Last week I met the team of Grant Writers that I will be working with part time this school year.  The day left me with so many things to be grateful for : connecting with other grant writers, laughing with new coworkers, and being able to remain connected to making change in education through writing.

One of the highlights of my day was sitting with and talking to Jess Riley, a grant writer by day (and school year) and novelist by night (and summer).  We had so much in common — vegetarian, gardening,  grant writers from Wisconsin are not as rare as I once thought — and it was just awesome to talk to her and soak up all the wisdom she’s got from her experience writing her first novel.  I was totally inspired to believe that I can make my own book dreams come true, if I am willing to work hard enough. The best part is, we now work in the same office, so I get to soak up the ambient inspiration all year long!

I am grateful for the inspiration that comes from meeting people who are living their dreams, especially those who are willing to share the  knowledge that they’ve picked up along the way.