Today I went to the Monarch Festival hosted by Duluth Monarch Buddies (DMB) because I want to plant pollinator gardens. But I also went because I wrote an article about DMB, and I promised the organization’s president I would come. (To read my article, click here, and turn to page 22.)

The Festival was held at the First United Methodist Church, which we locals call “The Coppertop Church” because it has a magnificent copper-topped roof. (If you want to view the locally-famous roof, click here.)

On my way into the Monarch Festival, I passed a table with pamphlets and brochures. And in the center of the table was a copy of Northern Wilds magazine opened to the page with my article. Wow! I was excited and touched. I told the woman seated next to the table, “I wrote this article.” In my right hand, I carried three copies of the magazine to give to DMB board members. One for the president, one for the vice president, and one for the secretary.

Once inside, I reintroduced myself to the president and gave her a copy of the magazine. I’d met her last summer, and I’d spoken to her on the phone this spring. She gave me a wide smile and a big hug. She asked if she could take my picture while I held the magazine open to my article. She made me feel like a celebrity. I already knew she liked the article because I had her read it for accuracy before I sent it off to my editor in April. I wanted the facts about monarchs, pollinators, and DMB to be correct. But seeing the article in print with photos is different than reading it in a word document. She was ecstatic, thanking me and telling me it was wonderful. This made my whole day because I worked hard to make the article interesting and informative.

She introduced me to someone who was filming the event for the local public TV station. She thought he might be interested in interviewing me, but he wasn’t. This wasn’t disappointing in the least because I don’t like talking to TV cameras. (Although, I would’ve done it because I’m trying to be braver about public speaking.)

The Monarch Festival was wonderful. I talked to people who are passionate about helping monarchs and bees. I learned more about planning my own pollinator gardens. I listened to the featured speaker talk about using drones to count milkweed plants in order to monitor pollinator habitats.

On my way out of the Festival, the woman seated by the table in the entry said, “I’m going to read your article later.” Talk about leaving on a high note.

It warmed my heart to know that the people I wrote about enjoyed my article, and I felt proud to represent pollinators who make our world a sustainable place.

Today was sweet because writing is hard. It’s frustrating to hear the words in my head, yet know as I endeavor to put them on paper, it will feel as if I’m searching for them in a mist. Usually, this is how each piece I write begins. But somewhere along the way, as I revise and revise, and if I’m lucky, the words fall into place. And if I’m very lucky, someone loves what I’ve written.