Welcome to our Holiday Guest Posts! Our wonderful mentors will be sharing special moments of the past year and what their hopes are for the new year. Some will be giving away books, too! So I hope you’ll join us for this special celebration.
Brenda
First up is J.C. Nelson …
For me, one of the most special moments of the year came as a passing act of kindness to my wife, in a situation where I couldn’t be present, and the kindness of a stranger made all the difference.
First off, to understand this, we need to flash back to a garage sale where we bought a dog. No, this is not the recommended way to acquire a pet, but the perfect storm of “oh my god she’s so cute” and my wife’s love of animals came together. The result? A small, black ball of fur and bark, named Chloe, who existed for the primary purpose of annoying everyone else in the house.
Then my wife’s depression hit. For months she didn’t sleep except during the day. She ate at most one meal a day. She would occasionally sit at the table and watch everyone else while we talked.
And she took care of Chloe.
That small dog became the reason for her to get up, the reason for her to go out, or eat a slim meal. Eventually the depression lifted, as it does, and there, still beside my wife every day, was Chloe.
Flash forward eight years, and my wife took Chloe out for her morning walk. As they walked along on their leash, a dog in the neighborhood got out. This dog outweighed Chloe eight to one, and when it saw her, it dashed across the street and attacked her, chewing its way down her rib cage.
My wife tried to intervene and was attacked as well. Eventually, a man beat the dog off, which left my wife and the dog who had been with her through depression bleeding and alone on the side walk, over a mile from our house, with no phone and no way to get back to go for help.
That’s when the moment of absolute kindness occurred:
A stranger got her car, wrapped Chloe in a blanket, and drove my wife and her to the vet. Another neighbor stayed at the vet to help my wife fill out the paperwork. Another called me so I could begin the hour long trip home.
Our dog survived, after hours of surgery. My wife’s wounds have slowly healed. But when I think of a special moment, it was the act of three different people that blunted the horror of a single day and probably saved Chloe’s life.
One gave a blanket, another, a ride, and another, a text message so I would know what was happening. It doesn’t take much to make a difference, but these people did, on one of the darkest days of this year for our family.
This next year? I’m hoping for no dog attacks! I’m hoping the depression stays at bay. My wife and I started a Free Little Pantry to feed people in our community, and we’re hoping to feed more people every day. Not like a food bank with aisles and rows of food—just enough to make a difference. A can of corn, a box of macaroni & cheese, some tuna. Enough so people don’t go hungry.
It’s a small act, but I’m reminded every time Chloe barks that small acts make the biggest differences. (I’m reminded a lot).
J.C. Nelson
Programmer, beekeeper, parent, and Author of the Grimm Agency Series from Ace books. Pitch Wars mentor. And represented by Pam Howell with D4EO Literary Agency.
J.C. Nelson’s recent release …
The author of Wish Bound and the Grimm Agency novels returns with an all-new urban fantasy novel!
Burying the dead is easy. Keeping them down is difficult.
At the Bureau of Special Investigations, agents encounter all sorts of paranormal evils. So for Agent Brynner Carson, driving a stake through a rampaging three-week-old corpse is par for the course. Except this cadaver is different. It’s talking—and it has a message about his father, Heinrich.
The reanimated stiff delivers an ultimatum written in bloody hieroglyphics, and BSI Senior Analyst Grace Roberts is called in to translate. It seems that Heinrich Carson stole the heart of Ra-Ame, the long-dead god of the Re-Animus. She wants it back. The only problem is Heinrich took the secret of its location to his grave.
With the arrival of Ra-Ame looming and her undead army wreaking havoc, Brynner and Grace must race to find the key to stopping her. It’s a race they can’t afford to lose, but then again, it’s just another day on the job . . .
Find all J.C. Nelson’s books here!