Happy Thanksgiving from me and my family!
A few weeks back a buddy of mine told me that he had written a review of I'll Be The Moon - A Migrant Child's Story on Amazon.
"Go check it out," he said. "I hope it helps!"
When I clicked on the Amazon listing and scrolled down to the reviews section, I saw his terrific (and humbling) words.
A must-have for elementary school teachers, he titled it. At that moment I felt a bit of validation, a huge dose of happiness and, more importantly, an immense feeling of gratitude.
I was thisclose to exiting the page when I noticed something else, something right below the star ratings near the book's cover image that caught my immediate attention (and left me in utter shock):
The red ribbon indicated that the book had debuted as the #1 New Release in Children's Hispanic & Latino Books! That was almost a month ago. Today, thanks to all of the support and attention people have given this project, I'll Be The Moon - A Migrant Child's Story still ranks in the top 30 books of this category, a feat that amazes me still to this day. I mean, I've never been #1 in anything; this has all been such a humbling experience.
As thankful as I am for all of this early success, I know that it can be gone in a fleeting moment, which is why I have to remind myself to just take it all by the day, to enjoy the NOW without worrying about TOMORROW.
Today, on this day before we gather with family and friends and celebrate, I am reminded that not everyone can be together. I continue to count my lucky stars that I have my wife, children, family and friends to count on, laugh with, send stupid memes to, etc.
Lastly, I have YOU, the readers that support me no matter what. I hope your holidays are awesome, starting with tomorrow.
Be bold, like the moon...
- PDC