Never Give Up by Patty Nicholas

Last week I had the honor of helping my mother clean out my late father’s office. We had gone through all of the important papers a few years ago, but this time was all about his books. Hundreds of books acquired over a lifetime of collecting.

My dad was a professional editor for several scientific publications, however his passion was the art of the story. He loved reading as much as he loved writing. While he supported his family editing for science writers, he always wanted to put together, and sell a great novel, and it showed in the multitude of books he had on the craft of writing.

Unfortunately, he passed away before his dream was realized, but he never gave up. My mother mentioned how she used to fall asleep listening to the click of the keyboard as he wrote into the wee hours of the morning. I have fond memories of the different stories he would tell every time we would get together.

As I went through his books, my initial thoughts and emotions were of sadness. He worked so hard, and never saw his deepest desires of sharing his stories with the world, yet, after contemplating my time in my childhood home and with excellent counsel from a dear friend, I see how he stayed with his passion. He never gave up, he told stories until the very end, and there is no doubt that he passed his zeal, his hopes and dreams on to me.

If I have half his determination, drive, and half his desire to write well, I will have carried on his legacy. There have been a few times in my writing career that I wondered if it was worth it to keep going. When I think of how my dad persevered, I have to carry on.

If I have half his determination, drive, and half his desire to write well, I will have carried on his legacy

I was blessed to have the example of my dad. Someone who didn’t quit. Someone who never gave up.

~~~~~

Multi award winning writer, Patty Nicholas lives in the mountains of North Carolina. She is a busy event planner for the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove, and is a member of the Blue Ridge Writers Group.

She is a mother of two grown daughters and grandmother of three. She writes Bible studies and devotionals as well as contemporary romance.

Devotions are published in compilations by Lighthouse Bible Studies.

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