Dreams DO come true!

This is my brand new journal. It's a storytelling journal. I just finished creating it by altering a small cheap journal purchased at the bookstore. It's a physical manifestation of a dream about to come true.

Hmmm. What kind of dream might that be, you ask? I'm glad you asked, even though it's possible you're simply rolling your eyes about now. Well, here's the answer. At this time next week, I will have already spent a day in Jonesborough Tennessee, enjoying stories in the tents and on the street corners of this historic town. It's the weekend of the National Storytelling Festival, which has taken place here in October ever since its humble beginning in 1973.

Friends from all over the country, other storytellers, will be there. As much as I'm looking forward to the storytelling itself, I look forward to enjoying it with my friends. In fact, my fun will begin Wednesday night, as long-time storytelling friends Jim and Karen Decker, known to the storytelling circuit as "The Double Deckers," will let me crash on their couch, so that I'll be able to join a bunch of other storytelling enthusiasts on a bus trip to the Festival. I'm sure on a bus full of storytellers, I'll have no problem passing the time until we arrive in Tennessee.

The dream gets even better, however. Along with twenty-seven other storytellers, I authored a chapter in a new book that will be released at the Festival, titled "Telling Stories to Children." My chapter is on telling stories to children with special needs. That was cool enough. Then I started receiving emails a couple months back, inquiring as to my attendance at the festival, in order to set up author booksignings!

Add to that an invitation all the authors received to attend a reception hosted by the Board of Directors of the National Storytelling Network on Saturday night at the Chester Inn, honoring past Board members, featured tellers and donors. All because I wrote a little chapter on telling stories to an often-marginalized group of kids.

What could be better? Historic small town in the foothills in autumn, storytelling's best and brightest for three days, hanging out with friends and an honest-to-goodness booksigning!

It isn't just in fairy tales that dreams do come true!