(If you’re just here for a new poem, skip to the bottom–but be warned, you’re missing out on exciting things ;) )

This past week has been an exciting one for me!  Wednesday was the last day of November, which also means it was the last day of NanoWrimo.  I’ve mentioned my abridged NanoWrimo goal of finishing my current novel’s first draft by the end of November–and good news, folks:

I did it!!!

That is an actual image of the very end of the first draft of the second novel in my fantasy series!

I am delighted.  I am full of joy and gladness.  This was a significant, though achievable, goal that I set for myself, and it feels wonderful to have reached it.  It also feels great that I can now say I have finished at least the first draft of three novellas and two novels.

And I am now 20% of the way through writing my fantasy series!  At times, this series has felt like it will take my whole life to write.  Now, I’m actually starting to believe that I could finish it AND have time to write some of the other stories in my head before I die.

It’s a very good feeling.

The end of NanoWrimo/November meant that another important month was about to begin.  Some of you may know it as December, but it is now fondly known in my household as Dressember.  Dressember is a campaign of women (and some men, too) who vow to wear a dress every day during December in order to raise awareness of and funds for stopping human trafficking and other infringements on human dignity.  We are free to wear whatever we want, but thousands of people–especially women–in the world today are regularly beaten, enslaved, and used as things instead of treated as humans deserving dignity.

Dressember participants (such as myself) partner with IJM and A21, two organizations with a history of social justice.  IJM works primarily with human trafficking, while A21 is currently involved in the refugee crisis in Greece.

You can read more about Dressember here.

To prove to you that I’m keeping my promise, here are pictures of my dresses thus far:

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If you’d like to support my Dressember campaign and help end human trafficking, visit this page.

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And now, what you’ve all been waiting for: This week’s post, a poem.

How is a Dream Fulfilled?

by Beth Wangler

How is a dream fulfilled?

Is it by cheerful happenstance,
the kindly grace
of flighty chance
who, one moment, shows his face,
the next departs without a glance?

Is it through elbow grease
that hope becomes real
and dreams cease,
by sweating brows and sore heals
that we find joy and peace?

Is it yet a compromise,
Trading an unblemished image
for a compromise
so that you can have the privilege
of avoiding its total demise–
if it’s recognizable behind the damage?

Is there another way
to reach my dream
without cruel fate,
labor mean,
or sorry give-and-take?