Julie, Julia and Linda

I watched the cutest movie last night. Julie & Julia. It was charming and sweet, like all Nora Ephron movies are (ex. You've got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, my 2 most favorite movies).

If you haven't seen the movie, it's about a lady name Julie, who decides to challenge herself by cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook. 547 recipes in a years time, and blog about her experiences. It also gives us a glance at Julia Child's life, her marriage and how she got started in the cooking cuisine world.
I think I enjoyed it so much because I felt a connection to both of these women. I, like Julie, also have a blog, although I don't have nearly as many readers as she does. Probably due to the fact that she blogs about cooking, where I blog about, well, nothing. But that's beside the point, I still feel a kinship between the two of us and tell myself, that if Julie were to read my blog, she would find it refreshing, insightful, and would want to be my new best friend.

I, like Julia, also wrote a book. And although it wasn't a cookbook, it wasn't over 600 pages, and it didn't take me 8 years to write, my book was also rejected by the publishers. 10 rejections, to be exact, but unlike Julia's book, it will never go on to become a best seller and change the world as we know it. But that's ok. I knew when I submitted it, that it usually takes about 100 rejections before you get that one acceptance. So I wasn't expecting anything other than a "NO". But can I tell you how excited I was to get my first rejection letter! Sent to me personally, on letter head from Holiday House Publishers. It read:

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to consider your book idea, but we do not find it suited to our present needs. The editors.

They didn't tell me it was horrible. They didn't tell me to give up. They didn't tell me to never submit anything to them again. I guess they just don't need a book about a bird who lost his chirp at the present time.

I have not given up hope. It's still a dream of mine to be a childrens book author. Unfortunately, I haven't written another book since. I used up all my creative juices. I am a One-Hitless-Wonder. I got no more to give. Nada. zip. zilch.

However, since Julia never gave up, neither will I. If my book never makes it to print and distributed to bookstores and libraries all over the country, changing the lives of little people everywhere, I will put it out for the whole WORLD to see! They may have squashed my story, but they haven't killed my dream. I'm a blogger! I'm self published! So here's to all future Julie's, Julia's and Linda's out there keeping their dreams alive!

The Bird Who Lost His Chirp

To my kids, who make fun of me
for not being able to whistle,
and are grateful that I'm not a bird

There once was a nest perched high in a tree
where Momma bird sang to her baby birds three.
"Good morning" she chirped, "are you ready to try,
for today is the day you'll all learn to fly."

"It's really not hard, you just spread your wings;
then give a big jump and let your voice sing!"
So they eagerly stood at the edge of the nest,
ready to see which one would fly the best.

Bobby bird stood so brave and tall,
his chest puffed out, not scared at all.
He took a breath in, then with wings spread wide,
he gave a chirp, then jumped off the side.

His wings fluttered fast, then caught a breeze,
the wind picked him up and he flew with ease.
Bonnie bird saw what her brother had done
and wanted to join him, it looked like fun.

So she hopped to the edge, put on a brave face,
then with a big swoosh she joined in the race.
She flapped her wings hard and took to the sky,
and in her best voice chirped, "Look, I can fly!"

Billy bird crept to the edge and looked down.
"The ground is so far" he thought with a frown.
"What if my wings don't work and I fall?
What if I can't learn how to fly at all?"

The other birds sang, "Come join in the fun!
It's really quite easy once you've begun"
So Billy tried hard to be more courageous,
his heart beating fast, he thought "this is outrageous!"

"I'm a bird, I can fly...it's what we do best!"
So with new found courage, he hopped from the nest.
He spread out his wings and shut his eyes tight,
then he fluttered and flapped with all of his might.

He soared in the sky like a well trained bird,
but when he opened his eyes something awful occurred!
Billy froze in mid-flight when he saw just how high
he had flown to the clouds, his heart gave a cry!

He opened his beak, tried to call to his Mom,
but no sound came out, and he dropped like a bomb.
He choked and sputtered, but nothing came out;
not a peep or a chirp, not even a shout.

He recovered his senses in just enough time,
he pulled from his nose dive and started to climb.
Once back in the nest his mother he found,
she held him close, now safe and sound.

"What happened?" she chirped, "you were doing so well,
then next thing I knew you just stopped, then you fell"
Billy tried to explain how his heart gave a fright
when he opened his eyes and saw such a sight.

But instead of the words he so wanted to say,
nothing came out, his voice frightened away.
His neck stretched, his eyes bulged, he started to shake
as he tried and he tried, but no peep could he make.

"That's all right", chirped his mom, "it'll all be OK,
your voice will turn up, just give it a day."
But his chirp didn't come back, in a day or a week,
a bird with no chirp? He felt like a freak.

The other birds laughed and made fun of him;
so he stayed far away and just sat on his limb.
He watched as the others sang all the day long,
knowing without a voice, he'd never belong.

So poor Billy bird spent his days all alone,
though his voice didn't improve, in flying he shone.
He spent the hours flying where no bird would go,
sailing higher and farther than those down below.

He thought it ironic what he once feared, now loves;
the world and its beauty he sees from above.
Then one day while Billy was high in the air,
he saw something wrong that made him despair.

Tubby the Tomcat, known by birds as 'The Beast',
was climbing a tree to find his next feast.
Billy watched from above as Tubby cat neared,
a nest with five babies and no mommy, he feared.

She left for a moment to find them some worms.
All alone in the tree...the thought made him squirm.
He was scared for their safety, so without a second thought,
he aimed for the woods, now forming a plot.

If he could rally the flock of birds from the trees,
they could gang up on Tubby in hopes that he flees.
But the minute he reached them he knew he was doomed,
with no voice to tell them, his hope turned to gloom.

He pointed and flapped, but they thought he was nuts,
he was acting a fool, and being a klutz.
They laughed and mocked and called him names,
and made him the joke of their mean little games.

But Billy could see what the others could not,
that sneaky old cat and the prize of his plot.
He was creeping up slowly, and was now very near,
Billy's anxious feelings had now turned to fear!

His neck stretched, his eyes bulged, he started to shake
as he tried with his might for his chirp to awake.
Then he turned once more to the birds and he cried,
"If you don't help me, those birdies will die!"

"Old Tubby is making his way to their nest,
their momma is gone, there's no time to rest!"
They sprang out their wings and took off in flight,
with Billy as leader, they were ready to fight.

They got to the tree just as Tubby reached top,
surrounded the nest and Billy yelled "Stop!"
Know I don't know if cats know bird talk,
but Tubby knew best just to turn and walk.

He sulked down the tree like a cat in defeat,
the birds all cheered, Billy found his tweet!
They all gathered round, waiting to hear
how Billy bird found his voice, loud and clear.

"I guess when I feared I couldn't stop the attack,
my chirp that was hiding, I scared it right back!"
No longer does Billy the Bird hide in shame;
he's now a big hero, they all praise his name.

And if he gets frightened and his chirp goes away,
the other birds know how to get it to stay,
a good game of hide and seek does the trick.
They jump out and scare him! It brings it back quick.

THE END!