My son, Matthew, has chosen to walk in his mother’s footsteps. I write stories, but he prefers screenplays and turning them into movies. 

Last year, he wrote and produced his first movie - “Without Grace.” It’s faith-based and written about the life struggles he faced when his fiance left him and married a man she’d only known three months. It follows through his poor decisions and how he finally found his way back to God. It’s very personal and a challenge to share.

Covid shot him in the foot because the premier, and all the hoopla surrounding it, required things to include only the family. We’d rented out two AMC theaters and sold out, but nothing went as planned. All tickets had to be returned, and the after-party canceled.

He submitted the film to several film festivals around the United States and won “Best Picture” at the New York Film Festival. That win caught the attention of another company (which I am not at liberty to expose). Next week, the President, Vice president, and all promotional departments will finalize their purchase and promotion of Without Grace with Matthew.

Yesterday was the first day of filming of another story he has written and will produce. I am known as the Event Coordinator (which means I have all the manual labor of purchasing and setting up all props). Also, I am the chosen one to feed all the actors, crew, and extras because that’s what moms do.

Matthew is usually a quiet, reserved man. At 38, he prefers to stay at home with his dog, Bella. He works from home and spends all his spare time working on his next project. I couldn’t ask for a better son. Mom gets her phone call every night, and I love discussing his work.

Yesterday, when I stepped on set, I was once again amazed at seeing my son shed his skin and enter into his world of filmmaking. He becomes a man sure of himself; he knows what he wants and skillfully directs people to give it to him. Even when things didn’t go as planned, he didn’t lose his temper or get disgusted; instead, he encouraged and asked others for their opinions on correcting the problem.

Last night, around 3 AM, they were filming in the park. The Park Ranger he paid $200 for didn’t show up. An intoxicated couple pulled their car near the set and decided to entertain themselves. The sound equipment was picking up the car engine, so filming had to stop. My son and a few other guys pounded on the car windows with no response. Afraid that someone was dead, they called the police, who arrived with lights, sirens, fire trucks, and ambulance. It all ended with no one dead. Unfortunately, the schedule fell two hours behind. Back to the drawing board!

I wanted to brag like mothers often do! I’ve always told him to follow his dreams, and I’m thrilled that is precisely what he is doing. It’s difficult working a full-time job and hanging on to that shooting star. 

I know God walks with my son and blesses him to be able to achieve his goal. As his mother, my heart is bursting with pride. He spread his wings and soared.