How I Spent My American Vacation

Well, hardly a vacation, but I had to have a clever title.

1. I ran into Sharon Stone and Liv Tyler in LA
2. I sat in the first row of Jay Leno's show, shook hands with him (he has dry hands) on TV, asked him a question, had it answered, and my mug is now forever going to be in the January 19, 2008, show archive
3. I wrote my first 2 books
4. I got published in Guideposts, a magazine founded by Norman Vincent Peale and one of the top 30 in the US
5. I auditioned for and got small roles in local independent movies
6. I learned how to tell a friend from an enemy
7. I lost everything and then clawed my way back
8. I saw the best and worst of humanity
9. I learned how to say 'no'
10. I understood who I am and stopped apologising about it

Most importantly, I lost faith in God. I asked 'why?' and I heard no answer. I demanded an answer but it was quiet. Then I stopped asking questions and became empty. And then in the dark silence, the answers came one after the other, overwhelming me. I got answers when I didn't know I had questions. Then one day there were no unanswered questions. And there was God.

And that is how I spent my American vacation.