Every year I write a poem on my best friend’s heavenly birthday. She was a poet. A wordsmith. And a comedian. Words were here chosen craft. So it’s a fitting way to remember her.
It’s been three years since her passing.
This past year, a childhood dream of ours was realized: I got published!!
And that’s exactly why I waited until now to find the book on the bookstore shelves.
A childhood dream realized
My best friend Emily and I always dreamed, not of being known as a famous movie star or pop star, but writing something worth knowing.
Growing up, we’d write ongoing stories each week and call each other on the phone to read the latest chapter. Sometimes we’d even incorporate our vocabulary word assignments from our 8th grade writing class into those stories.
Writing less was never the goal.
Once she baked an entire pan of brownies for our high school English teacher with the numbers 1,000 scrawled across the top. Why? To ask him if we could have a 1,000 word extension for our research paper, of course!!
What could he say but “yes”? She made really good brownies, after all!
As we got older those lengthy school papers turned into devotional reflections and Masters Thesis. She became an editor. I pursued ministry. And our love of writing remained.
Redefining success
Yesterday was her heavenly birthday, and it just felt right to celebrate this accomplishment. She inspired me on this path and would have celebrated it with me.
Everyone has a different definition of “making it”, but since we were in middle school this has been one of those life goals I couldn’t shake. There’s nothing quite like seeing a book on a shelf and knowing you’ve written something inside.
Internal purpose will always beat external validation. The deepest meaning isn’t in the accomplishment itself but in the heart behind it.
I wrote the poem for her at the end to share some of my thoughts on publication, friendship, and shared dreams. In a way, this isn’t just my accomplishment. She has always been part of this, and I can’t tell the story of my success without mentioning her.
Forever honored and grateful to be a small part of this book 🫶
You can find my five page contribution in Dannah Gresh’s second edition: And the Bride Wore White by Moody Publishing.
Publication: not to become known,
Ashley Giovannucci
but to create something worth knowing.
Published.
I made it, Em.
Names on spines not marquee signs
Words read between the lines
Published.
Flipping through the fresh print
Word count on assignment
Published.
They don’t need to see my face
They need to know my heart
Words that matter –
that’s our art.
Published.
We made it, Em.
