Behind the Book: (Still) Waiting for Someday — Guest Post by Amy Drown

My just-released novel, Catch a Falling Star, deals with the question: What do you do when life doesn’t go according to plan? The heroine, Dr. Kendall Haynes, has a satisfying life in a lot of ways — except her dreams of happily-ever-after haven’t come true. 

While Kendall is an imaginary person, the disappointment she struggles with is one many women face in real life. I met Amy Drown this past year (she’s a writer, I’m a writer — need I say more?) and she provides a behind-the-book glimpse at how one woman has dealt with life not going according to her plans.

Ever since I was a child, my heart’s desire has been to be a stay-at-home wife and mother. Homeschool, housekeeping, dinner on the table the moment my hubby walks in the door, and all the rest of the June Cleaver trappings. (Except maybe the pearls.)

My Barbies always played “Wedding Day.” My stuffed animals and Cabbage Patch Kids always played “Homeschool.” I read fairy tales, watched princess movies, and cut out pictures of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to tape to my bedroom wall. Someday my Prince would come, and I couldn’t wait.

As a teen, I started flipping through bridal magazines, collecting pictures of dresses, cakes, and rings. I made lists of which friends and relatives would be my bridesmaids. During one particularly boring Algebra II class, I even made a seating chart for my reception. When my Prince came, I would be prepared.

In college I fearlessly championed the woman’s place in the home. My family laughed. My friends called me the biggest male chauvinist pig they knew. But I didn’t care. The only career I wanted was the barefoot-and-pregnant kind. College was all about getting my “MRS.” degree because I wouldn’t need a job. My Prince would come any day now, and I was on the watch.

In my twenties, my peers began pairing off. Boys and girls who’d always laughed at my romantic ideals, who’d never wanted marriage or children themselves, were suddenly being blessed with both. So I started reading books—every book I could find on waiting, becoming the right person, letting God write my love story, being happy in my single state, purging whatever sin was clearly preventing God from granting my heart’s desire. Apparently my Prince was delayed because there was something wrong with me, and I had to fix it.

I turned thirty, and went through the world’s worst online dating phase. Because obviously my Prince hadn’t stopped for directions and was lost, and it was up to me to go find him.

I turned thirty-five. My heart’s desire was suddenly in the “high risk” medical department, and I consoled myself the only way possible—I dove headlong into official spinsterhood and adopted a cat. Any Prince who happened along now would just have to be a sugar-daddy who could afford adoption and wasn’t allergic to pet dander.

Now I’m thirty-seven, and I’m finally ready to admit it—God’s plans are definitely NOT mine. I never planned to have my 20-year reunion before my first kiss. I never planned to outgrow both the college AND singles ministries at church. I never planned to watch friends make multiple trips to the altar before I’d even made it there once. I never planned to be an independent career woman. I never planned to be alone.

Yet here I am. Still waiting for my heart’s desire, and hopeful that a perfect God has perfectly brought me to this point in my life for a perfect reason. I still can’t wait. I’m still prepared, still on the watch, still waiting for that magical first kiss—only now the years of waiting have made me more excited than I ever was in my teens or twenties.

Because someday my Prince will come, and when he does, it’s going be far better than I could have ever planned.

 

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AMY DROWN studied History at the University of Arizona and the University of Glasgow. An executive assistant by day, she is also an award-winning photographer and musician. But her true passion is writing edgy, inspirational stories that explore the deep roots of family, friendship and faith. She is a 2013 ACFW Genesis Semi-Finalist (Contemporary Fiction), and was a 2012 ACFW First Impressions Finalist (Historical Fiction). Connect with Amy and learn more about Deep-Rooted Fiction™ at www.AmyDrown.com.