Secret Ambition

Sometimes creativity is a compulsion, not an ambition.

-- Ed Norton

About a year ago I was waiting for my appointment in a nail salon and happened to pick up the January issue of the brand new Hallmark magazine that had just come out on the newsstands. As I skimmed through it I found a lovely article written about the joy of a perfect snow day – everyone at home, safe and warm, a fire crackling in the fireplace, lots of soft, cuddly blankets for snuggling, a book to read in a comfy chair overlooking a window to the outside world of white, and last but not least, an abundance of everyone’s favorite snack foods lining the pantry shelves. The article got me thinking about snow days I’ve experienced, and that prompted me to ask two of my children how they would define such a day. One thing led to another and before I knew it Todd and I were brainstorming about how we should write the Perfect Book Series of children’s books.

We reminisced at length about his childhood and days gone by and these memories surfaced.

Jay and Ann were two of Todd’s favorite neighbors who lived a couple doors down the row of our townhouse complex when he was little. They were a kind and loving older couple who handed out small bags of goodies to trick-or-treaters on Halloween and loved it when little children would stop over to visit their pets Muffin, Gypsy and Smokey. Always ready to lend a hand with some minor home repair project, Jay would stop over with just the right tool. Back in the blizzard of 1982 the snow was deep with huge wind swept drifts and Todd vividly recalls his dad telling him and his sister to be careful while playing outside because there were snow piles higher than their heads. Just about every Christmas season our family made the 5 hour car trip to see Ernie’s family down in SW Virginia. That holiday scene was filled with many cousins, aunts and uncles as well as mounds of gifts and food galore ---ham, casseroles, biscuits and peanut butter balls. The Christmas Eve tradition of getting together with my parents in northern Virginia continues today and we all eagerly anticipate the goodies in the Christmas stockings my mother gave us 35 years ago. The childhood memories go on and on!

We came to the conclusion that even though every child has unique experiences, most have memories of a special, perfect neighbor, snow day, or holiday they’ve experienced. Circumstances may vary, but childhood memories last forever. So, based on our collective memories here is a list of people or events that could each be the basis for an individual perfect children’s story: Halloween, Christmas, Easter, neighbor, teacher, friend, big sister/brother, grandpa/grandma, vacation, snow day or last but not least, pet.

Our ambition is to write these books. We’re not sure how we’ll accomplish the task, but the seed of desire is firmly planted in our minds and I hope that one we can make it grow.