One day as I backed down my driveway, I noticed in my rear view mirror green grass sticking through the white snow. Right then, I found the title for the autobiography I was writing! "Grass is Greener Under the Snow" symbolized me perfectly. I was alive and vibrant underneath, but I had snow white hair and had experienced many adversities.

Soon 170 pages flowed from my pen onto paper. Chapters were no sequential but according to qualities grass portrays such as
"Grass is God Directed" (My Heritage)
"Grass Grows in a Good Environment" (My Love Life),
"Grass is Thwarted if Overstressed" (My Teaching Career),
"Grass is Inviting" (Our Special Guests) etc.
Actually, there were 14 chapters ending with God's Purpose in My Life. My journals were helpful n providing the exact details as I wrote.

I found a self-publisher who gladly printed 500 copies which cost me a few thousand dollars. But that is not the end of my story.

I woke up one night and said to myself, "Who will buy a copy of your autobiography? Not very many people!"

Then another thought hit me. "Give them away." "But if I do that people will think they're cheap and throw them in the ditch!"

Then a third thought hit me. "Make it a mission project. At the end of the book, list four worthy projects and have readers send money to causes rather than pay me."

I told my publisher about it and he liked the idea. In fact he provided an extra page with sticky labels ready to put on envelops free of charge!

Believe me, I had fun passing our my books to my church family, my swimming friends, my relatives and in three months, all books were gone except a few I'm guarding carefully.

The results were phenomenal! I'll never know who gave, to whom they send money, or how much. It was my offering to the Lord for what He has done for me!

People send me notes, stopped me on the street, and said how much this book meant to them. One person said they couldn't put it down - and read into the middle of the night. I have never written anything that reached this success. The only think I can accredit it to is that God is in my writing.

And I give Him the honor.

© Celia Lehman

Celia Lehman is an historian who has authored eight books the last one, her autobiography "Grass is Green under the Snow", came off the press last year. For 25 years she was an elementary school teacher; after retirement became a news reporter. She enjoys photography, singing, practicing hospitality, and designing contemporary quilts.

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"Let my words drop as the rain,my speech distill as the dew, as the droplets on the fresh grass and as showers on the herbs" Deuteronomy 32:2,3 "I proclaim the name of the Lord and ascribe greatness to our God!"