The hardest personal goal I’ve ever set for myself was the deadline I gave when I decided to write Tumbleweeds. I told myself I had to finish the novel over the summer. But as the weeks went by, I saw I was going to come up short.
Rather than giving up, I dug deeper and reset my deadline to mid-October — the time of our family reunion. The book is centered around my uncle Dwight, but my dad had a big part in the events that inspired it. I wanted him to see the finished story, especially because I knew, deep down, it would probably be the last time I saw him alive.
I finished Tumbleweeds with time to spare. I printed the manuscript, bound it in a thick binder, and placed it in my dad’s hands. He never read the novel himself; his caretaker tried to read pieces of it aloud, but his copy mostly sat untouched. Still, I’ll never forget the smile on his face when he realized I’d finally written something “important.” That moment meant more to me than any review or publication ever could.
One day, I look forward to seeing Dad again — and maybe talking about the story he never got to read. But for now, I can rest knowing I met my deadline, put the book in his hands, and, God willing, will one day put it in many others.
Copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt.
