I thought I was writing about the future when I chose this title. Instead, it led me back through my past. I had never thought about my life in chapters. I thought of it in books. While writing my manuscript, I realized I had always thought of my life in books. Each book represented an entire season of my life. The stroke became one book. Recovery became another. Even caregiving became one of those books.

One book had to be finished before the next one could begin. Waiting for that book to end kept me from living the chapters that were already beginning. I waited for the effects of the stroke to disappear for my aphasia to improve. I waited until I could read and write again. Then caregiving became another book, and once again, I waited. I believed I had to conquer the issue at hand before I could move on. The ending never came.

Something unexpected happened. Working on my manuscript and later creating this blog forced me to slow down. Writing about what I was doing, how I felt, and seeing each small step forward as an accomplishment opened my eyes. There it was. It wasn’t books. It was chapters. Every story deserves a second chapter.

At first, I thought each post needed to stand on its own. As time went on, something began to change. The pieces no longer stood alone. They began fitting together like a puzzle. The more I wrote, the more of the picture I could see. Every story became another puzzle piece, and every puzzle piece revealed more of the story. Discovering the next piece of the puzzle has become exciting. I don’t know exactly what that piece will look like. I only know it will become part of the whole story. It makes me want to keep turning the page.

So perhaps I am beginning to see what my next chapter could become. My excitement grows with each new piece of the puzzle I discover. I’m curious to see what I’ll uncover next. Maybe those pieces have been there all along, waiting for me to find them. I want to share with others that anything is possible because every story deserves a second chapter.