TWO BLESSINGS IN ONE DAY!

http://www.nhlcyberfamily.org/special/happydance.htm

BLESSING #1
I GOT MY first royalty check! Can you see me doing my Snoopy happy dance (click on the above hyperlink)! I can't believe I earned out my advance! [For those of you to which I owe money, it isn’t that much so don’t get TOO happy.] I’m going to open up a new savings account (since I was forced to close my last one when I got hit with an unexpected property tax bill a few months ago). I’m also going to do something nice for myself since I’ve been suffering from a skin infection (which has required numerous medicines including an extended course of antibiotics).

BLESSING #2
NALAC (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of Latino Arts & Culture) has selected me to receive a grant to support my third novel, tentatively entitled Negrita Means Love. The award will be announced at the 2006 Sixth Annual NFA Conference on October 13, 2006 in San Antonio, Texas, which unfortunately I will not be able to attend due to scheduling conflicts. (I really wanted to go too, so I could visit my girl, TEE, who is in the National Guard stationed in a VA hospital down there.)

THIS DOUBLE DOSE of news is just what I needed considering I’ve been feeling kind of depressed about my lack of funds. Not to say that I view money as an anti-depressant, and the only blessings are monetary ones, but this living check-to-check is KILLING me. I’m used to having money left over after paying bills, but it’s been impossible to save ANYTHING this past year, and I REALLY don’t know how much longer I could do it.

GOD IS GOOD.