I’m Glad I Was Snoopy

How an unexpected moment turned me toward hope—and opened a door to becoming an author.

I don’t usually recommend being snoopy. But there is one time I’m very glad I was. This time of year always causes me to remember this story.

I was grieving the loss of our son Jon and approaching our first Thanksgiving without him. During an ordinary outing, I heard something that stayed with me long after I left.

I’ll save the details for the book. But what I heard that day shifted my thinking. It awakened a desire to turn toward hope and begin discovering what it could mean to live victoriously, even while grieving.

I wanted to laugh again. I wanted to enjoy the people I loved. I wanted to believe there were still meaningful chapters ahead.

That moment didn’t take away my sorrow. Learning to live with loss would take time, support, and the steady presence of Jesus. But something had begun to change in how I saw my future.

What I couldn’t have imagined was where sharing that experience would lead.

“I’m Glad I Was Snoopy” became the story that won my first writing contest. Its publication in the collaborative book Rise & Shine gave me a title I had never carried before: published author.

Even now, that makes me smile. Previous to this, I had a self-published book, but this accomplishment just felt bigger.

When I lived that moment, I wasn’t gathering material for a book. I was a grieving mom trying to get through another day. Later, writing about it gave me a way to offer someone else some of the hope I had received.

Looking back, I see how God used that experience to open a new path. The moment that helped me look toward life again became a story I could share. Sharing it gave me courage to keep writing.

That turning point is part of Live Victoriously—HEAL. It helps explain the heart behind the message I now share as a speaker, writer, and encourager: Jesus meets us in our pain, and there is still hope for the life ahead.

Perhaps you’re wondering whether joy or purpose can have a place in your life again. I understand that question. There were days when imagining the future felt like more than I could manage.

But God met me there. Sometimes through the people who walked beside me. Sometimes through His Word. Once, through something I wasn’t supposed to be listening to. My Author copies are on their way, so I'll have some for sale very soon. 

I’m glad I was snoopy.

My story is still being written.

Yours is, too.

Join me at SherylStephens.com for encouragement, free resources, and updates about my books. I’d love to stay connected as these next chapters unfold.