First Book Signing Weekend
Posted in Uncategorized
The third weekend of August was a great weekend for me, though haunted by contemplation. I had the opportunity to do my first book signing and I got to relax in a wonderful cabin in Elkin, NC. The book signing was a lesson in patience with Divine providence and a matter of humility. The printer waited until the last possible second to ship the books out for the signing. I showed up with two copies and a prayer, waiting for the rest to arrive sometime (by the end of the day according to UPS). The books did arrive in time just before the most of the customers came-almost perfect timing. The humility was much deeper for me though. The owner of the book store recently (about a week ago) had her son get wounded while serving in Afghanistan. He lost both legs and is getting surgery to recover the use of one of his hands. This kind women poured out her heart and soul to me while I was there, trying to relate with her son through me. She told me that she read through some of my book but had to stop because the emotions from reading it reminded her about her son. Through her pain, she blamed no one and recounted the good in her life. On top of this she was adamant that what she would have earned be donated as well to the Wounded Warrior Project. In a strange way this book signing was some type of healing for her, and as she said it, “Philip helped me come down a few notches”. I didn’t know how or why, but she was comforted by me just being there. That really humbled me in what otherwise could have been a moment for pride to take off.
The weekend following the book signing was spent with family at a cabin in Elkin, NC. The first morning came pretty early for me. My son’s alarm wakes me…not him, in the early morning long before the sun rose. He had promised to help the son of our host to catch a miniature horse that they failed to get yesterday. My nudge woke him along with my stiff reminder that he needed to fulfill the promise he made. I was unable to go back to sleep so I sat out on the porch overlooking a pond. It was a peaceful morning calm with birds warming up their song, alongside the chorus of crickets, as the morning twilight advanced into sunrise. Memories filled my head. First the morning drizzle reminded me of a cadence we used to sing long ago called In the Early Morning Rain. “In the early morning rain, in the early morning rain, in the early morning rai..ai…ai…ain, no pain no gain.” Of course the best time to sing it was moments just like this when it rains and sucks outside. The setting reminded me of the many times of getting up too early and setting on a perimeter in the woods waiting for the sun to come up. In the Army, we called this “Stand To” and I have done more than I can possibly remember. “Stand To” is waking the entire patrol up before dawn, dressing for battle, and having the whole perimeter at 100% security before dawn. It is intended to be ready against an attack at that crucial time where if you’re not prepared, you could be at a disadvantage against an enemy who used the night to move onto your position. No one love “Stand To” and I was no fan myself. Yet today I reminisced about those moments and think about how much I missed them!
