Finalists Announced 2014 We Said Go Travel's Inspiration Writing Contest - I made it? Whaaaat? :) This is awesome...

I entered a writing contest several months ago. I never expected anything to come from my spontaneous efforts in submitting my story for

We Said Go Travel's Inspiration Writing Contest. The top 50 finalists were announced TODAY. I am one of them. That's CRAZY, right? 

Well, I suppose...

 I prefer to describe the phenomenon as 'awesome', 'one of the best things ever', or in similarly constructed positive-type correlations...

I am in the Finalists.
I haven't been in the finalists of anything since I was a kid.

I won the 4-H public speaking contest several years in a row, back then.

This is WAY better.

Over 500 people from around the world entered the contest I'm talking about.

I realize that I sound pompous, or worse-
brag-gy...

Neither projection is my intention.

The motivation for entering the contest,
in the first place-

was not to win...

Don't get me wrong, friends.
Winning would be GLORIOUS.

The initial purpose that prompted my frantic story-writing frenzy-before-the-deadline-arrives-ed-ness... (Whatever, I write that way... when I'm excited)...
WASSSSS....

that I FELT something more than just a desire to gain recognition from my story.

I didn't write what I wrote to be recognized.
I was surprised when my entry was selected to be featured on We Said Go Travel's blog.

Today,

I was
FLOORED.

Me?
Regina?
A FINALIST?

You're kidding.
Really.
No...,
seriously...

WHAAAAAAAAATTTTTT?

So went the reasoning-to-myself process of thought,
which occurred shortly after a notification email was sent to me.

Congratulations!

For what?-
I think this while I read the subject title and opening sentences of Lisa's email notice...

Then,
it hits me.

My story...
It...

mattered.

It mattered to somebody-
to more people than just me-
a newbie writer...

To explain why it mattered to anyone other than myself,
I suppose you'd have to ask the contest judges.

I wrote about my Papa Jim.
I wrote about my Mamaw Rose.
I wrote about our travels together.
I wrote of loss,
joy,
tears,
smiles,

...

In 500 words or so,
I wrote what mattered most to me at that time-

It still matters to me.

It matters that someone read words I wrote-
They thought well enough of them- or me- or whatever the heck-
to make me a finalist of the contest I'm so glad to have been a part of!

Read my story here and find the 'R's in the list of finalists for the Writing Contest!
My name is Regina.

I wrote something that mattered to me.

It mattered to somebody else.

It mattered more to me.

It still matters.

Read it.

Read the other stories, too- especially those from Lisa and George...

I don't expect to win.

But, I hope...

That's kinda what my whole story is all about, after all... :)

Read: Finalist Story for We Said Go Travel Writing Contest 2014 - Regina's Story!

Find other finalists at the following link- List of Top 50 Finalists Writing Contest We Said Go Travel 2014