"How's your writing?"

As a freelance writer, that's not always a question that you're excited to answer. Your writing could be fantastic (paid featured essay in Newsweek) or, more realistically, a wild marathon see-saw ride of highs and lows.

Regardless, my Grandma Erickson always made it a point to ask--not occasionally, or after a big article, but every single time that she saw me. She recognized that my writing was a passion, a profession, and a calling. And, just by consistently acknowledging, and celebrating, this major part of who I am, she indeed played a large role in cultivating it.

Today marks the eleventh anniversary of my grandmother's death.

And my writing today, Gram, is pretty darn good.