The butterflies and hummingbirds are both eating heartily in preparation for their journey, and I get to enjoy watching them enjoy my garden. It’s a time to move forward. The kids are back at school facing new experiences and new challenges. My new challenge is figuring out my new laptop.

I’ve been without my computer for almost two weeks and it’s been a time of extreme stress. My old laptop was 14 years old and retrieving the data from the old was not easy. The computer whizzes figured it out, but I was worried. None of my documents were backed up, and I was afraid of losing my novels. I almost cried when I learned they had safely transferred my data. Today I sent my novel to an agent.

I’m moving forward like the students and I share their nervousness. As a teacher, I was always nervous when school began and as a writer, I’m nervous reaching out to agents.

Fall will return with cooler temperatures, colorful leaves and football. I will continue to write and direct a play I’ve written for my church. I have new challenges and am eager to embrace them. It’s an exciting time for sure!