfillment. But that doesn't mean God has forgotten about them. Barb waited thirty years, and enjoyed the fulfillment of a schoolgirl promise. How much more can we count on God to keep His Word, and fulfill His promises. We wait with patient hope because we trust God to be a keeper of His Word. Even after all this time."
Consider this dedication to be yours as well, if you are waiting for the fulfillment of a promise from the Word. You can trust God that, when it happens, it will be worth the wait.
Deb signs the publishing agreement with Koenisha Publications.
Deb's second novel, Not By Accident, will be published this year, and it too is worth the wait!