Wow. It is an honor to accept the J. Donald Coffin Memorial book award tonight. I am both humbled and thankful to join the growing list of recipients.

Words are a remarkable thing, aren’t they? They are perhaps the single greatest achievement of humankind. With just 26 letters in our alphabet, we are able to write countless words and weave them into thoughts.

Through words we share information. Words can also make us sing with joy or cry in anguish. Words make our hearts race with anxiety, or give us cause to sigh in contentment.

Words connect us to others. And they have no boundaries. Our words connect us to each other—in the same room, across the state, or around the world. They are not even stopped by the boundaries of time but can launch us into the future or transport us into history, connecting us to those from our past.

Writing has been called a unique blend of madness and measure. Those of us caught in the madness write because we must. It’s in our blood. And what we have to say matters. To my fellow writers, I say, “Write. We each are unique and we each have something to say. Follow your inner voice and write your heart out. In the great scheme of things, it matters very much.”

Life is an incredible journey. Thank you, Kansas Authors’ Club and the J. Donald Coffin family, for being part of mine.