Two weekends ago I experienced an evening that I knew, even while it was unfolding, was unrepeatable. I sensed it as significant, not to the world but to me personally.
And within that night came a specific moment that felt sparkly, so I’m calling it a sparkling moment.
At the 2012 North Dakota Professional Communicators spring conference and evening banquet, after enjoying a nice meal with my daughters and mother and other participants, I was honored with a pile of awards: two 3rd-place, three 2nd-place and nine 1st-place awards, all for articles and columns I’d written as a freelancer in 2011.
At the end of the evening, I was surprised by a final award when it was announced I was our state’s first-place sweepstakes winner; meaning, my winnings had garnered the highest amount of points. Though I was hoping for a win or two, the thought of coming away with the big award hadn’t even crossed my mind beforehand. (Full results here.)
When freelance was all I did, submitting articles for contests became part of the deal. When you’re out on your own, it can be hard to track success. So awards given by fellow professionals becomes significant. With no company to pay my entrance fees, I’d figure that into my budget annually, along with professional organization membership, and work to write award-worthy articles.
I don’t expect you to be as happy for me as I was for myself. In fact, I’m really not here to boast. What I’d like to share, more than anything, are these takeaways:
– The best part of the night, by far, was having loved ones with me as the awards were announced. One of my colleagues mentioned that she’d noticed my youngest daughter’s eyes pop open when she realized I was about to be named the sweepstakes winner. And having my other daughter and mom there as well — well, it just made everything so much sweeter. My mother was one of my first teachers and has been a constant encouragement to me. And my daughters? Well, they know how hard I work. I’m happy they were able to see a payoff, and I hope that I somehow inspired them to do their best and work hard, too.
– This contest in particular was symbolic for me. It took a couple sessions at the library to sort through my entries and fill out the required forms. When I’d finally pulled it all together, I handed in my pile and exhaled. Shortly thereafter, I started my new job at the newspaper. I knew that I might never have a year like the one that had produced all those articles. It felt like I was closing a chapter of my life, literally handing in the fruits of my truly tireless freelance efforts before moving onto a new venture. Hearing I’d won something besides was like tying a bow on the year of very hard work I’d just come through.
– Aside from sharing this night with loved ones and feeling grateful for the recognition and chance to work on those particular pieces, I was treated to something even better upon arriving back at the hotel room. Reading the judges’ comments in solitude was, without a doubt, the best moment of the whole evening. It was then that I let the honors really sink into my heart and to a place where no one — not even the naysayers that pop into my life on occasion — can touch.
Though judge’s comments are meant mainly for the writer herself, I thought I’d share those from my top wins (which will go on to the national competition). I’m hoping it will shed light on the contest process and give better insight as to why I was so thoroughly filled with joy and gratitude that night:
Q4U: Your turn. Tell me about an honor of yours, and what it meant to you!
Woohoo girl, shove the furniture all the way back so I can do one of my famous happy dances just for you!
What wonderful honors to be bestowed upon you! It’s great ya had family there to share it with ya too!
Congratulations sweetie!
God bless ya and have yourself an awesome kinda day!!! :o)
Yay for you!! You are not boastful in the slightest- its well earned praise for the fruits of your labor! It reminds me of being in speech and getting comments back from the judges who took the time to provide some feedback on your efforts- I savored those as well. There is always something enlightening in the way someone else relates to what we do 🙂
Roxane, I have known you are an excellent writer from the moment I discovered your blogs. And after you were hired by the newspaper in Fargo you never let up – and as a result you have achieved highest honors. Congratulations!
I suppose one of my favorite honors was when I was chosen to represent my high school at week long journalism workshops in the summers before my junior and senior years. And being the first from my high school to be given membership in Quill and Scroll was also meaningful. That night I fell asleep repeating, “The international honorary society for high school journalists” over and over.
This is great, Roxane. Remember when someone said that you weren’t like Erma Bombeck? You proved yourself as an excellent writer for mom stories and beyond.
When I saw your blog post in my “inbox” this morning, I could hardly wait to come home and read your latest entry. So, after all my evening chores, I poured myself a glass of wine and am celebrating with you as I read about your remarkable accomplishments. Congrats…and by sharing your honors you are inspiring those of us who are just beginning to walk the writing journey. Cheers to you!!
I am so, so, so proud of you! You deserve every single award. My best to you!
Okay, so I left off one of the best takeaways — having sweet friends and writing comrades with whom to share bits of the journey. Thanks, all of you, for your generosity and friendship, far or near. And for being an inspiration to me!
Just received this comment from a local communicator friend, who gave me permission to share here. Thought you’d appreciate her story on awards she’s won and their significance to her:
“After winning more than 100 awards, including national and international ones during the course of several decades in a writing career, the real highlight of those awards turned out not to be the awards themselves. While the end results were a treat, the fun of writing those award-winning pieces was really the reward. And out of all the accolades received, there is only one that I truly remember. I received a national Women in Communications award for speechwriting. I didn’t really care about the award because I was in the midst of watching my baby born 3-and-a-half months prematurely, struggle to survive. She spent five and a half months in hospitals. One day, someone from the hospital’s communications staff, a stranger, came to me as I sat next to my baby’s incubator. She too was a member of Women in Communications and knew I couldn’t attend the awards ceremony. She had made arrangements to present the award to me as I sat next to my child’s incubator, complete with trophy and confetti. I will always remember her kindness in making a special moment for me in the midst of chaos. My baby’s all grown up now. The award trophy sits in my office, mainly as a reminder of someone’s kindness during a very difficult time.”